Seraphine CARIPOD review

With so many on the market to choose from, finding the best baby carrier to help your little one feel safe, sung and able to wonder at the world around them can be a tricky task.

Seraphine’s brand new CARIPOD is an ergo-dynamic two-piece carrier that is simple to use, safe for baby, and designed to work with your wardrobe. Seraphine’s products are effortless and stylish and Mother&Baby’s Hannah Mellin couldn’t wait to put baby wearing to the test with her five-month-old baby.

The CARIPOD is suitable for full-term newborn to the toddler stage 7lbs - 33 lbs / 3.2kg - 15kg and no newborn insert is required. Unlike some baby carriers such as baby slings and wraps, it comes in two parts: the harness and the pod and it easily adapts to your body shape and adjusts for a wide range of sizes and heights.

Testing the Seraphione CARIPOD

I have a nosy little baby, so I couldn’t wait to try out what the Seraphine CARIPOD has to offer, especially as he was the perfect age to try out both the inward and outward facing options. Experts recommend you use the outward facing feature from six months, or when they can support their head weight. I also had some traumatic experiences with other baby carriers, especially the horrendous back pain I had after using other brands and options. Seraphine always keeps fashion front of mind, and I loved that the CARIPOD came in four different styles: black, navy, geo print and animal print.

Delivered in a neat and tidy box, the CARIPOD comes in two parts and the brand recommends you set up the harness first. The CARIPOD comes with a handy booklet of instructions and even QR codes to help you get set up. The videos that come alongside the QR guide are very thorough and clear, but I personally would have loved it if the expert spoke or there were subtitles that guide you along as I found myself having to pause and watch the same section again and again until I got the hang of it.

Robust and padded, the harness fits around you just like a jacket or waistcoat and the pre-settable straps take your height into account when setting it up – a really nice feature when it comes to setting it up for your partner too. It feels comfy and supportive and the thick straps really to help to cushion the blow when it comes to the strain that your little one can put on your back.

Setting up the CARIPOD did take me and my partner a little while to get used to as it operates on a toggle system depending on whether you're wearing it inward or outward facing and what weight your baby is. However, once you get a hang out the different settings, it really is a breeze. The fabric feels good-quality and is nice and thick for them to sit on, which is great for the winter months but could add another layer to your baby in hotter weather, something to be mindful of when dressing your baby in the summer.

The CARIPOD's two-piece system made my dog walks and trips outside in lovely weather so simple and made me want to get out and about with my little one even more than usual - a real positive in those early days of motherhood where one bad experience can become traumatic very easily. As well as being comfy and forgiving on my back, when you're out and about on a walk and your little one starts getting a bit grizzly (very normal at any age), being able to remove the entire front or just a side if they need a feed is so handy - especially when you're parenting solo. I loved the fact you can fold it up small to fit in your car or underneath the pram too.

Even though I tested the carrier when my baby was five months the ergonomically designed harness is designed to spread his weight, so I have no qualms about using it when he's bigger.

Final verdict

A baby carrier can be an investment and I have personally struggled to find one that is comfy enough for me and my back and is also an environment that is safe and snuggly for my baby. With so many on the market, it takes a lot to stand out, but I really think Seraphine's CARIPOD does. Despite being a little tricky to get your head around at first, Seraphine's CARIPOD unique 2-in-1 design and trendy feel does make it different from the rest. Despite coming in at the mid-range price wise, it is certainly an investment my back will thank me for in years to come.

Hannah Mellin is mum to a five month old little boy. She's up for trying anything and everything to make first-time mums feel less anxious and prepared for motherhood. Hannah is also renovating a Victorian terraced house with her plant-loving partner, her sausage dog Waffle, her three cats and a tortoise called Bobby - so there's never a dull day.