Introducing the Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier One….

I never did much baby wearing when the girls were little, and now they are growing up faster than I can possibly control, I really wish that I had. There is something incredibly rewarding about carrying your baby around close to your chest, them snuggling up against you and being comforted by your familiar scent and the rocking motion as you walk. It also means that you can go about your day relatively normally, without having to worry about little feet getting tired or your day being cut prematurely short.

Neve is now 18 months old, and I was keen to find a carrier which allowed me to explore the world with her on my back. We love going out walking, but with the weather being continuously wet and muddy, taking the pushchair out isn’t always practical. Allowing Neve to walk unaided, whilst looking incredibly cute, significantly slows us down and risks ending with her falling flat on her face in the mud or trying to eat pebbles (we’ve been there a few times!)

With a love of visiting parks and our local National Trust properties, I loved the idea of a back carrier to be able to distribute Neve’s weight evenly, allowing us to go on more adventures as a family where she could come along for the (literal) ride!

I heard about the new Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier One  and it ticked all the boxes. Suitable from newborn to three years of age and suitable worn facing out or as a back carrier, it felt like the perfect choice!

We recently put it to the test on a family day out, here’s my verdict!! 🙂

About the Product

The new BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One has been designed with the help of 100 real families, paediatricians, baby wearing practitioners and medical experts to create the ultimate comfort and support for parents and their babies, supporting your baby’s growing neck, hips and spine whilst leaving your hands completely free.

With Baby Carrier One, it’s easy and safe for you to switch between several front and back baby wearing options. The size, seat area and head support are fully adjustable (including a newborn support) which means the baby carrier can be adapted as your baby grows.

Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier One has a sturdy waist belt and padded shoulder straps that relieve pressure on your back and shoulders, and make it comfortable for you to carry your child from newborn and up to the age of three years.

Key Features of the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One include:

Ergonomic leg position and Ergonomically ‘Hip Healthy’
The BabyBjorn Carrier One has a wide, fully adjustable seat area to ensure a comfortable and ergonomically correct position for your child’s hips. The International Hip Dysplasia Institute has tested Baby Carrier One and acknowledges it to be “hip-healthy”. This means that the baby carrier provides the correct support to your child’s hips and encourages good hip joint development, which is especially important in your child’s first months.

Superior Comfort
Padded shoulder straps for superior carrying comfort, the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One is free from harmful substances and approved in accordance with Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Class I for baby products.

Ultimate Support
The wide, sturdy waist belt gives you excellent pressure relief and spreads your babies weight evenly across your body. The fully adjustable head support protects your newborn and gives the correct support until your baby is able to hold their head up unaided. You can also keep the head support unfolded when your baby is older and is resting or sleeping in the baby carrier. You can easily fold it up or down and adjust the firmness of the support it provides.

Back Carrying
As your child grows heavier, usually after around 12 months of age, you can use the Baby Carrier One as a back carrier. Securing your child in a back carrier unassisted on your own with an older child in tow may sound virtually impossible, however with the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One, the process is actually incredibly easy (particularly once you’ve practiced a couple of times!

With your child sitting facing inwards towards your chest, you can easily swivel the whole baby carrier from your front to the required position on your back. The design of the baby carrier means your child sits completely safe and secure as you do so.

The BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One has recently been relaunched, with new features / changes including:

• A higher head support and fully adjustable buckle, giving both newborns and older babies greater neck support.
• Seat area with an wider maximum position
• Less fabric between parent and baby which enhances the bonding experience
• Additional padding in the shoulder straps for hours of comfy carrying.

The BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One retails at £139.

Our Experience

We road tested the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One on a day out with both girls. Erin who is four absolutely loves to run around and on a normal day there is just no way Neve would keep up, ending in lots of frustrated tears!

I will be honest that on first glance the carrier can be a little daunting to figure out – there are a lot of straps and buckles to get your head around, and for that reason I would recommend trying it on at home first – the online youtube videos on the BabyBjorn website were really helpful in showing us visually how to correctly apply the carrier. As with most products of this nature, practice really does make perfect, and now having used it a number of times I feel a lot more confident doing this and a find it much quicker to get Neve securely in place on my back.

When we first popped her in the carrier she found the process slightly confusing, particularly as we turned her round from front to back position! Having not been carried since she was a very young baby, the concept was a little alien to her and she clearly was a little unsure at first. However, once I had moved her securely into place she let out a huge giggle and seemed really amused by the fact she was being carried around by Mummy with a fantastic vantage point of the world. She found it hilarious if I rocked back or forth or skipped along with her sister, and I felt confident that she was safe and secure in the process.

Having Neve securely supported on my back left both hands free which was a rare novelty, meaning I could hold Erin’s hand and still have one hand free to check my phone, retrieve snacks from my bag etc.

It was a rare cold yet sunny day, so we spent a long time exploring the woodlands around our local park, taking some seeds and feeding the ducks, walking round the lake and going on a ‘bear hunt’ in the forest. Neve was calm and content as we travelled around, with her arms both free for her to point and acknowledge the ducks as they came over to greet us.

As someone who has had back problems in the past (particularly after Neve was born), I was nervous that she would feel quite heavy after a fairly long period of walking, but the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One was extremely comfortable. The Straps did not feel uncomfortable on my shoulders and the thick waistband helped spread the weight of her body across my back and shoulders. Even after a good 2 hour explore, I felt no discomfort whatsoever both during and after removing the carrier.

As we were walking back to the car, we noticed that Neve had become very quiet, and I peered round to see that she had quietly nodded off to sleep!! 🙂 Clearly the motion of the walk and the fresh air, whilst being safe close to her Mum had left her feeling cosy and content.

Overall I am really impressed with the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One, and I only wish I had used one when the girls were younger. There is something so special about seeing your child so calm and content, whilst at the same time being able to give your older child the attention and energetic day out she desires. The carrier will now be taken with us everywhere we go as an alternative to the pushchair, particularly for exploring the great outdoors.

Pros:

• Extremely comfortable, with no strain on your back or shoulders.
• Leaves both hands free for other parenting duties! 🙂
• Child is comfortable and content
• Looks lovely on – is available in a variety of colours but we loved the grey and powder pink!
• Adjustable to suit both parents – can be adapted to suit a number of shapes and sizes – both parent and baby!
• Suitable from newborn to 3 years of age.
• Baby wearing allows us to stay active with our older child whilst including our youngest in the experience.

Cons:

• At £139 this is a bit of an investment for parents, however the long age range means that when purchased for a newborn, you will definitely get your moneys worth from the product.
• It can take a little while to figure out how to apply the carrier before use, but the online videos are extremely helpful.

You can learn more about the BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One on their website here, and purchase from their online shop.

*Disclosure – we were sent a BabyBjorn Baby Carrier One free of charge for the purpose of this review however all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links*