Last week I started a little mini-series with tips and tricks on how to get a better fit for your soft structured carrier (buckle carrier). You can find the first post here.
In the first part I focused on giving you some tips and tricks on how to get a more comfortable fit for yourself. This second part will be all about making your soft structured carrier more comfortable for your baby.
This little series started with a great question from one of my Facebook group members. If you have not joined my Facebook group yet, please head on over right away! This group is a safe space for everyone, no matter how much babywearing experience you may have! And we have lots of experienced parents in the group. It is a great place to ask questions about carriers or how to get a better fit for your current carrier.
On to some more great tips and tricks now!
Tip 1: Cinch the seat
There are lots of carriers now that feature an adjustable seat for baby. If you own a carrier like this (for example Boba X, Tula Free to Grow, Soul AnoonA) then you only need to make sure that you adjust the width of the seat as baby grows to always fit perfectly from knee to knee.
However, there are also great carriers out there who do not have an adjustable seat (for example Manduca, Boba 4G, Nature Sway, Tula Standard, Moby Go). After your baby has outgrown the infant insert (around 8 weeks) there usually comes a time, when it is hard to get a good fit, because the seat of the carrier is still too wide. With a little trick though the seat of those kinds of carriers can also be adjusted to the perfect width for your baby!
Clip your carrier around your waist and let the back panel hang down. 
Thread a soft ribbon (eg shoelace) through the loops (if using a Manduca) or place close to the waistband. 
Make the seat smaller so it fits your child from knee to knee. Tie a knot on the outside of the carrier. 
Place your child in the carrier and check the fit.
Tip 2: Make a seat for a newborn
There are not many soft structured carriers that do not have an adjustable seat or an infant insert. But perhaps you do have one of those carriers or you do not have the additional infant insert (for example Nature Sway, Tula Standard, Ergobaby, Moby Go).
There is an easy trick though to make a little cushion or seat yourself: Simply fold a small towel to the right width for your baby (knee to knee), then roll up the towel to form a cushion. See the photos below for positioning the cushion.
Roll up a small towel and place it close to the waistband. 
Sit your child on the towel, then lift back panel up. 
Tighten all straps and check if your child is in a nice froggy leg position without any pressure on their feet.
Tip 3: Use hood for head support
Soft structured carriers often do not have much head support for your baby. Especially if your baby falls asleep you may feel like you need to hold your baby’s head with your hand. But that sort of defeats the purpose of using a carrier to have both your hands free.
Nearly all carriers feature hoods and those are perfect to use as head support for a sleeping baby. If you are worried about keeping a clear airway, then only put up the side of the hood that goes over the back of your baby’s head. The head will still be nicely supported, but your baby’s face will not be covered by the hood.
Any other tips that you can think of?
Please let me know in the comments if you know of any other little tips and tricks that have helped you make your soft structured carrier more comfortable for your baby.
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