First up, I probably should have got Edd to write this review given that he researched, purchased and ultimately uses the child carrier the most but rest assured I’ve picked his brains well!

I can highly recommend a more robust child carrier for once your baby is a bit bigger and when you are out and about. If you were a fan of the Baby Bjorns or similar then you will definitely appreciate the freedom these give you. We opted for the Osprey Poco Carrier in their Premium design. I was dubious to start with about how much we would use it. I mean who wants to carry a three year old on their back? I also didn’t think we needed to spend that money when we had a buggy. I was soon proved wrong. It has been invaluable and the girls adored going in the carrier. Being up high and seeing everything going on must have been so much fun. It also provided hours of entertainment hitting Daddy’s head or stealing his sunglasses. Be warned!

{Why We Chose The Osprey Poco Carrier}

Edd never really liked pushing the buggy, he still doesn’t, and was adamant we needed a baby carrier for Molly. We had never had a sling or baby carrier when she was little but as she got older we began to see the benefit of a ‘backpack’ style carrier that we could use when out and about. On that note if you are looking for a newborn baby carrier do check out our post on this from a while back where there were lots of lovely suggestions.

Edd initially began the search when we were heading off to Devon as we knew there would be lots of walking to the beach and Molly’s little legs weren’t going to make it that far. We also needed something for general days out and just walking. Over the years it has been everywhere from the beach to the Safari Park and pretty much everywhere in between.

Edd has had quite a few of the Osprey backpacks himself in the past so was a brand he knew and trusted for their quality. He also did a lot of research and this came up trumps for all the kit he was after. It also got excellent reviews for comfort and as he was going to be doing most of the wearing I let him decide.

I will add here that most reviews of this product started with ‘If you are an outdoorsy family then this is great’ or something to that effect. I will state that you don’t need to be outdoorsy to benefit from this. Yes, you aren’t going to use it sat in the lounge but you equally don’t need to be hiking mountains every weekend. Edd would always reach for the carrier if we were popping to the park or even to the shops. He much preferred it to negotiating a pram round where we were going.

We opted for the Premium carrier which had additional features and benefits that we thought would be useful.

{The Details}

The carrier is suitable for babies from 16lb (7kg) as long as they can hold their head up. It can carry up to 48lb (about 22kg) so will last you for a very long time.

There are three different carriers in the Poco range; Poco, Poco Plus and Poco Premium.

The child safety harness, seat and foot stirrups are also adjustable to fit a wide range of child sizes, shapes and weights. Child safety is at the forefront of the design and this product has the TÜV GS safety certification. The framing around the child is fully padded for comfort and protection.

It is fully adjustable for the adult with adjustable hip belt and shoulder straps to get the perfect fit.

It has mesh sides and inlays to allow for air flow and ventilation.

The rapid deploy Poco Sun-Shade, with an SPF50 rating it protects from harmful sun rays and there is also an the integrated raincover to protect your little one from heavy rainfall.

{What We Liked}

Most importantly the girl’s loved it. They thought it was so much fun and even when Alice could only say a few words she would request ‘Backpack’ all the time. They were just so excited every time they were swung up on Daddy’s back.

It is extremely comfortable, or as comfortable as carrying a small person can be, and has great support to help distribute the weight across your shoulders and hips.

The adjustable straps meant it was easy to get the fit and balance right when wearing it. It is also really quick to adjust the different elements so if I did ever feel strong enough to carry it myself it was simple to swap the carrier between Edd and I mid walk.

Likewise it was easy to get the girls in and out and adjust the straps and even the seat width to ensure they are secure. The shoulder straps are adjusted at their shoulder so there is no struggling to get at them like on other carriers we tried. It has an amazing torso length adjuster which means you can ensure they are sat at exactly the right height at all times. There are also little foot stirrups for when they get older.

It is packed full of storage with pockets and a huge space underneath for storing all manner or spare clothes, snacks and general paraphernalia. Excellent for those beach picnics and suncreams. Do be aware though that the more you add the heavier it gets! The new versions have a detachable rucksack too.

The stand was also so useful. You just flick the bar out at the base and you can rest it easily which makes getting children in and out so much easier. It then just folds back in when you are off on your way.

The handy sunshade was brilliant. It just pulls out of a tiny zip and pops up like some clever piece of engineering. Excellent for when you are out and about on hot days. The new version has a rain cover in the same style.

The carrier also folds up pretty flat which is brilliant when you want to squeeze it in the car or find a cupboard for storing it at home.

Crucially it feels very safe. The safety harness is easy to use and very substantial compared to some others we had seen. Overall it is robust and I never had any worries about the girls being loose or moving about.

{What We Didn’t Like}

When we purchased the carrier it didn’t come with an integrated rain cover. Not ideal in the Great British outdoors where rain is a constant feature. We would often end up putting up the sunshade as a cover for light showers. I’m pleased to say that this seems to have been rectified and the Osprey Poco Premium now comes with a rain cover.

I personally found it quite difficult to get on without someone there to help me. I guess this is the same for a lot of carriers. It does have two handles so that you can sort of swing it around and lift it up which got harder as they got older. Edd on the other hand had no issue and swung them round in a fluid easy movement that they laughed hilariously at!

The only other downside was the price. It isn’t cheap but I can hand on heart say it was worth it. I might have gulped a lot when Edd first bought it saying we wouldn’t use it enough but we have. Cost per use is pennies.

{Would We Buy It Again?}

Most definitely. I only wish we had bought it sooner as it would have come in really handy when Molly was younger and even more so when we first had Alice and I was trying to juggle a pram and my Baby Bjorn carrier.
 
So that’s it. Hope it was helpful for anyone considering buying a carrier. Do any of you have a child carrier and what brand did you opt for? It would be great to hear some more recommendations.