Hip carriers. Are they worth the fuss?
Over the last year there has been a big rise in the presence of hip carriers online. With cheap options that are heavily discounted popping up across social media and Amazon. Often accompanied by pressure marketing tactics such as ‘must end today’, sales and claims to be ‘the most comfortable carrier’, it’s worth asking the question - are they worth the influencer fuss?
Senerah, Bamboraco and many other brands that use these tactics give no safety testing details and widely show unsafe carrying methods. 🚩 🚩
Combine this with customer reports that it is difficult to return items and that some just don’t seem to show up… I would say those £20/£30 deals are perhaps not worth the risk.
So are there options that are worth the fuss?
Short answer… yes!
But let’s get into the details…
Do you want to be truly hands free?
For a carrier to allow you to remove your hands you are looking for it to do two things:
Stop the drop. Aka, make sure your baby doesn’t fall down.
Stop the flop. Aka, make sure your baby doesn’t fall out the top.
This means your carrier needs to have something with adjustability so that you can ensure the panel reaches up to just under their armpits at a minimum to stop the flop. And a way to tighten the carrier securely to stop the drop.
Unfortunately many hip carriers don’t offer a large enough panel size for their intended audience. So remember - if it doesn’t come up to just under their armpits you must use a hand/arm to support them too. We call this a carry assist and it can be great for spreading the weight so one arm isn’t taking all the strain.
But is your little one ready to be in a carry assist?
Carry assists are only suitable for babies who can sit independently. To be safely supported they need to be able to hold themselves in an upright position as the carrier is not providing support as high up their back as a hands free option. Typically this milestone is around 6 months old.
A good test for if your little one is ready for a hip carry is if you are alreay walking around the house holding them on your hip one handed. If you are then using a carry assist will help provide extra support for them and save your arm from quite as much strain.
Happy with a carry assist?
Here are a few options that offer good support, are safety tested and shouldn’t dig into your neck if set up correctly. Each of these have been tested with my daughter at age 2, but are suitable from around 6 months old.
All of them are available in my sling library to try at an appointment, at an event or to hire. If you're not in Dorset, or just can't get to me, you can organise a postal hire to give them a go.
Carry assist | Price (October 2026) | Things we love about them | Things to keep in mind |
 | £90 10% Sling library discount available. |
| The webbing on both front and back makes it very easy to adjust between users. |
 | £86 (Often on sale) 10% sling library discount available on top of sale price. |
| The back sizing may need to be adjusted between users. This needs to be done when you are not wearing it and can be fiddly to get small. |
Coshen Icon Affiliate link - 20% discount | £77 |
| The stretchy 3D knit will move more with a heavier toddler. |
There are other options out there, including the DidyHip , which I'm yet to give a try!
A note
I have purposefully excluded the Ergo Upsie from this list as its shoulder is a similar design to the cheap untested styles and is likely to creep onto your neck which can cause tension and extra strain on the tendons. Its panel is also very small, which gives much lesson support for your baby than the above options.
Thinking that perhaps you’d rather stick to a hands free option?
Why not try a hip carry with your buckle carrier? Or give a ring sling, Lifft pouch or Mini Monkey mini sling a try.
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