Lillebaby Complete Embossed Baby Carrier

Designed for newborns as small as seven pounds all the way up to 45-pound toddlers, the lightweight Lillebaby Complete Embossed Baby Carrier offers four carrying positions: face-in, face-out, hip carry and back carry. Lillebaby carriers come with thick shoulder straps and an extra-wide waist band for maximum support, while the Embossed series boasts a luxurious-feeling suede interior lining along with a few extras: a harness strap for baby, detachable hood, padded buckles, infant insert and a handy front pocket.

BABY SAFETY

Some carriers pose a risk of hip dysplasia if a baby’s legs aren’t well supported, but the wide seat in this model keeps little legs and hips in healthy alignment, earning the product a seal of approval from the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. All our parent testers strongly agreed their babies were properly supported, and we liked the adjustable seat that can be made wider or narrower depending on the build of your baby. We also loved the bonus harness strap that keeps babies extra snug and secure. Of our testers with newborns, they each said their babies were placed high enough to be safe—i.e., visible and kissable—with ample head support from the newborn insert.

BABY'S COMFORT 

All our tester babies were snug in the Lillebaby Complete Embossed Baby Carrier, but still able to move their heads, arms and legs freely. Thanks to the extra soft interior fabric, parents were confident their kids were comfy inside. However, the same materials that make this carrier so cozy can get too hot for some: one tester found the thick fabric overwhelming in hot weather, which caused both her and her baby to overheat quickly.

PARENT'S COMFORT

Our testers all agreed that the wide, padded shoulder straps and thick waist band make this a very comfortable carrier. This model’s standout feature is the bonus lumbar support, an optional triangle-shaped piece that attaches to the waistband and rests on the small of your back. Our test lab found this helped distribute the baby’s weight evenly so no heaviness was felt in any one spot, and our parent testers found it very useful for overall comfort and stability.

EASE OF USE 

Trying to secure a wiggly baby inside a carrier can frustrate even the most mechanically inclined parent, but all of our testers agreed the Lillebaby Complete Embossed Baby Carrier was both easy to set up and easy to get infants in and out of. The one drawback we found was that unless the carrier’s shoulder straps are in the right position, you’ll have to take the whole thing off to adjust them—an annoying feature if both parents want to use the carrier. One of our parent testers also found the connecting shoulder buckle difficult to close while her baby was in the carrier. Aside from a lack of ventilation on very hot days, our testers agreed the fabric is very durable and buckles feel strong and safe.

CLEANING

If spit-ups or spills happen, you can machine-wash this carrier, although it’s recommended you don’t do so too often, and it has to hang dry. Spot-cleaning this carrier was easy for the majority of our testers.

VALUE

With a midrange price point compared to other carriers, the combined comfort and quality of Lillebaby Complete Embossed along with its extra features impressed all of our parent testers, who felt this product had a lot of value.

FINAL WORD

Our editors were impressed with the quality of the Lillebaby Complete Embossed Baby Carrier and its comfortable support of both baby and wearer. Our parent testers liked it too: Each rated this carrier as a better product than what they’ve used in the past, and all said they would recommend it other parents. They gave the carrier a very good rating across the board for overall quality, ease of use and value for money, so it was no surprise that they all also felt it's deserving of the Today's Parent Approved seal.