There are many types of carriers. Whichever carrier you choose, look for a carrier that holds your child in a position you would naturally carry them in arms in front, on your hip, or for a piggyback ride. Most carrier manufacturers list weight limits for their carriers, but there is often a significant discrepancy between the published weight limit and what a particular user finds comfortable. Remember that carriers such as the Bjorn and Snuggli(crotch danglers) DO NOT support the legs, spine, or hips correctly. A newborns legs should frog up or however their legs naturally fall when you hold them up on your chest. An older babies legs should wrap around your body. Creating a "seat" for them.
Woven Wraps
Woven wraps are pieces of cloth in varying lengths. These are great for babies of all ages, and last from newborn to toddlerhood. You can do front, hip, or back carries in them. They do take some getting used to, and lots of practice but they offer lots of versatility!
Stretchy Wraps
These differ from woven wraps because they are stretchy. Such as the Moby or Boba wrap. These should NOT be used for back carries.
Ring Slings
A ring sling is a shawl with a pair of rings attached to one end. The rings replace the knot or tuck-and-twist method of fastening used with traditional shawl carriers such as Mexican rebozos or Indonesian selendangs. Some ring slings have padding where the sling rests on the caregiver's shoulder or along the edges of the sling, and some depart further from traditional shawl carriers by having the fabric at the end of the sling folded and stitched into a rope-like tail. Ring Slings are an ideal newborn carrier and are also fantastic for the up-and-down toddler phase.
Asian style carriers.
Mei tais, podaegi's, and Onbuhino are all Asain style carriers. A Mei Tai is a piece of fabric with straps coming out of all 4 corners, and can be used for front, hip, and back carry. It is also the most common Asian style carrier. A Podaegi is like a blanket with 2 long straps that come out of the corners, and can be used for front and back carry. A Onbuhimo is a piece of fabric with 2 rings at the bottom, and 2 straps on the top corners.
Soft Structured Carriers
Also with a body panel and shoulder and waist straps, soft structured carriers replace knots with buckles and add a thickly padded waistband and shoulder straps. The result is a different weight distribution and overall different look and feel from a mei tai. Soft structured carriers offer the convenience of buckles yet are vastly different from framed backpacks in that they hold the baby securely against the wearer's body. Unlike framed backpacks, soft structured carriers are suitable from birth through toddlerhood and provide the benefits of body-to-body contact for the baby (although some require or include a special insert for newborns).
Woven Wraps
Woven wraps are pieces of cloth in varying lengths. These are great for babies of all ages, and last from newborn to toddlerhood. You can do front, hip, or back carries in them. They do take some getting used to, and lots of practice but they offer lots of versatility!
Stretchy Wraps
These differ from woven wraps because they are stretchy. Such as the Moby or Boba wrap. These should NOT be used for back carries.
Ring Slings
A ring sling is a shawl with a pair of rings attached to one end. The rings replace the knot or tuck-and-twist method of fastening used with traditional shawl carriers such as Mexican rebozos or Indonesian selendangs. Some ring slings have padding where the sling rests on the caregiver's shoulder or along the edges of the sling, and some depart further from traditional shawl carriers by having the fabric at the end of the sling folded and stitched into a rope-like tail. Ring Slings are an ideal newborn carrier and are also fantastic for the up-and-down toddler phase.
Asian style carriers.
Mei tais, podaegi's, and Onbuhino are all Asain style carriers. A Mei Tai is a piece of fabric with straps coming out of all 4 corners, and can be used for front, hip, and back carry. It is also the most common Asian style carrier. A Podaegi is like a blanket with 2 long straps that come out of the corners, and can be used for front and back carry. A Onbuhimo is a piece of fabric with 2 rings at the bottom, and 2 straps on the top corners.
Soft Structured Carriers
Also with a body panel and shoulder and waist straps, soft structured carriers replace knots with buckles and add a thickly padded waistband and shoulder straps. The result is a different weight distribution and overall different look and feel from a mei tai. Soft structured carriers offer the convenience of buckles yet are vastly different from framed backpacks in that they hold the baby securely against the wearer's body. Unlike framed backpacks, soft structured carriers are suitable from birth through toddlerhood and provide the benefits of body-to-body contact for the baby (although some require or include a special insert for newborns).
