Soft Structured Carriers - an overview and reviews of two favorites

It's warming up, Midlands Babywearers!

With all of the snow (all two to four inches!), I'm sure many of you got to put into practice some of the cold weather babywearing techniques we learned only a little over a week ago. And true to South Carolina weather fickleness, the temps are rising already and it will soon feel like spring. Which means a lot more outside time. Hiking, gardening, trips to the zoo . . . what do you have planned for spring?

One of my favorite carriers for being outside is a Soft Structured Carrier. I often refer to a Soft Structured Carrier by it's abbreviation SSC or Buckle Carrier. A Soft Structured Carrier is a carrier which incorporates padding, stitching and/or stiff fabrics, rather than a rigid frame, to provide the structure. Most often refers to a modernized version of a mei tai that has a firmly padded hip/waist belt in place of the waist straps, and well-padded shoulder straps with buckle adjuster/fasteners.

A SSC has one of the shortest learning curves, is daddy/babysitter/grandparent friendly, and it is well known for its ease of use. There are many brands available online and in stores, and finding the right one for you can be a challenge. Things to look for: height and width of the body panel, length of straps and waist band, extra features (sleeping hood, infant insert, pockets), and adjustability, both for the wearer and for wearee.  This chart is one of the most comprehensive I've found, and covers pretty much all the bases for some of the most common SSCs available.

Two local SSC favorites are the Ergo, which is available in many stores (TJ Maxx, Target, BuyBuyBaby, and BabiesRUs) and the Kinderpack available online here. The Ergo has a lower price point - bought new, it ranges from $105 - $148 (depending on the model. There are a few differences, but the basics of it remain the same. Mostly the materials and sometimes the length of straps and waistband may differ). The Kinderpack starts at $164.00. It is important to note, like most carriers, if you take good care of it, carriers retain a good portion of their value. The Ergo (depending on model, color choice, etc) can be resold for 50-75% of its value and the Kinderpack (depending on the fabric, condition, etc) can be resold for at LEAST 75% of its value. The ones I see on the facebook swap are selling for $120-$150. 

A more in depth review of the Ergo is below. It was my first SSC, and my oldest son and I had many happy babywearing moments in it. This review is from Melissa, and her daughter is Hannah. The pictures you see are of Hannah at ages 11 and 13 months. Above and to the left is Carmen and newborn Tristan.

I came to own my first SSC, a cranberry Ergo, when a friend recommended it to me and offered to sell me hers.  I purchased an infant insert and waited for my daughter to be born! I impatiently waited and practiced using my carrier with a teddy bear.  June finally arrived and my little girl replaced the teddy bear in my arms and in my Ergo.  The Ergo was fantastic for giving my arms a rest, keeping her snug, and helping us battle her acid reflux.  Although I had heard complaints about the Ergo being hot during our Columbia summers, I found it no hotter than normal in this blazing heat when a small warm body is tucked up closely to you.  The infant insert took a little more practice that Teddy hadn’t been able to provide now that I had a wiggling, breathing baby. Initially, I wasn’t sure we needed to spend the extra money for the insert but we definitely used it for her tiny self to fit comfortably.  As my daughter reached 5 months of age, we ditched the infant insert and graduated to using the Ergo with an elastic hairband to cinch the bottom of the seat and push her up higher during this transition time of growth spurts.  At 6 months of age, she was finally able to sit comfortably in the Ergo without any aids.  The Ergo has several sets of straps for adjusting which made it great for when we flipped back and forth between front and back carries.  The padded shoulders were cushy for long, long periods of wearing her and I could even cross the straps for a different weight distribution in a front carry.  The structured waistband helped carry some of the weight on my hips so my shoulders weren’t taking the brunt.  Although it is easy to wash, I purchased suck pads to protect the straps from chewing or spit up which also helped add a bit of pizzazz to this generally neutral carrier.  This SSC was our main workhorse carrier until my daughter was 14 months old. At that point she was no longer supported knee to knee, she was tall enough to lean back over the top of the seat and my shoulders, back and hips started hurting during the longer carries.  We moved up to another larger size SSC and confidently passed along our Ergo to another little one.  I have no problem recommending an Ergo to other parents knowing what a good experience we had using it for our daughter.

A closer look at the Kinderpack is below. I'm reviewing the standard size. (They are available in infant, standard, toddler, and preschooler).

Pictured below is my 3 month old nephew being worn by his grandma, my 10 month old being worn by my husband, and last is Ashleigh, wearing her 1 year old daughter.

 I love woven wraps. They are beautiful, practical, and so versatile. That said, I found myself needing something faster for when we are on the go. I have three children, ages 4, 2, and 10 months. I often take them out by myself, and I need something I can use quickly, in a parking lot, that I don't have to worry about getting destroyed by muck. I also needed something I could comfortably use for both my 2 year old and her baby brother, since I wear both frequently. She (Norah) is 35 inches tall and about 26 pounds. Her baby brother (Theo) is now about 30 inches tall and 21 pounds. I needed a carrier that had a wide enough base to grow with my youngest (who was already pretty big) and would support Norah pretty much knee to knee. The Ergo I had from when my first was little is only 14 inches wide and about as tall. The Boba I had switched to after he had outgrown it was no better. Many of my local friends had a standard size Kinderpack and loved theirs, so I gave it a try. At 16 inches high by 17 inches wide, it seemed like it would be a much better fit for the two children I frequently wore. It also has features I found enticing - like a stuffable sleeping hood for those floppy headed naps and PFA's (perfect fit adjusters) so both my husband and I could adjust the straps for a more custom fit. He is 6'6" tall and I'm only 4'11" - finding carriers we are both comfortable with isn't easy, and the option of a kool knit/comfort mesh panel to maintain breathability during the hot, South Carolina summer. So I bit the bullet and bought one brand new, so I could get a pattern I loved and it wasn't really much more expensive than buying used.

My husband, children, and I love it! The straps are very comfortable, the waistband adjusts easily for both of us, and most of all the fit is great on both kids. The only thing I do not like is that the straps aren't quite long enough to cross in the back when worn in a front carry (which I prefer, so I can avoid the awkward chest clip and don't have buckles rubbing under my arms). That's ok, though, I have another carrier that works perfectly for that (an Olives and Applesauce SSC, which you can find more about here. I'll review it at a later date)

In the future, we plan on doing a lot more reviews, and would love your input. If you have a carrier you loved, hated, grew to love, or grew to hate (it happens!), we would love your feedback and reviews. You can message me, Katrina, on Facebook, or contact us through this blog.

We hope to see all of you at our next meeting, February 8th, at Expecting Well on Gervais Street. We'll start at 10:00. The focus will be the Ergonomics of Babywearing, but, as always, there will be time to chat, ask questions, and try on carriers.