My Recommendation: As I mentioned in my personal babywearing story, I own and have used several baby carriers, but in my opinion, if money were no object and I wanted to get the fewest carriers possible, the best option for me would be to get the K’Tan for the newborn stage and the Boba 4G for babies over 4 to 6 months. I highly recommend owning both. With these two carriers, I can get by in nearly any situation.
If You Really Only Want One Carrier: If, for whatever reason, you really only want to own one carrier for the duration of your parenting experience, then I would say get a Beco Gemini which is slightly less convenient than owning the two carriers mentioned above, but is extremely versatile. (Updated to add: I recently bought a LILLEbaby All Seasons carrier (affiliate link) as a gift for my brother and sister-in-law. I have not used it personally, but after researching what was currently available (mid-2016), it looks pretty great. I still think I would prefer a wrap for the newborn stage, but if you really just wanted one carrier, I think LILLEbaby might be the way to go.)
If You’re on a Tight Budget: If $100 seems like way too much to spend, you can get by with just a Moby Wrap since it can comfortably hold kids up to 35 pounds and is very adaptable. The only limitation would be that it’s not extremely comfortable for holding bigger kids for long periods of time, but maybe that’s not in your parenting plan anyway.
If You’re on an Even Tighter Budget: Make your own Moby-like stretchy wrap. It’s just 6 yards by 2 feet of stretchy fabric like cotton jersey. Yes, there is definitely a learning curve to being able to tie a wrap, but, trust me, it’s worth it. You’ll feel much more like a regular human being and much less like an incapacitated zombie having a carrier of any form in your parenting tool kit.
Carrier Reviews
Below is a list of (nearly) all the carriers I own. Click on each title for a detailed review of each.
| Carrier Name | Cost | My Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Boba 4G Baby Carrier | ~$125 | 9 |
 | ERGObaby Original Baby Carrier | ~$115 | 9 |
 | K'Tan Baby Carrier | ~$50 | 9 |
 | Moby Wrap Baby Carrier | ~$40-$50 | 9 |
 | Beco Gemini Baby Carrier | ~$130 | 8 |
 | Maya Wrap Baby Sling | ~$80 | 7 |
 | Woven Wrap Baby Carrier | ~$70 | 7 |
 | Mei Tai Baby Carrier | ~$25-$70 | 6 |
| BabyBjorn Baby Carrier Active | ~$100 | 5 |
Read more about lessons learned Babywearing.
Michelle has a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor's Degree from the California Institute of Technology. 
I agree with you on your highest and lowest rankings! I never was able to get a ring sling to work for me in a way that felt comfortable. I also learned that different kids love different carriers! Baby #1 LOVED our wrap, while Baby #2 was all about the ERGO. Baby #3 only liked our Mei Tai carrier. I lost my ERGO when baby #4 was nearly two and bought a Beco butterfly carrier that works better than the ERGO for older kids, I feel, because of the higher back.
Wow, I totally missed this comment. I’m still learning how WordPress works. I agree with you. My third baby is not loving the Moby as much as my last child, but he loves the woven wrap and ring sling (though the ring sling still hurts my back after awhile, so it’s still not my favorite). I need to update this page soon, because I just got a Boba 4G and I absolutely love it. It’s much like the Ergo, but better and I can use it with my 12 lb 3 month old. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi! Lovely and useful article. Even though it’s a few years old. Couple of questions. Are all Babybjorns actually ergonomic ones? And do you know if this is a reliable brand: http://www.loveandcarry.co.uk ?
Kind regards,
Andrea
I’m sorry, Andrea. Living in the U.S., I’m not familiar with that brand. As far as the Baby Bjorn goes, I think the one we have was considered to be the most ergonomic since it has lumbar support, but overall, I think Bjorns are less ergonomic than soft structured carriers. I’ve read that it’s better for babies to have their legs up and bent rather than having their legs dangling down. I definitely prefer the soft structured carriers like the Ergo and Boba to the Bjorn, but maybe that’s just me. :)
Such a clever idea. wrap carrier really makes travel time easy and comfortable for mom and dad. Mom can easily handle the baby. I am searching best baby wrap carrier for my newborn baby. Thanks for choosing best one for my little one.
Thank you for stopping by! Congratulations on your precious newborn!
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for sharing your personal opinions on the best baby carriers.
I prefer “Beco Gemini Baby Carrier” because it is very comfortable and adjustable. It looks very attractive.
I really appreciate hearing your reviews on different products out there.
You are so welcome. The Beco Gemini remained my husband’s go-to carrier for a long time!