Tried & Tested: Osprey Poco Soft Child Carrier LT

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The latest new product to go under the Mother&Baby microscope is Osprey's new Poco Soft Child Carrier LT.

Osprey has been a pack specialist for more than 50 decades designing carry solutions for active lifestyle.  This design expertise has been channelled into creating the new Poco Soft Child Carrier LT offering essential comfort and safety for both parent and child.

The new Poco Soft Child Carrier LT meets bluesign product requirements with materials and components adhering to rigorous environmental criteria during production.

This baby carrier will give you the freedom to enjoy adventures with your baby, which will grow with your little one from newborn to infant and beyond. There are three carry positions allowing flexibility and optimum comfort as your child grows and develops.

The carrier features lightweight fabrics, an extra-wide padded hip belt, ventilated foam shoulder harnesses, and a breathable, stretch mesh child seat.

Key features of the Osprey Poco Soft Child Carrier LT

Osprey's Poco Soft Child Carrier LT is covered by Osprey's All Mighty Guarantee. Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge during the first seven years from the date of manufacture. If unable to repair, they will happily replace it.

Read on to find out what our parent testers thought...

How comfortable is the carrier for both you and your child?

KP: "Ten out of ten! It’s super comfy, the Velcro strap doesn’t dig in at all and the arm straps feel thick and comfy. I went on a long walk and not once did the straps hurt my shoulders or hips."

JL: "I’d give it a 9 out of 10 for comfort! It is brilliant for front use, It is much comfier than ones I have previously tried!"

CC: "My daughter seems very happy in the carrier and our walks together have been full of giggles, smiles, happy kicking legs and she has babbled away. It’s very comfortable to wear, the padding provided a lot of support to my shoulders, back and hips, I had zero discomfort or pain even after miles of walking with a 7.5kg baby jiggling away attached to the front of me."

EW: "The back support on this carrier is absolutely fantastic and it's really comfortable when wearing the baby; he was as comfortable as any other carrier often falling straight to sleep."

KC: "The carrier was lightweight and didn’t feel bulky but I did find the hip belt difficult to adjust the first time we tried. I have found it easier to step into this instead of undoing the straps. I love that there aren’t loads of straps to clip and attach. My little boy seemed really comfortable in the carrier and was enjoying looking around."

Does the carrier provide adequate support and adjustability?

LW: "The carrier feels very supportive and there are plenty of places to adjust in terms of the fit for the adult wearing it, however there is not as much adjustability for the size of the child. However the head support for smaller babies is great. The waistband is particularly good for adjustability and made it really easy to swap between different wearers."

AN: "The carrier does provide adequate support for both myself and baby. You are able to adjust the carrier to each individual that would be wearing it to ensure the support is correct and the baby is secure. The adjustable features are great and ensure the carrier is safe and the baby is always supported."

CC: "Yes the Velcro band is very easy to adjust. I was initially not very confident on the support as the straps felt so different from my other carrier, but once I had been wearing it for a short while with my daughter and understood that the back clip meant my daughter would not tumble out I was a lot more confident with the carrier."

KC: "The hip belt felt really supportive and so comfortable to wear. I found it difficult to adjust the straps on my own to make them tighter on my shoulders but since the first wear I haven’t had to adjust these. I could easily change him from facing out to in very quickly."

EW: "The support is unmatched with the other carriers I've used, it's really easy to adjust as I just fit round the waist and tighten and then pull on the straps."

TN: "It felt supportive and there are a lot of adjustment options. The seat particularly felt like it was very supportive for my baby’s positioning."

How easy is it to put on, adjust, and take off?

LW: "No problems at all with adjusting and taking off. The Velcro fastening of the waistband is great and means you can adjust it from both sides at once to get it really comfy. It’s also pretty easy to unclip at the back and slip off."

AN: "The carrier is easy to put on yourself and put baby in. However adjusting it is very difficult to do yourself and requires an additional person to help adjust the carrier to ensure it is secure and safe."

CC: "I haven’t found it very easy to put on independently without the help of my wife. The carrier is very easy to adjust independently without assistance by pulling the straps and tightening the Velcro band, but there is no way you can adjust the back strap without assistance. Also the front pocket is a great addition to the carrier but my daughter’s legs were slightly in the way to make it completely accessible."

KC: "I found it easy in terms of it not having loads of different parts and buckles. I stepped into the hip belt and the first time I used it had someone help with the clip at the back, but the second time I felt more confident using the product I was able to do this myself and have been since. It’s so quick to take off and put on now, I find it quicker to use than a pram for a dog walk."

EW: "Far easier than a wrap to put on, although I can't do everything with one hand like I can some of the backpack carriers. It is really easy to adjust just pulling on the straps and can easily be done alone once set up correctly. I have to step in and out of it which isn't difficult but means I can't do it with one hand."

Did you find the buckles, straps, and overall setup intuitive?

LW: "Yes. The buckles, straps and Velcro waistband are all simple and intuitive to use. The only part I had to look at the instructions for was to make sure I had the seat part set up correctly as this depends on which carrying position you want to use."

KP: "I loved the idea of the Velcro for the hip strap, it was easy to use and super comfy. I’ve never seen that on a carrier before and really enjoyed that."

EW: "The whole set up is very intuitive, easy to work out how to set up and adjust while wearing. However because of the buckles and sunshade being buttons rather than poppers I had to have someone help me cover him with the sunshade."

KC: "At first I was questioning myself whether I had put it on correctly as it felt so quick and easy to use - that’s what makes it a great carrier. You can start wearing it so easily as it’s really quick to pop on and go for a walk. The instruction manual was handy to have to check I had done everything correctly for the three different positions."

Did the carrier feel secure when in use?

LW: "It felt secure everywhere and the baby wasn’t sliding or moving around inside it while I walked."

JL: "Very secure! The belt feels really good and the clips are really robust, so I didn’t worry about using it at all."

TN: "The carrier did feel incredibly secure when in use. I didn't feel like the hip belt was going to come loose and I tested out the safety strap and it worked so that was reassuring. The buckles all felt incredible strong and the carrier materials itself did not feel cheap so all felt lovely and secure."

EW: "This is the most secure backpack carrier I have tried because it's firm; it stops my baby from slipping down so he feels incredibly secure when I bend over or run after my toddler. The thick back strap makes you feel so secure."

KC: "I felt very comfortable wearing the carrier and my little boy seemed really content when position facing out and in. The hip belt and straps felt really secure and gave me peace of mind that he was safe."

Did you notice any concerns about balance, weight distribution, or child positioning?

CC: "No concerns at all, my daughter was positioned into the perfect M shape with her legs, and even if I had put her in the carrier at a slight angle she was easily manoeuvred so her legs and hips were in the correct position. My previous carrier caused me quite a lot of back and shoulder pain as my daughter has grown but I have had zero discomfort wearing this carrier. You can feel your child’s weight being more evenly spread out, I’m not sure if it’s the Velcro band that causes this but we have done many miles out walking and I’ve had zero back or shoulder pain."

TN: "It took a lot of adjusting but once adjusted balance and weight distribution was fine. I struggled to get my baby into the ergonomic M positioning with the wide hip belt and padding but did successfully manage with a lot of adjustment.  The belt itself felt quite weighty compared to the carrier but no concerns with this."

KC: "No concerns, the design/shape of the carrier makes it really easy to make sure my little boys legs are in the correct position which is such a big tick for why I love this carrier. My little one is on the 98th percentile for his age and I found his weight was distributed when wearing the carrier and I could go on long walks and not struggle. I have previously struggled with carriers because they are bulky but not with this one."

How do you find the material in terms of breathability and durability?

LW: "I really like the feel of the fabric, it’s very comfortable and soft so doesn’t feel like it would rub anywhere, yet still feels durable as you would expect for an outdoor performance brand. The waistband is particularly comfortable and padded."

TN: "It felt like a very breathable material although I did still get very warm (I always get extra warm when baby carrying) so not sure how it would stack up in hot summer months. No fabric irritation, the fabric felt lovely and not cheap."

KP: "We first used the carrier on a warm but windy day, baby was dressed in just a vest. Her little legs were kept warm which I was really impressed with and the rest of her was also warm, but not too hot, which I also really liked. She wasn’t sweaty and I think the breathable material contributed to this."

EW: "I felt the fabric was really durable and would last really well, and we saw no irritation whilst using despite using for a long time, however, I did find it the warmest carrier that I have used and therefore I possibly wouldn't want to use it so much in the height of summer."

KC: "We both suffer with eczema and the fabric did not irritate us at all which is very important. It felt lightweight, smooth and breathable. My little boy is teething and it was great to be able to wash the carrier so easily."

How easy is it to pack, carry, clean and store when not in use? Does it meet your expectations for a lightweight, soft carrier?

LW: "Cleaning instructions were simple, although I didn't need to clean it while testing it. I really liked the removeable teething pads on the straps - although not required yet these would have been a real godsend with our older child when she was teething, which our previous carrier did not have and ended up very soggy! It's a bit of a shame it can't go in the tumble drier, as the with the waistband being so thick I feel this may take a while to dry and end up smelling damp if you've not got a warm summer's day to dry it. Other than that, it seems ideal as a lightweight soft carrier."

CC: "Osprey has used lightweight materials and the technology encourages it to be lightweight but there is a lot of material and a chunky Velcro band so I’m not entirely sure I could describe it as a lightweight carrier. I haven’t folded it back away into the box as I don’t need to, it hangs up nicely on my coat hooks."

JL: "Good to clean with the removable covers for teething - it doesn’t really have a carrier so it means I needed to use a bag to carry it, but it was lightweight. It had really useful pockets for me to store stuff in when walking."

TN: "The carrier folds really lovely and small once you get the knack for it, just be mindful to not screw up the hip belt as this could affect the fit. It does meet my expectations and I look forward to continuing to use this as my baby grows."

KC: "It’s easy to take out and about as it’s very lightweight and not bulky. It washed and dried really well. It does meet my expectations and I would recommend the carrier to parents instead of my previous carrier I had with my first child as this one is so easy to use."

If you could make any changes to the carrier, what would you change?

LW: "The only things I would change would be to add some adjustability to the seat to make it a bit more suitable for really little babies. And perhaps to make the storage pockets on the waistband a bit more accessible somehow, as it's quite difficult to get anything in and out of them when it's on and the baby's legs are in the way."

CC: "I would change the pocket placement, my daughter’s legs were in the way really, I also didn’t trust the pocket without a zip on it so my wallet and phone remained in my own pocket whereas if it did have a zip I would have popped it in there."

TN: "I would look at the sun shade, it's a fantastic concept but maybe needs to be slightly better executed as you can't check on newborn easily at all when it's out and it also makes it very warm underneath the canopy. The warning labels underneath the hip belt are on a lot of material that always seems to stick out so I'll probably end up cutting this out.  The manual doesn't reference the TICKS guidance for baby wearing so this could be a nice inclusion."

KP: "I would change the back strap and make it more accessible. Also, while my partner was fine wearing the carrier, I am a size 14/16 and felt that if I had been any bigger in size, the Velcro would not have had much more room so an extender would be good for anyone bigger."

KC: "The only part I would change about the carrier is making the straps a little longer for adjusting at the back when making it tighter. It would be brilliant if the carrier came with a drawstring storage bag to put the carrier in when it’s not in use, this was it would keep it safe and easy to transport out with us."

For more information visit the Osprey website.