All the Features of a Baby Bjorn at a Snugli Price

The Basics
The Snugli Comfort Vent Soft Carrier is a hands free way to carry an infant from 7-26 lbs. Newborns face in while older babies with sufficient neck control face out. This carrier is designed to be worn in front only.

The carrier comes in one pattern only – blue on blue. The adult straps are well padded to make this carrier comfortable to wear. There is a comfort vent panel designed to improve air flow and keep baby cooler. There is a small pocket for extra storage.

The Comparison
From the time I was pregnant with my first baby I had been told that a carrier was a must have and the only brand to buy was a Baby Bjorn. It seems among the parents of infants I know, the Baby Bjorn is the gold standard by which all other carriers must be graded. I’ve used three different carriers and I can tell you that you don’t need to spend $80 to get a great one. I have used both a Baby Bjorn and this Snugli for my second daughter and the Snugli Comfort Vent Soft Carrier is the hands down winner.

How the Snugli is Superior
The Snugli is a single piece carrier that is very easy to put on. The parent straps are permanently attached to the body of the infant carrier. To put the carrier on you need only pull it over your head. With the two-piece style Baby Bjorn I was forever struggling to get the straps put on the correct way. I often put them on backwards, upside down and even sideways. I often felt foolish standing in the rain in a parking lots trying to get the straps on the correct way.

The locking mechanisms on the Snugli are easy to use. Both the carrier waist strap and the baby neck support are male/female clips, typical of nearly every baby product on the market. It requires two fingers, pressing in opposite directions to open the locks. I find this type of locking mechanisms to be very safe, easy to use and impossible to accidentally open. The Baby Bjorn waist strap uses a slide clip that can easily be undone with the touch of your thumb. I always felt it was a little too easy to undo and could open up unintentionally by a baby’s movement. The Baby Bjorn neck support is held closed by a button through a buttonhole. Once again I was always felt that this was not the best way to keep the support closed. When mechanical devices are being used to hold my baby I want to know that they are locked into position and are going to stay that way. Without a doubt I the Snugli gives me that peace of mind.

Some Things Being Equal
The side locks on both carriers are nearly identical. On both the Snugli and the Baby Bjorn a long tab slides down into a slot and locks into place. Both carriers can be put on and the baby settled in by just the wearer. Machine washing and air-drying allow both carriers to stay as clean as you like.

While the Snugli weight limit is 26 lbs some Baby Bjorn models are tested for babies up to 33lbs. The higher weight limit is a nice feature, but probably unnecessary. Most adults give up the use of front carriers once their babies hit about 20 lbs, they just become to heavy to carry that way.

My daughter seemed equally comfortable and happy to be in either carrier. Both allowed me a similar hands free experience while doing chores around the house or out shopping.

What You Get for Your $60 Extra
A trendy brand name and $60 less to spend on everything else a baby needs.

My Experience
With my first child I purchased a terrible carrier that I hated used only a handful of time, and quite honestly never really needed. She was not a “hold me” and was content to watch me from the comfort of her swing or bouncy seat. However when number 2 was on the way I realized that I would have to have some sort of carrier since my girls would only be 21 months apart. It would be impossible to go grocery shopping and have my older daughter in the seat of the grocery cart, the baby in her infant seat in the basket and have any room for groceries. Fortunately a friend who was done with her carrier offered to lend me her Baby Bjorn.

It was a very nice carrier that served me well for 6 months. It allowed me to venture out of the house by myself to places where a stroller just isn’t practical. My daughter loved riding in it and I found it very comfortable to wear and it didn’t put any strain on my back, at first. At about 5 months old my daughter no longer liked facing in towards me while in the carrier. But, when I had her face out I could only wear her comfortably for about 15 minutes at a time. Her body weight was simply too far forward and put a lot of stress on my lower back. Knowing that it would only be a few more months that I would be able to use this carrier I decided to simply suffer, figuring all carriers would be the same.

Then we went on vacation to Florida. At the airport I told my husband to “take everything out of the back of the station wagon”. Apparently my husband and I have different definitions of “everything.” So, there we were on vacation at Walt Disney World without a carrier. I knew we needed one for the ease of waiting in line and riding on the tamer rides. I had no choice but to buy a carrier.

Since my daughter was already 6 months old, I knew I would only be using any carrier for at most 2 more months. Instead of spending $80 of vacation money on a carrier I decided that a $20 one would probably be good enough to use during our vacation. I could hardly believe it when I quickly realized that this carrier was even better than the Baby Bjorn we had left at home. I had no trouble wearing my daughter for hours while we walked around the park and waited in lines for rides. No longer did it feel like my daughter was dangling off of me, but she that she was comfortably and securely attached to me. My back didn’t ache at all. I was able to give up my compulsion to constantly check the latches since I knew without a doubt the locking mechanisms could not open up on its own. My daughter always seemed to enjoy the ride as well and often fell asleep in the carrier.

My husband agreed that this carrier was easier to put on. It fit us both equally well. I am 5-9 and he is almost 6-feet and we both still have quite a bit of baby weight to lose. The straps adjust quickly and easily to no matter who is wearing it. There was lots of strap left over once I had the carrier comfortably snug around my waist. When I would sit down with my daughter in the carrier it would only take a second to let out the entire strap so that she could sit on my lap. Once we were ready to walk again it was easy to readjust the tension on the straps to get her in the right position to be carried again.

I really can’t comment on the “comfort vent panel.” It is winter here in Connecticut and I am concerned about keeping my baby warm enough. As my daughter approaches 20 lbs and 29” she still fits easily into the carrier, even in her snowsuit. While in Florida we had cool days and chilly nights, so staying cool was not a concern. I would have to label the 5”X5” pocket on the front of the carrier as “useless.” Perhaps an extra pacifier would fit into it, but not much else.

I am thrilled with our Snugli Comfort Vent Soft Carrier. The Baby Bjorn is a great carrier and since I didn’t have to pay for mine it made it a great value. However now having used both I would never pay $80 for what amounts to a name when a $20 carrier fits the bill.