Boba Baby Carrier Classic Review

Boba Baby Carrier Classic

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The Boba Classic is a uniquely designed soft structured carrier. It is slightly different in style than a standard backpack style carrier and does not offer an outward facing carry like many other products do.

How it Compares:

Testing and Research

The Boba Baby Carrier Classic is one of fourteen top-rated baby carriers we purchased to test and compare. We tested each of the carriers on their usability, versatility, design quality, and comfort to determine which was the best baby carrier. We liked the Boba and it ended with a pretty good score, but was not our highest scoring carrier. There are pros and cons to this particular piece of baby gear, which we will dive further into.

Limitations and Complaints

When researching and testing our carrier, we read through the critical reviews of the Boba to determine the most common complaints. We then compared those complaints to our experience when testing the carrier to compare our experiences. The Boba did not have very many critical reviews compared to some of the other carriers, but below are our results:

Review Criticism	Our Experience
Straps are too wisde	We do agree that the straps are a little bit bulky
Material is stiff	We didn’t think that the material was very stiff. It was not as soft as some we tested, but it was not stiff
Baby did not feel secure	We felt that the children we carried in the carrier felt secure
Too warm	The material is not very breathable, but we did not feel like it was overly warm

Our biggest complaint with the Boba is that it does not offer any kind of outward facing carry. Though it has a wide weight range (7lbs to 45lbs), it only offers an inward facing front carry and a back carry option. We feel that an inward facing front hold is great for smaller babies, but may not be as useful for a larger child. 

As children grow, many prefer facing outward to be able to look around while being carried, and the Boba advertises holding up to 45lbs. Front carries are only recommended in the Boba up to 30lbs, with larger children being carried on the back. However, an older baby around 30lbs may still prefer to be outward facing.

Related Reading: Infantino Flip Advanced Review

Usability

The Boba is one of our highest scorers in the Usability category with its easy to set up design and clear instruction manual.

The Boba is easy to set up, especially compared to some of the other carriers we tested. Buckles fasten behind the waist, under the arms, and behind the shoulder blades. There is not an excess of straps, and all of the straps included are very straightforward to set up and adjust. 

It only took us about four minutes to get the carrier set up the first time. The instructions come in a booklet that includes both photos and text for easier set up.

An infant insert is included with the Boba for the newborn carry. It is a small seat that snaps into the waistbelt of the carrier and is also pretty easy to install with simple snaps.

Here’s how the Boba ranked in the usability category:

Versatility

Because of the limited carry styles, we did score the Boba lower in the versatility category:

When carrying on the front, an inward facing hold is the only option that the Boba offers. Adjustments can be made to customize the inward facing hold for infants or older babies, but ultimately, there is still only an inward facing hold for front carries. Starting at 20lbs, babies can be carried on the back, and front carries should be discontinued after 30lbs.

The carrier advertises a weight range of 7lbs to 45lbs, so a baby can start using the carrier right away in many cases. There is a small pillow infant insert that is snapped into the inside of the carrier to create a seat for a newborn baby, which can be adjusted as they grow and eventually removed when they exceed 15lbs.

Something we really like about the Boba is that it is very accommodating to wearers of different sizes. The straps can fit adults with waists 25 inches up to 58 inches and the shoulder straps can adjust from 20 inches to 40 inches. However, free extension bands are available through the manufacturer for both the waist and chest, as they advertise that babywearing is for everyone. We appreciate that Boba takes the parent or other adult wearer into consideration and is willing to make accommodations as needed.

Design Quality

One of the big perks of the Boba’s design is that it makes for easy nursing on the go. The carrier offers a quick release breastfeeding buckle as well as a privacy hood for both nursing and sleeping. 

One design element that we wish was different is the straps. The padded shoulder straps, we noted, were a bit bulky. Though we like that the padding made for a more comfortable shoulder strap, it did make it a bit cumbersome. The end of the straps under the arms as well as the back of the waistband and behind the shoulder blades are simple nylon straps that, though easy to adjust, do not offer as much comfort as cotton or other padded straps.

The carrier is made of cotton and is machine washable. The fabric is thin enough that it shouldn’t get too hot while wearing, but is still decently soft.

The overall design of the carrier is similar to the backpack style of many carriers, with a few differences. The main carrier portion is more like a large square of fabric that is not as custom shaped as a standard carrier. Aside from the seat insert for a newborn baby, the seat portion of the carrier is not adjustable, which we wish was different. 

Something we really liked about the Boba is the adjustable buckles that rest behind the shoulder blades for a front carry and over the chest for a back carry. Unlike many carriers, the buckles can slide up or down to adjust to the height of the wearer so that the straps never end up behind your neck or in front of your throat.

Here are the Boba’s design quality rankings:

When testing the carrier, we did feel that our child test subjects felt secure in the carrier, though it was more conducive to the smaller one-year-old than the larger four-year-old’s size. The wide panel of the carrier body offers good security and support. We do wish that the top of the carrier could fold down to adjust to kids’ different heights, as many other carriers do.

Comfort

The Boba Classic had a decent comfort rating in our testing process. The padded shoulder straps, though a little bulky, are soft and comfortable. There is no lumbar support with this carrier, and we were worried that the nylon strap at the back would dig into the skin and be uncomfortable, but we were pleasantly surprised. Though we do wish there was a bit more back support, it felt better than we expected.

We felt that the weight distribution of the Boba was pretty good. When wearing in a front carry, we didn’t notice any excessive pulling on the hips or shoulders from baby’s weight. When carrying a larger child on the back, we did note some pulling in the shoulders, but that isn’t uncommon with a back carry. Overall, we felt that the Boba was comfortable for adult wearers. 

Our child test subjects both seemed comfortable in the carrier. Our one-year-old test subject does not typically enjoy being in a carrier, but she seemed happy and comfortable while in the Boba. As we guessed would happen, she did get tired of facing inward pretty quickly and was ready to get out after a few minutes.

We also tested the Boba with a 40lb 4-year-old with a back carry, and she also seemed happy and comfortable while sitting in it. We did notice that, in the back carry, the weight of a child does tend to push the waistband downwards, pushing on your pants and making it a little difficult to keep them up. It took a lot of adjusting the waistband and tightening the straps to make that less of an issue. 

We did feel that the Boba did not do as well in keeping our smaller child’s legs in the ergonomic “M” position as some of the other carriers we tested. We think that this is largely due to the fact that the seat is not adjustable (except for the newborn seat). The wide fabric does seem to spread a child’s legs out further than you would want and did not give her as much of the “M” position. The “M” position is important for a child’s comfort and may even help prevent hip dysplasia. Our older child with greater leg strength did not seem to have this issue and her legs rested in a more natural position.

Pros and Cons of the Boba

Choosing the best carrier or baby wrap for your little one is not always an easy task. You must determine your child’s needs and comfort while finding something that fits your budget and babywearing preferences. 

The Boba Baby Classic costs around $100. We feel that is a decent price for the size range it can carry, but we do wish that the Boba offered a greater variety of hold styles. Even just being able to accommodate an outward facing hold would have raised our overall score for this carrier. 

The Boba can be ordered in a few different colors and patterns to give you options to choose from. The carrier does include two small zippered pockets as well as the privacy hood, which we liked, as well as a purse strap on the shoulder to help keep your purse or diaper bag in place.

The Boba carrier is a solid carrier for a little one who likes to be carried inward facing or snuggled close. It does grow with your child into a back carry so that even your older toddler can enjoy being carried. It is not a perfect carrier, but it is overall a great option for inward facing and back carries.