Angelpack Max Toddler Carrier {Baby Carrier Reviews}

The Angelpack Max Toddler Carrier is made by Chi-Chi Mio Designs. Here is a little about them from their website:

The name “AngelPack” was chosen in honor of our first child and the fact that as parents, our babies are little Angels and Angels need packs to keep them near us while we accomplish our daily activities. The name “Chi Chi Mio” is an endearment meaning “my baby” in our native Dominican Republic.

My Name is Nelly Diaz and I created the first AngelPack baby carrier out of inspiration from the oriental style Mei Tai baby carrier.

The AngelPack baby carriers are made in Dominican Republic, where I was born, raised and where I met my husband. Our sewing house utilizes renewable energy and provides employment to our neighbors.

Angelpack Max back carry

Angelpack Max Carrier:

Stats from the Angelpack website:

The Carrier is:
WAIST 27″ x 5.5″
Adjustable from Aprox. 21″ to aprox. 57″.
SHOULDERS: 22″ x 4″
Adjustable from 16″ to 35″
BODY
19″ X 19″
Body hight is adjustable to aprox. 15″ tall.
HOOD
Removable. Aproximately 13″ tall.
POCKET
Comes with an waist pocket and front panel pocket.

my measurements:

  • Height: 19.25inches (but with some hidden adjustment inside the hood pocket, it can be adjusted as small as about 15.5 inches)
  • Width: 18 inches (measured at the top of the seat dart. The official “official” measurement of 19″ listed on the manufacturer’s website is taken at the widest part of the carrier)
  • Waist Belt: 26 inches of padding 17.25 inches of webbing on each side. From one end of the webbing to the other (the full length of the waist belt) I measure 50 inches (manufacturer website says 57 inches)
  • Shoulder Straps: 23 inches of padding 16.5 inches of webbing on shoulder strap 9 inches of padding on the lower adjustment. The padding actually starts 3 inches from where the strap leaves the body of the carrier.  There are adjusters here to help control how the carrier sits against your body.

Angelpack Max front carry

 My Angelpack Max Experience:

I was contacted by Lorene of Frogmama.com to see if I would like to review the carrier. Of course I said yes, because my new babywearing goal is to find a carrier tall enough to fit my big toddler leaner! I was very excited when the Max arrived. I loved the dot print. Fun and gender neutral. I thought the crescent shaped pouch for the seat instead of the traditional darts was interesting and I couldn’t wait to use it. The first time I wore it was for an hour at my daughter’s riding lesson. The Angelpack Max was really comfortable, but I had not done the top strap adjustment, so I felt like I could get the whole thing tighter next time by doing that adjustment as well. I really like how adjustable the shoulder straps are. There are 3 points of adjustment. 2 at the shoulder strap buckle and 1 up at the top of the shoulder strap that brings the carrier a little closer to your body. The waist belt seemed a little shorter than some other carriers, and this was demonstrated when another mama I know tried the carrier it couldn’t quite buckle the waist strap. My measurements for the waist strap were off by several inches from the official measurements, however. There is some overlap of the webbing and padded part of the waist belt, so it’s possible to get it cinched down a bit smaller than the padding of the belt (thus why my measurements above don’t add up right!).

I liked the headrest and it even has a little bit of padding. There is also padding where your toddlers legs come out of the carrier. There is a hood, but I did not use it. A mama in my babywearing group tried the hood for front carries and said that she felt the clips used to attached the hood to the straps of the carrier were a little difficult to get open and clipped to the cloth loops on the shoulder straps. The waist belt conforms nicely to the wearer’s body because it has 5 sections of padding.  In a front carry the straps can be criss crossed, which is good because there would really be no way to adjust the chest clip if it was in the wrong spot. The chest clip is not like other carriers where it slides up and down on the shoulder straps. The chest clip attaches to some piping along the middle of the shoulder strap by little gripper clips. It is sometimes difficult to get the clips to grab the fabric right while you are wearing the carrier (for back carries). It’s easiest to attach them when the carrier is not on your body.  There are several pockets on the carrier. There is a fairly good sized flat pocket on the waist belt. Your phone and keys and a small wallet would fit in there, possibly a small disposable diaper. There is also a pocket that the hood stores in that is the whole width and length of the carrier body. You couldn’t carry anything bulky in there as it would be pressed against your child, but some diapers maybe or a hat, however anything in the pocket would be difficult to get out when the carrier was in use. In the pocket is also where you can adjust the height of the carrier. There are 2 hook and loop strips inside that allows you to shorten the carrier body by a few inches to accommodate smaller toddlers. I think this is a great feature as some toddlers that need a little extra height are too short for standard toddler carriers. There are elastic loops to allow you to roll up the extra webbing and keep it in place. This elastic is a little narrower than on some other carriers and doesn’t always keep the webbing rolled up.

Anglepack Max

Overall:

I really like this carrier. The Angelpack Max has a lot of nice features, like the very adjustable shoulder straps, the ability to shorten the body height and the crescent shaped seat. There were some things that were awkward too, the chest clip was hard to attach at times, the hood strap fasteners are a little difficult also and the waist belt seems shorter than average so may not fit larger wearers. This was a carrier that definitely needs some user trial and error to get that “perfect fit”.  I had to do a bit of adjusting with the fit at the top of the shoulders, but once I got it in the right spot for me, the carrier was really comfortable. Also, even with how tall and wide this toddler carrier is, my toddler still looks big in it. He is 28 months, 34 inches and about 33 lbs. It fits him well, but I personally would have preferred an inch or so more in height to give him a little “room to grow”.  He likes to lean and I like to keep that as contained as possible.

Where to Buy:

You can buy the Max Carrier straight from the Angelpack website or from Frogmama.com If you choose to buy from Frogmama, all profits go toward their adoption fund.

Disclaimer: I received an Angelpack Max from Frogmama.com for the purpose of this review. My local babywearing group chose to buy this carrier from Frogmama for the lending library. No other compensation was received. All opinions and experiences are my own unless otherwise stated. All pictures are taken by me and are property of The Babywearing Blog.

Ergobaby Carrier Covers {Baby Carrier Review}

The Ergobaby Carrier Cover system helps keep your little one warm and dry during the cold. wet months. The two carrier covers are sold separately, but they snap together to work similarly to a 3-in-1 coat. There is a rain cover and a fleece cover. They snap together to create a dry and warm bundle for your little bundle.  [Read more...]

ErgoBaby: Original vs Sport vs Performance Carriers {Baby Carrier Review}

Here it is, the Ergobaby Comparison post you have been waiting for!  Now that I have reviewed all 3 of the main styles of carriers I am going to compare them against each other.  Remember, all Ergobaby Carriers are safe carriers when worn correctly. Your child’s size and your comfort will help you to determine which carrier is best suited for your own purposes.  [Read more...]

Ergobaby Performance Baby Carrier {Baby Carrier Review}

The Ergobaby Performance is the third in my series of reviews on Ergo carriers. I chose the True Blue color to review.

Ergobaby Carrier Performance:

From the Ergo website:

For the active parent looking to take their baby along for the fun, the Ergobaby Performance Carrier features moisture-wicking mesh for ultimate breathability so both baby and parent stay cooler. Durable synthetic exterior makes for easy washing and quick drying. Tapered shoulder straps and padded waist strap ensure parents stay comfortable even on longer treks, either on the trail or at the mall.

Ergo Performance Back Carry side view

Features of the Ergobaby Performance Carrier from the website:

  • Balanced weight distribution: Evenly-managed baby weight between parent’s shoulders and hips for ultimate comfort
  • Ergonomic: Proper facing-in spread-squat seating position supports baby’s hip, pelvis, and spinal development
  • Carry positions: 3 positions – Front, Back, and Hip carry
  • Carrier fit: Adults from 5’ to 6’5” body height (depending on body type, height range may differ).
  • Usage Range: Carries babies from infancy (7 lbs. / 3.2 kg to 12 lbs. / 5.5 kg with Infant Insert) or up to 4-5 months to maximum 45lbs / 20kgs
  • Carrier body: Durable, high-performance Ripstop water-repellant polyester outer layer, ideal for outdoor activities.
  • Carrier lining: 100% cotton in a moisture wicking knit; mesh lining for extra wicking (Blue and Charcoal) for increased breathability and moisture wicking; Cotton lining (Green and Gray).
  • Carrier weight: 1.21 lbs / 550 grams. 1/3 lighter than Ergobaby Original Carrier. More breathable and lightweight.
  • Sleeping Hood: Integrated, Ripstop water-repellant fabric with elastic edging and snap-to-strap attach. Supports baby’s head while sleeping and protects from sun and wind. Adjusts in length with 5 snap levels for growth of baby.
  • Shoulder straps: Padded with 1” high-density premium foam, expanding from 27” – 49”
  • Waist strap belt: Padded with 1/4” high-density EVA foam, expanding from 29” – 55”
  • Chest strap: Sliding adjustment
  • Fill: 100% cotton batting in body of carrier to soften edges
  • Small zippered pouch, fully hides Sleeping Hood when stuffed
  • Large zippered storage pocket holds your wallet, keys and other essentials

Ergo Performance Back Carry back view

My Measurements of the Carrier:

  • Width: 14.5 inches (measured at the top of the seat darts about 3 inches above the waist belt)
  • Height: 15.5 inches (from top of the waist band)
  • Shoulder Strap: 19 inches to the buckle plus 5 more inches under the buckle to the end of the strap for 24 inches of padded strap.There is about 19.5 inches of webbing for a total of 43.5 inches for the shoulder straps. (my measurements are slightly off from the official measurements)
  • Waist belt: 5 3/4 at the widest point. Padding is 29 1/4 inches. There is about 28.5 inches of webbing for a total waist belt length of almost 58 inches.

Ergo Performance Front Carry front view

My Ergo Performance Experience:

I chose the bright blue Performance Ergo Carrier. I really liked the bright color of this carrier! I wore this carrier with my toddler who is 32 lbs and almost 36 inches tall. The first time I tried out this baby carrier it was in the fall before it got really cold.  I felt like the material on inside made my shoulders a little sweaty, which seemed like the opposite of what was supposed to happen due to the material it was made with. When I started using the carrier nearly full time it was winter and cold out. I wore it over a coat and didn’t get a very comfortable fit. I felt like it was digging into my shoulder along the edge of the shoulder strap.  Later tries I did not have the same problem, even wearing over a coat. At times I felt the carrier pulling on my shoulders a bit more than I would have liked, but I was normally wearing for less than an hour at a time, so it didn’t really bother me. I put the comfort of this carrier to the test recently when I got to spend 3 hours handing out fundraiser orders at my daughter’s school.  I tried wearing the waist belt way down on my hips (where formerly I had been wearing it up higher on my waist). After 2 hours of of taking names, grabbing boxes, and checking orders, I was sweaty, but only where the toddler and I actually had our bodies pressed together. This carrier was so comfortable for this extended amount of time of wearing. I also really liked that the Performance Baby Carrier has a higher back, so it helps with my guy wanting to lean backward. He can’t do it very easily in this carrier. I stuck a sleeve of saltine crackers in the pocket and they easily fit and were easy for my daughter to get out again while I was wearing the carrier.

Ergo Performance seat width

Overall:

For me this carrier had some trial and error to it. Sometimes I got a perfect and comfy fit and other times not so much. I really think it depends on each person’s body and where you like the carrier to sit, so sometimes you just have to play around with it until you find the best fit for you. As with other Ergo Baby Carriers, this one buckles at the side near your hip instead of in the middle. For some with mobility issues, or larger wearers, this may pose a problem of reaching the buckle comfortably. This carrier is also a bit taller than other Ergos, so if you do not have an infant insert, it may take longer for your baby to fit in this carrier comfortably.  The shoulder straps on the carrier curve and are very comfortable to wear. During warmer weather the liner may make you sweat a little.

Where to Buy:

You can buy at the Ergo website or at an authorized retailer. Ergo is, unfortunately, a carrier that counterfeiters try to copy, so you must be wary when buying used.

 

Disclaimer: I received an Ergo Baby Carrier Performance for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions and experiences are my own. All pictures are taken by me and are property of The Babywearing Blog.

Ergo Baby Sport Baby Carrier {Baby Carrier Reviews}

The Ergo Baby Sport Baby Carrier is the second in my series of reviews on Ergo carriers. I chose the black sport carrier to review. [Read more...]

PaxBaby 10,000 Fans Giveaway

PaxBaby.com has reached 10,000 fans on Facebook. To celebrate they are giving away some fabulous prizes!  A Girasol woven wrap in Double Rainbow Diamond Weave, a mini Tula carrier for your child, wrap scrap items and much more!  Enter to win on the rafflecopter form below!

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