Public Transport Feature: The BabyBjörn baby carrier Synergy

The  BabyBjörn baby carrier Synergy, is a traditional front wearing baby carrier. It has been designed to correctly position a baby’s legs and arms, and vitally, offer adjustable and secure support for the child’s head and neck.

A baby can be carried in the Synergy from a newborn weight and height of 8 lbs and 21 inches up to 26 lbs. The baby faces into the body and when around four months of age can then be carried facing forwards.

The carrier comes apart in two sections, a harness with lumbar support for the adult and attaching front section to hold the baby. The section supporting the child comes with an adjustable buckle with clear fitting markings for the baby’s weight. This front section will open out fully allowing a sleeping baby to be removed with little disturbance.

The harness is made from 3D breathable mesh from a material exclusively developed for BabyBjörn. The fabric is guaranteed free from hazardous substances and is machine-washable at 40 degrees.

It has its own self-contained bag on the inside into which the whole carrier can be folded.

When using carriers, BabyBjörn recommends:

Paying close attention to a baby’s needs and switch between a baby carrier and a pram or crib, simply because young babies should not be motionless in the same position for long periods of time.

Children should be carried facing into the body until the age of four months or the child’s neck muscles are strong enough to hold up their head.

For Chopsy Baby, Jen Smith tested out the Baby carrier Synergy with eight-week-old baby Astrid.

Jen says: The Synergy is the perfect carrier for the changeable British climate. We chose it by using a function on the BabyBjörn website which matches their different baby carriers with the user’s lifestyle. The mesh fabric is ideal for keeping both parents and baby cool on warm and hot days. In the rain, it keeps the covered parts of the baby dry and dries out quickly once taken off.

Whatever the weather, it is essential to make sure a baby does not over heat once inside. The person carrying the baby needs to figure their own body heat into this equation. This may mean leaving a baby in just a baby grow and adding layers to the legs, hands and head on cold days.

When on the bus, it was necessary to undo one of the top shoulder clips to allow some air circulation. This is safe as long as you are sitting down and have an arm around the baby’s body. This design allowed a baby to be cooled quickly and easily without the need to wake or move them.

When playing up for a bottle in a till queue, again unclipping this top clip whilst supporting the weight of the baby was useful. This would also be useful for mothers who are breastfeeding.

Though the baby remained secure, BabyBjörn does not recommend this and remembering to re clip the harness afterwards is important.

The Synergy has fantastic head support stopping a baby’s head from flopping backwards but keep an eye on their face. Make sure the baby’s face does not become smothered in clothes or cleavage. If they are very deeply asleep, try blowing gently on their face to make sure they are rousable.

The Synergy is a comfortable wear with excellent back support. Even with a long-term back problem, the well padded straps and upper support make this a good choice of carrier.

Getting to grips with getting the harness and baby on and off was reasonably easy. There are further visual instructions on the BabyBjörn website. The connecting clips are strong and easy to use.

We did encounter one incident when folding up a pram and the entire weight of the baby was pulling downwards away from the body. One of the top clips did come undone, but this only happened on one occasion and we did not feel the baby’s safety had been compromised.  Instead it served more as a reminder to bend those knees when bashing prams about.

The carrier in black is easy clean in both a washing machine or with a damp cloth. It dries very quickly.

The only disadvantage comes with using baby carriers in general. There will always be a slight danger you could end up with around six ounces of baby sick in your bra. For babies with reflux, try popping a muslin cloth in the cleavage area. This will catch sick and also act as a chin rest.

Rain doesn’t need to be a disadvantage.  BabyBjörn separately sell a carrier cover for cold or wet weather. Alternatively, a couple of discreet pegs, a warm cape or hooded coat also did the job.

The Synergy is ideal for:

When you need your hands free
On public transport
In combination with a second child and single pushchair allowing both children to interchange between walking and carrier when necessary.
Going on holiday

The BabyBjörn Synergy is a strong, substantial baby carrier designed with both comfort and practicality in mind for baby and wearer.

Available in white or black
£99.99

http://www.babybjorn.com/en-gb/Eng/products

Or, find out which carrier is right for you: http://www.babybjorn.com/upload/Temp/Flash/microsite/carrierguide/en/index.html