Customer Reviews

BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Active - Dark Blue/Blue

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I was attracted to this carrier by all the rave reviews on Amazon. I like to hike, and live in a city where strollers are an inconvenience, so I thought I'd give this a try. I already have the original model, but this sounded so much better according to other reviewers. After using it for three weeks, my opinion is that this carrier is a slight improvement over the original when it comes to back support, but it's not a real carrier for truly active pursuits, and not worth the extra 90 bucks (or more) to buy it if you already have the original.

Problem 1

Although the lumbar support is a good idea in theory, I find that in order to get it to work, I have to tighten the attached straps to such an extent that my internal organs get squashed. I'm 5'9", 160 lbs, and I don't have a huge gut, but the lumbar just isn't tight enough against my back to provide support unless everything else in front is compressed to an uncomfortable degree, making it hard even to breathe sometimes.

Problem 2

An additional problem that I have found is that my child tends to sit considerably lower than in the original. He's 5 months old, and over 26 inches long, but unless I set the seat at the highest point (for children between 21-23.5 inches), he simply sits too low on my chest, and he still easily (and painfully) puts his little heels into my crotch on a far too-frequent basis.

Problem 3

The little flap at the front of the carrier, which can be folded down when the child is facing forward, constantly pops back up from the folded position to bop my kid in the face. There is no way to snap it or velcro it down, and the tensioner straps designed to aid in holding the child closer to your chest are insufficient to keep it lying flat once folded.

Problem 4

The shoulder straps are insufficiently padded, and as far as I can tell, have the same amount of padding as the original version. My kid is only 18 lbs, and after an hour or so, my shoulders sometimes get sore. I only wonder what hauling around a 25-pounder would be like.

Problem 5

The build quality on this carrier seems inferior to the original. On my second use, the red bracket that receives the red insert of the outer carrier partially tore free of the stitching, requiring me to take out dental floss and needle to stitch it back up.

Problem 6

Even when properly strapped in, I find that my son still bounces around and his back is too far from my chest for this carrier to be considered suitable for anything more "active" than a brisk walk. I have used it once to port him along for a mild hike, and felt that he simply wasn't sufficiently supported. I don't find this carrier's snugging system to be better in any way than the original.

Conclusion

Although this carrier is marginally easier on your back than the original, it is not adequate for more than extended brisk walks. If you don't have either carrier, it makes sense to get this one if you're particularly worried about your back or will be carrying a heavier child. If you're simply planning to carry your child around town for a few hours, the cheaper original model is sufficient. I am still waiting for a baby product company to offer a front-carry model for smaller children that incorporates backpack-style padded and contoured shoulder pads and a padded hip/lumbar belt capable of transferring weight from shoulders to hips.

I first purchased the original Bjorn and the weight on my shoulders was unbearable (8 pd baby). I returned it for this model with the lumbar support. There isn't much support to say the least. I still felt the weight on my shoulders after about 1 hr of wearing it. Although it wasn't as bad as the original. Overall it's great if you plan only on using it until your baby is 2-3 months. Once the baby get's too heavy you really start to compromise your back and shoulders. If you are into baby wearing then this will only last you very little and you will soon have to research other carriers.

The Good Stuff:
1. The carrier part is nice and thick and provides lots of support for the baby's back and head.

2. Easy to put on and take off without help.

The Bad Stuff:
1. Provides no back support for the person doing the carrying.

2. In order to get some back support you must tighten the lumbar very very tight to the point you can't breath!!

3. The shoulder staps are NOT sufficiently padded. The shoulder pain becomes unbearable after 1 hr for a 10 pound baby.

4. Forward facing - the fold down head support flaps back into the baby's face. You have to constantly fold it down.

5. Since the baby's legs dangle in front. You CANNOT sit comfortabley.

Bottom line - if you plan on wearing your baby for more than an hour at a time or past 2-3 months this is a complete waste of money. If you are looking to use it only on light errands and plan on transfering baby to a stroller in 2-3 months then it's ok (althought still expensive for such little use) After some extensive research and trying several carriers I ended up with the Ergo Baby Carrier. All the baby's weight is on the hips (the way nature intended!)not the shoulders. Not to mention the shoulders are very padded. And even now that my daughter is 14 months I can still carry her with no problem and no pain.

I registered for and eventually purchased for myself the Active Carrier. I love this carrier. With a bad back, I find the lumbar support VERY helpful. I do have to tighten it up, but is far from cutting off my breathing. My little girl loves riding in it too. She usually falls asleep within minutes of me putting her in it.

If you aren't sure if you'll like it, go to babies R' us and see if they will let you try on the display model. They would at my store. LOL Throw in some heavy cans of liquid formula to see how it feels with weight. :)

Why I love this carrier:
1. I love giving my little girl kisses on her head when I am out running errands.
2. I love the attention she gets and the "oh isn't that cute" when I have her in it, while at the same time I love the distance those people keep since she's strapped to my chest (as opposed to my friend who has people leaning in on her stroller to get a closer look at the baby.) Ewww.
3. I love being able to use my arms when I shop or go out.
4. I don't feel lop-sided like I do when I carry around a car carrier. (I hate seeing guys lug around infant car carriers while their wives follow behind them with the diaper bag. The baby jerks around in the carrier with each uncomfortable step his/her parent takes.)
5. I really don't have any trouble sitting or even eating when I have the carrier on with her in it.
6. The lumbar support saves my back. I have degenerative disk disease and have had two herniated disks, but with this carrier, I have not had any problems even after a day at the mall (at least 3 hours of walking around with a 12 pound baby.)
7. It really is quite soothing to my little girl as she tends to sleep the entire time unless she's hungry.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it's getting warmer outside and with the padding I get a little sweaty where the carrier sits (the small of my back and my shoulders.) :(

Over the course of three children we have had FIVE carriers: Two slings, a Baby Bjorn, a Snugli and the Ergo Baby.

The Bjorn is definitely the best looking and easiest to use. The clips and connectors are very intuitive and it's easy to get smaller infants into it.

My big complaint is that when the kids get larger (or if you wear it for more than 20 minutes at a time) it really starts to kill your back. This is because the design keeps all the weight on your shoulders. It's like wearing a backpack BACKWARDS!

The "Active" version has wider straps and a which provide additional support for a small improvement over the "Original," but it still puts all the weight on your shoulders, pulling them forward. The additional strap is still too high to put the weight on your hips.

If you backpack, you know what I'm talking about. A lightweight daypack is fine for lugging 20 lbs of textbooks from class to class, but if you want to be able to hike for an hour with 40 lbs you have to shift the weight from your shoulders to your hips.

If you only plan to use this when grocery shopping and think you'll give it up when they're 6 months old, this might be for you. If you think you might want to go to the park and hang out, or use it even when the kid starts to crawl, then the Ergo Baby is probably more your speed.

p.s. this is coming from a guy who is 6', 180# and fit. My wife is smaller and far more critical of the ergonomics of this carrier.

If you've found this review helpful, please let me know!

We had the original Baby Bjorn with extra long straps for our daughter and stopped using it when she was 4 months old because at 18 pounds she was too heavy for me to carry. We got this when our son was born hoping that we would be able to use it longer. He is now 6 months old and 20 pounds and I can still carry him in it easily.

I have found this one to be much better than the original. While we had to have the extra long straps for the original, we don't for this one and it fits fine. The lumbar support really works and my baby isn't supported by my shoulders like the original, so I don't get sore from carrying him. I don't find that I have to pull the lumbar support straps too tightly for it to work. We do have problems with the front flap popping up when he faces forward, but this has never bothered him. Once you get used to how it works it is very easy to put on and take off.

I have a baby who always wants to be held so I use this product almost daily. I think it is by far the best investment we could have made as far as "gear" goes.

This is my absolute favourite item I bought for my new baby.
I would recommend it to all new parents. No exceptions . . . .

My baby is now 10 months old and we have used the carrier probably over a hundred times. My husband and I have taken it everywhere from trips round the local grocery store through to 10 mile hikes in Yosemite. A baby carrier is by far the most convenient way to hold your baby, as it enables you to continue your daily activities while your baby is happy riding along with you. The baby is happy and so are you.

I use my carrier on many occasions where some parents would probably use a stroller instead, the reason being that my son prefers to be carried around at 'adult' height and see everything that is going on than be stuck in a stroller down below.
Given that even with a carrier a baby is quite heavy I recommend the Active version for the additional back support it provides over the Standard version.

My only complaint about the Baby Bjorn, (which is not enough to drop my rating from five stars) is that it can be a bit tricky to adjust the straps until you get the hang of them and how to put the carrier on.

My final piece of advice is to check that your baby is not getting over-heated in the carrier. If in doubt err on the side of removing clothing layers from the child before you put them in the carrier as they receive a lot of your own body heat while they are in the it. Also I have found that if your baby falls asleep while you are carrying them it helps to turn them to face you so that they are resting on your chest. Otherwise they tend to flop forwards.
I hope you buy get as much use and enjoyment from this product as my family has.

a baby carrier is an essential item to have and this one is terrific! it's worth it to spend the extra money and get this model with the back support. i could carry my son for hours and it never hurt. also, this model fits both me and my husband; i'm 5'6" and he's 6'3". the straps on this one are long enough for both of us but the ones on the regular baby bjorn are NOT; i called the company and they confirmed this. you'd have to buy seperate straps to fit a taller person. my son loves being carried in the baby bjorn (he's 1 now) and when he was an infant it was the only thing that would get him to sleep sometimes! i definitely recommend this product!

I owned the original Baby Bjorn with my first son and liked that I had my hands free, but didn't like the unbearable shoulder pain after walking around! For my second son, I registered for the Active Carrier hoping this would distribute his weight more evenly and leave me pain free...which it has. It's a bit more cumbersome to put on because you have an extra strap where the lumbar support is, but it's worth it. My youngest falls asleep almost instantly when I put him in his Bjorn. I can push my older son in his stroller at the mall so that I don't have to lug around the heavy double stroller. I can take our oldest to the park and have my hands free to give him a little push on the swing while his baby brother is looking on from his carrier. I had kept the original Bjorn "just in case" but when I tried to use the original Baby Bjorn to take a quick stroll around the block after leaving the Active Carrier in my husband's car, I had to remove it after 2 minutes because my shoulders hurt so bad! Needless to say, I got rid of the original Bjorn not too long after that incident.

I bought the original version of the baby bjorn - and had terrible back pain, even for walks around the house. I was nervous spending the extra money for a second one - but went on the advice of a friend who was using the active carrier to take her baby on long walks, without back pain.

I am glad I took her advice. The support straps make all the difference. You have to keep it tight around you to get the benefit of the support, but if you tug them tight each time you put it back on - it really takes the pressure off. I walked three miles yesterday and my baby is 16 pounds - and I felt no pain when I got home. It was worth the money -even the second time around.

Great product. None of the other hikers on our vigerous trail could believe that our baby was so happy as we hiked throughout Kauaii recently. Unfortunately the material can get a bit warm against your body. Also I still think that the lumbar support could be better.