Just Buy the Simplest Baby Carrier

I can’t give you an actual user review of the Nuna Cudl Clik, because the carrier barely made it out of the included nylon drawstring pouch — which should have been the first red flag, since it means there are multiple parts to keep track of. And while orienting the straps and buckles on any carrier can be a little confusing at first, this one was so immediately convoluted and felt so bulky that I was exhausted just looking at it. What really made me give up, though, was the instruction manual (there’s no way I was going to put together this carrier without some guidance), which was as thick as my phone and more than my newly postpartum brain could take.

What really makes the Cudl Clik so complicated and cumbersome — in addition to the chunky magnetic buckles, thick straps that extend down to your waist, and so many zippers and buttons — are its special features: an integrated infant booster seat, a head support that can be either folded down or removed entirely (why? So I can lose it?), a wind-blocking “breeze cover,” and a detachable zippered wristlet. These features are all nice in theory, but none of them are actually necessary, and they all combine to create a bunch of extra hoops you’ll need to jump throughbeforeyou can even pick up your baby to strap them in. And lest you think I didn’t give the Cudl Clik a fair shot, I did have another go at it a few months later, once I was fully out of the fourth trimester and getting (slightly) better sleep. It was still a nonstarter.

I love the BabyBjorn’sbouncersandpotty chairs. I cannot say the same about its carriers. The more standard-size Harmony is less complicated than Nuna’s Cudl Clik, but that’s only because it has fewer moving parts — no “breeze blocker” flap to unfurl, no infant booster to zip in or out, no wristlet. But the structure is the same: Put the straps on like a T-shirt (but make sure to adjust the back yoke first), then buckle the waist strap, then simultaneously hold your baby in place while clipping infourmorebuckles to secure them, then pull and fold and adjust even more things to make sure you’re both actually comfortable. BabyBjorn also makes aBaby Carrier Mini, which is more minimalist but complicated nonetheless,andthe entire front section (a.k.a. the part that actually holds the baby) detaches from the straps, so that’s one more thing to keep track of. And now my head hurts.

Somepeople love a baby wrap, and many of those people love the Solly wrap in particular. When my daughter was born, I wanted to be one of them, so I got one — it’s very soft and comes in lots of pretty prints and colors (mine is off-white and sand-colored gingham), and there’s something about taking a simple swath of fabric and wrapping it around your body to create a magical, womblike cocoon for your precious child that really screams, “I am awomanand I have created LIFE!” It feelsorganicallyfeminine, almost goddess-like, and, if you’re low on bandwidth, so unnecessary. Please hear me out: Baby-wearing is a beautiful, primal-feeling way to connect to your child, and there’s not much that feels better than having my happy little boy curled up against me, womblike, in a kind of perma-hug. The Solly wrap I used with my daughter has been in my son’s dresser drawer before he was born. However, it’s been nearly five years since I used it, and relearning the whole routine hasn’t felt like the best use of my time, so it has yet to reemerge. As it turns out, there are easier ways to achieve that closeness.

This is basically a pre-tied wrap tank top — you put it on like a shirt (it has a full back panel, so it really does feel like you’re wearing clothing), thread your baby’s legs through the crisscrossed fabric in front (just as you would with a traditional wrap), and then pull up the extra bottom fabric to keep everything secure. The sash attached to the back gets tied under their bum for a little lift and also helps alleviate pressure on your lower back. If any part of this sounds complicated, I promise that actually using it is far simpler: The Wrap Carrier really does resemble an actual shirt, so putting it on feels very intuitive, and the configuration makes it obvious where and how to secure your baby — everything is where it needs to be, and there’s nothing to actually wrap, fold, zip, or clip. (I only had to read the instructions once!)

I wore the Wrap Carrier more than any other carrier in my son’s first few months, at which point it was deep summer and had become too hot outside to wear even my own clothes comfortably, let alone wrap myself in a few layers of cotton-spandex and strap a hot-blooded little baby to my chest. My only other (minor) complaint is the S–XL sizing, which may mean that you can’t share the wrap with your partner. This wasn’t a problem for me since my husband preferred a more traditional carrier, but just something to keep in mind.

The Konny Flex AirMesh carrier is one step closer to an actual baby carrier than the Najell. The two extra-wide strips of fabric crisscross and are joined together by a Y-shaped back panel with adjustable nylon straps — so you get an authentic-looking wrap in the front and a standard carrier in the back. The whole thing is incredibly lightweight (less than half a pound, buckles included), made of breathable mesh that resembles a gym-class pinnie, and is so thin I assumed it would rip with any real force. (I tried, and it didn’t — it’s very strong.) Spreading the fabric outaroundyour shoulders distributes weight better than standard over-the-shoulder straps. And, unlike with several other carriers I’ve tried, my lower back doesn’t start to hurt 15 minutes into wearing this one, even with my now-16-pound son onboard.

So why don’t I reach for it more? The sash: For safety reasons, there’s a long strip of fabric that must be wrapped around you and your precious bébé whenever they’re in the carrier, whether they’re facing in or out. It’s an entirely separate piece of material and doesn’t actually attach to the carrier, and anything free-floating like that is basically asking me to misplace it, so I’ve been shying away. But if you think you’re capable of remembering to not forget where you put the sash when you took it off, then I highly recommend getting it. The price is also very, very nice.

I’m not sure whether this is baby-wearing disguised as a baby carrier or the other way around, but either way, you’re getting the best of both worlds: The closeness of a wrap, the comfortably wide shoulders (they’re not as wide as the others, but they still spread out enough to nestle your babe underneath and fall asleep with their little head pressed against you), and the utter simplicity of a two-buckle carrier. The stretchy Tencel blend fabric is also incredibly soft. It’s fantastic for newborns, and the only major downside of this carrier is that it maxes out at just 15 pounds, which the brand says is around 6 months but is probably more like 4 or 5. Still, it’s under $100, so that’s $25/month max — not so bad. Wildbird also makes another carrier,the Aerial(I talk about it below), which isn’t a wrap style but is newborn-friendly and can hold kids up to 45 pounds.

Simply the best, because it does exactly what you need it to: comfortably carry your baby until you’re safely past the brain-melting postpartum period (it holds infants as small as seven pounds and maxes out at 25, which is anywhere from about 9 months to a year), with no extraneous buckles or clips, no bulky bonus features, no detachable or separate parts, and NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL — putting it on takes just a handful of steps, and everything you need to know is printed on a tag on the inside of the waistband strap. The fabric is so soft, slightly stretchy, and pleasantly thick so it feels cushioned but not bulky, and the shoulder straps can be spread out slightly over the shoulder, which alleviates pressure on your back. It also accommodates inward- and outward-facing carrying. While the absence of extra features may make it seem like this carrier didn’t think of everything, I’d argue the exact opposite: This might be the only carrier I’ve tried that thinks as much about the (new) parent as it does about the new baby, and it does right by both. Buy it, wear it until your baby reaches the weight threshold, then switch it out for something similarly simple with a more substantial waistband, likeWildbird’s Aerial Carrieror the Ergo Baby Omni Lite (below).

The Omni Lite’s mesh fabric and a noticeably thick waistband look similar to what you often find on more complicated carriers, so I was initially wary. But I quickly realized that it’s in fact just as simple as the Embrace: one clip at the waistband, and one clip for each of the straps. The straps also crisscross in the back, so there’s no complicated yoke to deal with, and while they don’t spread out over the shoulders like those on the Embrace, they are padded and very comfortable nonetheless. The Omni’s waistband is also thicker than that of the Embrace, but it’s necessary: It’s meant to carry babies up 35 pounds (ten more than the Embrace), and a wider band provides more support. In fact, it’s the waistband that makes the Omni one of the most comfortable carriers I’ve ever worn. And since I’ve been doing most of my baby-carrying in hot weather, the breathable mesh fabric also helps — that, plus the fact that my son weighs about 18 pounds right now, is why I find myself using the Omni most often these days, and why it makes a nice seasonal and size follow-up to the Embrace.

I know, and I’m sorry. I am also rolling my eyes at this celebrity baby carrier, I also feel personally offended by the price ($420 is the low end), and I wish I could tell you that it’s all just hype and not worth it — but, you guys, unfortunately the Zeitgeist carrier really isthatgreat. The waistband is sturdy and wide and might be the most supportive one I’ve tried — shocking, since other carriers that come close to it look more or less like medical devices (including my beloved Omni Lite). They fit babies from 7 to 45 pounds (my friend used hers through her daughter’s second birthday). If you can justify the price, do it. (You can also find them secondhand, which may or may not be cheaper.)