There are many different types of baby carriers. The more traditional are: front carriers and back packs. However, there are also several different types of slings. To decide which is right for you, we have got a description of each type and then reviews of different brands within the different types.
Front carriers
These carriers are worn on your front. They are mostly suitable from birth to around 6 months. They are attached using straps and buckles. They range from around £25 to £100. For any carrier, one key thing to check is that it is comfortable to wear – for you. If it hurts your back, chances are, you won’t use it. Looking after a baby is hard work enough without injuring your back as well. The more expensive carriers tend to be more comfortable as they have more ways to be adjusted and extra support panels. Some front carriers only allow baby to be facing inwards towards you. This great in the early months, but once your baby can support his/her own head, they tend to want to look around and can get quite frustrated at just staring at your chest. Carriers where the baby can be unhooked and put down asleep (rather than unstrapping lots of bits and yanking them out), can be quite good if your baby struggles to get to sleep. Front carrier reviews:
Back Packs
These, as the name implies, are carried on your back – rather like a big rucksack. A big advantage to them, is that they are quite “manly”, and therefore it can be easier to persuade dads to use them. Back packs are not normally suitable until around 6 months when your baby can sit up. This means you’ll either have to do without a carrier for the first 6 months or buy more than one. They are more suited to the great outdoors, than just pottering around the house. However, as your baby gets bigger (and heavier), you will probably want to switch from a front carrier if you are going on walks as it will make it easier for your back. It is worth looking for a back pack that is light (as you don’t want to be carrying lots of extra weight), but sturdy. Lots of pockets are also useful for carrying spare nappies etc. with you. You may also want to consider how comfortable it is for your baby to have a little snooze whilst on the move. Back Pack reviews:
Wraps (contributed by MoorMum Katherine from Ilkley)
A wrap is basically just a long piece of fabric which is used to tie the baby to your body, as has been done by people all over the world for thousands of years. Wraps come in different types of fabric and lengths depending on what your needs are. A stretchy wrap is an ideal carrier for a small baby to be worn tummy to tummy or in cradle hold and can be tied around your body and the baby popped in and out as needed.
Once your baby gets heavier you will find a stretchy wrap is not supportive enough. At that point a woven wrap can be a great investment. These are made of sturdy fabric which is specially woven to give slightly in a diagonal direction for comfort, but not be stretchy lengthwise. They can be used from birth and for as long as you can physically carry your child, and even passed down your family afterwards! The fabric wears in with use and become beautifully soft and snuggly.
Also available are woven wraps made from gauze. The light, cotton fabric makes them especially suitable for warm weather and more compact for storage in a changing bag.
Woven wraps are very versatile and can be used in many different positions. For example, a long wrap can be used to wear your small baby tummy to tummy or your toddler on your back. A short wrap can be used for a quick and convenient hip carry similarly to a ring sling or pouch.
A long wrap can seem intimidating at first and does require some practice, but it is well worth the time and effort. The feeling of having a small baby sleeping snuggled to your front in a wrap is a wonderful one, as is the feeling of achievement when you swing your toddler up onto your back and tie him expertly into place!
There are also a variety of traditional fabric carriers which come into this category. These include the rebozo from Mexico, selendang from Indonesia, manta from Peru and kanga or kikoy from Africa.
You can find instructions on different ways of using a wraparound carrier here.
Wrap reviews:
Other brands of wraps available:
- Moby
- Hug-a-bub
- Bali stretch
- Calin Bleu microfleece
- Hot Mama wrap
- Storchenwiege
- Hoppediz
- Baba-licious
Soft Structured Carrier (SSC) (Contributed by MoorMum Katherine from Ilkley)
A soft structured carrier is similar to a mei tai except it fastens with buckles instead of by tying. It is a good option if you prefer something more mainstream looking. The carrier has a sturdy, shaped and padded waist and padded shoulder straps which usually clip to buckles on the sides of the body. There is usually a strap which clips across your chest to keep the shoulder straps in place, like on a rucksack.
An SSC can be worn front or back and some people find it less intimidating than a mei tai. The structured waistband provides good support for your baby’s weight.
You can find instructions on how to use a soft structured carrier here.
SSC reviews:
UK brands:
Other brands:
Ring slings (contributed by MoorMum Katherine from Ilkley)
A ring sling is basically just a piece of fabric with two rings sewn onto one end. The fabric is threaded through the rings which then enables the sling to be adjusted to give good fit and support for wearer and baby. Some ring slings have padded edges (called rails) and the loose piece of fabric which hangs out of the rings (called the tail) is sewn together. These can be simpler to use for beginners but are less adjustable which also means correct sizing is important. The padding can’t be pulled through the rings so if the sling is too large it can’t be tightened enough for a safe and comfortable carry.
An unpadded sling can be adjusted as tightly as is needed and also the open tail means that you can independently tighten the rails or even any section of the fabric to give the perfect, supportive fit.
The part of the sling where the rings are attached is called the shoulder. This can be sewn in several different ways, including with the fabric just bunched up and sewn around the rings (known as gathered), sewn into pleats like a fan (pleated) or folding in on it’s self to make a narrower shoulder (hotdog). Which one works best for you depends on whether you like to spread the fabric on your shoulder wide, which spreads the weight but can also restrict arm movement somewhat, or keep it narrower which means the weight is more focused on your shoulder but your arm can move freely.
Ring slings can be made of a variety of different fabrics including cotton, linen and woven fabric and you can even get designer silk ring slings which cost several hundred pounds and are sported by celebrities such as Gwen Stefani and Julia Roberts!
You can carry your baby in a ring sling in a number of ways. One is cradle hold where your babies sits prone in the sling as if cradled in your arms. Another is the hip carry where an older baby or toddler sits on your hip. You can also carry your baby on your front facing inwards like in a frontpack, this is known as tummy to tummy or snugglehold. This can be done with the legs tucked up inside for a small baby, or outside for an older baby. An older baby or toddler can even be swivelled round onto your back in a ring sling.
You can see some instructions on using a ring sling here.
The downside of ring slings is that all the weight is on one of your shoulders which can become uncomfortable with a heavy baby or toddler. If this becomes the case, a two shouldered carrier would be recommended.
Pouches (Contributed by MoorMum Katherine from Ilkley)
A pouch is a very simple carrier. It consists of a tube of fabric sewn into a pouch shape which is then folded in half lengthwise to form a pouch you can put your baby into. You can use a pouch for the same carries as you can a ring sling although it is hard to do tummy to tummy with a small baby in a non-stretchy pouch. A fleece pouch works better for that.
Some pouches are adjustable with poppers, others are fixed. Correct sizing is important with a fixed pouch because if the pouch is too large the baby will be positioned too low on your body and that’s hard work for your back.
Pouches give a neat, streamlined look and can also be easily tucked into a changing bag or even a coat pocket which makes them very convenient when your baby reaches the up and down toddler period. Easier than pushing an empty pushchair and holding your toddler’s hand at the same time!
The downside of pouches is that all the weight is on one of your shoulders which can become uncomfortable with a heavy baby or toddler. If this becomes the case, a two shouldered carrier would be recommended.
There are some instructions on how to use a pouch here.
Pouch review:
UK brands:
Other brands:
Mei tai (Contributed by MoorMum Katherine from Ilkley)
The mei tai carrier is based on traditional chinese babycarriers. It consists of a rectangle of sturdy, reinforced fabric (called the body) with four straps, one attached at each corner. The shorter set of straps tie around the wearer’s waist and the longer set go over the shoulders. The baby sits in the resulting pouch with his legs coming out each side somewhat like in a frontpack.
A mei tai can be used from birth right through to pre-school and beyond. A tiny baby can be placed in the carrier with his legs “froggied”, tucked up inside, which is a natural position for a small baby who has been curled up in the womb not so long ago! The body of the mei tai can be rolled before tying the waist to make it shorter for a smaller child.
Mei tais are very comfortable, supportive carriers. The shoulder straps are usually padded and sometimes the waist too. Because the straps fasten by tying you can tweak the positioning to give maximum comfort. In a sturdy, larger bodied mei tai I can still carry my four year old for an hour, and I’m certainly not super fit! Some mei tais have wide, unpadded “wrap style” straps which spread the baby’s weight and are also very comfortable.
You can see pictures and wearing instructions here.
UK brands:
Other brands:
- Kozycarrier
- Babyhawk
- Bamberoo
- Kindercarry
- Ball baby
- Beanslings
- FreeHand
- Mei tai baby
- Nurslings
- Tettitett
- Taitasi
Podegi and hmong (Contributed by MoorMum Katherine from Ilkley)
The podegi (or podaegi) and hmong are similar carriers. They resemble a mei tai but the body, in this case called the blanket, is larger and only has shoulder straps. They are worn with the shoulder straps crossing under the baby’s bottom and legs and then tying around the wearer’s waist to keep everything secure. The shoulder straps can also be tied around your body under the arms in a “torso carry” which is an excellent option if you have shoulder problems.
There is also a more traditional version of the podegi called a wide-blanket podegi. This is a traditional korean carrier where the blanket wraps right around you and your baby.
You can see instructions on how to use a podegi here.
UK brands:
Other brands:
Onbuhimo (Contributed by MoorMum Katherine from Ilkley)
An onbuhimo is a Japanese-style carrier which resembles a mei tai but instead of waist straps it has rings which you thread the shoulder straps though and then tie around your waist. They can be used front or back like a mei tai but aren’t so suitable for tiny babies. They tend to have smaller bodies and so are a good option for warm weather.
There are instructions on how to use an onbuhimo here.
Brands:
If you have a baby carrier that is not featured here, please let us know what you think to it and we’ll add your comments to the site.
