Baby carrier reviews

The outdoor meetup group I am a member of wants reviews of baby carriers. Since I have tried several carriers through the years with my kids and have sewed my own I thought I would do reviews. I don't have the best pictures of the carriers since I am usually behind the camera. Doing these reviews makes me realize I should of taken better pictures of them. I usually like to stick to one of something and not buy more then I need. I am not a big shopper and try to buy used whenever possible. I barely ever buy things for myself. I embarrassingly have tried many carriers in my almost 5 years of parenting for someone who thinks through purchases and always thinks about the impact and if I can find it used or go without. Most of these carriers were actually used carriers. I have been through a lot but they all been put to good use or have gone on to new homes. I had to go through several carrier to finally determine that I liked the mei tais I made the best. I also use different carriers for different purposes and different ages.

Ergo

The ergo is a soft structured carrier. A soft structured carrier is an asian style carrier that has buckles for the waste and shoulders and has a structure. The ergo can be used as a front carrier, a back carrier or a hip carrier. The ergo is made of heavy duty canvas and is heavily padded through the shoulders and the hips. It has a chest clip and a hood for sleeping babies. It has a darted seat that helps position the baby and helps with weight distribution. The good things about the ergo are that it is made of really good materials and has adequate padding for weight distribution. The padding in the shoulders is a little stiff compared to other brands. It is good to have padding but I feel there are other options for that area that can hold the weight without the stiffness. The ergo makes a really good back carrier but I don't particularly care for it as a front carrier since the shoulders don't cross for a front carry. It also can be used as a hip carrier but it does a poor job as a hip carrier. You can buy infant padding for tiny babies that don't fit in the leg holes but I think there are much more comfortable carrier options out there for newborns. I think the ergo is a great workhorse carrier made of good materials that will work for many people but it did not work for me. Even with the chest clip I felt as if the carrier would slip of my narrow shoulders and I did not like the fit on me.

Ten Toes Click

Pouch for newborns

The ten toes click is a buckle tie. A buckle tie is a mei tai that has buckles instead of ties. It is like a soft structured carrier but doesn't have the structure. This carrier is made of twill and does not have padding. I got the ten toes click since I heard it was a good carrier for petite women. I did really like the fit of this carrier for a variety of shapes and sizes. I also liked it for a front carrier since you can unsnap the shoulder clips and criss cross them for the front. It is the only soft structured carrier I like for newborns since it has a sewn in pouch that you can put a newborn in before you put the carrier on. The pouch only works for small babies that wouldn't otherwise fit without special padding to make it work.  I liked all the options for strap colors and design and how the carrier looks. I really like this carrier for smaller babies that don't weigh a lot but since it is made of twill and lacks adequate padding I don't think it makes a good carrier for bigger babies and toddlers for weight distribution. I really feel it when I am carrying a bigger baby in this carrier after not much time. It does not come with a sleeping hood.

Nana's Jet Pack

Jetpack on the back 1 day post postpartum

I got the Jetpack because I heard it fit petite women good in the shoulder area and I found a good deal on a used one. I wanted a soft structured carrier I could use for my toddler once my second child was born. Nana's Jet Pack is a soft structured carrier made of twill that is lightly padded. I did really love how this carrier fit me and loved the shape and fit of it. I thought the carrier was a perfect size for my toddler. What I didn't like about the carrier was the light padding and twill fell short for weight distribution for toddlers. I would love a carrier like this made with more padding and made of heavy canvas. This also did not come with a sleeping hood.

Moby

The moby wrap is a stretchy wrap made of cotton jersey. Stretchy wraps are a great way to learn how to use wraps and are they are very comfy and soft for small babies. The moby is my favorite carrier for a newborn. They say that the moby is good for up to 30 pounds and it shows a back carry in the booklet. I don't think the  moby is good for much past 12-15 pounds or that they are good for back carries because of the stretchiness of the fabric.

The moby has a bit of a learning curve for tying it. It really intimidated me with my first so that I didn't use it much with her and by the time I did learn it it had outlived its usefulness. I recommend watching youtube videos on how to tie it. You can also ask a friend to help you or look up if your area has a baby wearing group if you are having trouble with it. I am glad I kept the moby because it became my favorite carrier when my second and third were newborns. Once you learn how to tie it becomes second nature. You can pre tie the moby if you are going in the car so you don't have to tie it outside if the weather is bad. A lot of people do not tie the moby tight enough. You have to tie it tighter than you think and really get the shoulder sections really tight. I love the closeness and comfiness of a wrap and I like the softness of a stretchy wrap for a newborn. I found that once my babies got somewhere between 12-15 pounds that it became a little too stretchy and it would sag a little even when I made sure to tie it nice and tight.

Scootababy

The scootababy is a structured hip carrier. The scootababy is a carrier I have been borrowing from a friend. The scootababy is made of heavy duty canvas, has a gathered fleece shoulder and a padded buckle for the hip. It has seat darts to help with weight distribution and for positioning the baby. I have tried other hip or side carriers but I always feel it on the shoulder that is holding the weight after not much time. I can wear the scootababy for a long time without feeling the weight.

 I first tried the scootababy because when my son was a baby he only liked back carries when I was moving which was good for hikes and walks but not for errands where I wasn't moving as much. He liked to be held and was pretty fussy at times so the scootababy was great for certain occasions. I really found this to be the perfect hip carrier for me. I found it very comfortable and well made with good materials. My babies like it because they are up front by me and can see really well out of a hip carrier. A hip carry puts them in a better position than a front carry facing out but it keeps a baby happy if they want to see better. I also used this for my youngest who had torticollis a neck condition where her muscles were stronger on one side and it kept her head pulled to the right and she favored looking left. Her head preference was so strong that in other carriers her head would always end up towards her favored side even if I tried to position her otherwise. The scootababy helped keep her head facing the other direction while her torticollis was at its worse.

Tettitet

The tettitet is a mei tai an asian style carrier that you tie around the waist and shoulders. Tying it allows you to get a custom fit but takes a little practice to learn for back carries. It allows you to tie it a few different ways and can cross to make front carries more comfortable. I mostly use mei tais now so I find them easy to use now. There was a time where I wasn't comfortable tying back carries by myself. I recommend watching youtube videos and looking online if you are having trouble figuring out a back carry with a mei tai. The tettitet is a scandanavian mei tai. I heard they got really good reviews so I decided to try one. I was very impressed with it. It is made of heavy canvas and is lightly padded. This is the only carrier that is lightly padded and doesn't have padding in the waist that I actually like for weight distribution. It is sewn very good and is made with good materials that work for transferring the weight. This carrier inspired me to try making my own with a friend who was crazy enough to try it for our first sewing project. I thought about selling it since I now have mei tais that I made that I love but I still have this carrier and do like using it. It is my husband's favorite carrier right now since his custom Ramones soft sturctured carriere I made him is in need of repair.

Baby Hawk

The baby hawk is a mei tai made of twill with light padding. This was the first baby carrier I owned and I liked it at the time. I had a hard time doing back carries and switched to a soft structured carrier when I wanted a back carrier for hikes. I now have no problem using mei tais for back carries but I sold the baby hawk a while ago. It was a decent carrier and has lots of colors and designs to choose from but I found the light padding and twill was better for smaller babies. I felt the weight when carrying bigger babies. 

I don't own one but my favorite soft structure carrier is a kinderpack. I have tried on a friend's and it is really well made with good materials and great sewing. The waist is well made and the hood can button into the carrier. There are a lot of brands out there and some good carriers and some not so good ones. I think it is important if you are getting a mei tai or a soft structured carrier to get a brand that has a good reputation and good reviews but also to pay attention to materials. Get a carrier with adequate padding that is made of heavy canvas rather than twill. 

Another type of carrier I like are woven wraps but I never really learned how to tie a back carry right. I also like mei tais and soft structured carriers. I use mei tais since I know they will fit me. I use them for  both long and short hikes and for errands. I like them better then frame packs and find them more comfortable for me and more practical for around the house.