How to Buy a Child Carrier

There are a lot of child carriers out there these days. For many years they just didn’t change much and the options were few, but in recent years designers have begun to question the old standards. Innovations in lightweight materials and frame and harness design have suddenly left families with more options than ever before. While this wide selection can leave some of us a little confused at first it allows distinct families to find a carrier that matches their unique activities and requirements. Taking just a few factors into consideration the field can be narrowed down in no time and any family can easily identify a few models that might be the right child carrier for them.

What do you want to use your carrier for?

Will you be traveling and dashing through airports and using your carrier as a carry on? Maybe you’re looking for a convertible daypack. These supped-up diaper bags are the minimalist answer to larger carriers. Capable of carrying a small supply of baby essentials, these “book bag” looking carriers zip open to reveal an internal seat and harness for baby. Just convert it from day pack to carrier, load baby up and you’re off for some quick errands or to catch your flight.
Going to the farmers market or running a few errands downtown? Mid sized carriers will provide adequate comfort for both you and your little one to do some light day hiking or to get around town for a few hours. With storage capacity for baby’s items and your lunch, water and rain shell, these are great for most urban and day hiking applications.
Doing some heavier hiking with higher mileages and elevations or planning on being out overnight? There are some really well designed backcountry packs that feature fully adjustable harnesses just like on your full sized backpack. They are designed for all day comfort for you and baby on rough terrain, are built to withstand tough backcountry use and feature storage capacities up to 2800 cubic inches. These carriers often feature all the bells and whistles that can be found on any backcountry backpack. Sun hoods for baby, rain covers, hydration bladder compatibility and fully adjustable harnesses, these carriers are ready for the backcountry or for long days at the park or out working in the yard or on the farm.

How big are the adults who will be using the carrier?

The nicest hiking boots in the world are useless if they don’t fit. Same goes for child carriers. Any carrier must be able to accommodate the torso length and harness requirements of the adult who will be using it. And if multiple adults will be using it, it must be able to accommodate their respective torso lengths. Again, just like backpacks, fixed harness carriers will accommodate a small range of torso lengths and adjustable harness carriers will accommodate a wider range of torso length. Some of the backcountry carriers with adjustable harnesses even do a great job of accommodating both petite moms and tall broad chested dads comfortably. See the “How to Measure Your Torso Length” entry on this blog for the play by play on how to get measured up.

Options and cost considerations.

Keep in mind options that may be important to where and how you’ll be using the carrier. Will you need a sun hood or rain cover for the carrier? Are they included or are they an additional accessory and how much are they?

Like all quality equipment, child carriers are an investment. How much are you willing to invest? As in all things, you get what you pay for and generally the more expensive carriers offer more options in adjustability. The difference in $50 at the time of purchase may be the difference in years of use of the carrier. Rather than being able to keep using the carrier as the child grows a less expensive carrier may have to be retired because it is no longer comfortable carrying the child’s increased weight. Or it may not feature options such as an adjustable seat for the little one, so as the child becomes taller the saddle can not be lowered and low branches and doorways become a hazard.

After comparing options and prices to your already narrowed list (based on your use and size requirements) you should have only a few options of models to choose from.

Still not sure?

Many retailers offer great consultation services and have experts on staff to help you through the fitting and selection process. Making use of these services can mean the difference between getting the best carrier for your family (and for your money) or ending up with a model that just isn’t a great fit or has features you don’t need. At the least, talking to these gear savvy folks will help you confirm that you’ve already picked out the right carrier to spend your hard earned cash on.