Review – BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Active

We have reached that sad time where Boo has outgrown our BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Active.   Boo is now far more interested in walking everywhere and she is a nearing the upper weight limit so for me it is easier if I have the pram or the trike especially as I need my changing bag with everything in it, which sometimes weighs more than Boo.

I thought now would be a good time to do a review because we have had it since Boo was a couple of months old and we have nearly seen it’s complete life cycle.  It has lasted well and still looks great even though it has been chewed, drooled on and been chucked in the washing machine numerous times.

To start off with we bought a sling type carrier but Boo wasn’t happy and she let us know loudly, we persevered for a couple of weeks but it got worse, so we decide to try a different style carrier and one which could keep her upright, something which was important to lessen the symptoms of her acid reflux.

We tried one of the BabyBjorn Baby Carriers because we liked to look of them – and the Active had extra back support which was important to us, especially if we where going to be using it a lot (which we have).

Image from Amazon

The BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Active can be used from newborn (3.5kg or 8lbs) up until 12kg – 26lbs.  Boo is just getting towards the upper end of the range now and I can’t carry her in the carrier for long (not that she wants to be in it for long anymore – at 16 months she would rather be running about!) Though we did see someone putting a similar looking carrier on at a baby group the other day and Boo got all excited and reached out for it! So she does still like to go in it.

From newborn you can have your baby facing you, with the grey panel flipped up, to support their head, and from 4 months they can face outwards, Boo was about 3 months when we got the carrier and she hated facing inwards (she is too nosey) but once she hit 4 months and started facing outwards she loved it.

The straps of the harness are adjustable round the shoulders and the waist, they are easy to adjust and quick to loosen when you are taking the carrier off.  Once adjusted the carrier is quick and easy to put on and put baby in.  The front panel simply clips to the harness with colour coded clips at each side, and two more clips at the bottom, which is great when you are trying to hold a wiggly baby and fasten the carrier!

The carrier feels really safe and secure and is roomy enough so that Boo could have a big coat on or thick jumper if it the weather wasn’t great.  Boo is nearly a year old in the picture below, and it’s the end of November and she is wrapped up in about a thousand layers (ok maybe not that many) but she was still comfortable in the carrier (and warm enough as the carrier itself is thick and padded which acted like an extra layer. The front panel adusts between where the baby’s legs are, as they increase in weigh, simple to adjust and plainly labelled so you have the clip in the right place for the right weight.

The extra back support is really great, and it was possible to carry Boo in the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Active for a good long walk and still feel really comfortable.  I would say that for me personally it was about the 13/14 month mark when Boo became a bit too heavy for me to use the carrier for any great distance, but my husband can still carrier her in it now, at 16 months.

I think that a year plus life span for a carrier is great because Boo is more mobile and wants to walking/running about rather than in a carrier so I am not sure how much longer Boo will be happy to be in the carrier.  Though obviously the carrier still has some life left in it as my husband still uses it on occasion and Boo is not yet at the 12kg mark.

I cannot in all honesty remember how much we paid for the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Active, I think it was about £70 with some kind of offer.  Which I was happy to pay at the time and I think that for the use we have had out of it- it has been well worth the money.