Our amazing librarian contacted Infantino recently and asked if they would be willing to donate a new carrier to the BWI of STL library. All companies have different capacities for donating so we don’t expect every one we contact to reply with free or discounted carriers, but Infantino responded by shipping us not one, but TWO of their newest carriers! What an awesome donation!
Featured Carrier: Infantino Upscale
Carrier Type: Soft Structured Carrier (aka SSC or Full Buckle Carrier)
Suited For Ages: Infant through Toddler (8 – 40 lbs)
Carrier Positions: Front Facing In, Front Facing Out, Back
This SSC has an adjustable seat base that can be narrowed for smaller babies, as well as adjustable head support, so there is no separate infant insert required. There are also “leg extenders” built into the carrier that can be put into use to continue to support toddlers as they grow. One interesting thing we discovered while trying out this carrier is that it adjusts down to fit very petite caregivers. My 9-year-old usually chooses a mei tai or ring sling when she wants to carry her little sister because most structured carriers are not small enough to fit at the waist and shoulders (she is only about 70lbs right now). When she tried the Upscale, we had to tighten the waist and shoulder straps nearly all the way in as tight as they go, but that did provide a snug and comfortable fit for her! But don’t worry, there is a lot of strap length; this fit me comfortably also (I’m 5′ 10″) and there was a lot of length left that it could be adjusted out further, so I can see this fitting a wide range of caregivers.
In the picture above, the leg extenders are in use, and the head support is pulled up and buttoned in place. In the picture below, the head support is folded down, which gave my toddler plenty of room for riding with her arms out.
The Infantino Upscale retails for around $40, so it is at the lower end of the price spectrum of structured carriers, but has many of the features available with more expensive carriers. If you are looking for an easy buckle carrier that can take you from baby through toddler wearing without an infant insert, this could be worth trying on! Infantino also has a great video on this carrier on their Upscale Details Page.
Featured Carrier: Infantino Close Ties
Carrier Type: Half Buckle
Suited For Ages: Infant through Toddler (8 – 40 lbs)
Carrier Positions: Front Facing In, Hip, Back
The Infantino Close Ties is a Half Buckle carrier, with a padded waist band that buckles (like a Soft Structured Carrier) and a woven fabric panel and fabric straps that tie (like a Mei Tai). The base of the body panel is easily cinched inward to a narrow setting, and the height of the panel can be adjusted with sliding straps as well, so no infant insert is needed to make this carrier suitable for carrying from 8lbs up through toddler.
In this picture, the base of the panel is on the widest setting. You can see that the fabric does not go all the way from knee to knee on my toddler, but for a toddler that is ok! As long as the legs and back are supported and the child is comfortable, the fabric does not have to extend all the way from knee to knee for toddlers and older children who have a lot more muscle strength and control to support their own weight, unlike an infant. The adjustable panel height was very useful as well; my toddler is fairly small in trunk height so if we weren’t able to shorten the height of the panel it would be up over her head, but she has plenty of room to grow!
There are a couple demo videos and more details on the Close Ties details page. If you would like to try either of these carrier, come out to a meeting and an educator can help you fit the carrier and use all the great features.
Many thanks go out to Infantino for their continued support of our St. Louis chapter of BWI and many other babywearing communities and libraries!