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Best Overall
Tula Explore Baby Carrier
Best for Warm Weather
Lillebaby Complete Airflow
Quickest On and Off
Sakura Bloom Flax Ring Sling
For the First Year
BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Mini
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard the term “babywearing.” It’s the practice of carrying your baby constantly, and it’s not just for kangaroos. Carrying your infant or toddler can be more practical and convenient than pushing a stroller—especially if you’re hiking, traveling, or running errands. We’ve tested several baby carriers over the years while running through airports, hiking through forests and on mountain trails, and wandering city streets. These are our favorites.
For more ideas, check out our Gift Guide for New Parents, Best Strollers, and Best Baby Monitors.
Updated October 2023: We’ve added the Tushbaby Lite as a new pick for toddlers.
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Photograph: Tula
Best Overall
Tula Explore Baby Carrier
My (Adrienne’s) children are beyond the babywearing age now, but the Tula Explore was my favorite baby carrier. It accommodates a large weight range, from a 7-pound newborn to a 45-pound toddler. I could carry a lanky, 30-pound four-year-old in it when she falls asleep on planes. The 100-percent cotton fabric doesn’t irritate my younger son’s sensitive skin, and it’s much thinner than other structured, clip-on baby carriers. You can adjust it to let the baby face outward. It also comes in Tula’s highly covetable, limited-edition prints.
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Photograph: LilleBaby
Best for Warm Weather
Lillebaby Complete Airflow
I carried my then 8-month-old up Banff’s Sulphur Mountain and around Lake Louise in a Lillebaby Airflow Complete, in September weather that went from being warm and sunny to a full-on snowstorm in 30 minutes (ah, Canada). It seemed to keep my daughter cooler in the warmer months, and it’s light, springy, and comfortable for both me and my infant. I also liked the included back panel for additional lumbar support on longer treks.
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Photograph: Sakura
Quickest On and Off
Sakura Bloom Flax Ring Sling
Learning to use a ring sling is deceptively simple. It requires a bit of a learning curve, as you tweak and fidget the linen band around your baby’s body and adjust the tension through the ring, and you’ll need to use it a few times before the linen breaks down and becomes more soft and comfortable. Once you get the hang of it, it’s by far the smallest carrier to pack, and it’s easy to throw it over your shoulder, quickly tuck your infant in it, and pick up some milk at the store.
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Photograph: BabyBjörn
For the First Year
BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Mini
The name BabyBjörn is synonymous with baby carriers in the way “Q-Tip” has come to refer to any cotton swab. The company sells several different kinds of carriers, but the cozy Carrier Mini is designed with newborns in mind. It’s soft and smaller, but still fits little ones up to 22 pounds, so you can wear it most of the first year depending on your baby’s size. It’s also easy to adjust while you wear it and has only shoulder straps (no bulky waistband!) since it’s only for the younger months.
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Photograph: Moby Wrap
The Comfy Cocoon
Moby Wrap Classic Wrap Baby Carrier
Wraps like the Moby also have a learning curve, since you need to wrap it around your body to create a fabric pocket for your baby to sit. That may be frustrating when you find yourself standing in the rain, dragging yards of fabric on the muddy ground while a 3-month-old wails in the backseat. Also, I found it didn’t offer enough support to hold up my children once they weighed more than 15 pounds. But it’s a crucial comforting tool for those early months when the only way to soothe your baby is to endlessly pace while crooning through Morrissey’s entire discography. It’s affordable too.
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Photograph: Ergobaby
The Fan Favorite
Ergobaby Omni 360 Baby Carrier
The Ergobaby Omni 360 is versatile, and one of the most popular carriers. Like the Tula Explore, it can fit newborns to toddlers up to 45 pounds, and you can also adjust the clips to carry your baby in a number of different positions. It comes with a detachable storage pouch, which is handy if you want to leave the kid with your partner and make a necessary ice cream run. However, the padding is thicker than what’s on the Tula and the carrier is stiffer. Some parents might appreciate the extra support, but I found it a little bulkier when shoving it in my tote bag in the car.
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Photograph: The Honest Company
Best for Toddlers
Tushbaby Lite
Now that my baby is toddling, he has no interest in being restrained. The Tushbaby is different from your usual carrier in that it doesn’t strap my son in, but lets him sit on a hip seat. It takes pressure off my arms and gives me support around the waist, and most importantly, he loves it and sits happily in it while we run errands. It is a bit like wearing a massive utility belt, and it feels a little (or a lot) silly to have on if your baby isn’t sitting on it, but I love that the strap has both Velcro and a buckle to make it nice and secure. There’s also the regular Tushbaby, which works just as well, but I preferred the more minimalist form of the Tushbaby Lite.—Nena Farrell
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Photograph: Kelty
Best for Hiking
Kelty Journey PerfectFit Elite Child Carrier
Hiking with an infant is so much easier when you can distribute their weight in a framed hiking backpack. I was handed down a 10-year-old version of this carrier, and the new one blows it out of the water. First, it’s incredibly light—only 7 pounds, 4 ounces for an aluminum-framed pack—and fits both my short torso and my husband’s much longer one. It has a lot of storage, including a built-in wet bag for the inevitable diaper blowout and a sleeve for a hydration bag; a sunshade; and plenty of big grab handles for when you trip while wearing it and need someone to help pull you back on your feet.
Adrienne So is a senior associate reviews editor for WIRED, where she reviews consumer technology. She graduated from the University of Virginia with bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish, and she previously worked as a freelance writer for Cool Hunting, Paste, Slate, and other publications. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Nena Farrell covers consumer tech at WIRED and specializes in smart home products and parenting gear. She previously wrote for Wirecutter and Sunset. She lives in San Diego, where she can be found pushing her child around in various strollers.
