There are so many baby carriers to choose from, how do you know what makes some carriers the best? Awards are one way to narrow down your choices- the most highly awarded carriers are often a great place to start. For the most common factors used to judge carriers, check out What Makes an Award-Winning Baby Carrier? Top Rating Systems Guide. This piece is a resource full of features and considerations worth thinking about when shopping for the perfect carrier.
Beyond the common checklists used to judge a carrier for an award, there are a few other factors worth researching to help you make your decision. These aren’t always taken into account when carriers are being tested and awarded. In fact, the following factors are more commonly included in editor’s choice and parent’s choice awards. You will definitely want to take these factors into account when you are shopping for baby carriers!
Price vs Value
The highest price isn’t always going to give you the best features across all rating factors listed: baby safety, parent and baby comfort, ease of use, and cleaning. For example, the BabyBjorn One Carrier is often rated the most expensive, but rarely wins any of the rating categories. The Infantino Swift Classic is one of the least expensive but it also rarely captures any of these ratings. Two carriers that are consistently awarded for all factors and are well-matched in terms of value for price are the Ergobaby 360 and the Beco Gemini.
We are planning a summary chart of the best baby carriers out there and their price versus where they fall in terms of value. If you’d ike to be notified when it publishes, be sure to sign-up for the Carry Me Away newsletter for valuable tidbits, helpful comparisons, as well as fun opportunities like contests and giveaways!
Star Ratings
When researching a baby carrier, we advise people to look at the star ratings. Is a carrier you like consistently rated with four or more stars? Or does it fall below three stars? Does it have four stars on one site, but falls short on other sites? If so, this could possibly indicate rating-tampering. A simple glance at star ratings on a few sites can give you a brief but telling response to the baby carriers you’re researching.
Testimonials & Reviews
Testimonials and reviews are even more important than a simple star rating. This is where we get to hear from the actual users of the carriers – parents, grandparents, and babysitters! Reviews are one of the best ways to determine whether a baby carrier is right for you. You can often find more information available about features and their usability from real-life stories, rather than sanitized product descriptions. Look for common complaints, common praise, and specific points people make about what they love and hate about each carrier.
It’s also helpful to keep in mind that reviews are available in different forms. For example, a single sentence review on a company’s Facebook business page, may not seem like much, but these are voluntary reviews that aren’t hand-picked by the company. Longer reviews that really consider the product are also helpful. ErgoBaby is one of the top performing baby carriers on the market and we try to make sure we get honest, more comprehensive stories from actual people using them, like this one.
Remember there are plenty of Mommy blogs that talk about baby carriers and list their favorites, but those are often paid articles. It’s important to be sure to check for any potential motivations beyond sharing valuable information.
Ultimately, it’s important to know what your short list of carriers has to offer and make the best decision for your lifestyle and individual needs. That’s why the Carry Me Away exchange program is easy and hassle-free. We know shopping online can be tough and we stand by our carriers and your satisfaction.
