Baby Carriers Backpacks: Reviewed & Rated
Baby Carriers Backpacks...
Hello, I'm Lynda. If you have newborns (or young toddlers) like me, you've probably considered a baby carrier backpack. Personally I find the backpack variety the best, as it's easier on my back and posture, and let's the little one peak over my shoulder and see what's going on!
After searching high and low for carriers (there's some really good ones... and not so good ones, let me tell you!), I decided my research could help others, so I created this web site to help you avoid the time and frustration I ran into trying to find great information on baby carriers. I really hope you find it useful!
Baby carrier backpacks are extremely popular today with active parents because they allow you to get up and go whenever and wherever you want without the usual constraints of parenthood. For instance, you never have to struggle to open a door or fit a wide stroller through a doorway because your hands are left completely free and the child is contained on your back rather than pushed out in front of you like in a stroller. If you are considering a baby carrier backpack to get your family around conveniently and safely, consider the features that are widely available on the market today. This will give you a great idea of what to look for when you shop for your own.
The first carrier backpacks to hit the market had one seat size and height, but today many models are coming out with adjustable seats. The height is usually what adjusts, which makes it easier to accommodate older toddlers as well as smaller babies in the same seat. This can save you considerable amounts of money over time as the same seat can be adjusted to accommodate a growing child. You are more likely to have a comfortable fit for any size child with an adjustable seat.
If you are worried that a baby carrier backpack will place too much stress on your back muscles, there are now many models which have designs that include more support. These models will usually have different straps which distribute the weight more evenly so you are less likely to topple over, trip, or pull muscles as you twist and move around. Extra back support may not be your primary concern if your child is still very small, but remember how fast children grow! Before you know it that tiny baby will be a bustling toddler who weights more and moves around more. This makes extra support well worth the small increase in price that you may have to pay.
You can now find baby carrier backpacks in a wide variety of colors and styles. Many are very sporty looking, since active parents who enjoy hiking and outdoor adventures typically make heavy use of this product in general. That said, there are many different styles and colors out there to fit every family's preferences. Are you worried about protecting the baby from the sun, rain, and other adverse weather conditions? If so, then look for a backpack carrier which includes a sun visor that is waterproof. Most will lay down when they are unneeded, but can easily be flipped up to protect the baby as needed.
Some backpack carriers will have a kickstand or other feature which makes it easier to load the baby into the backpack or get them out. These features are nice for when you are carrying a heavier child or one who would prefer to hop out on their own. If you're wondering what all of these newer features would cost you, it might be rather surprising to see how affordable they actually are! You can now go online and find a baby carrier backpack with all of these features for well under $100.
You've seen those parents walking around town or perhaps hiking at your favorite park with a baby sitting comfortably on their back and now you're wondering about baby carrier backpacks. The good news is they are much more comfortable than you could imagine and there are many benefits to using one.
Imagine having your child securely attached to you but still having your hands completely free. That is the luxury that you get with a baby carrier backpack. Your child fits comfortably on your back much like they would ride along while playing piggy back at home. This frees your hands to carry things, open doors, or maneuver through crowded areas. This is extremely beneficial when traveling or visiting places that are not easily accessible while pushing a stroller.
It may seem that a toddler hanging on your back would be uncomfortable, but since the weight is evenly distributed across the mid-section of your body it isn't as stressful as you might think. Many parents find a baby carrier backpack to the most comfortable option for outdoor activities such as camping or hiking. Even walking through an amusement park or going on other day trip adventures is much easier with a carrier backpack, since you don't have to continually pick up the child and carry them on your hip.
A carrier backpack is much safer for the muscles and joints of your body than a front sling or carrying a child on the hip or straddled in front. The weight of the child is adequate proportioned across the back, which means you are lifting from the core of your body where some of the strongest muscles in your body are located. Also, your body will remain more centered and balanced since the weight is distributed so evenly. This means you are less likely to lose balance or strain a muscle. That said, it can be a bit more difficult to turn and look sideways or behind you when you have a larger sized toddler hanging on the back.
If you are dealing with a toddler who likes to run around, it is much easier to keep an eye on them and ensure their safety if they are strapped to your back in a carrier backpack. If you aren't very fond of the toddler leashes you see other parents strapping around their waist and to their child, a backpack carrier is a more attractive alternative. You still keep a very close eye on your child and know just where they are, and you don't have to continually search around trying to see where they have run off to.
Baby backpack carriers are essential items if you will be traveling with a smaller child. You will want to go on tours and sightseeing adventures as well as visit amusement parks and other places without worrying about losing a child or trying to fit a large stroller through doorways or up stairways. Out of all of these benefits, the ability to toss the child up on your back and carry on with life hands-free has to be the biggest reason to use a baby carrier backpack!
If you are in the market for a baby carrier backpack, do you know what features you are looking for? It's tempting when shopping in today's expensive baby market to just look for the cheapest products you can find or maybe go into a thrift store and look for something. Doing this, you are likely to get a carrier that is stressful on your body or that is not well built, which could put you and your baby at risk. Plus, there are some features now being added into baby carrier backpacks that make them well worth the price of a new one!
For active parents who want to take their small children hiking, camping, or wandering through parks and other adventurous places, a backpack carrier with extra support for the back muscles will be essential. You are looking for something with an extra heavy material that will be more durable while going through woodlands and other outdoor locations, but which also remains extremely comfortable for the adult's back and other core muscles. You can now find many baby carrier backpacks which are very sporty in style, which will fit the style of parents who are outdoors living life to the fullest.
For families who live in the big city and need something that can be thrown up on their back and used through the crowded streets, lightweight construction is going to be more important than anything else. You don't want a super heavy carrier on your back while you go through the streets on a daily basis. That said, the right backpack carrier can be the best thing a city dwelling parent ever buys! It is much easier to go through very crowded streets and go in and out of subway terminals and other public transportation resources when the baby is on your back, rather than being pushed out in front of you.
Also, when you are using the baby carrier backpack on a daily basis it is much faster to get where you are going when your hands are free and you don't have to worry about fitting a stroller through tighter doorways and other spaces. Extra back support will be very important for the city dweller as well, since they will be carrying the child much more frequently than a parent who just uses it while on outdoor adventures.
There are wide variety of features that can be found on baby carrier backpacks these days. You have to consider your intended use before you make a final decision, since the features found on one may be quite different from features found on others. Consider what you will be using the backpack carrier for primarily, and then try it on your back and consider how comfortable it will be for that purpose with the weight of a child added. Backpack carriers are often the best purchase an active family or city dwelling parent will ever purchase. In fact, some families who fit into these two categories never purchase a stroller at all. They use their backpack carrier for almost all purposes, since it is easier to get around and often more comfortable than hunching down to push a low stroller.
There are a lot of things that have changed since your great-grandparents raised children. From the way you put your children to sleep to the way you feed them, everything is extremely different today. Yet, one of the biggest changes that have come about is the way parents carry their children around in daily life and while on vacation. The old habit of a mother propping a child up on her hip and carrying them for long periods of time are no longer necessary, since inventions like the baby carrier backpack are now here.
A baby carrier backpack is just what it sounds like: a cross between a backpack and baby sling. Rather than carrying the baby across your front like you would with a baby sling carrier, you are able to prop the baby up on your back just like you would a backpack. They actually look kind of like an ordinary backpack as well, except they have seats that sit against the parent's back and sometimes have an extra strap that goes around the waist in addition to the over-arm straps.
The design of a baby carrier backpack allows parents to walk freely without the hassle of pushing a stroller that is detached from the body. The baby can simply go wherever the baby goes safely. Also, this design frees the hands so the parent can easily open doors, eat, work, and do other things without interference of the child. There are a growing number of features for baby backpack carriers which are making them more comfortable and safer for the parent's body when in use. Extra support is being added so the weight is evenly distributed and the parent is less likely to trip, lose balance, or pull muscles while moving around.
The colors and designs currently on the market are growing by the year, giving parents more and more options for finding a baby carrier backpack that fits their needs perfectly. A baby carrier backpack is useful for parents who are on the go a lot and don't have time to push around a stroller. Parents who enjoy taking their children outdoors to do things like hiking, camping, or bird watching also find a carrier that goes on the back to be extremely useful. Those who have to fight through the crowds of big city streets with smaller children on a daily basis find them the absolute best option on the market!
If you find yourself grunting and swearing at an oversized stroller or wishing that you could have free use of your hands while trying to carry along a child, then chances are a baby carrier backpack will be suitable to your needs. If you have younger children and find yourself fearful they will run off or be grabbed while in stores or out at amusement parks, then you should consider purchasing a carrier for the back as well. You can now purchase extremely comfortable backpack carriers with extra back support for well under the $100 price point. Most strollers cannot be purchased for nearly that low, which is yet another perk of going with a backpack carrier.