Baby & Child Carrier

I recently purchased a Manduca carrier to use with my 3 month old. I decided on a carrier after I found my back and shoulder aching after carrying him in a sling for extended periods of time.

I am very glad I chose the Manduca! It is easy to put on and adjust and to get baby into. He loves being close to me and after about 5 minutes he falls asleep! 

The shoulder straps are nice and padded. I have worn this carrier for several hours without getting a sore back or shoulders. 

I love that there is a sunshade that can be unfolded and pulled over baby's head. This is great when we have been outside walking down the beach or at markets. Keeps him well protected from the sun.

The Manduca comes with a built in newborn insert (which I did not have to use as I got this once my son was a bit bigger) but I thought this was great as other carriers you have to pay extra for this.

I highly recommend the Manduca, it has many features the Ergo does not or that you have to pay extra for with the Ergo such as the large waist belt and infant insert. The carrier itself is very comfortable (I'm short and have no problems with it) One tip is to cross the straps over for a front carry, makes it much more comfortable and you feel more secure. I like that it has the extension zip for bigger babies/toddlers. My son loves to be in the back carry when we go for walks and I don't get any sort of soreness even after an hour or so of walking. The only annoyance is the three point buckle, which is there for safety but can take a bit to get used to opening. I'm fine with it now but the first few times both me and my husband used it, we nearly went nuts trying to open it! 

I really recommend the Manduca carrier, it has a few more features over the ergo, it has the built in newborn harness so no need to purchase a newborn insert seperately, it also has a much larger waist strap so those that are a bit bigger don't need to purchase the additonal extension strap like the ergo. It also has a zipper which extends the carrier to accomodate older children. My 3.5 year old goes easily on my back and my 7 week old absolutely loves being close. I'm also able to breastfeed while wearing it and walking around all at the same time! Brilliant carrier and will get plenty of use out of it.

I love my Manduca baby carrier it's a life saver I can wear for hours on end without any back pain. Wear it at beach or shopping centre when bubs is upset I usually use stroller at shops but also bring along baby carrier my 4 yr old ends up in stroller. Used it recently for my 4 and half month old bub at airport had to fly to Syd to show bubs off to reletives down there and I was able to carry him and hold my 4 yr olds hand as well I felt like I was wearing him and not just holding him. I had my hands free. I've even  caught the overnight train back home while pushing my 4 yr old in stroller although gave my stomach muscles a really good workout I'm still in pain after 3 days from it (housework on top of it as well) lol..  I got it when bubs was 3 months old when I was looking around I kept on going to the Ergo Carrier all time but didn't like the fact that had to buy the baby insert seperately it would of cost too much and didn't allow for my budget not only that to be used only for a month or so wasn't worth it. Seen that the Manduca was cheaper and similar design in the Ergo and has a built in newborn insert and where the weight of baby is distributed evenly around the hips like a back pack and really easy to use I just went for it. I'm glade I brought one....

I tested a Manduca today with my newborn and was very dissappointed!

Despite being very difficult to place a newborn in the harness if you are standing up (like in a car park about to go shopping), there is simply not enough head support in my opinion for a young baby. I felt like I had to hold baby's head when I bent down and it certainly didn't offer any lateral support. It may be better for older kids but i didn't feel confident about this feature in particular.

My baby also fussed a lot when I had to spread his legs so widely to get into the newborn harness.  I ended up leaving the store with a very sad, upset baby!

I reckon the Manduca is great. I like to hold Amos close and this carrier lets me do that while still being able to do other things. We like to go hiking and with manduca, I don't mind walking all afternoon, and he goes to sleep most of the time. The carrier puts the weight on my hips, just like my hiking pack. We've slung it in the wash a few times already and it comes up just fine. The key is to get the straps set up properly, and you'll be fine after that.

Ted

I love the fact that its soft, yet really supportive, feels like the support you get from a well constructed backpack with the weight carried in all the right places.   Organic too, but don't have to pay a premium for it - love that! My bubs just loves the closeness, I'm a convert to this over any stroller or other carrier I've tried.

I have been looking at getting a baby carrier for a while now and was going to go with a different brand BUT when I came accross the Manduca on the Fertile Mind website I was interested. It is cheaper and much better for both bub and I.

Comfortable for me to wear, no uneven pressure and bub was so comfortable, it was like giving a cuddle.