The Move is the newest carrier from Baby Bjorn, bringing their current offering up to 3 models - the Mini, the Move and the One. While the Mini is designed with just the newborn period in mind and the One is designed to last longer and offer more support, the Move is designed to plug the gap and come somewhere in between the other two. It is nowhere near as bulky as the One but offers more support than the Mini. It won't last as long as the One, but it will last alot longer than the Mini. A best of both worlds, prehaps... or at least a comprimise between the two!
The Move replaces the older "Miracle" model. Which offered a very similar lumbar support and shape and sized panel, but was very stiff and warm and didn't have an option for a wide comfortable seated position for baby. The Move certainly is vastly improved relative to the Miracle, much softer, more breathable and offering a more supportive and cuddly feel with a slightly more adjustable slightly wider seat.
See the Move in action, how to use it and hear my full thoughts on its main pros and cons in the video here or read on below.
Key Features and Thoughts on the Baby Bjorn Move
The Move is weight tested from 3.2 to 12 kg (7 to 26 lb). In practise I find while the lower end of this weight range is realistic the upper end is less so! The Move genuinely works fairly well with a brand new newborn. The Mini is a little smaller and can work better with really tiny newborns, but for most babies born at term - they will fit in the Move right from the start or within a week or two. The panel goes down short enough and can be squashed down width wise to accomodate most babies right from the beginning.
Most parents find this carrier works well upto around 6-8 months and then it becomes less comfortable for parent and babe. The reason being is that while the panel will continue to adjust in height, it doesn't adjust further in width and so ultimately it just becomes less comfortable for baby as the weight of their legs is less comfortably carried. And less comfortable for parent as more of babies legs are sticking out and not stabilized against them and thus baby starts to feel heavier. Plus the design of the waistband and how it is stiffened is such that it rarely transfers as much weight onto the hips as other carriers with differently designed waistbands. So in general most parents will find they move on to something else long before baby reaches the 12 kg upper weight guide.
In terms of how the Move adjusts - it has a slider to allow you to incrementally increase the length of the panel as baby grows. There is a handy guide sewn in to help you work out where it should be based on your baby's height in cm or inches. The slider is really stiff to move - you have to absolutely wrench the material through! Popping it on a table so they weight of the rest of the carrier is supported does help too, but it does need alot of force. This reason it is so stiff is to ensure it doesn't move during use, so it is reassuringly stiff! And just as well you only need to move it occasionally as baby grows!
What does not adjust is the width. For a smaller baby, the material is very soft and does squash down. For a bigger baby you can pull it out and spread as needed. There are seat adjuster buckles that allow you to "shape" the seat to fit and these do help alot (as demonstrated in the video above). But there does come a point where you just can't get the seat wide enough or shaped enough to support baby as their legs get longer. However, with a baby between 0 and 5-6 months you can usually get a good fit by first loosening the seat adjustment buckle, sliding your hands in to do a pelvic tilt, then pulling the fabric as wide as possible and retightening the seat adjustment buckle as much as needed to support. Beyond this point, then it is sadly time to move onto a new larger carrier or use a scarf to widen the seat as shown here.
You fit the parent first and then the baby slots in after. This is a key halmark of all Baby Bjorn carriers - they all feature some kind of internal harness so that you can fit parent and baby seperately. So that you first fit the carrier to the parent and then fit the baby into the panel seperately. This is quite different to most other baby carrier brands where you strap the waistband on first then fit the panel and shoulder straps around both parent and baby together. The pro is that for very nervous parents it can feel a bit more secure while getting baby in and out. Some parents certainly find this method easier, while others find it more faffy. When it comes to "easy" there is always a healthy dose of personal preference mixed in, so always definitely worth trying before you buy. The con is the internal harness is that it is harder to use this carrier to breast or chest feed in, it is harder to shift the carrier to one side to access a boob and where the internal harness sits can also limit access or limit your ability to adjust layers etc. Some might manage it but in general this isn't a carrier I would suggest for anyone looking for a carrier to support feeding.
In terms of fit for parent - this is a carrier that tends to fit some people better than others. The straps do all adjust to fit a wide range of sizes - but the stiffened material and the metal strut bits don't really mould to fit individuals so definitely some people will find they get a lot better fit than others. It is definitely a carrier that is worth trying on and comparing with a few others before you buy... because most parents who try it find something else more comfortable. For those it fits just right it is perfect, but its not as many people as you might think. Plus while it does fit a wide range of sizes - it is not a carrier I would pick out for anyone who is at the far ends of the spectra - neither the super petite nor parents of a larger plus sized build. The straps do not go as small nor as large as some other carriers on the market.
The material is really lightweight, soft and breathable. It is in fact really soft and strokable - far softer than it looks in photos. Think high quality fitness wear - designed to be soft enough that it won't rub or make you hot even while running a marathon! It's definitely material I would be quite happy to have against newborn skin. The panel in particular is really soft and simply moulds to fit around baby. It is so different to older Baby Bjorn models where the panel was really thick and robust ... this new air mesh material really does softly hug baby and support them in whatever shape they want to be in. This material continues round the parent harness too but the parts on parent have been stiffened for support. This is a shame as it doesn't nesicary mould to fit you, and I'd like to see some of this stiffness removed and replaced with lightweight padding for a more adjustable tailored fit... but compared to the Miracle (which is the model the Move is effectively replacing) it is a huge step in the right direction from Baby Bjorn.
It offers 2 carrying positons - front inwards and front facing outwards. Both are shown in the video above. It doesn't offer either a hip carry nor a back carry. You can read more about the pros and cons of carrying baby outwards facing here.
One of the things I really don't like about this carrier is the manual. I feel like if you follow the manual to the letter, it will lead you astray. For example it states
"For secure closeness and control of your child, carying your newborn facing you high up on your chest. Once a bit bigger your child can be carried lower down to relieve pressure on your shoulders"
So I agree wholeheartedly with the first sentence - it is key to carry baby high and tight both so you can monitor their cues and keep them safe and for your own comfort (carrying high and tight protects your core and pelvic floor from strain). But the second part is simply not true. If you drop the waistband lower that your waist... it can't transfer the weight onto your pelvis (as I discuss in detail here) and the consequence is you will feel more weight and more pull on you shoulders, not less!! You will also feel more strain in your core and pelvic floor. So please do adjust the waistband fit where ever gives you the best weight distribution, dropping it won't save your shoulders!
Another example of the manual leading you astray is in the description of the parts of the baby carrier. It describes;
- arm holes - but generally babies like their hands up by their face and not hanging down by their sides
- head support and straps to tighten the head support - that puts pressure on the back of babies head. When parents come to me stating baby doesn't like the carrier 9 times out of 10 just folding down this head support bit makes all the difference. No one likes pressure on the back of their head. It engages the flight or fight response and negates baby's natural reflex to push their head back if they are experiencing low oxygen. Not to mention preventing them looking around and naturally strengthening their neck muscles. So please ignore this and fold it down (as shown in my video above).
- Leg strap - for reducing the size of leg openings. The manual states these leg straps need to be used for babies between 3.2 and 4.5 kg (7-10 lb) to prevent baby falling out the side through the leg opening. But as long as the height is set to the smallest anyway the gap is so small already there is no way a baby over 3.2 kg could possibly fall out of this gap. The carrier would have to be extremely loose and low for this (or the height set for a much much taller baby), and even then I am not sure it is possible. So this leg strap is a bit redundant. It is also really fiddly to do up and parents often report worrying that it is cutting in but being concerned about safety if they don't. I would love to see the manual explain that this is an option if you think the hole is big enough for baby to fall out of and otherwise not to worry overly about.
Does the Baby Bjorn Move offer good value for money?
Ultimately this is the key questions isn't it - does the Move offer good value for money? At the time of writing, the Move retails at ~£120-£130, for a carrier that really only lasts around 6-8 months and only offers 2 carrying positions. When you compare it to something like the Beco Gemini, which is also light weight and mesh, offers 4 carrying positions and works from newborn through to 18 months but costs only £105. Or to the Kahu Baby - again lightweight, easy to use, offers 4 carrying positions and lasts to 2 years and cost £95. Or even the Ergo Omni 360 Cool Air, which is more bulky but again offers 4 carrying positions, works from 8 weeks and lasts to approximately 2 years and costs only a little more at £155. It doesn't in all honesty seem to offer the best value.
If it fits you really well, and fits you better than these other brands that last longer and do more... then maybe it is worth it for you. But in reality it often doesn't fit as well as these other brands, and if you are considering purchasing this carrier I hugely recommend you try it on and also try these others on and compare them before investing. However, if you decide you'd like to purchase one you can find them on Amazon (and earn me a small commission in the process) here.
-Madeleine
thank you for the article