Britax Baby Carrier Review
The Skinny
Our Analysis and Test Results
At first glance, the Britax Baby Carrier seems like a real contender. It is made of soft material, seems well constructed, and seems to be a slightly different take on the famous BabyBjorn carriers. We were intrigued and enthusiastic to use and comare it to other carriers.
But, it take long before we concluded that this was a more difficult carrier to use than most we tested. The instructions were not all that clear, and you have to purchase an extra piece to get a better seat for baby's over 14 pounds (on average babies reach 14 pounds at about 4 months). This means that this product, out of the box, has a lower useful life than any other carrier we tested.
Worse, after just a few minutes of wear, we were already itching to get it off. It lacks support in all the right places and was difficult to find the proper adjustments.
Likes
The material of this carrier is really soft and it seems to be sturdily constructed. It can also be machine washed.
Even though the extender piece is an extra cost and difficult to attach, we did find it helped with the older baby's seated position. Keep in mind it can only be used when facing inward and as a general rule of thumb, babies prefer to face out once they reach 4-6 months age.Dislikes
Hard to understand instructions, especially the seat extender insert.
Without the seat insert baby is not offered a very good position and legs dangle badly, potentially a hip development issue. So, we almost feel that buying the optional insert is a must to use this carrier. However, the seat insert adds a hefty additional cost to an already pricey carrier.
You have to pull this carrier on over your head, which is notable if you have a hairstyle you'd rather not mess up.The back support was really lacking and the waist belt cut into us at times. We felt we were constantly adjusting and just didn't last long in this carrier.
Only two carry positions: both front carry, facing in or out. With a toddler, we feel a back carry option, or at least a hip carry, is a must for comfortable use, and this carrier doesn't offer either.
The carrier doesn't open up like the Bjorn or Ergo so you have to "slip" baby down into it which can be tricky. This makes it even more difficult to remove baby, especially if they are sleeping.
Conclusion
In comparison to other carriers we tested, we found this product to be an over-priced, over-complicated carrier that didn't offer much comfort for parent or baby. While we are fans of many Britax products, this one left us disappointed.