Simon Wittenberg reports back on how baby took to the Limas™ Carrier Plus half-buckle carrier from the premium children’s product brand, Stokke®.
The Norway-based manufacturer Stokke (you may have come across their Tripp Trapp high chair), has recently added a new member to their family of products in the form of half-buckle Limas™ Carriers. One of the key advantages of using a body-based baby carrier is that you can go hands-free whilst on the move, rather than being confined to holding a child in your arms for long periods – which can be tiring, or pushing them around in a buggy when out and about – especially when on rougher ground.
The half-buckle concept offers a good middle ground between the likes of the full clips-based BabyBjörn and the tie-it-yourself Izmi wrap (with no clips). With our baby being more of a wrap fan than clips, we were keen to see how they would take to the Stokke Limas Carrier Plus that sits halfway between the two aforementioned carriers we had already tried since baby’s birth.
Priced at £125 in the UK, or €139 for those living in Europe, the Stokke Limas Carrier Plus is designed to be used for babies weighing between four and 18 kilos, and expands as the baby grows. It comes in nine different colours, and we opted for the Floral Slate version, which has a nice white decorative leafy motif set against a grey fabric, material made from 100% cotton which feels sturdy and of high quality. After all, you are trusting your child to be supported by it when sitting a few feet off the ground.
How easy is the Stokke Limas Carrier Plus to put on?
A weighty manual comes in the box, covering all three Limas models, so is not specific to just the Limas Carrier Plus. As a first-time user, and being completely new to the brand, you would expect the instructions to have clearly laid out written steps, and accompanying images. However, anyone who turns the pages will find no text, but a series of pictures indicating how to put on the baby carrier, with additional guidance for the age of child the configuration is suitable for.
Fortunately, to make the process easier of putting on the Limas Carrier Plus, there is a QR Code that can be scanned to gain access to a video tutorial, and you can of course look up the “how to guide” directly on YouTube.
The Stokke Limas Carrier Plus offers the choice of having baby strapped in on your front, on the hip or on your back depending on preference, so there are pages dedicated to each of these three options. Based on our previous track record of baby not being able to see us, we opted to use the carrier with baby facing us, as it’s always more reassuring for them when you can make eye contact, especially when trying something for the first time.
When you start following the different steps in the manual, the diagrams are well-drawn but some of the elements were still not totally clear. This is not to say it’s in any way complicated, but as first-time parents, there’s always a lot of learning to do in the initial months of having a child, and video can sometimes be more helpful whilst you are getting the knack of how it all works.
Once you have mastered the clipping and tying, and have baby secured in place, the whole process takes just a few minutes, so is not that long, but you are 100% reliant on baby not fidgeting and being patient whilst you go through the motions (ours wasn’t always). Also, if you don’t put it on right, and secure the straps, you are left with a large cotton flap that is doing nothing to support baby. Removing the carrier is straightforward, and very quick, and the video takes you through how to do this too if you need a quick reminder.
What did we and baby think of the Stokke Limas Carrier Plus?
Like all new things for baby, not everything is an instant hit, and can take a few attempts for them to feel comfortable, which is exactly what happened for us. There was a bit of wriggling around to start with, and baby was a little unsure at the start, especially as their arms and legs are dangling in mid-air. However, once baby had the reassurance they were completely safe, and the straps were adjusted to the optimum level of tension, the Stokke Limas Carrier Plus proved a positive experience.
In summary…
All in all, the Stokke Limas Carrier Plus is priced sensibly against the competition, and is worth the investment if you’re not looking for a product that relies on having to wrap a large piece of fabric around you, or like us, baby has not taken completely to a solely clips-based model. Persistence is key rather than giving into any initial whimpers, and what the Limas Carrier Plus offers in terms of comfort and robustness for everyone makes this new addition to the Stokke family value for money.
Stokke Limas Carrier Plus – Where and How?
For more information on the new Stokke Limas Carrier Plus, visit www.stokke.com.
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