Kavka Baby Carrier – review

I’ve just received the Kavka Multi-Age Soft Structured Baby Carrier to try out and am really excited about it so thought I’d put my findings in a blog post. I’m hoping to be able to add it to the brands sold online by South East Slings (and in my retail shop, Bambino Baby) so keep an eye out for updates.

The first thing I noticed about the carrier is how super-soft it is. The fabric is gorgeous – not at all ‘crispy’ like a lot of carriers are when brand new. It feels like a nicely broken in woven wrap – gorgeously soft and snuggly.

The width of the carrier is adjustable, using a velcro on the waistband slider (similar to the Boba X carrier). It’s got handy weight suggestions to help users decide what’s likely to be the right width for their little one (tip: you want the carrier to fit from one knee-pit to the other, so the lower leg can swing freely. For a newborn, knees will be approximately at baby’s hip-width apart. As they get bigger their legs will start to wrap around the wearer).

On the smallest setting the waistband did seem a little bulky (where all the fabric is scrunched up) but actually, because it’s very soft, it didn’t feel uncomfortable around my middle.

The panel height can be really easily adjusted which is great. For a newborn it means you can either wear the waistband high (perfect if you’ve had a c-section or if your abdomen is tender) or wear it down on your hips. It also makes it really easy to adjust for an older child who wants arms in/arms out at different stages.

One of the biggest advantages with this carrier is the two different options for clipping the shoulder straps. For newborns, there are clips that come off the waistband. This means there are no straps anywhere across the side of the wearer – great news if you’re breastfeeding and feeling a bit tender, as there’s no pressure on your boobs. It felt really secure and supportive in this position, enabling an ergonomic ‘J’ shape for baby’s spine and supporting them comfortably.

As baby gets older the shoulder straps clip to the body of the carrier and, again, this felt comfortable and supported baby in an ergonomic position. The clips are a little bit lower down than they are on some carriers, so if your child has very chunky thighs they may be a little close. However, the fabric that backs the clip is soft, so I think it’s unlikely it would cause an issue.

The shoulder straps can be worn crossed or straight. I tend to find most people prefer them crossed but it’s really hand to have the option of both. This also means the carrier can be used for a hip carry. It can also be used on the back (but not for facing outwards).

The waistband is supportive yet flexible so is likely to mould to most body shapes and sizes. It’s equally comfortable worn on the hips or higher up. I did find the webbing tightening backwards – rather than forwards) a little annoying but it just means you need to swivel the clip round to the front to tighten it, then swivel it back.

The shoulder straps have dual-direction tightening, meaning you can tighten them by pulling forwards in both the front and back carry positions. This is so useful as it’s a much easier movement.

The padding on the shoulder straps in quite long, but it can be shortened – using the perfect fit adjusters – ensuring a snug fit if the straps are worn straight and for a back carry. The webbing is easy to tighten and not stiff. On the back it felt comfy and supportive. The chest clip is easy to slide up and down so the straps are held comfortably.

In conclusion I think this is a really lovely carrier that’s suitable from birth until toddlerhood. The dolls used in the photos are the size of a small newborn and an older baby of around 9-12 month size. The larger one still has plenty of room to grow.