Ergobaby Embrace Newborn Baby Carrier for Infants 0-12 Months

Why it's worth it

A soft, stretchy carrier that fits a baby from birth with no separate infant insert, and adjusts for wearers from petite to 4XL. It splits the difference between a fussy wrap and a bulky structured carrier, and it costs a fraction of what the big gear does.

Newborns want to be held, and parents want to eat lunch with two hands. That's the entire problem this carrier solves. It goes on like a shirt — cross-back straps, a waistbelt, a couple of buckles — and it holds a baby from day one without the separate infant insert other carriers make you buy. Owners who started with a wrap describe this as the one they actually reach for.

For a first-time parent, ease of use beats every other feature. A carrier that takes six minutes and a video tutorial ends up in the closet. This one has a handful of quick adjustment points, so two caregivers of different sizes can swap it in under a minute. Wirecutter named it the best carrier for newborns, and the International Hip Dysplasia Institute recognizes Ergobaby carriers as hip-healthy.

From our review of 7 baby shower gifts

What we like

• +Newborns want to be held, and parents want to eat lunch with two hands
• +For a first-time parent, ease of use beats every other feature
• +It's also small enough to feel like a gift rather than a piece of furniture

What to know

• –It's built for roughly the first twelve months, and bigger babies get uncomfortable in it before they hit the weight limit
• –The soft knit is cozy in cool weather and hot in a mid-summer sense