Review of BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Active

I was attracted to this carrier by all the rave reviews on Amazon.I like to hike, and live in a city where strollers are an inconvenience, so I thought I'd give this a try.I already have the original model, but this sounded so much better according to other reviewers.After using it for three weeks, my opinion is that this carrier is a slight improvement over the original when it comes to back support, but it's not a real carrier for truly active pursuits, and not worth the extra 90 bucks (or more) to buy it if you already have the original.

Problem 1

Although the lumbar support is a good idea in theory, I find that in order to get it to work, I have to tighten the attached straps to such an extent that my internal organs get squashed.I'm 5'9", 160 lbs, and I don't have a huge gut, but the lumbar just isn't tight enough against my back to provide support unless everything else in front is compressed to an uncomfortable degree, making it hard even to breathe sometimes.

Problem 2

An additional problem that I have found is that my child tends to sit considerably lower than in the original.He's 5 months old, and over 26 inches long, but unless I set the seat at the highest point (for children between 21-23.5 inches), he simply sits too low on my chest, and he still easily (and painfully) puts his little heels into my crotch on a far too-frequent basis.

Problem 3

The little flap at the front of the carrier, which can be folded down when the child is facing forward, constantly pops back up from the folded position to bop my kid in the face.There is no way to snap it or velcro it down, and the tensioner straps designed to aid in holding the child closer to your chest are insufficient to keep it lying flat once folded.

Problem 4

The shoulder straps are insufficiently padded, and as far as I can tell, have the same amount of padding as the original version.My kid is only 18 lbs, and after an hour or so, my shoulders sometimes get sore.I only wonder what hauling around a 25-pounder would be like.

Problem 5

The build quality on this carrier seems inferior to the original.On my second use, the red bracket that receives the red insert of the outer carrier partially tore free of the stitching, requiring me to take out dental floss and needle to stitch it back up.

Problem 6

Even when properly strapped in, I find that my son still bounces around and his back is too far from my chest for this carrier to be considered suitable for anything more "active" than a brisk walk.I have used it once to port him along for a mild hike, and felt that he simply wasn't sufficiently supported.I don't find this carrier's snugging system to be better in any way than the original.

Conclusion

Although this carrier is marginally easier on your back than the original, it is not adequate for more than extended brisk walks.If you don't have either carrier, it makes sense to get this one if you're particularly worried about your back or will be carrying a heavier child.If you're simply planning to carry your child around town for a few hours, the cheaper original model is sufficient.I am still waiting for a baby product company to offer a front-carry model for smaller children that incorporates backpack-style padded and contoured shoulder pads and a padded hip/lumbar belt capable of transferring weight from shoulders to hips.

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Product Description:
p The sturdycomfortable baby carrierWith a BABYBJ RN Baby Carrier Activeyou can walk for miles and still stay close to your child p

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