Soft Structured and Buckle Carriers

Soft structured carriers are similar to bei dai carriers in that they have a body panel, a waist strap, and two shoulder straps.  However, soft structured carriers have a wide, firmly padded or foam waist band and shoulder straps that are heavily padded and it uses webbing and buckles to tighten and secure the straps, instead of tying knots.  Most soft structured carriers are used to position the baby on the wearer’s front or back.  While most soft structured carriers can be used with newborns, they really shine when used with bigger babies and toddlers, especially in a back carry.  Soft structured carriers are designed to transfer a lot of the baby’s weight to the wearer’s hips, which makes them a wonderful choice for long walks and light hiking.

Buckle carriers are similar to soft structured carriers in that they use buckles and webbing to secure and adjust the waist and shoulder straps.  Where they differ is in the amount of padding.  While soft structured carriers have a wide, firmly padded or foam waist/hip band, buckle carriers are generally not padded or only minimally padded in the waist.  This allows the wearer to place the waist strap anywhere along their torso it's comfortable and allows for a less bulky feel around the waist.