TGF Rated Review: Sleepy Nico Carrier

February 1, 2009 by Brenda
Filed under Babies & Toddlers, Reviews

Erica writes…

I love the idea of baby wearing and I’m the owner of 4 different slings/baby carriers to prove it. Somehow the perfect sling has so far alluded me, so I was keen to try out the Sleepy Nico carrier. For the first 6-8 months of my son’s babyhood, I used a hand me down Mothercare baby carrier which was quite functional, but not what I would have chosen if I had been buying for myself. Once my baby got heavier I found it more difficult to use (even though he was still well under the maximum weight recommended), but my husband persevered for a few months longer. I bought another carrier/sling, but found the instructions too complex. Now we use a Quinny Curbb for going round art galleries, museums, stately homes, etc. and a hand me down basic backpack for country walking. Both work adequately for those needs, but they aren’t very adaptable and are rather bulky. I really missed having a sling I could use on a daily basis, but was worried about wasting money on something else that didn’t really work for me.

Testers: Me, 5ft 7 average build, my man 5ft 9 average build and our 18 month old Mr Active weighing in at a healthy 26 pounds. We used it for about a week both at home and out and about including a weekend trip to London.

Appearance: I tested the Broderie Noire fabric combination which was made of a soft black corduroy with broderie detailing. The detailing is quite low key making this carrier appealing to both mummies and daddies. Bebe Cannelle sell a range of fabric choices of which my personal favourite is the Murmure option, which is stylishly stripy limited edition in cream, moss and chocolate. Being handmade and ethically produced, the quality shows and I think you could get a lot of wear out of these carriers and they would still look good.

Instructions: Very easy in fact I managed to use it correctly without looking at them first – this was quite a relief as I was a bit apprehensive of having to get my head round some complicated boy scout procedure.

Set up: To carry the baby at the front you simply clip the waistband around you, hold baby facing you and put on arm straps. To finish off you clip the horizontal strap across your back. To carry baby on your back the same process is the same except the you hold the baby in a piggy back position and clip the strap across your chest.

I think it would be easy to use the front position from birth and it would be easy to use the carrier without assistance. Carrying baby on your back is only recommended from 6 months and this could easily be done with help to get the baby in and out. I had no problems getting my 18 month old into it without assistance, but he was able and willing to hold onto my neck while I got the straps sorted. I don’t think I would attempt it with a 6 month old if I was alone and I know that my bambino would not have been happy with the front position when out and about from that age onwards.

There is also a hood designed to stop your baby’s head rolling backwards when asleep which fastens with velcro. I did try this but found it wasn’t strong enough to support the large head of my 18 month old, but I can imagine it works better for a newborn.

In use: I used the carrier in both positions at home. For part of the week I had a rather clingy teether on my hands and found that short periods of time in the front position helped sooth him. It was particularly useful after he woke from a nap as I carried him arou

Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)