Baby Gear Guide: Carriers
weeSpring’s Top-Rated Baby Carriers
The weeSpring baby gear guide is crowdsourced from hundreds of thousands of parent recommendations on weeSpring.com.
The Best Baby Carriers
We often say there’s no “best” in baby — just what’s best for you — and boy is that true when it comes to baby carriers.
Finding the right one depends on a dozen variables: size (yours, your better half’s, and baby’s), complexity (tie it on, wrap it on, clip it on, sling it on), and material (organic, sporty, neutral vs. bright, etc.).
This is Baby Carrier 101: the four basic styles of carriers, and what weeSpring parents like about them.
Mei Tai
This is pure simplicity, though you may not think it’s so simple when you are trying to get it tied on properly. Untied, a mei tai is a panel with two long and two very long bands of fabric. weeSpring parents love that they can use it from day one and feel so close to baby, and this one in particular is extremely affordable.
Soft Structured Carrier
This one is a staple for most families: these carriers have been thoughtfully designed to provide back support for the parent and hip support for the baby. Some have padded shoulders, the ability to have baby forward facing, and helpful other features like zipper pockets for your keys or a paci.
Wrap Carrier
The only way to understand a wrap carrier is to see it on someone, because otherwise, it’s about 12 yds of fabric, all rolled up. Once you do it a few times, it becomes automatic. The parents who love their wraps (I’m one of them!) really really love their wrap carriers, but some parents are meh on them.
Sling
A sling is pretty much what it sounds like. It’s a pocket of fabric that’s affixed on one of your shoulders and loops around your waist. It positions a young baby in a way that’s easy to cradle and soothe, and for an older child, it works almost like a hands-free hip carrier. The sling will support your child in the place you would with your arm while carrying them. This is another polarizing product; parents love them or hate them.
What you’ll want, no matter what: breathability. Your baby is a little furnace, your postpartum hormonal self is a big furnace, and you’ll often both wind up a sweaty mess when you’re strapped together.
The honest truth: We put baby carriers in the try-before-you-buy category, because you’ve got to be comfortable in it and baby has to be comfortable in it. You and your baby and your carrier need chemistry, and it’s hard to predict just by looking at it in a store. (Parents often wind up buying a half dozen carriers because they’re looking for that perfect fit.) You should have one (or two!) on your registry, but don’t take the tags off them until you’ve given it a test drive at home with your new baby.
Your next step: Take a look at our editors picks, and if one strikes your fancy, add it to your registry. You can also use our weeSpring baby carrier reviews page to find other community favorites.
OUR EDITORS’ PICKS
Our weeSpring picks are data-driven, based on the feedback of tens of thousands of parents
like you — and then subjected to an added level of testing by our editors.
ERGO 360 Four-Position Carrier
This weeSpring favorite is ergonomically- designed (get it? Ergo!) to distribute baby’s weight evenly and shift the heavy lifting from your shoulders to your hips. Dozens of weeSpring moms have said it was the only carrier they could really get comfortable in. The 360 easily adjusts to allow baby to face in or out, so you can stroll (and stroll) while he dozes or takes in the sights. You can use it from day one with their newborn insert, and the hip and back carry options mean you’ll still be able to use it to lug a 35 pound toddler around.
The catch: As with most carriers, there’s a bit of a steep learning curve with figuring out how to use it with baby in all the various positions.
Price: $179.00
Boba Wrap
The Catch: It takes some effort to learn how to put it on, and some parents complain that as their babies get heavier, it stretches out too much.
Beco Gemini
“Effusive” is an understatement when it comes to how weeSpring parents talk about the Beco: they rave about it’s front facing carry and the ability to cross the straps for more support. It’s designed to support baby from birth, so you don’t need extra gear.
The Catch: It doesn’t have a zipper pouch for your keys or phone.
Price: $130.00
You can also use weeSpring to see what your friends recommend! You’ll be able to see all of your friends’ picks alongside our community’s opinions.
Check out more baby carrier reviews on weeSpring!
I love my beco carrier! I bought it before going on a trip when my first was about 6 months old. Used it with him and baby #2 until they were about 2 years old. Just got to use our beco again last night for the first time with baby #3! He is 3 weeks old and it worked perfectly with him as well! After 5 years it is still in great shape! I should also note that before purchasing I tried other competing brands of carriers and this one was the most comfortable for me 🙂
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I love my ergo. I have back pain due to injury, so it helps to have good support!
We have the ergo baby 360 carrier (2, one for each twin) and it is incredible. Love the back support and how comfortable it is for them. Even at 1 year old now, they both just love to be in it.
A lot of people complain about this because they “can’t get it on” by themselves (the buckle in the back between your shoulders). Buckle it and then throw it over your head and you’re good to go!!