Mountain Buggy Juno Carrier Review

B Loves: A well padded carrier that works all the way from birth to toddler years

Mountain Buggy is a company already well known for its rugged three wheel pushchairs that can take you almost anywhere off-road. Now they have added a carrier to their collection that can take you even to those places where a pushchair would be a hindrance. The Juno is developed to have a correct ergonomic sitting position for your baby no matter what her age – with the knees higher than the hips in the ‘frog leg’ position that allows for the correct development of the hips and spine. It is also designed to be comfortable for the parent, no matter how long you carry the child and how heavy they are!

Mountain Buggy has asked for the collaboration of medical professionals, parents and children in creating this carrier and the result is a safe product made from good quality materials.

There are four carrying positions: with your baby on your front, facing you, which is suitable from birth to a year old; on your front with your baby facing out to the world, used from six to 18 months; on your hip, used from six to 24 months; and on your back, which you can use from six to 48 months. That’s up to am amazing maximum weight of 20kg or 44lbs. For babies from birth to around six months (minimum weight 3.5kg/7.7lbs) there is an insert that makes the inside space cosier and more suited to the body shape of a small infant. This is adjustable, to grow as your baby does, and offers padded head, neck and spine support.

The waist band is very wide, to allow the baby’s weight to be supported by your pelvis and to stop all the weight being taken by your shoulders and it even has two handy pockets to pop your phone and keys in while you’re out. It’s even big enough for the iPhone 6. The baby’s seat area can be adjusted to give a comfortable seat as he grows too, avoiding the problem of a narrow seat area cutting in on one or other side of the nappy! There’s a sternum strap, like a good quality rucksack, with runners that allow it to move up and down, to let you to get the most comfortable position for your body shape. There’s a protective hood that you can fold out to cover your baby’s head and well-padded, yet not bulky, shoulder straps. They are also nice and wide, to prevent cutting in. On the outside of the front of the carrier is a panel that offers support and stability for your baby’s back – also handy to pop your hands into when it’s cold. There are even teething pads to pop onto the front, meaning you don’t have to keep washing the whole carrier.

Putting it on is simple; for front carrying, put the strap around your waist and pull tight. There’s an optional strap lock to keep it tight. The loose end can be folded up and there’s a neat elastic loop to pop it into. Then slide the clip around to the back and loosen the shoulder straps, leaving the front of the carrier hanging down in front of you. Next, put the newborn insert onto a flat surface – the changing table is the ideal height – and open it. Lie your baby on it, with her bottom on the padded seat at the base (this flips out to create a larger space as she grows) and ensuring that her head is supported by the back panel. After doing up the strap, pick up your baby and hold her close to your front with the base against the top of the carrier’s waistband. Keeping one hand on your child, bring up the shoulder straps. Then you need to do up the strap at the back – this becomes the sternum strap in front-facing mode – which is a little tricky at first but you’ll soon get the hang of it 9make sure your hair is out of the way for this bit!). Pull on the ends of the shoulder straps to get both snug and even and then again, you can loop up excess fabric with elastic loops to keep them from dangling beside you. This and the other carrying positions are helpfully shown in videos on the website.

It is made from 100% Oeko-Tex approved chemical free fabric and the inside is made from 100% cotton and it comes in four striking, smart colours; black, sand, charcoal and nautical which is navy with a striped lining. The appearance is smart and would easily be accepted by even the most macho of dads whilst being suitable for mum too – quite urban yet with a funky, outdoorsy edge. If you’re the kind of family that like plenty of long walks in the great outdoors, this is for you!