Baby Carriers • Whining With Wine

Infant Carriers

You can skip the infant-specific carrier if you want, and either get a soft-structured one that works for newborns or buy the appropriate inserts for it. However, the newborn inserts are often almost the same price as the wrap carriers, so you may as well get a separate one. Also, these take up very little space and you can easily throw it in the diaper bag when heading out. All of these are good ones:


	K’Tan	Moby Wrap	Boba	Nesting Days	Solly Baby Wrap
Price	~$50	~$50	~$40	~$89	~$65
Baby Weight Range	8-35 lb	8-35 lb	8-35 lb	5-18 lb	up to 25lb
Pros	-easy to use		-soft & stretchy		-lightweight, soft & stretchy
Cons	-5 sizes, not “one size fits all”	-cumbersome	-complicated	-expensive

Soft- Structured Carrier

This is great to have, and depending on your lifestyle, it may be a “must have”. The soft-structured carriers offer more support than the infant wraps and slings, and they can be used into toddlerhood. If you live in the city, walk everywhere, spend a lot of time at museums, farmer’s markets, festivals or other places where you don’t always want a stroller – this is a must-have! I still carry my three-year-old on my back in ours.

Baby Registry Needs - soft-structured baby carriers

Ergo Original: We have the original Ergo and love it. You can carry your child in the front or back, but they have to face you. I love the option to carry on the back (which many of these also have) because I was able to wear my daughter on my back until the day before I gave birth to my son. This one has a little pocket that the Ergo 360 lacks. It is really nice having that to put your keys or chapstick.
Ergo 360: The Ergo has a new 360 that came out after my first was born and I hear great things. With this one, you can also carry your child up front, and have them face out. The only complaint I have heard is that some people don’t like the velcro strap around the waist. It can be loud and wake a sleeping baby.
- Ergobaby Omni 360: This is new and fantastic! It takes the best parts of the original Ergo and the Ergo 360. It doesn’t have the velcro (loud) strap and it has a detachable storage pouch! Baby can sit ergonomically in four positions. With this one, you don’t need a newborn insert for newborn babies (7lb+)!
Tula Ergonomic Baby: People love this one.
LILLEbaby Complete: I’ve heard good things about this one as well.
BabyBjorn Carrier One: This is a newer version of the BabyBjorn. I have not tried this one but apparently, it distributes weight better along hips and shoulders than their original model. It has clasps that make it very easy to get in and out. However, it is heavier than others, you have to pull it over your head to get on and off, it doesn’t have a sun hood for baby, and it’s expensive.
- BabyBjorn (Original): Don’t get this one, unless you are planning to just use it for the first few months, and still get another soft-structured carrier for when the baby is bigger. Everyone complains of back pain with the original BabyBjorn when the baby gets a little heavier.
Other well-liked structured carriers: Onya Baby Outback, Beco Gemini


	Ergo Original	Ergo 360	Tula Ergonomic	LILLEbaby Complete	BabyBjörn Carrier One	Onya Baby Outback	Beco Gemini
Price	$114+	$159+	$149+	$124+	$112+	$159+	$125+
Hood	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Pocket	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Baby Weight Range	13-45 lbs	13-33 lbs	15-45 lbs	7-45 lbs	8-33 lbs	15-45 lbs	7-35 lbs
Baby Weight Range w/Insert	7-45 lbs	7-33 lbs	7-45 lbs	n/a	n/a	7-45 lbs	n/a
Insert for Infant	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Carrying Positions	front in, back	front in, front out, back, hip	front in, back	front in, front out, back, hip	front in, front out, back	front in, back	front in, front out, back, hip
Notes		-velcro closure is loud			-no hood or pocket