WILDBIRD AERIAL CARRIER REVIEW

When I was pregnant with my second, I knew I wouldn’t need to buy too many new things. I felt very well prepared equipment-wise and since our kids are 2.5 years apart, my toddler was fully out of the baby stage and, therefore, all of our baby items were totally ready to go for #2. Over the course of my pregnancy, I did make a short list of “upgrades” I wanted to make, mostly out of personal preference and not so much out of necessity.

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One of the things that I wanted to get was a new baby carrier. I baby wore a bit with my first and loved it, but didn’t need to do it as frequently since he was our only baby. Knowing I would be juggling an infant with a toddler, a great baby carrier felt like a must. Now I’m not going to lie here, this was a total “want” and I also kind of became obsessed with which one to get. It was kind of a gift to myself and I felt like there were just so many options out there, I didn’t know what to get.

In an ideal world, I would have purchased one of every kind so I could test drive them all and give you a fully thorough review of each one. Alas, I had neither the time nor the resources to do this. So I spent a lot of time researching different carriers and watching a lot of videos online. A few kept popping up on my radar, including the Wildbird Aerial Carrier, which (spoiler alert) has become the carrier I reach for on a daily basis.

Before I get into the details of the Wildbird Aerial Carrier, I have a few little notes. 1) There are MANY baby carriers out there and they all have their merits. Truly, I think there’s something for everyone and I think it ultimately comes down to personal preference for what features you need, what your baby likes, what feels good on your body, and what style you like. 2) My only word of caution would be to avoid buying “dupes”– I’ve been seeing this as hack on social media and personally, I wouldn’t want to purchase an item that involves the physical health of my child that isn’t vetted. 3) We already own Solly Baby wraps (love them!) and a Baby Bjorn (this was a workhorse for baby #1).

Because I knew this is something I would be using and wearing on an everyday basis, one of my top priorities for this splurge was that I wanted to like how it looked. Judge me if you want, haha, just being transparent here.

After hemming and hawing for a while, I ended up ordering two: The Ergobaby Embrace and The Wildbird Aerial Carrier. The Ergobaby Embrace was my absolute favorite at the beginning– it was so cozy and comfortable and perfect for the newborn scrunch stage. Unfortunately, I felt like we outgrew it pretty quickly. Of course, Rory Fits in it height/weight wise (and I still use it!), it’s just that he’s sooooooo long that it no longer gives a ton of neck support for him, which makes napping on the go a little trickier.

The Wildbird Aerial Carrier checked most of my boxes and I really, really love it. It’s beautiful, easy to put on, and super comfortable for both Rory and me.

A few quick things I love about the Wildbird Carrier:

– It comes in two sizes– small and large so it can accommodate many bodies (XS-4XL)!

– The style is so minimal and pretty. I like that it feels part of my outfit, not like a piece of equipment. Other carriers felt either too flashy with giant logos or too utilitarian.

– The colors are gorgeous and feel very on trend without, again, being too flashy. There’s something for everyone. Honestly, I want to buy a second color because I love mine so much! (PS I got Sparrow and there’s a new launch of colors coming out for spring/summer on 4/24.)

– It’s a bit of a hybrid between a soft wrap and a “hard” carrier. With my first, I was primarily using the Solly Wrap inside the house and the Baby Bjorn for outdoor adventures (aka walks). The Aerial bridges the two– it’s cozy and soft like a wrap but also can hold up for errands and walking and overall life. I’m just as happy to baby wear using the Aerial while folding laundry or following my toddler around at the playground.

As far as actual features go, I pinpointed the reasons why I keep reaching for the Wildbird Aerial Carrier the most right now:

1. I can put it on very quickly! I was originally intimidated when I opened the box, but it’s easy to figure out how to put this carrier on. I know other ones have big learning curves, but I found the Aerial to be super intuitive. It became second nature extremely quickly. (I watched one video and felt confident from the get go.) Right now, with a toddler, this is hugely important to me as I want to be able to get it on and get the baby comfortably into it ASAP.

2. It’s so, so comfortable to wear. I couldn’t believe how great it felt on. It fits a bit like a hiking backpack with a thick waistband and extra cushioned straps, but of course, without looking like a hiking backpack. The weight of the baby is so beautifully distributed. I know this will only become more necessary as baby grows! But right now, I can tell you that I could wear this for hours and not have a problem. I have been able to walk with it and comfortably sit in it too (on planes, in meetings, etc.).

3. It’s comfortable for baby too. Naturally, it doesn’t matter how pretty or cute or functional a baby carrier is for you if the baby doesn’t like it. Rory almost immediately falls asleep when I get him into the carrier. He relaxes straightaway and it’s the coziest thing to witness.

4. THE FLAP is probably my personal favorite part. I’m sure other carriers have some sort of this feature too, but to me this is what makes the Wildbird worth it. The neck flap is fantastic. It seamlessly flips up and down to provide more support or more privacy for baby. I find myself using the flap up and down equally– probably exactly 50% of the time it’s up and 50% of the time it’s down. I love having the option and it’s built in. It keeps people from getting too close to your baby’s face, too (why do people do that?!). If you choose to nurse while wearing the baby, it also provides a nice privacy shield for that. And when baby dozes off, I like to flip it up just to provide a bit of darkness, more neck support, and also just more privacy.

I ran into three little issues while using it at first, but they are easy fixes in my opinion. Thought I’d share what worked for me in case you’re trying yours on for the first time and need some solutions. My quick troubleshooting:

1. Inside the carrier, there are different snap positions to provide different hip support depending on the age/size of your baby. This is critical to adjust so your baby is in the right position. (There’s a card in the box that tells you which snap position you should use depending on the age/size.) I found getting the snaps to click to be super difficult. I did prefer that though because I know the snaps are super secure– it feels safe to me like they’re not going to pop open mid-carry.

2. Getting the right hip positioning was tricky at first and I knew it wasn’t right. The very first time I tried the carrier, I knew the baby wasn’t seated properly. You want the M shape for their hips and I could tell he wasn’t “sinking” into the seat fully. This was just a try on at home for fun and I didn’t want to get frustrated, so I took him out and decided to try again later.* The second time, I realized his tush was being blocked by the waistband and all I had to do was make sure the waistband was against my body and then he could sink down into the seat properly. I’ve seen a lot of people on social media using their Aerial carriers and the babies aren’t fully sitting into the seat of the carrier, so I think it’s an easy mistake to make… but again, super easy to fix, too!

* If you take away one thing from this post, let it be this: always do a low-pressure try on before you need to use any carrier for real. It can be stressful figuring out a baby carrier for the first time and it is not fun when the pressure is on and extra not fun to have a screaming baby. Take your time and figure it out when you don’t really need the carrier and when your baby is fed, rested, and happy to take even more pressure off. It also helps to do it in front of a mirror for the first time so you can see exactly what you’re doing.

3. I also experienced the shoulder straps digging into my neck. It wasn’t every time, but it was happening from time to time. I figured out that sometimes I didn’t have the straps criss-crossing in the right position on my back. Luckily, another perk of the Wildbird Aerial Carrier is that you can make adjustments to the straps and waistband while you’re still wearing the baby. If I feel the straps rubbing on my neck, I know I just need to take 15 second to readjust the straps.