K'Tan Baby Carrier

Carrier: K’Tan Baby Carrier
Weight: 8 to 35 pounds
Cost: ~$50
Website: www.babyktan.com
Amazon Product Page (Affiliate Link)

Bottom Line: My new favorite newborn to 3 month carrier, replacing the Moby Baby Carrier. Super convenient, cozy, and easy to put on.

Pros: With my first newborn, I didn’t really use a carrier. With my second child, I used the Moby during the newborn stage and my life was changed. It was revolutionary. My second baby was much fussier than the first, but overall, I had an easier time during the newborn stage even though I now had a toddler as well. With my third baby, we purchased the K’Tan in the appropriate size for me and while it wasn’t another revolutionary advancement as going from no carrier to carrier, I loved it and basically never used my Moby. It was just as good as the Moby at keeping my newborn content and cozy. For the first couple months I had no trouble at all nursing in it. Once my son was big enough that he wanted his legs out, it was no problem to switch to using it that way. However, unlike the Moby, it was so easy to get on and off that I didn’t have to live in it. I could take it off and give the baby to my husband or someone else, then slip it back on really quickly if he got fussy and needed to come back to me. If we went to the store, I could just bring it with me and quickly put it on before pulling him out of the car seat. Basically, when it fits perfectly, it’s as wonderful as the Moby and so much more convenient. I even occasionally put my 2 year old in it (mostly just for the novelty of it) and she fits just fine. (Note: I’m about 5 feet 2 and a half inches, about 110 pounds pre-pregnancy, as much as 130 pounds post pregnancy and the extra small was perfect for me.)

Cons: It is absolutely critical for me that I be able to nurse in a carrier during the first year of life. If I can’t nurse in a carrier, it really isn’t that useful to me. I was able to nurse my son comfortably from birth to about 2 months in the K’Tan. However, by about 3 months, he was so big, even with his legs out, that it was a struggle to nurse him. I still did, but it was not very comfortable, and unlike the Moby, the K’Tan cannot be adjusted at all. I absolutely love using soft structured carriers like the Boba 4G or Ergo as soon as the babies legs can froggy wide enough for their legs to hang out of those carriers (after about 4 months), but I had an awkward period of 3 or 4 weeks, where he felt too big to nurse in the K’Tan, but too small to spread his legs wide enough for the Boba. (I’m not a huge fan of the infant inserts.) During this short intermediate period, the Bjorn and Beco Gemini were extremely helpful, since his legs could hang down and he could still nurse comfortably. However, I realize that having the luxury of 3 awesome carriers to cover the newborn, transition, and big kid stages is not possible for most people. The other “problem” with the K’Tan is that it is sized, so only people with very similar body shapes can wear the same carrier is you. We have so many carriers that this wasn’t a problem for my family, but if you want your husband or a different caretaker to wear the baby as well, this needs to be taken into consideration. If flexibility is important to you, then I might recommend having a Moby over a K’Tan. However, overall, for us, I think the awkward nursing period was completely worth the convenience of the K’Tan versus the Moby. They are both great carriers.

Click here to read more reviews of the Best Baby Carriers.