Baby Carrier Recommendations

Go to a baby store and try them on. A lot of it is personal preference.

We have a baby Bjorn, tula and ergo baby. All are different and have their pros and cons in terms of comfort, fit, ease of use and features.

We went through a few (Infantino, Baby Bjorn, and Ergo) and we love the Ergo the best (https://store.ergobaby.com/baby-carrier ... sition-360)

The Ergo Baby Four Position 360 is one of the highest rated carriers available on the market (in Canada), unfortunately it's like the Dyson of baby carriers, quite expensive and rarely goes on sale. I managed to snag one from Best Buy on Boxing Day for $120 with an infant insert, they're normally $200+. We like ours a lot, it's quite comfortable even with a heavy child.

We have a hipseat. I didn't think the seat would make a difference but it did. Compared to the Baby Bjorn and Infantino, the weight is distributed around the hip belt to minimize the "feel" of the baby. The drool guards and head strap work surprisingly well. Anyone who has gone backpacking with a 65/75l pack would be quite used to the fit of the hipseat.

i haven't tried a lot of brands but ended up getting the baby bjorn one when it was on sale at best buy. I've used it a bit and found it works well and don't have any complaints. i recall trying a different brand on at one of the baby shows (forgot which brand) but that one had a larger waist band than the baby bjorn one. the thicker the waist band, the more supportive it should be on your lower back, but i don't see a problem with the one that I have now.

In terms of using it around the house to free up your hands, maybe consider getting a wrap or sling instead of the carrier. the carrier is good when you're going out for walks where you're wearing the baby for a longer duration as it's more structured. But around the house, a wrap / sling is lighter and more flexible. But similar to other posters above, there are pros and cons to different brands / types of carriers so the best is to try it out in stores to see if you like how it feels.

Thanks for all of the input everyone, some very good points have been raised. Very much appreciate the suggestion on a wrap or sling as that seems like it would be able to meet our needs at the moment (around the house usage). I am leaning towards the Baby K'tan.

For longer usage such as walks I will certainly look in to the I-Angel (which I did not know about until mentioned in this thread) as well as the Ergo Baby 4 Position 360 which I was already considering. There is also a sale on the Baby Bjorn One (today only) for $129.99 which seems like a really good price but for now I think we'll just grab the Baby K'tan.

Phat$ wrote: ↑ Thanks for all of the input everyone, some very good points have been raised. Very much appreciate the suggestion on a wrap or sling as that seems like it would be able to meet our needs at the moment (around the house usage). I am leaning towards the Baby K'tan.

For longer usage such as walks I will certainly look in to the I-Angel (which I did not know about until mentioned in this thread) as well as the Ergo Baby 4 Position 360 which I was already considering. There is also a sale on the Baby Bjorn One (today only) for $129.99 which seems like a really good price but for now I think we'll just grab the Baby K'tan.

it's expensive, but it's worth every penny. no regret, it's unfortunate ppl don't look into i-Angel b4 purchasing their baby bijorn or ergo. my wife and i were one of the first few parents in GTA to have this (2014).... and now you see more and more ppl (asian) using i-angel.

I think I got the baby bjorn for around the same sale price so if you're not in a hurry to get one right away, then you can always wait for it to go on sale again and maybe take some time to check out different carriers in stores first before jumping on the first one that goes on sale. Have fun with it - I love baby wearing and baby seems to enjoy it as well as they like to be close to the parents

We went with the Bjorn and have no regrets, it works great.

Like everything else though - what works and feels best for you is different from me / everyone else. See if you can borrow one from a friend and try it out - then you can truly get a good feel for what it is like. Playing with it in the store for a couple minutes may not give you a great idea, so borrowing one for a day or two might be best.

There has been some discussion that certain carriers are better for a baby's hip than others. The old skool style baby bjorn carriers where the baby is supported by the crotch were generally not recommended. You're looking for something that provides better support for the hips like the Ergo, Beco, newer Baby Bjorns, etc.

jandumm wrote: ↑ There has been some discussion that certain carriers are better for a baby's hip than others. The old skool style baby bjorn carriers where the baby is supported by the crotch were generally not recommended. You're looking for something that provides better support for the hips like the Ergo, Beco, newer Baby Bjorns, etc.

There are many myths out there about baby carriers - one of the common ones is against the Bjorn. When you follow the instructions and adjut properly your child is not dangling by the crotch. Here is a site that can provide a little more feedback on the proper use of the Bjorn and how they found just adjusting as per the instructions eliminates the crotch dangling:
https://skeptoid.com/blog/2013/01/25/wi ... ts-health/

We love our Moby wrap and it was also recommended on both our prenatal and baby care classes at Sunnybrook. The Moby has only one size so you and partner can use the same one. Others go by shirt size so will likely need a second one if you're not the same size as your partner. Our baby comes out in the spring so the carrier's fabric has to be breathable and cool - reason why we went for Moby bamboo.

The most important thing is to actually TRY the carrier.

During my wife's hoarding and buying phase, we have almost 1 of every carrier on the market. She bought a Baby K'tan, took it out of the box, decided it was too complicated to put on and promptly put it back in the box... where it's been for 3 years.

I bought a Heart2heart or something like that off Kijiji for $10. It's what all the cool hipster moms/dads were using. I thought it was fine until the fabric starting slipping off the ring. Maybe I was using it wrong.

As an RFDer, I can tell you it's a short-lived expense. We had 2 Bjorns, one sport, used them sparingly with 2 kids, sold them on kijiji. In retrospect, could have saved the money. Unless it's for daily walks around the block or short hikes, you still need to carry a baby bag somehow. If you have the expendable income, go for it, if not put the money towards a nice stroller and baby bag/backpack.

To update the thread, we ended up getting the Baby K'tan (received March 3rd) and the wife is really liking it so far. She watched a few youtube vids to familiarize herself with the various wrap options and after a couple tries she had it down and could do it quickly without even thinking too much. Having this gives her the flexibility to still have baby close but with her hands free which is all she was looking to get out of it. This meets our needs nicely (around the house use only) and I don't anticipate getting another carrier at all because if we go for walks etc. we typically bring the stroller.

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions, it was really helpful and much appreciated!

Good to hear! I'm eyeing a Lillebaby. Did you happen to try out this brand and what were your thoughts>?

I have a Baby K'tan Breeze and I found it really easy to put the baby into. Even though it's the Breeze version, baby would still get hot when I covered his head for support when sleeping. I used my K'tan a lot in the early months. However, once the baby hit around 13 lbs or so, his weight would stretch out the carrier and I'd end up with lower back pain due to the lack of support, so I shopped around for another carrier.

My second carrier is a Lillebaby All Seasons. Definitely more of a learning curve to use than the K'tan, as I struggled at first putting baby into the carrier. I had to watch videos on strategies to put it on, especially as I couldn't reach the back clasp. It's definitely more supportive than the K'tan though, as it distributes the weight on your hips, and has a nice lumbar support. It's cooler than the K'tan as well. Tough to throw into your diaper bag though, unlike the K'tan.

Thanks! Good to know. Sounds like for the younger stages an more simple carrier may be the way to go.

I'd also recommend joining a baby wearing group in your location. They have swaps and get togethers where you can try every kind of carrier imaginable. Plus, you can problem solve any issues that might come up. The kind of carrier that works with a newborn might not be so great as the baby grows.