Baby carriers encompass all of the different products that are designed for a parent to wear their baby on their bodies and include: wraps and ring slings are made of long pieces of fabric while structured and soft-structured carriers have waistbands and shoulders straps.
And those carriers have many options among them, as some allow you to carry your baby in front (facing in or out), on your back, on your hip, or a combination of all positions. So, how can you choose what’s the best baby carrier for you? Here are suggestions to help you find the best baby carrier for you.
In this article:
- The benefits of baby-wearing
- The best ring wrap for babies and toddlers: Solly Loop
- The best newborn ring wrap: Moby Wrap Ring
- The best newborn wrap: Boba wrap
- The best breathable baby carrier: Ergobaby Omni Breeze
- Best structured carrier: Baby Björn Carrier
- The most versatile baby carrier: Ergobaby Omni 360
- The best 6-in-1 carrier: Lillebaby
- The best built-in carrier: Moby Bump & Beyond T-Shirt Wrap
- The best carrier for hiking: DeuterKid Comfort Carrier
The Benefits of a Baby Carrier
While the idea of wearing your baby might seem intimidating at first, it’s actually a lot simpler than it first appears. And once I got the hang of using a wrap and carrier, I found it was an essential part of the first year of baby’s life, and made many things much easier.
Along with making life easier by having a hands-free option to carry my baby, there are real benefits to baby-carrying. For instance:
- A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found baby-wearing can reducing overall crying in infants by 43%.
- It can be easier to help get a fussy baby to sleep in a wrap or carrier.
- For those who choose to breast/chest feed, a carrier or wrap can provide easier access, often without the baby really needing to wake up or have too much of that pre-feeding fussiness.
- For those who are bottle feeding, carries and wraps allow a great option for older babies to be held and fed.
When it comes to choosing a baby carrier during your pregnancy, it can be challenging because if you haven’t used a carrier before, you aren’t sure what to look for. But if you are interested in having an option to baby-carrier, it can be helpful to know the benefits, as well as the types of carriers that are available. So let’s dive in.
The Best Ring Carrier for Babies and Toddlers
Solly Baby Loop
Called the “perfect next-step carrier,” the Solly Baby Loop is just that: it’s the next step after a baby carrier because it can hold a child up to 45 pounds. The Loop is made from machine-washable, 100% organic woven cotton and with a sewn-in ring, wearers can easily adjust for a custom fit. Plus, it comes in two sizes: standard (XS-L) and extended (XL-3XL). By blending the simplicity of a ring sling with the support of a traditional wrap, it’s the only modern offering of its kind and it comes in 4 beautiful colors.
Best Baby Ring Sling
Moby Wrap Ring Adjustable
The Moby Wrap ring is incredibly versatile: it's lightweight and one piece of fabric, so you can throw it in your diaper bag and take it anywhere. The Moby Ring is a sling carrier style that uses a ring for personal adjustment and can be used from 8-33 lbs. Use it for a front or hip carry and adjust the fabric accordingly as your baby grows. It's 100% cotton and machine-washable and measures 5.5" L x 5.5" W x 11.5". Comes in 4 different colors.
The Best Newborn Wrap
Boba Baby Wrap
The Boba baby wrap is a one-size-fits-all fabric baby wrap that can be used to wear your baby close to your chest. It's made of a breathable fabric combination of bamboo-based fibers, cotton, and Spandex that gives it the perfect combination of stretch and support. The Boba is known for being perfect for beginner babywearers, so it's very easy to use and it's great for use at home or on-the-go. It's just one piece of fabric, so you can throw it in your diaper bag and be ready to be hands-free with your baby anytime, anywhere. Plus, you can even breastfeed while wearing your baby in the Boba wrap.
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The Best Breathable Baby Carrier
Ergobaby Omni Breeze All-in-One Baby Carrier with SoftFlex Mesh
The Ergobaby Omni Breeze is a soft-structured carrier that has all of the components of the original Ergobaby with the addition of making it very lightweight and breathable thanks to SoftFlex material. It’s an all-in-one carrier that can be used from the newborn stage all through the toddler years and it comes with plenty of parent-friendly features like extra lumbar support, reflective strips, a hide-away hood, and a detachable pouch to hold your phone and keys.
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The Best Structured Carrier
Baby Björn Harmony Carrier
The newest version of the Baby Bjorn carrier features everything you love about the brand with some helpful new upgrades, like breathable mesh material, three-position head support, and padded shoulder straps. You can wear your baby in four different ways: as a newborn, front-facing, out-facing, or on your back. The belt and pads are all adjustable to different parents sizes as well. However, it's the new 3D mesh fabric of the Harmony that really makes it shine: it's sturdy, yet incredibly comfortable, flexible, and cooling.
The Most Versatile Baby Carrier
Ergobaby Omni 360 Baby Carrier
This 100% cotton soft-structured carrier class has gotten a modern upgrade with antimicrobial fabric to provide a hygienic barrier between your baby and the world for peace of mind. You'll get all the benefits that Ergobaby has become known for, with ergonomic design, including a lumbar support cushion to help protect your back, and positioning to ensure the health of your baby's hips. It's non-toxic, machine-washable, and can be used for babies and toddlers from 7-45 pounds. Carry your baby facing out, facing in, on your hip, or on your back.
The Best 6-in-1 Carrier
Lillebaby Complete All Seasons 6-in-1 Baby Carrier
This carrier does it all. The Lillebaby Complete offers six different carrying positions and comes with adjustable temperature control to keep your baby comfortable no matter the weather. The mesh fabric allows air to circulate, keeping your baby cool in the warmer months. When the weather is a bit chilly, you can zip the back panel to keep heat in.
The Best Hiking Carrier
DeuterKid Comfort Carrier
Thanks to a heavy-duty aluminum frame, the DueuterKid is lightweight, coming in at under 8 pounds, yet it can carry up to 45 pounds of gear + child. It has so many features that we love, making it our #1 pick for a baby hiking backpack, from the fold-away weather canopy, the fully adjustable straps, the tuck-away kickstand, tons of storage pockets, and the creme de la creme of lumbar support. You get pull-forward hip fins, padded hip belt, load adjustment straps, and adjustable sternum belt for the perfect, comfortable fit. It also has water-resistant, breathable fabric that will help keep you both more cool, especially for warm-weather hikes.
The Best Built-in Carrier
Moby Bump & Beyond T-Shirt Wrap
This T-shirt baby carrier and pregnancy shirt supports growing bumps and when you’re past the bump, it can carry your baby. This two-in-one T-shirt carrier begins functioning during pregnancy and lasts until baby is 19.8 pounds. That equals almost a full year of use! With five sizes and an easy slip-on and tie style the Moby Bump & Beyond T-Shirt Wrap is a new parent must have. Plus, it is completely machine washable, nursing friendly, and a cost-effective option for babywearing in the early days.
Read Review
If you’re considering babywearing, be sure to check out our guide on how to choose between a baby wrap vs. carrier, as well as our complete guide to hiking backpacks.
Babywearing opens up a whole world of hands-free adventure, so don’t be afraid to dive in and see where your explorations will lead you!
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