Customer Reviews

Snugli Front and Backpack Carrier

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This carrier is designed to be used in multiple positions--facing forward and backward in the front, and on the back. As a result, it's been made extremely customizable with a number of adjustable straps.

While some people may find the prospect of taking the time to customize the carrier to be too overwhelming, it really only takes a couple of minutes and saves a lot of hassle and back strain in the long run.

Anyone who has ever done any backpacking knows that a hiking pack comes with a ton of straps and hooks and doodads. These are designed to allow the pack to be fit to the individual user. The idea is to put much of the weight of the pack on the hips rather than the shoulders, allowing you to carry it more comfortably and with less strain.

The Snugli Front and Back Pack is the same idea. You have three basic sets of straps. First, there's a padded hip strap that goes, ironically enough, around the hips. Then there is a strap that clips the shoulder straps together in the back (which I'm assuming the previous reviewer wasn't using as he had his wife use a piece of string to get the same effect). This strap keeps the shoulder straps tight and low across the back. The third set of straps is on the bottom of the shoulder straps, to adjust the size. There's also a set of straps that hold the head support for infants facing in, but those aren't necessary for fitting it to the parent.

All you do is put the carrier on, fasten the hip strap and adjust it so it's snug around your hips. The first time it'll help to have someone clip and adjust the back strap for you, then you can just leave it clipped when you take the carrier off and put it back on. Then, reach to the sides and pull the straps for the shoulders until they feel secure. The carrier should sit what feels like fairly high on the chest, but really it's not and after you wear it for a while you won't even notice it. If the carrier is properly fit to your body, the infant head support will be aligned perfectly and you can adjust that, as well, to whatever is most comfortable for your baby.

So, yeah, the carrier might take 5-10 minutes to get comfy and snug, but once it is all you have to do is unhitch the hip strap and slip your arms out to take it off. I use mine every day with my baby and he loves it! I love it, too, because I can carry him around while doing housework or running errands and have no back or shoulder strain to show for it.

Apart from the adjustability, the seat is padded and very comfortable for baby. The bottom of the seat is separate from the part that's strapped to your body, allowing the baby's bottom to swing out a little bit meaning they're not constantly moving in and out with your own body motion.

With the infant head support installed there are two pockets on the front of the carrier that are perfect for small items such as keys, credit cards, baby coupons, and you can even fit a diaper in one of them if you want to be daring and leave your diaper bag at home!

Best of all, this carrier is adjustable so that baby can be carried facing in or out, and when they get big enough, on your back! Back carriers are so handy and this is a wonderful lightweight option if you don't want to lug around a big carrier for a quick trip.

Buy this carrier with confidence, it's not hard at all to use and it works great.

This carrier is just fantastic! The lower strap that goes around your hips really helps to prevent any back/shoulder strain from using this carrier. It is designed much the same way that hiking backpacks are and is really comfortable. My baby loves riding in it, and the straps for holding her head are easily adjustable so that while she is facing inwards I can losen them while she's awake and wants to look around and tighten them when she falls asleep to keep her head from rolling around, all whithout waking her up. I like the fact that unlike the Bjorn carrier the straps have clips. It's a small thing but it's faster and more convinent for me not to struggle with threading straps. This carrier does have a lot of straps to adjust however! It's all for the sake of making the carrier customizeable for each adult but this can be confusing at first so be warned. You want to take this carrier out of the box and familiarize yourself with all the straps and adjustments you can make before you need to use it for the first time. You can easily adjust while wearing once you are familiar with the carrier, however. All and all I'd say that this carrier is simply wonderfull, and the price (half of the Bjorn carrier's price) makes it even better.

We absolutely LOVE our Snugli! The best features are the 3 positions (baby can face in, out or be on your back) and that you can get a sleeping baby out of it without waking him. I can also get my son in and out, still asleep, by myself.
I bought an old carrier at a thrift shop to see if by baby would like it. It was a total waste of a dollar. It hurt my back and I couldn't get my son out when he was asleep. All problems were resolved with the Snugli.
My husband (6'3") and I (5'9")both wear it, and it's super easy and quick to adjust.

We bought it just before we went on our then 2 month old baby's first airplane trip. We didn't have room to haul the stroller on our trip, so we put our son in the Snugli and carried him around the airport in it. He loved it, too. He was facing us back then. A few weeks later we went to Arches NP, he had really good head control and he wanted to look around, so we turned him around. Since then, we have taken him on MANY hikes. We don't have any back pain until after about 2 hours of hiking with a 15 pound baby strapped to our chest! He loves it so much he even sleeps on hikes.
Now my son is 5 months old and is just able to sit up by himself. When he gets fussy, I strap him on my back and he rides around while I get things done.

Being a first time mother, I fell into the Baby Bjorn trap and boy was that a mistake. This carrier is easier to use but most of all far more comfortable! The lower back support is essential, especially for those of you with chunky babies like mine. Aside from it being far more comfortable than my BB, it is much CHEAPER! I would recommend this to others and purchase again. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I would have to be absolutely perfect for that and I don't think any baby carrier is perfect. This does take a little time to figure out the straps and get adjusted all while your little one is squirming but I still use it frequently. Great accessory for the treadmill. Lulls the baby right to sleep.

I originally wanted a Baby Bjorn carrier as every magazine claims that it is the best. While that may be, the price put it just out of reach for the amount of use I planned to get out of it. I looked for a similar carrier, not cutsy and easy to use and found this model.
My husband and I can easily switch off using this carrier even though we need different strap settings. We can make the switch in a few seconds, loosen here, tighten there, and we are off.
While we love and use our stroller alot, we have found that there are alot of places that stollers are not convenient and having a good carrier is a lifesaver. Examples- carriage ride in Charleston-no car seat, Maid of the Mist at Niagara, walking through crowded markets and fairs.
If you don't want to give up the freedom of travel you had before becoming parents, get a good carrier. This one even becomes a backpack carrier. Young kids enjoy the improved view and you can be free from slavery to 8 tons of gear. This one also has a much higher weight limit than some others I looked at and even in the summer doesn't get as hot as I was prepared for. The childs weight is well ditributed so your back is not breaking either.
The only advantage I see in the more expensive models is added style-a little more feminine but then my husband wouldn't use it. This model adjusts the same a baby bjorn to accomodate infants floppy heads and can be unfastened to release a sleeping baby into bed.
So for a savings of at least $50 consider this model first.

We hike and snowshoe a lot, so I knew a good front carrier was going to be key. I used the Bjorn for the first 6 weeks. It was nice and secure and easy to use but my shoulders really suffered - and it killed my husband's lower back when he used it. When I saw the hip belt on the Snugli carrier I decided to give it a try (I had a coupon for $8 off so I figured what the heck - for 22 bucks, it's worth a shot). I'm so glad I did! This carrier is so much easier on my body.

It takes some time to get it all figured out the first time you use it - but don't be discouraged! Once you get all the straps adjusted to fit you, it's pretty easy to get baby in and out of.

I keep the Bjorn in the car and use it if I know it's going to be a quick shopping trip. But for anything longer than 15 minutes, it's gotta be the Snugli.

p.s. I know Bjorn has a version of their carrier with lumbar support, so maybe that's the way to go... but it's 100 something dollars!

I purchased this item after trying to figure out how to use a nojo babysling and giving up. SO, I took back the sling and purchased this carrier based on the reviews writen here.
My baby has been suffering from colic, and needs to be held constantly to calm down and stop crying. I purchased this item this morning, came home and put her in it, and as I am typing this, she is still snoring away in it. The reason I am only giving this 4 stars is because it is a little difficult for me to snap the sides in place with her in it.
I highy recommend this product, trust me, you won't regret it!

When I registered for baby items, it didn't know if I would use something like this. I always thought it looked strange when people walked around with thier little ones strapped to themselves. Once my son was born, I realised how great a carrier could be, and I was thankful that someone bought this off my registry.
I tried so hard to like this product. The problem is, you have to try very hard to make it work for you. If you can borrow someone's Baby Bjorn, do so. Once you can compare the two brands you will see why the extra money is worth it.
The snugli was very cumbersome. The straps just do not make sense. Again, I liked this product fine, until I borrowed a Baby Bjorn for two days.
My husband, being a new Daddy, wanted to use it too. Well, that meant I had to keep adjusting the staps, which TAKES A LONG TIME. Plus, you can not put the baby in easily. You would have to lay him/ her down, or have someone help you. I think this defeats the whole purpose of using a device to keep your hands free.
Plus, my son kept sweating; the fabric isn't very breathable. I found he slumped down into the snugli all the time. Once we switched, we didn't have these problems.
It's a great idea, but you get what you pay for. I recommend registering for this item, then return it to Babies R Us for a Baby Bjorn. I'm soooooo gald I did. I still use our B B, and my son is nearly 8 months old. I would have stopped using the Snugli a long time ago. It takes 15 second to put on and strap the baby into the Baby Bjorn (I timed it for a friend). It took much longer to use the snugli; that's a big difference when you're in a store and your baby begins to wail...

I have three children, 11, 5 and 4 months. I have tried many carriers and slings over the course of my childrens' baby-hoods and hated, hated, hated every one of them! When we went to Panama City Beach this year and had to take our youngest, my husband suggessted a carrier. I held out for as long as I could. NO! I didn't want that agony again. And Kelty, as great as they are, is too expensive for what we needed the carrier for. Well, we found this carrier in BRU and my hubby bought it. I liked the fact that it has 3 options for carrying your baby: facing front, facing out and on your back. WELL! We took this thing to PCB and used it baby facing out and walked the beach. WOW! And when the baby got tired, I turned her around facing inward and she slept comfortably. She is not yet old enough to carry on our back, but I highly doubt we will have an issue. Overall, EXCELLENT buy for the money, (which was not a lot at all), and this is coming form someone who was totally against another carrier. Snugli is starting to give Kelty a run for the money. Way to go!

We registered for the Bjorn because I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't experience back pain while carrying my son. If fact we bought the $120 dollar one with lumbar support. I tried it when my son was just a couple weeks old and continued using it until he was 3 months and had lots of trouble getting it to fit right. It DID hurt my back. It either distributed too much weight on my shoulders or on my back depending on how I adjusted the straps. Well, it was recalled and so I took it back and decided to try the Snugli. I really do like it better and I was able to get a excersaucer for my son with the money left over!! For me, the Bjorn just wasn't worth the money. If it had been easier on my back then I would have gladly kept it. The only down fall on the Snugli is that it is more difficult to get on and there are more straps and clips to mess with. It's easy to get use to though. Just because everyone says the Bjorn is better doesn't mean it really is.