In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Britax Baby Carrier Review

The Britax Baby Carrier left us feeling uncomfortable in every sense of the word
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Britax Baby Carrier Review
Price:  $130 List
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Manufacturer:   Britax USA
By Lindsay Ellis ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Feb 27, 2013

Our Verdict

Discontinued — The Britax Baby Carrier has been discontinued.
REASONS TO BUY
Soft
Sturdy
REASONS TO AVOID
Uncomfortable
Cumbersome
Time consuming
Complicated instructions
Lacks support and positioning
For us, the Britax Baby Carrier was one of our least favorites to use. Although it bears a superficial resemblance to the BabyBjorn carriers, we found it no comparison. The Britax carrier was complicated, uncomfortable and to get better support for babies over 14 pounds, you have to purchase an additional seating insert. This is the only carrier we tested that required an additional purchase to keep using it after baby ages 4-6 months, which we found disappointing. And, after purchasing and using the insert, we found it wasn't even all that helpful and only added to our frustrations with this carrier.

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.
britax baby carrier - seat extender for the britax baby carrier.
Seat Extender for the Britax Baby Carrier.
Credit: Lindsay Ellis

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.

britax baby carrier - back support on the britax baby carrier wasn't great, plus you have...
Back support on the Britax Baby Carrier wasn't great, plus you have to pull it on over your head.
Credit: Lindsay Ellis
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.

Lindsay Ellis