Giveaway ended 7/28/13. Winners are posted below.
I have been intrigued by the clever invention of the GoGo Babyz Sidekick Diaper Bag/Baby Carrier combo since it was released in 2010. Ella was too old for it then and I wanted so badly to try it out. I prayed for another baby just so I could. (Okay, that’s not the only reason I wanted another baby, but it was a strong influence. LOL)
After baby John was born I talked with GoGo Babyz and they agreed to let me review the Sidekick. The best part is they are sponsoring this giveaway of TWO Sidekick Diaper Bag/Baby Carriers!!!!
The Review:
When I first transferred my things from my old diaper bag to the Sidekick, I thought it was a little bit small. But once I got things organized I realized that it was the perfect size and easily fit everything I needed, including my small clutch purse. Here is the bag as I pack it:
The unique thing about the Sidekick is that it has a baby carrier attached to it. This is so cool because even though it’s not that much of a hassle to put on a baby carrier, it does take up quite a bit of space in your bag. With the Sidekick you don’t have to worry about that since the carrier folds nicely in the top flap. Unlike other carriers, this holds the baby on your side, as the name implies. (I have found I can also shift John to the front if needed to fit through tight spaces like down the aircraft aisle.)
It’s easy to set up as a carrier. Simply take the shoulder strap and buckle it around your waist. Tighten to your comfort then put the carrier strap over your shoulder. You can either put the baby in and then lift the strap over your shoulder, or slide the baby in through the top. Now that John is a bit taller I find it’s easier to put the strap over my shoulder and then slide him in through the top. If I put the strap over baby’s and my head I found it worked better if I moved John to my front instead of my side.
John was so comfortable in this carrier that he slept at 2 parties and a gymnastics expo. (along with the help of his Zoë b Sleepy Hat). It was comfortable for me to carry him in it for over 2 hours.
I love using Sidekick for darting in and out of stores when I don’t want to bring the entire stroller but want the diaper bag with me “just in case”. It was great for the airplane. I used the Sidekick to carry John and it gave me both hands free. I was able to carry the diaper bag (wearing it), the baby, a backpack, a lunch tote, and the car seat down the aisle all by myself!
Here’s another time the Sidekick proved useful for me: climbing up 41 steep steps from the pool to the house. I needed to carry 2 bags and a coffee cup in my hands and was able to do that while carrying John (and the diaper bag) and having a hand to hold the rail for safety. Impressive, no?
The only problem I had with the Sidekick was when storing 8 oz. bottles in the side pockets, John’s feet sometimes knocked off the lids. This didn’t bother me enough to change the bottles I was using or put them in a different location.
The Sidekick comes with a nice changing pad that folds compactly and fits nicely at the bottom or side of the bag. It also has an insulated bottle/snack pouch. I didn’t ever use the insulated pouch, but it’s got a great feature of a snapping strap so you can attach it to the outside of the diaper bag if you don’t have room for it inside.
The GoGo Babyz Sidekick comes in three models: Bliss, Shift, and Deluxe. They all share the following features:
- Versatile – wear over your shoulder, around your waist, or across your shoulder
- Adjustable strap allows you to carry your baby on either hip
- Baby-friendly fabric easily wipes clean
- Key clip, cell phone pocket, and many easily accessed pockets for essentials
- Double side pockets for bottles or sippy cups
- Removable insulated bottle/snack pouch and changing pad
- Designed for use by babies with good head control, weighing up to 35 pounds
- Dimensions: 12″ high x 15″ wide x 4″ deep
The Bliss ($120) and the Shift ($125) are the same material and the Shift adds the feature of a removable carrier strap so you can use it as just a diaper bag, if preferred. The Sidekick Deluxe ($130) adds these features:
- Luxe interior fabric with contrasting pattern design
- leather bottom & trim features
- additional pockets for storing essentials
The Giveaway:
I am using the Sidekick Deluxe for myself because my husband doesn’t want to use it as a carrier (he would rather just hold the baby). He said if he were to use it that way he would prefer the more basic design with more masculine colors. I wanted to offer versatility to you on this giveaway, so I chose to offer the Sidekick Bliss in Charcoal and the Sidekick Shift in Black. I’m hoping that the neutral colors will encourage the dads to enter and be excited about the Sidekick too.
The giveaway will be run through Rafflecopter and 2 winners will be randomly chosen from the entries. I will not use the information provided for any reason except to contact the winners. I will give the Sidekick Shift to the first winner and the Sidekick Bliss to the second winner drawn.
Disclosure: I received a GoGo Babyz Sidekick Diaper Bag/Carrier for review and 2 to giveaway. I am not otherwise compensated for this review. My opinions are my own and I will never recommend a product that I wouldn’t use myself.
To enter, click on the Rafflecopter entry. A blog comment is mandatory and will give you one entry. Tell us your favorite GoGo Babyz product (check them out here) or why you’d like the Sidekick. But don’t stop there! Increase your chances of winning! You can earn up to 11 additional entries (optional) if you follow Cloud Surfing Kids and GoGo Babyz on Facebook and/or Twitter (if not, you can sign up and earn an entry) and/or tweeting about the giveaway. Enter here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
