Carrying a 4 month old in the BabyBjorn Original. Note: Baby is positioned high on mom's torso with open airway (chin off of chest) and forehead and face close enough to kiss.
After several months of extensive testing of top-rated baby carriers, we've learned some valuable insights about their functionality and the features that matter to parents. With babywearing rising in popularity, the number of competing products has grown, giving the modern parent a myriad of styles and choices to consider. In this article, we'll share the lessons we've learned to help you narrow down your options to a few carriers that will work best for your baby and your budget.
A baby carrier lets you bond with your baby while still getting things done. We've found that keeping your baby close helps calm meltdowns and gives you the freedom to get back to your day.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Why Purchase a Baby Carrier?
Babywearing keeps your little one content while also strengthening the bond between you and your baby. A top-quality carrier makes this possible, all while freeing up your hands to tackle everyday tasks. This combination of convenience and connection makes a top-ranked baby carrier a must-have piece of baby gear.
We tested them all in our baby carrier review, from soft structured carriers to wraps and slings.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Types of Baby Carriers
While babywearing has been around for centuries, modern technology and techniques now offer more options than ever before. Today's carriers are modern versions of the traditional wraps, papooses, backpacks, and slings that were used in the past. There are five basic types of baby carriers: wrap, sling, mei-tai, soft structured carrier, and framed hiking baby backpacks. Below is a brief description of each.
Our testing of the carriers mainly focused on how easy they are to use and how comfortable they feel. It makes sense that the top-rated products shine in these areas.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Babies feel secure and snug in the Boba Wrap thanks to the stretchy fabric and custom fit that grows with them.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Wrap — This style is a long piece of fabric that wraps around you and your baby, tying the loose ends to create a snug and secure resting place for little ones. Wraps are usually easy to clean and comfortable but harder to use and often hot to wear.
A sling, like the Tula Ring Sling shown here, can be custom fitted for the baby and wearer with only one adjustment point.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Sling — A sling is a single piece of fabric that goes over one shoulder and forms a pouch to hold your baby in front of you or on your hip. Slings usually adjust by pulling the loose end of the fabric through rings near your shoulder.
The Meh Dai is a Mei Tai style carrier with a structured body and straps for securing the carrier to your body.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Mei-Tai — This style is a hybrid between a wrap and a soft-structured carrier. A mei-tai has four straps attached to the main body of the carrier (that resembles a soft structured carrier body) and can be tied in various ways.
The BabyBjorn One is a soft structured carrier that can adjust to grow with your little one.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Soft Structured Carrier (SSC) — A SSC has padded straps and a thick waistband connected to the main body. They are often adjustable with extra integrity to help support and disperse your baby's weight on your hips and shoulders.
The Thule Sapling is the top scoring product in the review with an impressive performance in most metrics.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Baby Backpack — A backpack carrier is for wearing your older baby or toddler on your back for long periods. Since this type is unsuitable for infants and younger babies, we discuss it separately in our baby backpack carrier review.
Our little testers seemed happy and content in the ComfortFit during testing.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Wearing Baby Safely
It is essential to follow safe use practices when wearing your baby at any age in any carrier. Very small infants are particularly susceptible to airway compromise while being held in a baby carrier as they have less head and neck control. The UK-based School of Babywearing has a very handy babywearing safety acronym, T.I.C.K.S.
T.I.C.K.S. Rule for Safe Babywearing
Credit: School of Babywearing
Also, we encourage you to read our Best Practice Tips for Baby Wearing for further information on safe babywearing. While babywearing can be very convenient and fulfilling, it isn't without inherent risks, and the more you know, the safer you can be.
CPSC Sling Safety Video
If you are considering using a sling carrier, we also encourage you to take 3 minutes out of your day to watch the video below from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urging parents to use extra caution when using an infant sling.
In the past, poorly designed slings and a lack of knowledge led to unfortunate and largely preventable infant deaths. While our lineup includes slings, which can be very safe when used properly, we still believe it's important to fully understand how to use them safely to avoid any potential complications.
Carrying Positions and Holds
Not only are there several types of carriers, but most carriers offer a few different carry positions and holds. Versatility in carrying positions is an important factor when selecting a product because as your baby grows, the most comfortable position to wear your baby will change. The most common carry positions are riding on the front of the parent, facing either in (front carry facing in) or out (front carry facing out), or riding piggyback on the parent's back (back carry). Riding on a parent's side (hip carry) is another popular option, but that position can restrict or limit the use of one of your hands, depending on the carrier.
Having more carrying options can keep both baby and parent comfortable and happy while out and about. The Beco Baby Gemini, shown here, does an excellent job of offering this flexibility.
Credit: Beco
The carriers in this review offer between 1 and 5 possible carry positions. Most of the competition offers three or four positions, with manufacturers counting forward front carry and facing parent front carry as two different options. Also, some carriers, particularly the wrap style, are capable of different types of “holds.”
Quick Tip: The instruction manual that comes with your carrier can be helpful in learning how to accomplish the various carrying positions your carrier offers, but we suggest checking out videos, either on the manufacturer's website or ones they've added to YouTube. Seeing someone else perform the movements necessary to get a baby safely into the proper carrying position can be extremely beneficial.
The Tula Ring Sling is a comfortable carrier made of soft material and good for little ones from 8-35 lbs.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
How to Find the Best Carrier for You
After testing multiple carriers over the years, we've discovered that the market is full with many quality choices. Each one has its own compelling design and fabric choices, just as unique as the little ones they're made for. However, this abundance of choices can leave parents feeling more confused than ever about which one to pick and why. Even determining which carrier style is right for you can be difficult, not to mention which option within that style is the best.
Our testing left us feeling that two factors are more important than any other: comfort and ease of use. Why? First, if a carrier isn't comfortable, you won't use it. Whether it has you or your baby squirming and wincing, an uncomfortable carrier is more likely to end up sitting in a closet somewhere than out and about on adventures. Second, the last thing sleep-deprived parents need is complicated baby gear that goes unused because of the time and effort involved in figuring out how it works. A simple but comfortable baby carrier is a winning combination.
If you need to wear baby for prolonged periods, a comfortable carrier is a must have like the Maya Wrap ComfortFit Sling with the wide padded shoulder.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
How long will you wear your baby?
Some parents believe the “holy grail” of baby carriers is a product that can work from newborn to toddler by allowing seamless carry positions changes while retaining comfort in each stage. A carrier that works well in the first few months may not perform well as your baby reaches a year and beyond. However, if you only plan to use your carrier until your baby is a specific weight or age, and can't imagine carrying a toddler off your front side, then this fantasy carrier is unlikely to impress you, and a simpler, more infant-suited option may be what is best for your family and budget.
Determining how long you plan to carry your child can save you time, money, and frustration down the road. While it is true that many new parents may be unable to answer this question before the baby arrives, others will already know that they have limitations in desire or physical prowess that may limit how much weight they can or want to carry. A great economic wrap could be all you need if you plan to stop carrying your little one after they can sit up on their own. However, using a wrap with a 30 lbs squirming toddler can be tricky as the stretchy fabric and lack of structure might leave you frusterated and wishing you had invested in a soft structured carrier that offers more support for both you and your baby.
The BabyBjorn Original has limited positions and a seat width that is not adjustable making it a good option for younger babies but harder to use with larger babies.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
The fact is that when your baby is a young infant (birth to 4 months), they weigh a wonderfully light (7 to 15 lbs). During those first months, a front carry position is ideal, with the baby facing inward toward the parent and with ample neck support. The wrap-style products in the lineup shine in this age range. But, once the baby gets older and heavier, the virtues of competing designs become more than evident. For example, in the 6-12 months age range, when your baby can be over 20 lbs on average, many parents appreciate a more structured carrier, like the BabyBjorn One, which can provide better support.
Being able to wear little ones on your back can increase the longevity of your baby carrier and babywearing time. The BabyHawk Meh Dai (shown here) can be worn on your back with older babies.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Wearing your baby on your back is another great way to get longevity out of a carrier as your baby grows. However, many carriers don't work in this position, including most of the wraps and slings. So if you plan to wear your child as long as possible and can't imagine their feet ever touching the ground, then you'll want a carrier with a wide weight range and multiple carry positions for the long haul. The Tula Free-to-Grow is good for carrying children from 7-45 lbs on your front or your back.
The BabyBjorn is a soft structured truly hands free carrier for babies from 8-33 lbs.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Is it comfortable?
Wearing your baby should keep your baby happy and make your life easier. If your baby isn't comfortable, neither of these things will happen. Babies need to feel secure to feel comfortable and safe. Carriers that hold the baby close to your body and up high enough for you to kiss the top of their heads are ideal (and safe!). The baby's head and back should be adequately supported as well. Soft structured carriers do an outstanding job at this. Wrap-style carriers also keep the baby in a close, almost womb-like swaddle, but the fabric allows freedom of movement and a natural curved back body posture. Wider seat bottoms or larger “pockets” for baby's tushie also make a carrier more comfortable for little ones, so they aren't dangling from their crotch (ouch!).
The Baby k'tan is an excellent carrier for newborns keeping them close and holding them in a safe position.
The Tula Free-to-Grow is an excellent carrier for carrying older children on your back.
The most comfortable babywearing position will change as your baby grows. Young infants in their “fourth trimester” (0-3 months) feel comfortable when tightly swaddled or snuggled close to their parents in front carry facing in position. Around four months of age, babies typically become more social and enjoy the front carry facing out position, which allows them to begin exploring and interacting with the world around them. And, as older babies become more active and progress through the toddler years, riding in the back carry position provides the opportunity to take in their surroundings comfortably for both parent and child. Most slings lack a back carry position. However, most have a hip carry position that allows for both forward and back visibility.
Your comfort needs will change over time as your little one gets bigger and more mobile. Newborns and smaller infants are relatively easy to carry, and most parents can do so for more extended periods of time. As your baby starts to grow, you'll soon see the advantages of padded shoulder straps and the additional support of a waistband to help distribute your baby's weight to keep greater adventures comfortable. Being able to change positions or make minor adjustments on the go is also vital to staying comfortable as the day passes. Carriers with multiple positions or easy adjustments are the best choices. Slings allow for quick, small changes for fit or comfort and work for parents and little ones of various sizes for a custom fit. Soft structured carriers with ample shoulder padding, great waistband support, and the ability to tighten or loosen straps as needed to shift baby's weight or to find a more comfortable position are comfy with older or larger babies.
Wraps, like the Storchenwiege Woven Wrap, are more difficult to learn and use with multiple wrap style changes and holding your baby while you put it on.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
How much effort does it take?
Some of these products can be pretty complicated to use with all kinds of straps, buckles, snaps, pouches, and zippers. For the most part, once you've used one a few times, it becomes more fluid, but some have more of a learning curve than others. Wraps are far more challenging to learn and use, but they are budget-friendly and super easy to keep clean. Soft structured carriers have lots of buckles and straps, but their increased adjustability means more comfort, and most of them let you put the carrier on before you pick up your baby. You'll want to consider how much effort and time you are willing to put into using the carrier, and the type you choose will be based on the time and method you think will work best for you and your family. How difficult is it to put on the carrier? Do you need to hold the baby while you put it on? Are there methods you'll need to memorize? Is it adjustable for size, so it can be interchanged between parents easily?
With so many baby carriers out there, picking the best one can be tough. Our review helps you narrow down the options to find the right fit for your needs and budget.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Conclusion
With so many carriers to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start or how to narrow the field of options. Ultimately, you can't go wrong with a simple, versatile, and supportive carrier. With the three questions above in mind, you should be able to narrow the high-ranking products down to one or two best choices. If you aren't sure how you will use a carrier or for how long, you may consider dipping a toe in the carrier pond with an inexpensive wrap that is excellent for newborns. As your little ones grow and you get a better idea of your needs and goals, you can make a more substantial purchase to last through your babywearing years. Here's to a long life of babywearing and keeping baby calm, cool, and collected in a bond-building baby carrier.
Babies feel secure and snug in the Boba Wrap thanks to the stretchy fabric and custom fit that grows with them.Credit: Abriah Wofford
