Carrier Types

Your carrier types range from essentially types that have no structure built into the carrier itself to all of the structure built into the carrier itself. Let me explain what this means - at the “no structure built into the carrier” end of the range, we have the woven wrap. Woven wraps and other babywearing fabrics, such as traditional cloths like the kitenge or kanga and Peruvian manta, are simply a piece of fabric that is then tied or fastened in some kind of way around the wearer and child. Because there is no structured form built into the carrier, the wearer must create the shape they wish to use with the fabric that will hold their wearee. Because of this, it makes fabric one of the most versatile and customizable wearing options available, able to suit almost any need. It does, however, come with the largest learning curve - as the user has to learn how to create the desired shape and find which way of tying works best for various situations. On the other range of the spectrum of structure lies the “soft structured carrier”, also known as an SSC or buckle carrier. These carriers are very popular in the United States and are a modern creation that borrows its shape from the traditional Chinese carrier called a meh dai (Cantonese) or bei dai (Mandarin). Where a meh dai is tied, an SSC uses buckle straps with webbing that can be tightened or loosened as needed. Due to the structure being almost fully baked into an SSC carrier, not every brand or model fits every wearer with the same level of comfort - however they typically have the lowest learning curve and highest speed of use, making them a convenient favorite for many. In between these two ends you will find other carrier types - here are the basic carrier type categories from least to most structured:

• Wrap
• Sling
• Meh Dai / Bei Dai
• Buckle Carrier

There are some other variations and of course other traditional carrier styles, but these main categories cover most baby carriers under their umbrella.