A soft structured carrier, or SSC, is a carrier that many people are familiar with. It involves a soft, padded body with shoulder straps, often with a waist belt and buckle fasteners. Common brands include the ErgoBaby, Beco, Boba, Tula, Kinderpack, and Baby Bjorn (although the last is quite different from the others and we'll address that too).
This image from Dearest Diapers is a great visual comparison of some popular soft structured carriers. We own an Ergo Performance, which is the same structure as the regular Ergo, but made out of material that is supposed to add breathability to the carrier. We also have a Beco Gemini carrier in organic cotton.
A list of various SSCs comparing measurements and features
A list of various SSCs comparing measurements and features
The Ergo is widely available at many retailers including Target and is therefore becoming more and more common. For infants under 10 lbs, there is an additional "infant insert" that provides additional body and head support. We found that E hated the infant insert, but she also hated being swaddled. If your little one enjoys the comfort of confinement, they will probably do well with it. E is also extremely petite and it wasn't until she was about 11 months old that she was able to see over the straps of the carrier without being boosted up. We used the cushion part of the infant insert under her bum to help her see until then. Many people say that their typical or larger-sized babies grow out of the carrier quickly, and as you can see above, it's one of the smaller SSCs in knee to knee length and back height. One thing I would have done differently is to get the regular cotton Ergo rather than the Performance version. The Performance fabric is a bit rough and inflexible while I've seen cotton versions that break in nicely. I don't think the Performance version was significantly cooler either.
We received a Beco Gemini as a gift when E was about 6 months old. I really liked it because E is very petite and the Beco was much smaller in width and height compared to our Ergo. While front-facing is not recommended for long periods of time due to lack of ergonomic positioning for baby, the Beco Gemini does offer a front-facing option. The Beco also had a smaller waist band for me which was nice because I felt the Ergo waistband was too big. The buckle on the waistband has a safety button which you must press with one hand while pinching the buckle with the other. I found this a little irritating when trying to get my sleeping baby out of the carrier without waking her, but I understand it's purpose.
A couple of notes on the Baby Bjorn. While it does fall into the category of SSC, it is not considered the best option by many. Some will tell you that it causes hip problems in babies, but that isn't entirely true. You would have to wear your baby in the Bjorn almost constantly to impact hip development and there is no medical evidence that it will impact hip and spine development negatively (not that it hasn't happened, but there is no scientific evidence). That being said, the Bjorn places all weight on the wearer's shoulders and the baby balances their weight directly on their groin, both of which are uncomfortable, especially as baby gets older. Even recent models of the Bjorn with lumbar support do not distribute weight adequately for the wearer the way that other ergonomic carriers do. I've included some links and diagrams to try and illustrate why you might consider another carrier over the current Bjorn models. Baby Bjorn is rumored to be releasing a new ergonomic carrier with a front facing option that is meant to be more along the lines of other ergonomic carriers. The photo below shows the difference in weight distribution with a narrow-base carrier like the Bjorn and an ergonomic carrier like the Ergo. You can see the carrier on the right distributes the weight from knee to knee, like sitting in a chair, while the carrier on the left puts the weight on the groin, like sitting on a balance beam.
Whichever carrier you currently have or choose to buy, your baby will get all the great benefits of being carried and worn close to your heart. I encourage you to explore all the options, either by attending a babywearing class or trying out different carriers at a knowledgable store or at your local Babywearing International chapter.
**a note that I do not endorse any one carrier over another, these are just my personal experiences to date. I have not tried every carrier mentioned in this post**
**a note that I do not endorse any one carrier over another, these are just my personal experiences to date. I have not tried every carrier mentioned in this post**
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