Baby carriers ideal for small newborns

After spending quite a bit of time searching I came across a few baby carriers/slings that are suitable for smaller babies. So I would like to share these information with other mums who might be in the same situation.

My baby boy was born preterm at 36 weeks because he stopped growing inside the womb so he needed to come out early. His birth weight was only 2.3 kg (5.07 lbs) which was quite low for 36 weeks gestation.

He was growing at a normal pace after he was born and he is still quite small for his age. It took me a good few weeks to recover from c-section and I was struggling taking care of my newborn during that time.

Anyway, I started to accept that he was very clingy and needed to be carried almost all the time. He would cry the minute I put him down for me to have a break or have free hands to do other things.

After a while (when he about 7 weeks old), I decided to get a baby carrier or sling to make my life easier. I went to a shop and tried out some well known brands (e.g. Baby Bjorn, Ergobaby etc.). To my surprise, I could not find carrier that is suitable for smaller newborns like mine.

Most of the products available in the market have a recommended weight for baby of at least 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs). My son weighed around 2.6 kg at the time, so a bit too small to fit in these carriers. Moreover, his body was also not long enough to get his arms through the arm holes.

Here is the list of baby carriers that allow for smaller babies weighting less than 3 kg (6.6 lbs).

1. Caboo Lite

Caboo Lite baby sling can be used from birth from a minimum weight of 2.25 kg (or around 5 lbs).

This baby carrier is made with light, soft and stretchy fabric that gives baby a cozy and soothing feel while being wrapped inside. It also quite easy to wear with a harness-style back straps.

With ring slings, you can easily adjust to fit your body and baby nicely by pulling fabric through rings to tighten.

This is actually the carrier that I decided to go for and I am quite happy with it so far. It is comfortable on my shoulders and also feels very secure when walk around.

My baby happily fall asleep in this wrap not long after I put him inside. I guess it makes him feels comfortable and secure just like being cuddled because the material does kind of wrap around the baby against my chest.

I have to say though that, at first, I did not find it easy to put on. However, it is pretty straightforward once you know how to do it. The best step-by-step instruction are on YouTube videos. Here is one that I learnt from.

One down side of Caboo Lite sling is that although the material used is quite thin and breathable it can feel a bit too warm to wear and walk around in warm weather. So you will need to make sure that baby is not overdressed before using this wrap. But I guess that may be true for many other baby carriers on the market.

In general, I would recommend Caboo Lite if your newborn is too small to fit on other ones. Both myself and my baby like it! See what other mums say about this carrier.

2. CuddleBug Baby Wrap Carrier

CuddleBug Baby wrap is suitable for small baby weight as little as 905 g to 15.9 kg.

It basically a long stretch of thin and breathable fabric (5 metres long x 0.5 metre wide). No ring slings to help for easy wear, but it is easy enough to put it on with the baby by yourself.

There is also step-by-step instruction YouTube video to show you how to tie the wrap, if you found written instruction is not easy to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXdJ00-ZfZU

This baby wrap carrier has received a lot of positive reviews on amazon, so you might also want to check it out.

3. BabyChamp Baby Sling Wrap

Suitable for newborns, babies and toddlers. Can be used from birth with a recommended minimum weight of  3 kg to 12kg.

This long stretch of soft and elastic fabric with 5 metre long and 50 cm wide. Also ideal for big wearers, recommended to suit women up to size XL (18) and men up to size L (44).

The product comes with a well written instructions explaining how to use the sling.

Also highly rated by customers on Amazon product reviews.