How the ancient practice of babywearing has gone high-end

Some mothers are buying baby carriers that cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Photo / Sakura Bloom via Washington Post

“I am selling my Artipoppe baby carrier for $300. Best carrier I have had to date and kept in very good shape. If interested, message me!”

Someone posted this in my San Francisco Bay Area mothers’ group. That price for a baby carrier? A used baby carrier?

By contrast, the best-selling Momcozy retails for less than US$70 ($116).

But Artipoppe, a luxury babywearing brand celebrated by celebrities such as Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore and Lea Michele, does not deal in bargains. Its median price for a buckle carrier is US$470.

While the practice of babywearing is ancient - a way to keep your baby close while on the move - the obsession with haute carriers is a contemporary phenomenon.

It reflects the growth of the premium baby industry (think US$200 bottle systems or US$500 pack ’n’ plays), which is projected to grow 6% per year from 2024 to 2030 by one estimate.

But for devotees of high-end carriers who have the cash, it’s not just about the status - a chic carrier can make them feel put together when they’re spattered in spit up.

Katie Ball of Des Moines, Washington, describes her first child as a “cling wrap baby” who needed to be held all the time. “We survived with carriers,” she said.

When she had a second and began watching her sister’s toddler, too, she relied on them even more. “We couldn’t leave the house without them.”

Over time, she amassed a collection of brands and styles (including slings, wraps and meh dais), most of which she bought second-hand.

Some of her favourites for comfort, looks and ease of cleaning come from Minnesota-based hope&plum, where the Lark buckle carrier averages for US$225.

The material benefits of a high-end carrier are limited.

“Most people are not going to find more comfort in a luxury carrier,” said Cassidy Eisenfeld, a certified babywearing educator and owner of the website Let’s Talk Babywearing.

She typically endorses midrange options around US$150, some of which are available at retailers like Target.

These have ergonomic designs to support healthy hip development (provided the wearer uses them properly) and safety certifications.

Hope & Plum is a US babywear firm. Photo / Hope & Plum via Washington Post

Why would someone buy an expensive option if cheaper varieties are equally comfortable?

“[Because] they’re not beautiful,” said Christine Adams of Cordova, Alaska, who gifted herself a US$700 cashmere one from Artipoppe.

“For me, buying something nice and beautiful was like, ‘I’m going to treat myself to this thing that’s kind of fancy to slow down and really appreciate the small moments of babywearing because they are so fleeting,’” she said.

Unlike cribs, car seats and most baby gear, a carrier is not just for the baby.

“The carrier is for the person who is doing the carrying,” said Joanna McNeilly, founder of the Centre for Babywearing Studies, a babywearing certification programme.

“Because of that,” McNeilly added, “it has to be one that the caregiver enjoys - looking at, feeling, touching, using.”

Costly carriers often come in materials equal to their price tags.

A Lark made of organic cotton from hope&plum feels like a cozy quilt; the US$285 Armadillo from Bumpsuit is made from bouclé.

Often the fabrics carry additional ethical cache: The Nuna Cudl Luxe, which sells for US$400 at Nordstrom and Pottery Barn, is made from cashmere sourced in accordance with the Good Cashmere Standard and the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute, and is OEKO-TEX 100 certified, meaning it’s free of more than 1000 harmful substances.

Both hope&plum and Sakura Bloom are women-owned American companies that craft their wares locally.

And then there’s the aesthetics: endless prints (woodland animals or jungle cats), colours (shocking pink or pale peony), and embellishments (gold buttons or fringe) that transform babywearing into a runway show.

Allison Zhang of Moraga, California, needed to wear her baby to her sister’s wedding, and she didn’t want something bulky and utilitarian that would make her look as if she were going on a hike.

She chose a sleek Scout by San Diego company Sakura Bloom (prices range from US$288 to US$480), made of butterscotch-coloured linen with cream eyelet lace, leather shoulder straps and gold rings in lieu of plastic buckles.

For Miriam Ezagui, a labour and delivery nurse, mother-of-five and babywearing enthusiast, handwoven wraps are more than fashion statements.

“I call them ‘wearable art,’” she said.

Wraps are long pieces of cloth the wearer ties around her body to secure the baby. Usually a kaleidoscope of hues, machine-woven ones can cost a few hundred dollars, while hand-woven items run into the thousands depending on material and level of detail.

Ezagui once spent US$4000 on a hand-woven wrap in a silent auction. “When you’re out and about, it definitely makes a statement,” she said.

And just as one would commission a painting, Ezagui has commissioned wraps by sending an inspirational picture to a weaver.

“Depending on the weaver, it can be hard to get a [time] slot,” she said.

Baby Tula, which Ergobaby acquired in 2016, has made such wraps more accessible with its Signature collection (US$299-US$799). These are handwoven wraps made by artisans from around the world converted into soft structured carriers. No tying needed.

Artipoppe is one of the US companies turning baby carriers into fashion statements. Photo / Artipoppe via the Washington Post

The popularity of posh carriers has grown in tandem with the rise of social media.

There’s plenty of useful information out there: Eisenfeld has reviewed over 200 carriers for her 180,000 Instagram followers; Ezagui, who has over 2 million Tik Tok followers, often demonstrates how she wraps her children in various configurations.

But there’s also the sea of ads and influencer posts selling products and a particular vision of motherhood that isn’t necessary for raising a baby.

A mum doesn’t need an US$8200 wrap made of Peruvian vicuña wool any more than she needs a pair of Christian Louboutin baby shoes.

Maybe it’s inevitable that all aspects of motherhood will become commodified, but there’s still a current of community, connection and shared information that runs through the babywearing world.

Some US cities have babywearing libraries that loan out carriers as if they were books.

The San Francisco Bay Area Babywearing group runs one and also hosts monthly events where members can try on different styles. Companies like Baby Tula and hope&plum offer free virtual fit consultations to ensure safe, comfortable wear.

And Facebook groups devoted to various brands have become active spots for swapping cleaning tips, buying and selling, getting info on positioning and making actual friends (in addition to cooing over new patterns and designs, of course).

When Adrianna Owens posted in a hope&plum group, she discovered several people lived near her in Sacramento. The women created a private chat and have since met for playdates.

The carriers themselves might be transient objects, but they carry enduring value for some.

“There are some that I’m more emotionally attached to,” Ezagui said of her 100-plus wrap collection.

“And when I’m not wearing my children anymore in wraps, I probably will sell off some of them, and others I plan to keep and give to my children one day.”