Baby Strollers & Baby Carriers

A “stroller” (North American English) or “push chair” (British English, also sometimes “buggy”) has the child (generally up to three years old) in a sitting position, usually facing forwards, instead of facing the pusher.

A “child carrier” or “baby carrier” is a device used to carry an infant or small child on the body of an adult. Such on-the-body carriers are designed in various forms such as baby slings, backpack carriers, and soft front or hip carriers, with varying materials and degrees of rigidity, decoration, support and confinement of the child. Slings, soft front carriers, and “carrycots” are typically used for infants who lack the ability to sit or to hold their head up. Frame backpack carriers (a modification of the frame backpack), hip carriers, slings, mei tais and a variety of other soft carriers are used for older children.

Although the carrying of children on the body using devices is a relatively recent phenomenon in the West, the practice has been established in many cultures for centuries. Images of children being carried in slings can be seen in Egyptian artwork dating back to the time of the Pharaohs, and have been used in many indigenous cultures. Devices for carrying children, not on the body, take the form of “carrycots”, although many cultures have produced portable cradles, cradleboards, baskets, travois and other devices for making young infants easier to pick up and set down quickly. The modern car seat infant carrier is a relative latecomer.

On-the-body baby carrying in the west started being known in the 60’s with the advent of the structured soft pack in the mid 1960’s. Around the same time, the frame backpack quickly became a popular way to carry older babies and toddlers. In the early 70’s, in Germany, the wrap was reintroduced. In 1986, the ring sling was invented and popularized. In the early 1990s, the modern pouch carrier was created in Hawaii. While the Chinese mei tai has been around in one form or another for centuries, it did not become popular in the west until it was modernized with padding and other adjustments. It first became popular and well known in mid-2003.

There are many types of Strollers and Baby Carriers avaiable in the market today that will fit its purposes and needs. In this section, we gathered all the information you need to know to choose the right product for you and your child.




Strollers and Pushchairs

A “stroller” (North American English) or “push chair” (British English, also sometimes “buggy”) has the child (generally up to three years old) in a sitting position, usually facing forwards, instead of facing the pusher.
Nowadays, there are many types os strollers, single or standard strollers, for only one baby, jogging strollers for those who likes [...]

Other Types of Slings and Baby Carriers

Traditionally, baby slings and carriers were simply adaptations of whatever a culture normally used to carry anything heavy. Baskets, calabashes, animal skins, wooden carrying structures, all have been adapted to carry infants and children. Inuit mothers continue to use the packing parka or amauti to carry children up to two years old. In the west, [...]

Mei Tai and other Asian-style Baby Carriers

Traditionally, the Chinese mei tai was a square or nearly square piece of cloth with parallel unpadded straps emerging from the sides of each corner. It was traditionally secured by bringing all the straps together in a twist with the ends tucked. The mei tai did not become well-known in the United States until 2003, [...]

Cloth Slings

Pieces of cloth can be turned into slings by wrapping the fabric around the carer and the baby and either tying it with knots or using a twist and tuck method to secure the ends.
Rebozos (Mexico), mantas (Peru), kangas (Africa) and selendangs (Indonesia) are all rectangular pieces of cloth but are tied or wrapped [...]

Wraps

Wraps (sometimes called “wraparounds” or “wraparound slings”) are lengths of fabric (usually between 2 metres and 6 metres, or 2.5-7 yards long, and 15-30 inches wide), which are wrapped around both the baby and the wearer and then tied. There are many different carrying positions possible with a wrap, depending on the length of the [...]

Pouch Slings

Sometimes called “tube”, “pocket” or “ringless” slings, these are generally formed by a wide piece of fabric sewn into a tubular shape. Simple, or fitted pouches do not have rings or other hardware. Adjustable pouches may adjust with a wide variety of methods, including zippers, snaps, buckles, clips, rings (these are usually considered hybrids), drawstrings [...]

Ring Slings

Ring slings, these are baby carriers that use dynamic tension, a length of cloth and metal (such as aluminum) or nylon rings. The ends of the cloth threaded through two rings. (In commercial versions, for convinence the cloth is often sewn at one end to the rings). The cloth wraps around the wearer’s body from [...]

Cradle board

A cradle board is a Native American baby carrier used to keep babies secure and comfortable and at the same time allowing the mothers freedom to work and travel. The cradleboards were attached to the mother’s back straps from the shoulder or the head. For travel, cradleboards could be hung on a saddle or travois. [...]

Carriages and Prams

A “baby carriage” (in North American English), “perambulator” or “pram” (in British English) or “carrycot” is generally used for newborn babies and have the infant lying down facing the pusher.
Prams have been widely used in the UK since the Victorian era. As they developed through the years suspension was added, making the ride smoother for [...]