Buckles, buckles and more buckles

Buckles or soft structured carriers are super popular in the library. Over the last 6 months buckle carriers account for more than 75% of all sling hires, and it's easy to understand why. A well fitting, wide based buckle carrier is worth it's weight in gold. They are brilliant for when you need something quick and simple to use. Fantastic when you want to go on a long walk and don't want to deal with muddy tails with a wrap. Awesome when you have a toddler who still needs/wants to be carried but doesn't have the patience for a long wrap job as they want up and down every five minutes! The list goes on...

I want to show off our three most popular buckle carriers in the library (which you can try on at the next sling meet and then hire for a month if you like!) 

The first is the Sleepy Nico. These are super cushy and cosy soft structured carriers which have a wonderfully supportive waist band without the stiffness of other carriers. The straps, which are light padded, can be crossed over for added comfort and they come in a variety of stunningly beautiful designs. We have several baby sized in our library stash (including the purple flowery one below) and are suitable for baby from about 3 months until toddler hood when they can move into the toddler sized Sleepy Nico. They have a hood which can easily be held up using the handy velcro straps, giving perfect support for a sleepy baby. When baby is big enough they can be used for very comfortable back carrying too! Check them out at www.sleepynico.com 

 The next carrier which I have a huge amount of love for is the Boba 4g. These are super simple and yet very comfortable and are a carrier which is genuinely newborn suitable which is a huge bonus when looking for something that will fit from birth onwards. For a newborn the Boba 4g has a small cushion which can be folded up and poppered into the based of the carrier allowing for a newborn to be sat in the correct position at the correct height without over extending their legs and at the same time still supporting their backs and necks. This newborn insert is easy to use and makes using the Boba 4g with even a newborn really stress free. When baby is big enough the newborn insert can be removed and the Boba is super comfy with bigger babies. The straps are easy to adjust and of course it can be used for back carrying when baby is big enough. The waist band and the straps are slightly more sturdy and structured than something like the Sleepy Nico which suits some parents well. Check them out at: ​https://slumber-roo.co.uk/product/186/boba-4g/boba-/buckle-amp-hip

Another hugely popular carrier, which has big love internationally at the moment, is the Tula. These come in baby and toddler sizes and come in a stunningly beautiful variety of patterns and include some highly sought after (and very expensive!) exclusives and wrap conversions. For me, the baby sized Tula has a real sweet spot of being an amazing carrier when baby is long legged enough to not need to worry about a newborn insert, so from about 4 months old and the baby sized has a really good life span of until about 18 months. They have a really supportive waist band and very comfy padded shoulder straps. The Toddler sized Tula is my personal favourite toddler sized buckles. I have happily trekked for hours with my chunk of a toddler on my back using the Tula which offers great support for me and kept my toddler well balanced on my back.