BabyBjorn Harmony Baby Carrier Review

BabyBjörn Harmony

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The BabyBjorn Harmony is a standard style, soft structured baby carrier. It was not our highest scoring baby carrier, but had an overall good score with some pros and cons that we will dive further into.

How it Compares:

Testing and Research

The BabyBjorn Harmony is one of fourteen top-rated baby carriers we purchased to test and compare. In our process, we tested three BabyBjorn carrier products: The BabyBjorn Mini, the BabyBjorn One Air, and of course, the Harmony. We tested and ranked each of the carriers on their usability, versatility, design quality, and comfort. The BabyBjorn Harmony had decent scores in all categories, with comfort being the highest scoring by far.

Common Complaints

As we were testing our carriers, we read through their critical reviews to compare the complaints to our experience while testing the carrier. The Harmony only had a couple of complaints, mostly being about the fabric. The reviews complained that the fabric was rough and cut or marked up baby’s skin. We did not notice this issue when testing the carrier, and our test subjects always seemed pretty comfortable. 

Related Reading: Ergobaby Omni 360 Review

Usability

The Harmony had a decent usability score in our testing process. It did take us a little while to get used to the buckles as they are a different style than on most carriers. It took us around eight minutes to get the carrier set up the first time, mostly because of how long it took us to figure out the buckles. Once we were used to them, though, they were pretty easy to navigate. 

The instruction manual was helpful and clear with illustrated instructions included with each written direction in the set up and baby loading process.

Something we found less clear in the instruction manual was the seat adjustment. Unlike other carriers, the Harmony baby carrier has two adjustment points – one in the middle of the seat to shorten the torso area, and another at the actual seat where baby’s legs and bottom rest. This was a little confusing when we first set it up. Additionally, the torso area adjustment zippers can only be accessed by undoing two sets of buckles – making it easier to miss if you aren’t sure what to look for. It was nice not to need an infant insert, but we do wish the adjusters were a little more user friendly.

There are several sets of straps that made the carrier a little trickier to use. Overall, though certainly not the most user-friendly of all the carriers we tested, the Harmony can be navigated fairly easily with a little bit of practice.

Here’s how the Harmony ranked in our usability category:

Versatility

The Harmony offers a decent variety of carry options: newborn hold, inward facing, outward facing, and a back carry. Though it gives a few options for the carries, it does not offer any unique holds like a hip carry.

Here’s how the Harmony scored in the versatility category:

The carrier advertises it can hold little ones from the newborn stage (7lbs) up to around 3 years old, with a maximum weight of 40lbs. Though not the widest range we have tested, it will last your child well into toddlerhood. We tested the carrier with an almost 30lb one-year-old and a 40lb four-year-old. Both seemed comfortable, but our four-year-old test subject was almost too big for the carrier and was not as comfortable as the one-year-old.

The waistbelt measures about 54 inches long, making it decently accessible to wearers of different sizes. This measurement, however, does not take buckling the straps into account, so it would not perfectly fit a 54 inch waist.

Design Quality

The Harmony had a pretty decent score in the design quality category:

The carrier is made with a mesh polyester fabric, which allows for good airflow and helps keep parent and baby cool With some polyester carriers, we noticed a chemical smell in the fabric, but we did not notice this with the Harmony. 

The Harmony has only three main sets of straps and buckles: Parent shoulder straps that buckle on the sides, a waistbelt that buckles from behind, and child shoulder straps that buckle onto the adult straps. Though this can feel a little strap heavy, we do like that the child shoulder straps unbuckle to put baby into the carrier rather than having to remove each parent shoulder strap to get them in. 

We do wish that the child straps were more adjustable. They do have some adjustability, but even fully extended, they were almost too small for our 30lb one-year-old test subject. She could still get her arms under them, but they were almost too restrictive. The straps are good for smaller children, but a growing baby may run out of room.

The fastener behind the adult wearer’s shoulders is pre-attached, and only needs to be adjusted by pulling on the strap to tighten or loosen. We also like that this fastener can slide up and down the shoulder straps to adjust to the parent’s height.

The straps are well padded, which does make them a little bulky. However, compared to some other carriers, we did not feel that it was too cumbersome.

We felt that the Harmony did offer good stability and security. The adjustable head support piece can fold down as baby grows and faces outward. The child shoulder straps also offer a good security that some carriers do not.

The Harmony does not include any accessories like pockets or a sun hood, which, considering the higher price of the carrier, we wish it had.

Comfort

Comfort was the highest scoring category for the Harmony. The breathable mesh helps keep adult and baby cool with extra airflow. Though the fabric is not as soft as some of the cotton options we tested, it is not rough or uncomfortable on baby’s skin. 

There is a well-padded lumbar support piece that is soft while still offering good support for the back. The front of the waist strap is also thick and well-padded, allowing for optimal comfort.

We thought that the overall weight distribution on the Harmony was good, with no excessive pulling on the back or shoulders. Though the padded shoulder straps are a little bulky, they are soft and well padded, helping to avoid digging into the shoulders. 

Our one-year-old test subject seemed very comfortable in the Harmony. Though she was pushing the limits of the child padded shoulder straps, they were not too tight nor did they seem to make her uncomfortable. The seat is soft and comfortable, and we didn’t notice any excessive pressure on her legs.

She stayed in the hip-healthy, ergonomic “M” leg position very well while sitting in the carrier, a leg position that may help prevent hip dysplasia. Even though she is generally not a fan of sitting in a baby carrier, she was very happy while resting in the Harmony. The head support piece is made of a softer material than the mesh, which we did like since it is closer to baby’s face.

Our older test subject was right at 40lbs, putting her at the very edge of the weight limit. She was not quite as comfortable as our smaller test subject as her arms did not fit fully under the child shoulder straps. When she was able to rest her arms on top of them, however, she felt better.

The Harmony has superior comfort compared to many other of the baby carriers we tested. Though we wish the child straps were more adjustable to be more conducive 

Should You Purchase the BabyBjorn Harmony?

The BabyBjorn Harmony is not a cheap carrier. At almost $240, this was the most expensive of all the carriers that we tested – not necessarily one you will be adding to your baby registry.

Overall, we really liked the Harmony. It is a well-rounded carrier with good comfort, stability, and overall a good design. We like the breathable mesh and the adult and child comfort. However, the high cost does make us stop and consider if we think the carrier is worth such a price.

The Harmony baby carrier offers standard carry options that are not particularly unique. We found the child shoulder straps to be a littler smaller than we would like, and there are no included accessories. The weight range, though wide, is not as long lasting for your growing baby as some of the other carriers that we tested.

Though we really like the BabyBjorn Harmony, we think you can just as easily find a carrier with equal or greater comfort, versatility, usability, and design quality for a lower price. However, if you choose to purchase the Harmony, we certainly don’t think you will be disappointed as it is a solid piece of a baby gear that will grow with your child.