Why Baby Carriers Still Let Parents Down: A certified consultant’s honest take after a decade in the field

As a certified babywearing consultant with nearly ten years of hands-on experience, I’ve supported hundreds of parents, from absolute beginners to seasoned babywearers. I’ve witnessed the beauty of babywearing: how it helps babies thrive, supports bonding, and offers real-life freedom to families trying to do it all.

But I’ve also seen how baby carriers, ironically, often become the barrier.

What I Hear From Parents (Over and Over Again)

Here’s the reality. Parents arrive at a leading brand’s website hopeful, ready to find the one. They take the product quiz. It promises clarity, but usually delivers more questions than answers. Still, they buy one. They invest their money, energy, and trust in something they believe will finally work.

But too often, it doesn’t.

Maybe it’s comfortable but confusing. Maybe it fits one parent but not the other. Some try to make it work, compromising on comfort, posture, or safety. Others quietly stop using it. And one partner ends up carrying by default, slowly losing the shared freedom they hoped for.

This isn’t about a lack of effort. It’s about tools that don’t adapt to the needs of real people.

Spoiler: that’s not helping.

In my 1:1 sessions, I keep a full library of wraps and carriers. When parents ask, “So what do you actually recommend?”my answer hasn’t changed much in years: a soft stretchy wrap for the early weeks, then a full buckle carrier with a supportive seat  (read: not a crotch dangler, more on that here).

And time after time, families end up with the same few structured carriers from the same big brands. Usually in black, navy, or grey - because that’s what feels safe. That’s what feels like it will work for both parents.

It functions. But does it actually serve families the way they need? Not really.

The Pain Points That Kept Coming Up:

Fit fails across body types: Most carriers work for one parent but not the other. They pinch, hang awkwardly or need endless adjustments, making shared use annoying at best.

Too complicated: Safe babywearing takes good positioning, but too many carriers have steep learning curves. Studies show up to 80% of users get it wrong at some point.

Wraps are intimidating: Despite countless tutorials on YouTube and TikTok, wraps remain the #1 thing parents say they wish they could master- but rarely do. They look beautiful in demos, but when it’s 3am and your baby’s screaming, wrestling five meters of fabric doesn’t feel empowering- it feels like a fail. Worse, many parents say it just doesn’t feel secure. Some dads also find the look too soft or feminine and want something that feels more them.

Short shelf life: Many carriers only work for one age or stage or parent, so families end up buying two or three. That’s hard on wallets and wasteful by design.

From Advice to Action

I spent years giving advice. I still do. But eventually, I realized the problem wasn’t just what parents were choosing. It was what they were being offered. So I stopped just recommending and started designing.

Together with the design team at Modyn, we set out to build something better. A carrier that truly works - across bodies, babies, and daily chaos. At babyloop, our goal is simple: make babywearing easy from the start.

No guesswork. No tangled straps. No compromises.

Just real-life freedom, at one click.

👉 Get first access to babyloop.

Hi, I’m Michaela. Certified babywearing consultant, founder of carry.coach, and mom of 3. After watching parents wrestle with every carrier out there for a decade, I stopped recommending and started designing. Join me at babyloop, where we are redefining babywearing with style, safety and simplicity. Let’s make carrying your little one the easiest - and coolest - part of your day. Ready to loop in? Visit babyloop.com and let’s get started!