Which baby carrier is the best postpartum? As a new mom, you might wonder how you are going to heal postpartum and still take care of the baby + all that life entails. In this post, I will help give you a little encouragement and explain which baby carrier is the best for doing everything. Scroll all the way down for the UPDATE.

Postpartum Baby Wearing

Postpartum babywearing has been essential for me as a new mommy. After the initial postpartum stage of resting and staying in bed, having food brought to you, and taking it easy, life starts to bloom again. When the time is right, postpartum babywearing can help ease into motherhood.

Giving yourself time to recover and grace to adjust to this new life is key. I found that holding my baby while doing this makes it way easier. If you expect your newborn to lay in a bassinet for hours while you do other things, then you might be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Although babies need to be constantly held, you might find they are okay for about 5 minutes in a bassinet or bouncer. The rest of the time, I found it easier to have my newborn in a carrier while I did things around the house, etc.

Benefits of Baby Wearing

Knowing that the bond between mother and baby is so intense, instinctual, and very needed… I decided to invest in 5 carriers to see which proved the best. Wearing your baby offers so many benefits; I didn’t see any better solution for holding my newborn all the time than wearing her in a carrier.

Here are 5 Benefits:

Improved Security. Your newborn will feel safe and secure in your arms, mama which means overall less crying. That baby is dependent on you for their physical and emotional survival. When they learn that their fears of being alone are met with your caring arms, they grow up to be better at regulating their stress as adults.
Improved Connection. The bond between you and your little one significantly increases when you two are together. Your baby can feel your heartbeat, hear your breathing, and is soothed by your voice being close. Since a newborn still thinks they are in the womb, this is a perfect environment for the baby to feel safe.
Improved Development. Your LO needs to see what daily life looks like for them to start making healthy neural pathways and brain development. Wearing your baby is considered tummy time since they have to balance and lift their head to look around. This reduces the risk of positional plagiocephaly.
Improved Posture. Making sure their legs are in an M shape or look like frog legs can help prevent hip dysplasia. The baby in this position should never have their chin touching their chest or have their airways constricted by any fabric. I also feel better when wearing the proper carrier which relieves tension in my back.
Improved Parenting. As a new mom, I feel empowered to do all these things and receive so many benefits simultaneously. Babywearing is like having a third hand!

Pros and Cons of Baby Carriers

I reviewed four different carriers in the video above and gave a list of pros and cons for each. Each carrier is good for different stages of development but just as quickly does the baby changes, the carrier has to change as well…in my opinion.

Let’s start off talking about the Baby K’tan. This was the first carrier I used for my newborn. It offers great support and is simple & straightforward if you have never used a carrier. The pros and cons are as follows:

Pros
- It is easy to get on and fast to put the baby in and take her out.
- Not a lot of fabric
- Great for infants who have more head control
- Carries baby well overall
Cons
- Because the fabric is not stretchy, it gets loose fast and the baby starts to sink and slouch
- It doesn’t support a newborn head that well
- I have to lift the newborn because she starts to sink and it hurts my back after 30 minutes.
- Because of the wide opening on the back, a wriggly baby can fling backward easily…even with the extra fabric tied on.

The Ergo Carrier was the second one I tried. I had the ergo infant insert which was nice too.

Pros
- Great for newborns because they are still light-weight
- Great support for a newborn’s head
- Lots of padded support
- Breathable
Cons
- Lots of buckles and straps to finagle
- Once the baby gets heavier, they feel extra heavy and my back starts to hurt
- Not as stylish-looking
- Baby sinks down
- Expensive

The famous Solly Baby Wrap is the next one I opted to use for many reasons:

Pros
- It is excellent for newborns to hold snug
- Great newborn head support
- It doesn’t sink because the fabric is stretchy enough to hold a tight fit
- They come in many cute prints and are very fashionable
Cons
- Too much fabric that touches the floor when putting on
- Can feel a bit suffocating
- Takes a long time to put on and is harder to take the baby out and put back in
- Harder to nurse a baby in

My favorite is the Ring Sling for many reasons:

Pros
- The fabric is high-quality 100% linen which is breathable
- It never touches the ground when putting it on
- The ring sling is so easy to take on and off
- The fabric stays tight
- I can discreetly nurse in this carrier with ease
- Baby has more range of motion
- No buckles or straps
- Is great for newborns up to toddlers
- Very beautiful and stylish
Cons
- A wriggly baby slides right out from the bottom.

Which Baby Carrier is the Best Postpartum?

For a smaller baby who is not as wriggly the ring sling is the winner. It offered me a lot of support and flexibility. I love the linen and the beauty of it, however my girl has entered into new milestones and she grew out of it. I may use it when she’s older but she clearly doesn’t like it and can easily slide out, no matter how tight I have it.

I am no expert but thought I would share my thoughts with anyone willing to read this. I would highly recommend following @letstalkbabywearing on Instagram for a wide variety of carriers and expert advice.

Baby Carrier Update (New Fav).

My LO is now 7 months old and has completely grown out of all these carriers. IYKYK!

She wriggles her way out of the Ring Sling and flings backward out of the Baby K’tan. So I journeyed again into the Best Baby Carrier and found the Onbuhimo my No 1 Carrier…as of now.

It is a versatile, waistbandless, front and back carry. My baby is safe and secure in the wide leg opening. Because her legs are nicely secure in the loops, she doesn’t slide out from the bottom. There are even snaps to hold a smaller baby in place. She is just past that stage but that would’ve been nice had I gotten this carrier sooner. These are the instructions for How To Wear it.

It is so ergonomic and comfortable that I like it better than any other carrier. I chose the Happy Baby Carrier for many reasons that I will list below:

Onbuhimo BENEFITS:

+ Designed for use with babies/toddlers 7-40 lbs
+ Comfortably worn by caregivers of different sizes
+ Great for pregnant moms as it has no waistband
+ 30-50% lighter than most SSC currently on the market
+ Folds up small and easily fits in a purse or diaper bag
+ Ergonomic shoulder design features slim profile
+ Sleek and minimal design
+ Made in the USA with imported fabric
+ Compliant with CPSIA and ASTM standards

Another plus is that it is affordable compared to other brands.

Why I Love the Onbuhimo

This HB carrier is a lifesaver for me. I tried the Happy Baby Versa and did not like the waistband feeling. The onbuhimo is simple and effective without all the straps, buckles, and strings hanging down.

The fabric is beautifully made with 100% linen. (This design has some corduroy cotton.)

I can easily sit down without sitting on buckle straps or moving fabric away, especially when I need to use the bathroom quickly without having to take her off and put her back in. TMI, but hey if this info helps you make a purchase then I don’t mind sharing these details lol. #momlife

Surprisingly, this carrier gives me better posture awareness. It makes me way more aware of the muscles I have to use to hold my baby. I use my core a lot more to support her rather than have all the strength come from my shoulders. I then can use my shoulders and align them properly once my core is engaged.

While I have yet to try the Happy Babby OG style, I can already tell this one will be my preference making this one my favorite.