A buckle carrier is easy! they said. It’s the most comfortable carrier ever! they said. You’ll love it! they said. And yet for some reason, when you put yours on, it just isn’t working! Is there something wrong with you? Is there something wrong with your baby that s/he seems not to like it?
Buckle carriers can indeed be easy! Many people love them, and you may still be one of them! Before you despair and decide buckle carriers aren’t for you, go ahead and check out these quick tips on our Buckle Carrier Fit Checklist.
- Check the waistbelt. the waistbelt should be snug enough to stay (more or less) parallel to the ground. Make sure that the front of the waistbelt doesn’t sag under baby’s weight (a sure sign that you need to snug it up).
- Check that you are holding baby snugly. The child should be high on your body, in roughly the same position that you hold them in naturally. The carrier should not be so tight that child doesn’t have room to wiggle or move their arms.
- Check child’s head – it should be close enough to you to that you can kiss it with a slight nod of your head.
- Check that the carrier is the right size for the baby. The bottom panel supports the legs while allowing the child’s knees to kick freely. The top of the panel comes no higher than child’s ear. Baby’s body should fill out the carrier without a lot of wrinkling or room in the fabric. A “too big” carrier will be uncomfortable for you to wear (and could be unsafe for baby)
- Check the height of the chest clip/strap/belt. If carrier is uncomfortable, play with the chest belt positioning! The chest strap’s purpose is to help support baby’s weight evenly and keep straps from digging. A common “just right” spot is under the bottom of wearer’s shoulder blades – so start there. Check to see that the shoulder straps and the chest clip strap form an “H” (not an “A”)
- Check the width of the chest clip. It should help guide the shoulder straps down over your shoulder blades and also keep the straps on your shoulders.
