12 best baby carriers to keep your little one close, reviewed by parents

The brainchild of a former clothes designer, since 2002 American brand Ergobaby has steered the way when it comes to baby carriers. Of its collection of seven baby carriers, we opted for the omni breeze, which is coined the brand’s “most breathable carrier that does it all”. But did that ring true with us? It did, big time.

More than 90 per cent of the carrier is made of a SoftFlex mesh – a material that claims to keep little ones 50 per cent cooler than other mesh carriers. During testing, not only did this carrier keep our baby cooler with premium airflow (even when out on longer stomps in the sunshine) but, as the wearer, we truly appreciated the foam cutouts in the waistbelt and the lumbar support.

This baby carrier also comes with a UPF 50 hood, which is discreetly folded away in a top zip compartment (it attaches with poppers). In fact, there are little treats in every corner of this carrier – a detachable front pocket for keys and a phone, extra side pockets, a handy strap for a dummy clip, and light-reflective strips. Despite all these accessories, we applaud this carrier for being so fabulously lightweight. That doesn’t mean comfort has been compromised, either, as the shoulder straps are plump with cushioning, while the fabric feels great on the skin. Plus, you can opt for either traditional “H” straps, or choose a criss-cross – we found both offered premium comfort.

Switching positions (there are five) is very straightforward, and we love the innovative Velcro tabs on the waistbelt, which are clearly labelled for different baby heights – you also move the sliders depending on which way you want to carry your little one. We like that you can carry baby on your back from six months, too, with a realistic age limit of two years (nobody wants to be lugging around a heavy three year old).

The only niggle we had is the back buckle. The instructions suggest you clip the back buckle once baby is in place, which takes some manoeuvring, particularly for shorter people. Although, you can do this up beforehand and put it on like a jumper, if required.

Generally, baby carriers don’t come cheap, so, we had our concerns looking at Infantino’s affordable price tag. But how did it compare? While the fabric and buckles don’t feel as high quality as the more expensive carriers (we found the straps trickier to pull, and missed that smooth click with the buckles), if you’re looking for a basic carrier for occasional walks, it more than does the trick.

Though the material itself did feel plastic-like (although handy for our dribbly little testers), the padding felt generous, which is good for both the wearer and baby – for shorter walks, we found it perfectly comfortable.

As the name suggests, it offers four different carrying positions, including facing in as a newborn, facing out and being carried on the back.  We found the head support great for those early days. Something to note is the waist support belt isn’t that generous, and neither are the leg holes, so, if you have a larger midsection or a larger baby, this may not be the carrier for you.

We can’t deny the favourable price tag, however, and think this makes a very reliable carrier for a baby’s first six months. If you’re looking to use a baby carrier beyond that (this model can be used up to toddler weight) or for longer hikes, you may want to spend a little more on another model.

Lesser-known Swedish brand Najell offers four baby carriers, and we tried out the latest: the rise. Our first thoughts were just how stylish this carrier is – from the luxury woven mesh fabric to the plush padding, it would look the part on a catwalk runway.

The rise prides itself on minimal settings with maximum comfort, and, as a testament to this, our younger baby tester napped for more than two hours the first time we wore this carrier. The settings are super simple, and wonderfully discreet – you won’t find dangly straps and random clips with this carrier. A highlight for us has to be the magnetic fastening buckles, which felt like a bit of a game changer. There’s also a clever adjustable front panel, the hidden slider system, which means you can change the width of the lower front panel – great if you’re switching between forward-facing and facing-in positions. It also makes the panel smaller for newborns, for extra snugness, while the vertical length can be adjusted by pulling the top toggles.

Function meets form with this carrier, as it is one of the easiest to wear, while looking incredibly chic. Both our mini testers seemed super content in the carrier, and we love how easy it is to switch positions.

Those newborn days are all about closeness but that does limit your ability to move, whether that’s going out for a stroll or just getting on with some jobs around the house. BabyBjörn’s baby carrier mini has been designed specifically to make those precious first months cosy yet hands-free.

You’re likely to be at your bleariest during this time, so, thankfully, the mini is super simple to put on, even independently. It’s essentially two pieces, with the front pouch and back straps slotting together. Start by putting the straps on like a coat, then lock the left and right sides of the bottom of the pouch in place. You’ll then slot in one of the colour coded side latches, pop baby in, repeat on the other side and clip the top head support buckles. This clever design means you can unfasten the entire front section to gently lift out your sleeping baby to move into a car seat or cot. It’s also easy to adjust as baby grows, as there’s a smart built-in ruler on the fabric.

We found the higher positioning above the hips brilliant post C-section, but your shoulders will bear the weight (which isn’t a problem while baby’s small). This carrier essentially cuddles your little baby with fantastic head support – our favourite fabric is the soft jersey. For a baby-carrying companion for the first few months, this carrier is bliss.

Unlike other sling-style carriers, the Dreamgenii snuggleroo comes with built-in back straps to adjust the carrier to suit you. It’s made with soft, 100 per cent cotton, and designed to recreate the movement and tight embrace of the womb. You can wear this carrier from day one, providing a lovely bonding experience for parents and their newborns. It also comes with a support band, which doubles up as a handy travel bag, offering not only extra snugness for baby but reassurance for parents, too.

A word of advice: ignore the instructions on the box and watch the video tutorial online, which is much easier to follow. The snuggleroo offers four carry positions (which is more than most wrap-style carriers): newborn (legs in, first month), nurture (legs out, one month plus), explore (facing out, six months plus) and hip hold (nine months plus). As with any wrap style, we found this option is all about closeness, best used on smaller babies who crave contact. Our five-month-old seemed super content in here, but our independent 10-month-old would soon lose interest unless facing out, which wasn’t as comfortable for the wearer.

Compared with other wraps, thanks to the adjustable straps at the back and support band, we felt we could go a little further in this, but still wouldn’t want to carry heavier babies during long walks, simply because it lacks the supportive structure.

This baby carrier from Swedish baby brand BabyBjörn means business. It offers total security, which is reassuring, particularly when you’re new to babywearing. To begin with, we grappled with the industrial-looking buckles (one just above baby’s head and one to safely secure their body in the middle of the carrier). You have to slide these into one another to click into place, which took a few attempts. Removing them felt much easier, but the whole process has become much more fluid with practice, while our mini testers seemed super comfy and safe.

Comfort is in abundance here. The waistbelt is chunky and is the most padded of all the carriers we tested. The same can be said for the pressure-relieving lumbar support. While the cushioning is brilliant for comfort, things can get a little sweaty for the wearer when using this for longer walks or during warm weather. The shoulder straps are also plump on the cushioning, which is what you need on more considerable walks.

This carrier has four carrying positions: newborn, facing in, facing out (from five months), and on your back (from one year old). Navigating the different positions was super straightforward, as this really is an all-in-one carrier. However, we did find the head support not as generous as some of the others we tested, although, our youngest tester didn’t seem to mind and had many cosy naps in this model.

Freerider Co. is a cool cult British brand that joined the babywearing club in 2017. Launching the Sierra carrier in 2022, it’s been widely celebrated ever since for its discreetness and understated look – we can’t lie, it’s stunning. Super lightweight, it really does become part of your outfit (the black raven print we tried is equally suited to men and women).

While we initially found the back strap a little fiddly, once we’d got to grips with this carrier, there was a lot to love. Due to its lightweight nature, we found it breathable for both parties, while the organic cotton composition is lovely against the skin, and it’s also easy to adjust. There are three positions (inward facing, outward facing and on the back), and there’s plenty of cushioning for support, even when carrying our heavier tester.

We found our babies loved this almost cocoon-like carrier, which has great support for the head and neck, as well as a tailored fit that enables you to narrow or widen the seat as your baby grows.

The hidden buckles, which you tuck away in the fabric, truly cement the brand’s claim of discreet carrying. Without being swamped in material or bulky straps, it looks fashionable but has been thoughtfully designed to be functional, too. While we wouldn’t want to carry a 45lb child (the stated max weight limit) in this carrier, we do love this model for general babywearing.

When comparing the Izmi essentials carrier with others on the market, we were sceptical. A wrap-like design, there really isn’t much to it. But that’s not a negative. Much like popping your baby in a supportive layer of clothing, the carrier distributes your baby’s weight well, reducing pressure on your back, thanks to the waistband. While it’s worth flagging that the waistband isn’t that long, and has no extra padding, we found this was all we needed for school runs or nipping to the shops.

We wouldn’t want to wear this with a baby over one year old but our littlest tester seemed very happy, often snoozing away even on short walks. The material feels high quality and hardwearing, and this carrier is great for popping under the pushchair.

With three carrying positions (parent-facing front carry; forward-facing front carry and side carry), you can’t carry this on your back, but that does keep things a bit simpler.

What was evident as soon as we unboxed the Nuna CUDL CLIK was how much is included as part of the package. The brand has thought of everything – a zippered wristlet pouch that can be attached to the waistband; two washable dribble covers; breeze cover; a bag to store the carrier; newborn booster seat; and a pull-out sun cover – so there’s really no need to buy any extra accessories. It also feels incredibly sturdy, and we’re pleased to say that’s been evident on multiple trips. A word of advice: ignore the chunky manual provided, as you’ll find plenty of video tutorials online. While we struggled initially to figure out how to put on this baby carrier, we were doing it in a flash, once we got to grips with it.

We found this carrier to offer great comfort – even when trying it out with heavier babies – which we believe is down to the super padded shoulder straps and a wide secure waist belt, which distributes weight evenly. A  secure ride, the carrier features four magnetic buckles that are not only easier to attach but also reassuring, as your baby is fastened safely. It’s easy to switch through the four carry positions – our biggest baby tester seemed equally happy both facing in and out, which we put down to the premium, soft fabrics. Another highlight for parents with young babies has to be the removeable infant head support.

This carrier is great for all seasons, too – it comes with a built-in pull-out sunshade (which easily attaches with poppers) and a breeze cover for windy days. We also found it pretty breathable, even during hotter stomps. The bumbag is also a great touch – super handy when you need to make a mad dash and just want to store your keys and phone.

There’s no denying it, straight from the Netherlands, the zeitgeist is a real head-turner, for all the right reasons. Celeb-approved and worn by the likes of Hilary Duff, Gigi Hadid, and Jessica Alba, to name but a few, with just one wear of the zeitgeist carrier, we soon realised this isn’t just about the bold patterns and punchy prints.

It felt different to other carriers, not purely because of its gorgeous aesthetics but because its softly structured body panel feels like it moulds to your body rather than sitting on it. If you’re wearing your baby on the front, you use a cross back, which feels supportive, even with bigger babies, and, thanks to the high waistband, the weight feels nicely distributed. If we were to use this for longer walks, we do think some additional lumbar support would be needed, but short strolls have never looked and felt so good.

You can use this in four positions – we tried all four after watching the simple-to-follow videos – our favourite is the front-carry face-in, which creates a lovely, comfy space for baby to snooze in. The padded head support is plush and the unique jacquard woven fabric is a beautiful blend of natural yarns such as organic cashmere, linen and hemp, which create a breathable and soft space for baby.

Without much previous experience of using a wrap, or what is often called a sling, we were dubious about how comfortable, supportive and easy to use this style of baby carrier would be. It’s essentially one long strip of fabric, and, after watching the helpful tutorial on Gaia Baby’s website, we were surprised we didn’t end up in a tangle. In fact, it was quite the opposite experience, once we got the hang of the few steps required.

Our initial thoughts were how luxuriously soft this wrap is – it’s made from GOTS certified organic cotton, and boasts a great level of stretch. With three carry positions – newborn (legs in), baby (legs out) and toddler (hip carry) – it’s worth noting this is suitable from 8lb, which means, depending on your baby’s birth weight, you might not be able to use it straight away.

We tested this model with our five-month-old baby and the closeness felt incredible. Our baby’s weight felt evenly distributed and they maintained a good position, even when totally zonked out – which happened almost instantly on several occasions. Due to our extra-dribbly baby, we did find the material was often sopping by the end of a stroll, but it’s super easy to wash and dries very quickly. Not something we’d use on longer, more active walks but a lovely experience for younger babies during shorter trips or when you want to get jobs done around the house.

If you’re wanting to go the distance with your baby, it’s worth considering a back carrier. A different experience from the slings and traditional baby carriers, a back carrier is essentially a hiking backpack where a baby sits on the top, typically used for hiking or longer distance walking.

Little Life is an outdoors parenting brand, known for its award-winning back carriers, so, naturally it has a place in our round-up. We tested its cross country S4, which, at £200, is one of the brand’s more premium products. But is it worth the price tag? Yes, if you want to put in the miles. This is an  impressive piece of kit, and a different calibre to the other baby carriers we tested. Firstly, it’s worth pointing out this style of carrier can’t be used until six months old, as baby will need to be able to support their own head. This does limit its usage a little, but you can use it up until three years old, which would be an ask in traditional carriers.

It’s meticulously designed and well-made, from the anchor point foot space to stabilise the carrier when placing the baby in, to the multiple storage pockets, fully adjustable back system and ventilated shoulder straps, which offer premium comfort for the wearer. The baby or toddler is in for a nice ride, too; there’s an adjustable seat, which is anatomically shaped, plumply padded and super secure with the X-buckle harness. Admittedly, we did find the three buckles a little fiddly to begin with but, in time, the process became more straightforward.

To put this on, you go down on one knee next to it, and put your hand through the shoulder strap, which felt intuitive but will be more laborious with a heavy toddler. Our 10-month-old tester thoroughly loved being able to look around up high, but equally dozed on the soft face pad, thanks to the motion. We applaud the hip belt, which gently pivots as you walk, providing comfort even on jaunts along the undulating coast path. While this doesn’t offer the dream-like closeness you get with other carriers, we can’t wait to adventure with this in the years to come.