Best baby carriers for newborns

Ergobaby Omni Classic Mesh

Ergobaby's do-it-all carrier, with four ergonomic positions (inward, outward, hip and back) and an adjustable bucket seat that works from birth with no separate infant insert to buy or lose. The mesh panel is the version to pick for summer or a warm climate. It is one of the bulkier carriers here and takes a moment to re-adjust when you hand it to another wearer, but Ergobaby designs it for a baby's first 48 months, so it is the one most likely to still be in use when your newborn is a toddler.

Ergobaby Embrace

A soft knit carrier Ergobaby designed specifically for the newborn stage. It buckles on with no wrapping or tying, which is the whole point: in the first weeks you want something you can put on one-handed. It rolls up small enough to live in a diaper bag. Only two positions, facing in and facing out, and a 25 lb ceiling mean it is a first-year carrier rather than one that lasts into toddlerhood.

BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Mini

The simplest carrier BabyBjörn makes, built for the newborn months. The front panel opens so you lay the baby in rather than lowering them into a seat, which is genuinely easier one-handed in the early weeks, and it comes in mesh, jersey and woven cotton. Worth knowing before you buy: BabyBjörn's own pages give two different upper limits for the Mini, so confirm the current figure if you are counting on it lasting past six months.

BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Harmony

BabyBjörn's most supportive carrier: a pressure-relieving waist belt and padded shoulder straps move the weight off your shoulders on longer walks, and it adds back carry to the usual newborn and facing-out positions. It covers roughly birth to three years, so it is the BabyBjörn to buy if you only want to buy one. It is heavier and warmer than the Mini, which makes the Mini still the better choice for short newborn errands.

LÍLLÉbaby Elevate 6-in-1

Six carrying positions, including a fetal position for newborns that uses an infant pillow included in the box, so this is one of the few carriers here that ships with the newborn support rather than selling it separately. A zip converts the seat from narrow to wide as the baby grows, and a three-position headrest lengthens the torso for older toddlers. The linen exterior looks smarter than most, but there is more to learn here than on a plain buckle carrier.

Nuna CUDL Clik

The premium buckle carrier in this table. Four magnetic buckles fasten one-handed, which matters a great deal when your other arm is holding a baby, and an integrated infant booster means there is no separate newborn insert to buy. Breathable mesh and padded shoulder and waist straps make it comfortable for longer stretches. It is by some distance the most expensive option here, and it starts at 8 lbs rather than 7.

Boba X

A fully adjustable buckle carrier that micro-adjusts in both seat width and panel height, so the same carrier fits a newborn and still works for a large toddler with no infant insert involved. It is cotton twill rather than mesh, which is cosier in cool weather and warmer in high summer. Good value for something meant to last from birth through toddlerhood, though the adjusters take some fiddling to set correctly the first time.

Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Carrier

The budget entry, and the one you are most likely to find on a shelf in an ordinary shop. Four convertible positions, an adjustable ergonomic seat, a supportive waist belt and padded shoulder straps cover the same core job as carriers costing three times as much. It is less refined in the details and starts at 8 lbs rather than 7, so it is a weaker choice for a small or early baby, but it is a sensible way to try a structured carrier cheaply.

Solly Baby Wrap

A single long piece of TENCEL Modal, about five and a half yards, that you tie around yourself. A wrap like this is the closest thing to holding the baby in your arms, which is why it comes up again and again for the newborn weeks and for contact naps. The fabric is light enough to wear year-round. Expect a learning curve: practise the tie a few times before you need it in a car park.

Boba Classic Wrap

A stretchy cotton-blend wrap at roughly half the price of the premium modal ones, with spandex in the weave so it does not sag out of shape over time. Boba is unusually straight about the limits: it rates the wrap to 35 pounds but says it works best up to about 20, which is honest, because stretchy wraps do get uncomfortable once a baby is heavy. A cheap way to find out whether wrapping suits you.

Moby Classic Wrap

The cheapest carrier in this table and one of the longest-running: plain cotton, one size, with front and hip carrying positions. The fabric has less give than a modal wrap, which some parents prefer because it feels more supportive and others find harder to tighten evenly. If you want to try babywearing without spending much, this is the usual starting point.

Konny Baby Carrier FLEX AirMesh

A slip-on carrier rather than a wrap you tie: the thin single-layer body pulls on and closes snugly around the baby, with no long tails to manage in a doorway. It weighs about seven ounces, so it disappears into a changing bag, and the AirMesh version is the cooler of the two fabrics. The trade-off is a close, fitted design with no structured waist belt, which suits newborn naps and quick errands more than a long day out.

Baby K'tan Original

A pre-sewn double-loop wrap that slips on like a t-shirt, so you get the closeness of a wrap with none of the tying, and no buckles, rings or snaps anywhere on it. Cotton, with five wearing positions. The catch worth knowing before you buy is that it is sized to the wearer rather than adjustable, so two parents of noticeably different sizes cannot share one carrier.

Boba Linen Ring Sling

A single-shoulder sling in a bamboo-viscose and linen blend that you tighten by drawing fabric through two rings, which makes it far and away the fastest carrier here to get on and off. It folds down to almost nothing in a bag. One-shoulder carries are less comfortable than two-shoulder ones over a long stretch, so a sling earns its place as the quick, packable option for school runs and shops rather than the all-day carrier.