My sister is having her first baby, and the shower is coming up next week. She charged me with finding her the best baby carrier/sling/wrap, and didn't even put it on her wish list so I would have no competition. Being the hippie that I am, I am leaning towards the slings and wraps, but naturally I am finding mixed reviews on everything. As far as size/comfort factor, she's about 5'7" size 8-10. In the mommies experience, what is the best?

your sister is about my sisters size and height. my sister tried several but has liked the babyBjorn active carrier the most. she felt it was the most comfortable for her to carry with the diaper bag and all the exta stuff she had to carry around

while the hippie slings are the cutest and most appealing, the babyBjorn was really the most comfortable for ME and McKayla (and expensive...) It was hard for me to wear, however, because my boobs were the size of bazookas, so keep that in mind (you can adjust the carrier so that it comes up higher, fixing the boob problem a little). I was always afraid she would fall out of a sling as well.

 ack, I couldn't do a baby bjorn at all.  I have recently seen these and love em.

 that makes me want to take a nap.. for real

I couldn't figure out the wraps, so I used a Snuggly carrier and it was pretty comfy but once Julian got to about 15 pounds I couldn't carry him for that long, although Im 5'0, 90-100 pounds.

That's funny that you'd show me that, Quinnn, because I was looking at these last night: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5366490. She posted some really helpful how-to videos as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeJDIJHgL3Y

For you mothers with experience out there, does this look like more trouble than it's worth, or would you find it worth it to do? A lot of complaints I've seen have been about the slings with adjustable rings, and the end of the fabric dragging on the ground, but that doesn't seem like it would be a problem with these.

Also, why couldn't you do a Baby Bjorn? Boob issues as well? I believe Kristi is a c cup.

 I guess it was the boob thing.  Your sisters boobs may get a hell of a lot larger if she is planning on nursing.  I went up to a G cup.  Damn boobs were bigger than my kid :D

but I just didn't feel comfortable with it.  It always felt like it didn't fit right or I wasn't wearing it right.  Alex always seemed so far away from me while he was in it.  Alex always wanted to be right next to me, specifically touching my skin.  With a sling or a wrap that is possible but not so much with the carrier.Hell, with a sling or a wrap if you really wanted to you could wear that as a shirt or throw a shirt over it and leave the house.  

I also like that the slings and wraps can carry a much larger child and aren't boring to look at.With how little they cost buying more than one isn't a hardship either.

I've worn my babies and have lots of slings and wraps and a couple mei tais. Please stay away from snuglis and bjorns. The way they are designed are bad for the baby's hips, pelvis, and spine. Plus, they usually aren't comfortable long term. And don't use those padded and/or deep slings that they sell at places like BRU, etc. They can cause overheating and lack of oxygen due to the baby being so far down in the sling (I can send links about this if you like).

There are pros and cons of other types of carriers. Stretchy wraps are great for newborns, but tend to not be quite so comfortable after about 20 lbs. Woven wraps are great for newborns to toddlers. Many mei tais are as well, same with slings.

I personaly prefer woven wraps since they are the most versatile. I like some of the shorter ones that can be worn sling style (no rings to get in the way) and as the baby gets bigger you can wear him/her on your hip.

There are also SSCs (soft structured carriers) that are somewhat like snugglis, but much better designed and can last longer (infant-toddler).

If you like, pm me and I can send you links. :)

Just as an update, we ended up order from http://slinglings.com/. It seems like it's going to work out nicely.