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What Makes an Award-Winning Baby Carrier? Top Rating Systems Guide

There’s so much to consider when looking for a baby carrier that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by options. Sometimes, knowing a carrier is highly awarded can help narrow down your choices, but what does that mean? What are the rating systems used for baby carriers?

Top Rating Systems Used for Baby Carrier Awards

In your quest to find the best, knowing what goes into the winning decisions can make the difference between going with the masses and going with the best fit for your lifestyle and individual needs. We’ve collected the top rating systems used by companies around the world who test and evaluate baby carriers.

Baby Safety

Any award system should put baby safety first. Otherwise, what’s the point? There should be support for her head, neck, and back. They should have a seat that is wide enough to grow into, but supportive enough to keep him secure. The back should be high and have some sort of head and neck support so they can look around, but can’t snap their head back. Any buckles or supports should be positioned so baby’s airway stays clear.

Our Ergobaby 360 Carrier is consistently named number one (or least top three) in the category of baby safety.

Baby Comfort

An uncomfortable baby makes everyone uncomfortable. Top rating systems take into account that not all baby carriers are really built for baby. There are a few tell-tale signs that help us know whether baby is comfortable. Fussing, moving, kicking can be discomfort or can mean there are other factors at play. The number one way to know whether she is comfortable – baby quietly falling asleep! Other considerations are support, fabric breathability, and clear airways when a sleepy baby’s head is falling forward or to the side.

Our Lillebaby Complete All Seasons Carrier tops the award lists when it comes to baby comfort.

Parent Comfort

This is just as critical as any other factor in top rating systems and may be an even bigger weighted consideration for those with back pain, or hip and knee injuries. The parent’s comfort rating looks at how well a baby’s weight is distributed, padding, breathable materials in key areas, and adjustability – because everyone’s body is different. Also, higher ratings were consistently given to carriers that remained comfortable on long outings.

Our Tula Baby Carrier is rated one of the most comfortable for parents on long outings.  It’s also one of our top-selling buckle carriers.

The Ergobaby 360 is one of our most award-winning baby carriers.
The Ergobaby 360 is one of our most award-winning baby carriers.

Ease of Use

Not all carriers are created with ease of use in mind. Some have complicated buckles and others have long user manuals. This rating measures whether the carrier is intuitive or whether there is a steep learning curve. Additional convenience features like storage pockets, sleeping hoods, and whether the carrier can be comfortably worn while nursing are also considered.  A final factor is whether the carrier can be easily and quickly stored without compromising the shape over time.

Our Boba Carrier 4G is consistently rated a fast favorite for these ease of use factors in all top rating systems.

Ease of Cleaning

This is more than whether the carrier can be thrown in the washer. The ease of use factor also takes into account whether it can withstand time in the dryer, is made of stain resistant fabrics, and whether it has odor resistant fabrics and padding. Any baby carriers that involve complicated spot cleaning directions or have long cleaning regimens are rated much lower. 

Wraps and Ring Slings are often highly rated in the category of easy cleaning. Also, our Boba Carrier 4G is included in top rating systems for it’s easy to clean features.

Whether you’re a first time shopper or a practiced baby carrier veteran updating your collection, it can help to know what categories and factors are used when a highly awarded product claims it uses the top rating systems.

At Carry Me Away, we always keep a variety of our favorite carriers available to help match comfort, safety, and simplicity with your lifestyle, fashion, and other needs.  We can’t help but notice that the same baby carriers we love are also those that get top ratings when it comes to awards!  

For more ratings and factors everyone should use when researcing the perfect baby carrier, keep an eye out for our follow-up post  about price versus value, rating systems, and reviews, coming soon!

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