Product Spotlight: Baby Carriers

mvt2003 · August 2020

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions about, S+TMs to share their prior experience with, and everyone to share what they're eyeing in the world of maternity, baby and postpartum products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week we're discussing baby carriers!

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to navigate and respond to.

For S+TMs:

Individual (e.g., lifestyle) factors that might influence your choice:
Favorite baby carrier:
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
What you like and don't like about it:
Is there a baby carrier you don't have but are considering? Why?:
Is there a baby carrier you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?:
Additional thoughts on baby carriers?:

For FTMs:

Baby carrier you're interested in:
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
Any questions for S+TMs?:

To view past Product Spotlights or the upcoming schedule, see

here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IrF0iah5XaJFdFTHzNVcIEq4ujZTwq_j1bG9W-bovNs/edit#gid=0

And of course feel free to post on each thread as needed/as you think of things, even if that item was posted several weeks/months ago!

finnflan · August 2020

We have 2 - the Ergo Omni 360 cool air mesh and the baby Bjorn mini.

I really love the Ergo - you can wear it so many ways and right from the start (7lbs and up I think). DD is 13 months and about 27lbs and I can still take her on big walks in it (it goes up to 45lbs but I’ll definitely tap out before then). DH and I are vastly different sizes around the midsection and it adjusts to fit us both which is great. Downside is that it’s daunting to figure out how to use at first and seems really cumbersome. It’s super easy once you figure it out though - FTM, literally practice with a doll when you get it, it helps haha. I’m tall (5’11”) and have no issues at all with the size of it, but I know some more petite mamas that were a bit physically overwhelmed with it. A huge selling feature for me is that you can really get the ergonomic M shape of the bum and legs, which is really important. It was around $250CAD I think.

We got the Bjorn like the day before we were flying somewhere when DD was 3 months old and I panicked about the size of the ergo on the small prop plane haha. It’s SO easy to get them in and out of and it’s super compact. Baby Bjorn has done better over the years at being more ergonomic, but there really is a difference and you can’t quite get the proper M shape you should really be trying for. We used this only for a short period of time and only for small bursts of time, but it was really useful to have on hand. The weight range is quite small and back support for the wearer isn’t really there. It was around $100 I think.

One I’m considering getting this time is the ergo embrace. It has most of the same positives of the baby Bjorn but the better ergonomics and back support of the ergo. It came out last year several months after DD was born so I didn’t bother getting it but one of the mamas in my group did and just raves about it. Same lower weight threshold though, so the 360 will still be our longer term one. It’s also around $100.

We tried a wrap and I returned it within the week - I never got comfortable with it, which is a shame because they look cute!

juliebeannn · August 2020

We had a Lillebaby Complete and loved it. I was between that and the Ergo and liked that the Lillebaby didn't need a separate infant insert to use from birth. For the first month or so, I also liked the Baby K'tan Active.

finnflan · August 2020

@juliebeannn good point on the infant inserts! We went with the omni 360 because you didn’t need one for that model, they seem like a pain.

treebagel · August 2020

ergo 360 was great for baby after they don’t need the insert (I forget what weight that means). Once you know how to put it on it’s soooo convenient and comfy. Before that I used a super cheap $30 infantino one and I couldn’t believe how great it was for tiny baby! I’ll probably do the same thing again.

becca07024411 · August 2020

I have the lilliebaby and it is okay, but my least used carrier. Love the Konny and k'tan for the first 5osh months and then loved the ring sling after that when baby got >20 lbs. I have a sakuri bloom onbuhimo that I really like too!

jenotontx · September 2020

I used a ring sling (Wild Bird) the most with my DD during her first year. I love that I can easily squeeze it into a diaper bag and how light weight it is, especially for traveling. I also bought a Tula which my husband used but I never really got into using because it's just so much more bulky then my ring slings are.

bumblebee0210 · September 2020

We had three levels of carriers for our daughter, and all three got a lot of use. We liked solly baby (one of the stretchy wrap ones) for the first 4 months or so. It's great for newborn snuggles and super easy to carry around. We had the beco gemini for when she got a little older-- you can use it when they are still small but I found the solly a bit tighter and more snuggly. We still use that one when she is a bit fussy and wants to be carried around (she is 14m). The beco is similar to the ergo I think-- they can face out or in, go on the back, etc. Then we have the full-on hiking backpack from Osprey that we still use all the time, and probably will into the toddler years.

We took our recs (like with many other things!) from wirecutter:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-baby-carriers/

Also-- this is totally one of the things you can buy used (maybe not the stretch wrap ones) so check out FB marketplace/ebay/etc.

finnflan · October 2020

For anyone interested in the ergo, there’s a 30% off sale on this model/colour until October 26th we used this one from birth, without an insert

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/l5/d476wzkrj192.png

momtomesthree · October 2020

I used a Beluga Baby stretchy wrap religiously for the first six months of our sons life. He didn’t even sit in a stroller until he was six months!! It took some practice to figure it out, but once we did I loooooved it. On his fussiest days I’d just pop him into the wrap and he’d calm right down. Looking into getting a Solly this time because their colours are so beautiful.

I’ll add that stretchy wraps are only good until a certain weight, so once baby is bigger they don’t work as well. But for those first hard newborn months they are amazing. Looking into getting a mei dei type wrap for when baby is older this time as well.

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