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    Best Baby Carriers

    We recruited 15 mothers to provide their initial impressions of six baby carriers from popular brands like BabyBjörn, Ergobaby, and Infantino to find out which are the most comfortable, easy to adjust, and easy to use

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    Father holding baby in a baby carrier
    Baby carriers can be helpful in many scenarios—doing chores at home, running errands, or going on a hike.
    Photo: BabyBjorn

    The freedom to get up and go becomes a lot less realistic when you’re the parent of a small child who now has tons of stuff to lug around. Baby gear like strollers, diaper bags, snacks, and bottles can be encumbering, which is one of the reasons why baby carriers are such a treasure. A baby carrier allows you to keep your baby close to you in a safe, secure place that frees up your hands and gives you freedom of movement.

    More On the Best Baby Gear

    But not all baby carriers will be right for you and your baby. To help you decide on one, Linda Greene, a test program leader in CR’s Consumer Experience and Usability Research group, recruited 15 baby carrier users of varying body types and baby experience to evaluate popular baby carriers for comfort, usability, ease of use, and ease of adjustment, using cloth dolls in weight and height to that of an average one and six-month-old baby.

    Additionally, the research team considered whether the carrier is size-inclusive, meaning that it can accommodate a wide range of caretaker body sizes. They also took a look at any useful features it includes, such as a back support pad, a variety of strap configurations, and clear, detailed instructions.

    How Each Baby Carrier Did in Our Evaluations

    Most of our baby carriers ranked similarly high, but there were some differences among them when it comes to carrying positions, key features, and size inclusivity. Here is how each carrier fared.

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    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Lisa Fogarty

    Lisa Fogarty is a senior multimedia content creator at Consumer Reports. She studied journalism at Columbia University and has written numerous health, parenting, fitness, and wellness articles for The New York Times, Psychology Today, Vogue, and NPR. Lisa is passionate about mental health and is a co-creator of The Hunger Trap Podcast, which focuses on eating disorders. In her spare time she surfs, plays the guitar, and kickboxes. Follow her on X: @lisacfogarty