Mommy, can you carry me? Maybe your toddler has outgrown the baby carrier you used to put them in, but they still want to be carried. There are a lot of reasons why you may still want to use a baby carrier with your toddler. Using a carrier that’s specifically designed for toddlers can make it a whole lot easier and more comfortable. The Tula Toddler Carrier is designed for toddlers who are between 25-60 pounds.
Often, parents stop using carriers with their kids as they get bigger and heavier, generally between 2 – 4 years. There are other parents who may benefit from using a toddler carrier a lot longer, like when their child has low muscle tone, a developmental delay, or is even undergoing medical treatment that causes fatigue. Also, for some special occasions like traveling or hiking, toddler carriers can come in handy when little legs get tired.
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Let’s take a look at the Tula Toddler Carrier for an in depth review of its pros, cons, and key features.
- How Easy Is It To Use?
- How Comfortable Is It For Toddlers?
- How Comfortable Is It For Parents?
- Price
- Fabric Type and Care
- Can You fold It?
- Key Features:
- What Would Improve it?
- Recap & Final Thoughts
How Easy Is It To Use The Tula Toddler Carrier?
I find the Tula Toddler Carrier easy to use. To use the carrier, you put on the waist belt, hold your toddler on the front of your body and then put on your shoulder straps. After that you buckle the last clasp behind your neck or between the back of your shoulders.
To wear your toddler on your back, put on the waistband backwards so the clasp does up on your front. Then put your toddler on your back like you’re giving them a piggy back ride. Lean forwards while you put your shoulder straps on and buckle the last clasp on your chest.
If you find it difficult to wear your toddler on your front because reaching behind your back is a struggle, try to loosen the shoulder straps a lot and then tighten them once that last clasp is done up.
Most baby carriers for toddlers work this way – you can either wear your child on your front facing in or on your back. Other styles of toddler carriers I’ve seen that are specifically for hiking, have big expensive suspension systems like Deuter Kid or Osprey brands.
How Comfortable Is The Tula Toddler Carrier For Kids?
As long as your child is the right size for this carrier, the Tula Toddler Carrier should be quite comfortable for them. The leg openings are padded to help evenly distribute pressure from the carrier, and the main panel has ‘perfect fit adjusters’ so you can make the panel a bit shorter or taller to match your child’s torso length.
For an extra measure of comfort, I got a Tula Coast Toddler Carrier. The ‘coast’ refers to the fact that this carrier has a mesh panel for additional airflow. I prefer to buy a mesh carrier so my toddler and I can stay cool when it’s hot and then layer up when it’s cold outside. A mesh toddler carrier is more versatile.
How Comfortable Is The Tula Toddler Carrier For Parents?
The Tula Toddler Carrier has well-padded shoulder straps and is made from soft breathable cotton. The wide, padded straps are helpful for shoulder comfort. The waist band is nice and wide to help distribute weight over your hips and waist. If you’re using the carrier for long periods, you may want to consider adding the lumbar support you can purchase separately from Tula, which will give you more lower back relief.
Keep in mind, when you’re using toddler carriers from any brand, eventually, it may become uncomfortable simply because your child is older and heavier than they were as a baby.
Price
The Tula Toddler Carrier starts at around $180 USD when it’s not on sale ($240 CAD). You can click here to check the price on Amazon. Also, there are sometimes good sales throughout the year.
Is the Tula Toddler Carrier worth it? It’s a great product and the Baby Tula company makes some of the most long-lasting carriers on the market, so if you’re thinking about using it and reselling it later it will likely hold its value well. They’re an award-winning industry leader and this particular model is a comfortable carrier that I have no problem recommending for parents with toddler size children.
Fabric Type and Care
The Tula Toddler Carrier is made from 100% cotton, if you have a ‘Coast’ model with a mesh panel, the mesh is made from 100% polyester. I find the entire carrier, including the mesh, very nice and soft.
To wash your Tula Toddler Carrier, use mild detergent and warm water. You can buckle up all the buckles and put your carrier in a laundry bag or even a pillowcase to help protect it then put it in the washing machine on a gentle cycle. The carrier is hang dry only.
It can take a while for the carrier to dry out, so you can also spot clean your carrier as needed.
Can You Fold The Tula Toddler Carrier?
Yes, you can fold your Toddler Carrier if you tuck in the shoulder straps and roll from the top down. Use the waistband to buckle the whole thing together so it stays folded when you store or transport it.
Key Features:
Shoulder straps
The Tula Toddler Carrier has thickly padded adjustable shoulder straps to help maximize comfort and give you a great fit. The wide shoulder straps help distribute your child’s weight over your shoulders evenly so they don’t dig in.
The straps are adjustable based on how long you’d like them to be to help you get the right fit. They also have ‘Perfect Fit Adjusters’ to help you make the main body panel of the carrier shorter or taller to fit your toddler’s height better.
Seat
The seat of this carrier is not adjustable. You can’t adjust it to be more narrow or wider, which is why it’s important to pay attention to the weight limits of this carrier to keep your toddler comfortable and safe. If you’ve previously owned or seen a Standard Tula carrier, this Toddler carrier is very similar in its features, it’s just larger.
The way the body panel is sewn into the waistband allows for a nice comfortable seat for my toddler. It also has padded leg openings that help distribute my toddler’s weight on his legs comfortably.
Sun hood
The Tula Toddler Carrier includes a detachable hood. One of the hood’s main purposes is actually to provide toddlers with head support in case they fall asleep while their parent is wearing them on their back. It’s also useful as sun protection and good for privacy while breastfeeding in the carrier, but you’ll want to snap only one side of the hood shut so you can keep an eye on your child’s face and ensure they get good airflow.
Waistband
The carrier has a wide, lightly padded flexible waistband. The padding and width adds to the comfort of the carrier.
The waistband doesn’t have lumbar support included. You can purchase a lumbar support add on from Tula if lumbar support is important for you. Lumbar support can help with weight distribution when you’re using the carrier for longer periods to give your lower back better support.
The Tula Toddler waistband can accommodate a waist of about 25 inches to 61 inches (63.5 cm – 155 cm). You can also buy an additional belt extender for an extra 10 inches (25 cm) of room.
Carry positions
You can use the Tula Toddler Carrier with your child in a front carry position facing in towards you, or in a back carry position. These are the two most commonly used baby-wearing positions for most soft-structured carriers because they give you and your toddler the most comfortable experience. For a toddler who is 25+ pounds, these are also the only two safe positions for them to be worn in.
Can you use the Toddler Tula Carrier on your front face out? No, It wouldn’t be a safe position for your toddler. Babies can be quite curious and enjoy looking around in a front, forward face-out position. The problem with this position is that it is only safe for a baby who is around 4-6 months old until they are a maximum of 12 months old.
Weight restrictions
The Tula Toddler carrier can accommodate toddlers who are 25-60 pounds (11.3 – 27.22 kg). You’ll want to make sure that your child fits in this carrier without having their face covered by the main body panel. In addition, their leg needs to be long enough to fit into the leg openings without putting pressure on their knee joint.
You cannot use the Tula toddler carrier with an infant insert. If you’re looking for a Tula baby carrier for smaller infants, try the Tula Standard with an infant insert or the Tula Free to Grow.
For a child in a higher weight range than 60 pounds, you could also consider the even bigger Tula Preschool Carrier.
Pockets
The Tula Toddler carrier has one large pocket on the waistband. It’s big enough to store your phone or wallet. I use the pocket to carry the removable hood when it’s not in use.
What Would Improve it?
I would prefer it if the Tula Toddler Carrier came with lumbar support to help with lower back discomfort from wearing larger older kids. It would probably add to the cost of the product, which is likely why it’s not included. If you want to add lumbar support to your carrier, it can luckily be purchased separately.
Another personal preference of mine would be a more padded waistband. Thicker padding would make me more comfortable but every parent is different. Some people will like a waistband that looks sleeker with less padding and be just as comfortable.
Recap & Final Thoughts
There are a lot of baby carriers for toddlers on the market that have a much wider age range. For instance, the Ergobaby Omni Breeze or Omni 360 can accommodate babies that are newborns all the way up to 45pounds. I prefer this larger Tula Toddler Carrier because it’s designed for older kids.
When I put my 3 year old in the Omni 360, it doesn’t offer him quite as much support as the Tula Toddler Carrier. You can see the difference in these photos, especially in the leg support. The Tula carrier for toddlers extends almost to his knee and the Omni 360 stops part way out to his thigh.
If your baby is already 25+ lbs and you think you’d like to continue wearing your toddler often, then specifically designed toddler carriers can be a good investment. Baby Tula carriers are designed to keep your child in an ergonomic position and have a much wider seat than most of the competitors. It’s the perfect carrier for long trips where you need a comfortable fit and extra support.
From what I’ve seen on the market, this is the best toddler carrier for a bigger child who is past the baby stage.
- Some of my favorite Tula Toddler carrier features are:
- Well padded shoulder straps
- Streamlined design
- Padded toddler leg openings
- Detachable sun hood
- Designed specifically for toddlers
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