Most of the baby carrier available on the market are standard or toddler size, suitable for children up to 2-3 years old. But what if you need a bigger carrier ? For some families the desire or need to carry extends beyond the standard or even toddler size carrier. What then? If you need or want to continue you babywearing journey and you are searching for a carrier for larger child you are in the right place ! In this article we will help you to discover and compare the best child carriers for your 4 year-old, 5-year-old, 6-year old and up !
Child carriers : Preschool and Big Kid Carriers
There are many different size of carrier : newborn carrier and baby carrier (suitable from birth), standard carrier (form 4 -24 months), toddler carrier (from 18 to 36 month). Growing demand for even bigger carriers made some baby carrier manufacturers introduce bigger and bigger carriers for even older children.
The child carriers : preschool and big kid carriers goes even up to 6 and 7 years old. While most families won’t need to carry for this long, some families simply like it and continue to wear their larger children. In a crowded market or on a long hike when your children need to have a break, a carrier can be very handy. Some parents need to carry their larger children because of their medical condition.
Best child carrier for special needs families
A child carrier can be a saviour to a family of a child with additional needs. Thanks to a child carrier they can do things the could not do before. If you have a child with disability and you consider buying a child carrier we encourage you to go ahead! Ditch the wheelchair, leave the leg braces behind and discover new places with your child, explore and show him/her the world beyond immediate reach. Health conditions do not have to stop you, with an ergonomic child carrier you can carry your child up to 30 kg safely and comfortably on your back. Soft structure carriers for larger children are still lightweight, compact and easy-to-carry around. Each of the three below described child carriers can be used with children with disabilities if only your doctor gave you a green light to use a SSC.
Which child carrier should I buy?
This is a question many parents frequently ask us. This is why we decided to write this article for you. Below you can see a comparison of three child carrier that stands out: Rose and Rebellion Big Kid, Buzzidil Preschooler, LennyLamb LennyPrechool. Let’s take a closer look at each of those three carriers one by one and see what are their advantages over the other two.
Top 3 carrier for older child
- Rose and Rebellion Big Kid
- Buzzidil Preschooler
- LennyLamb LennyPrechool
Rose and Rebellion Big Kid Carrier
About Rose and Rebellion
The Rose and rebellion was born in 2008 when David and Louise (today parent of three) – at that time parents of little baby girl Daisy could not find a carrier that would work for them. They decided to create what was to become the first Rose and Rebellion Baby Carrier. At first it was only meant for their own personal use and to give them what was missing in the market at that time: comfort, style and ease of use.
Photo credit: Rose and Rebellion
About Big Kid
The Big Kid was introduced by Rose and Rebellion approximately 5 years ago and it was as a result from customer feedback. Many customers contacted the English brand asking for a bigger carrier. Some had carried their children from birth and loved the experience so much they wanted a carrier that would allow them to continue to do so for as long as possible. Others contacted Rose and Rebellion because they had children with specific additional needs, whether it be sensory based such as autism or more physical based disabilities that meant their child either could walk or would tire easily. Either way, it has been a delight to Rose and Rebellion founder David Light to see the difference that the Big Kids have made to so many families all over the world. Over the years, Rose and Rebellion had taken on a couple of very specific requests to produce carriers even bigger than Big Kids for older children with more sever disabilities so you you need an even bigger carrier do not hesitate to contact them directly.
The Big Kid by Rose & Rebellion is an XXXL carrier designed for children from 4 to 6 years old and more. The Big Kid panel have impressive dimensions. The panel is one of the highest on the market it is 56 cm high.
Photos: Rose and Rebellion Big Kid Souls with and without the removable hood.
Dimensions of Rose & Rebellion Big Kid:
- panel height: 56 cm / 22″
- seat width: 54 cm / 21″
- adjustable shoulder straps: 40 – 120 cm / 15.7 – 47.2″
- adjustable waistband: 75 – 173 cm / 29.5 – 68.1″
Rose & Rebellion Big Kid features:
- suitable for children from 4 to 6 years old children
- maximum support weight : 30 kg
- 3 carrying positions: front, hip and back
- full buckle (waist belt and shoulder strap to clip)
- padded waistband and shoulder straps
- adjustable and crossable shoulder straps
- ergonomic s-shaped arms straps
- wide chest strap of 5 cm
- padded leg openings
- seat darts
- removable snap-on hood for sun & wind protection
- easy to put on and easy to use
- made of canvas, certified Oeko-Tex, cotton (85%), polyester (15%)
- original rock ‘n’ roll patterns that are not easy to find anywhere else
- reversible (print/black)
- compact and very easy to fold
- British design
- handmade in UK (Wales)
- machine washable
Photo credit: Association Portage & Handicap (two on the left) and Naturiou (two on the right).
Big Kid’s advantages over LennyPrechool and Buzzidil
- Made of certified Oeko tex 100 fabrics
All fabrics used are certified Oeko tex 100 so you can be certain that it has been tested for toxic substances and that the article therefore is harmless for you and you little one. - Compact and easy to fold
The carrier is very compact and easy to fold. It fit easily into the bag included.The bag’s dimension are: approximately 25 cm x 49 cm. - Reversible carrier
The Rose and Rebellion carriers are well know for very original, rock and roll prints. But if for some reason you don’t want to send out from the crowd with the flashy prints, you can simply turn your carrier inside out for a classic look.
Why the label says : “Only use this carrier with children between 3.5 kg and 20 kg”
One of the frequently ask question we have form our client regards the weight limit on the label (20 kg) and the maximum weight recommended (30 kg).
Below we have for you an answer directly from David Leigh, the founder of Rose & Rebellion:
“The maximum weight for the Pre-School, In-between and Big Kid carrier is a bit of a grey area. At present there is no British or European Standard for Pre-School / In-Betweener / Big Kid size Carriers that exists that we can then use as a bench mark for testing. The only BSEN that is available is for Baby Carriers as a whole.
As such we use the same proven methods when sewing our Pre-School In-between and Big Kid Carriers as we do for the standard baby Carriers.
As we comply with the British standard for soft structured carriers the highest weight we can officially recommend is 20 kg as this is all the standard will allow us to say.
However we have been making and selling the Pre-School and In-between carriers for many years now and we know many customers that are happily using them with aged 6,7 even 8 year olds so we have proven in the real world that they are a very strong carrier however I can only officially say they are suitable up to 20 kg. We have also unofficially tested them up to 9stone but as this has been done unofficially we cannot adversities this. ”
The most important is to implement this following good practice recommended by David:
“Always check over the carrier, every time you use it to ensure it’s maximum safety. Think of it like checking the tyres pressure on the car before taking it out for a long trip. We stand by every single carrier we make here as being as rugged and strong as possible and built to last, but should anyone ever have any queries or just want to check something over quickly with us then I am always very happy to help and advise.”
David is very kind and always available to help so do not hesitate to contact him if you have any further question.
From our part we can add this testimony of one of our clients (translated form French):
“We are very happy with the Rose and Rebellion Big Kid and Arthur out son as well! Arthur is Hemiparesic right dui to a stroke in utero. He walks but tires very quickly. Thanks to the Big Kid carrier we could go hiking this summer! As soon as Arthur got tired, we pooped out the Big Kid carrier so he can have a small rest on the back of his mom or dad. The carrier is really easy to use. FYI: Arthur is 9 years old, measures 128 cm and weight 23 kg. From now on the Big Kid never leaves us.”
Buzzidil Preschooler
About Buzzidil
Buzzidil revolutionised the world of adjustable ergonomic carriers. The Buzzidle carriers are equipped with several stop-cords making it extremely easy to adapt the fit as your baby develops. No other baby carrier adapts so effectively to the shape and size of your child. It is available in 4 sizes: Babysize, Standard, XL and Preschooler.
About Preschooler
Preschooler is a XXL carrier of the Austrian brand Buzzidil. It was introduced to public in 2017 however Buzzidil already did make bigger kid carriers on demand for children with special needs from the very beginning. Bettina, the Buzzdil founder planned a hiking holiday with her fourth son who was also quite big. She was afraid that her three-years-old son’s tiny feet may get tired too fast. She needed a hiking carrier for him but as she found the normal hiking carriers not comfortable enough she decided to make an even bigger Buzzidil. Today Buzzidil Preschooler is one of the biggest SSC available on the market. The seat can be up to 58 cm wide! It is designed for children form 2 to 5 years old. The panel is steplessly adjustable in height and width (up to 58 cm!) to offer a perfect fit for a 2-year old toddler and to a 5 your old child.
Dimensions of Buzzidil Preschooler
- adjustable panel height: 37 – 47 cm / 14.6 – 18.5″
- adjustable seat width: 43 – 58 cm / 16.9 – 22.8″
- adjustable shoulder straps: 45 – 102 cm / 17.7 – 40.2″
- adjustable waistband: 60 – 135 cm / 23.6 – 53.1″
Features of Preschooler by Buzzidil
- for children form 2 to 5 years old
- front and back carry, hip seat is possible with accessory
- steplessly adjustable panel
- crossable, curved shoulder straps with 3-point security buckles
- generously padded waistband and shoulder straps
- wide waist band
- large hood
- two handy pockets
- lightweight
- made of 100% breathable cotton
- designed in Austria
- hand made in Europe (sewn in Vienna, the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Buzzidil Preschool’s Advantages over Big Kid and LennyPrechool
- Steplessly adjustable panel
The biggest advantage over Big Kid is the fact that the Buzzidil Preschool is adjustable offering a perfect fit adapting to your fast growing child. - Made of 100% cotton fabric
The fabric is woven in two Austrian weaving mills – according to strict Austrian quality standards. Buzzidil also source fabrics from a Turkey which is the nearest cotton producing country. The fabric form Turkey are GOTS certified which means cotton comes from organic farming. - Two useful pockets
Your Buzzidil Preschooler carrier is equipped with two pockets. It has a waist belt pouch, and a small pocket for you mobile phone at the back. - 3-point-security buckles of shoulder straps
To prevent manipulations of the buckles on the shoulder straps and accidental opening by your child, the Buzzidil Prechool is quipped with 3-point-security buckles.
Why the label says : “Only use this carrier with children between 3.5 kg and 18 kg”
We often receive phone calls and emails from confused customers asking to return the carrier as they have a heavier child. Why the label on all Buzzidil carriers (form baby size to preschooler) indicates max. weight of 18 kgt? We’ve asked Bettina for explanations. This is what she replied:
“This is simply a matter of labels we had printed already. The new labels indicate a maximum weight of 25 kg. Although we do have a minimum weight of 3.5 kg you should never use a Preschooler with a newborn baby. With regard to the weight indications please be aware that these are testing results but no size informations”.
LennyLamb LennyPrechool
About LennyLamb
This polish brand LennyLamb is well know for it’s beautiful and affordable slings, carriers and babywearing accessories. LennyLamb has it own weaving studio so the Lenny carriers are made form A to Z internally.
LennyPrechool
Launched this year (June, 2020) LennyPrechool is the biggest LennyLamb carrier. Extremely adjustable, it is suitable for children from 1 to 6 years old.
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Dimensions of LennyPrechool
- adjustable panel height: 38 – 51 cm / 15 – 20
- adjustable seat width: 25 – 58 cm / 9.8 – 22.8
Features of LennyPrechool:
- front & back carry positions
- for children form 1 to 6 years old
- max. child weight 30 kg / 66 lb
- very generousness padded waistband and shoulder straps
- seat darts
- padded leg openings
- pads under clasps
- waistband with lumbar support
- waistband pocket
- removable hood
- 100% cotton (wrap convertion)
- designed and hand made form A to Z in EU (Poland)
LennyPrechool advantages:
- Extremely adjustable carrier
Even more adjustable then Buzzidil Preschool to our knowledge it is the most adjustable carrier (with the biggest adjustability range). - Wrap conversion
Made of 100 % cotton, LennyPrechool is made of the same fabric than LennyLamb baby wraps. - Competitive price
LennLamb is well know for an excellent value for money ratio.
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LennPreschool was tested and approved by Frédérique, our babywearing consultant (on the photos above with her two-and-a-half-year-old son).
Top 3 child carriers of 2020 : comparison chart
We hope that this article help you to chose the best child carrier for your family. If you have any further question do not hesitate to ask! Our babywearing consultants are at your disposal.
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