Distinction between Hard & Soft Structured Baby Carriers

(First published on our FaceBook Notes April 21, 2010.)

Newborn without neck support in a Manduca Soft Structured Baby Carrier. Note how it wraps around the entire back, and provides some form of neck support for the baby. Available at http://www.babyslingsandcarriers.com/manduca_baby_carriers

There are many types of buckle type baby carriers available on the market today and parents are definitely spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing one. Some have a hard body that usually involves some kind of padding which then buckles to the wearer. These hard structured carriers tend to boast of thicker padding.

Others like the Manduca, Pikkolo, Boba, Beco, Patapum, etc. are soft structured carriers which molds well around baby's still developing spine, wrapping around snugly so that there is no extra gaps between the carrier body and baby's body.

It is important for a new parent to recognize that there is a major difference between these two types of structures. The main difference being how one hugs the baby's spine more naturally (the soft structured types) allowing the baby's developing spine to grow optimally while the other hard structured types tend to create spaces between the baby's body and doesn't hug the contour of the spine.

Comparatively soft structured carriers provide a lot more support for the growing baby's spine as it is not allowed to wobble against anything, whereas hard structures tend to be rigid and a baby's still developing spine tends to wobble against the hard structure with every step the parent takes. The logical deduction will be that hard structures may then compromise the healthy growth of the baby's spine (since there is so much wobbling or knocking with each movement).

We hope that parents can make more informed choices when selecting a safe and comfortable baby carrier and will be more than happy to help if anyone needs help in choosing one.

Happy Babywearing.