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59 of 59 found the following review helpful:
 Almost perfect! Jan 31, 2011
By Marley
I Just received the carrier and simply love it! I wish I had it from day one as it is very helpful in carrying baby at home. My son is 5 weeks old and Baby K'tan works great.
Some pros:
- very easy to use (I saw demos online while waiting for delivery and got the hug, cradle and kangaroo positions right away), I can use it much faster than buckle carriers,
- the sizing is correct, right now I'm 5'6'' and around 145 lb, but my pre pregnancy size is between 6 and 8 (130-135 lb), and size Small is perfect. Although after washing and drying it shrunk and it was to small for me, it stretched out. next time I will air dry, because baby cried and it was squished. The sizing seems correct but I keep thinking if will fit when the baby will grow, but K'tan website ensures that will be ok, especially with different positions,
- the material is very soft and keeps my 1 month old snuggle to me. Cradle position seems to cramp the baby but he doesn't mind, so far because of no neck control yet we both love the hug position. He is very curious and loves to see the world, and at the same time when falls asleep can be hold tight,
- carrier feels very comfortable and truly hands free; it feels the most natural from all the carriers I've tried,
- the sash is also a storage tote at the same time so it is easy to carry the whole thing in a diaper bag, matching hat is cute but doesn't fit my 5 weeks old yet even after washing and drying (size 0-3 months; but he will grow to it eventually),
- I can do a lot stuff at home with my son next to me, he sleeps better and longer.
The cons:
- the description says it can be used on preemies but baby k'tan website and instruction booklet says to use from 8-42 lb (the box says 8-35 lb, so I don't know which one is right). Although I can see that would work with smaller babies for sure, especially kangaroo and cradle positions,
-I can not properly position the baby for breastfeeding,
- it really can hurt shoulders area so proper adjustment is a key.
I've tried:
-Infantino Wrap and Tie, and it is mediocre;
-Beco Gemini way to big for newborn and seems a bit bulky for me (my husband and I ended up using this carrier max 5 times, takes too much time to readjust the straps, it is not easy to figure it out-it takes too much time and everybody is sweating in clothes before walk, very annoying; unsnapping is almost impossible to do it due to safety click, especially when holding the baby after unbuckling first straps), must air dry as recommended otherwise will pick up every lint from the drier, air dry takes some time too because it is thick carrier; expensive and so inconvenient,
-Munchkin sling and definitely it is not for small babies, it's not stretchy and didn't feel right and safe,
-and some old Snuggli my friend passed it to me, it worked for newborn and I used it till now, but it was killing my back due to the bad ergonomics of the buckle system).
I highly recommend Baby K'tan and might get light color for the summer or mesh one (depends how hat it will be in black one). UPDATE: I ended up will only black carrier that was used during winter in Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas summer, worked great. During the winter I wore it under the jacket to keep baby warmer.
UPDATE: my son at 11 months old, I lost some weight (128 lb now) and carrier still fits great, I don't use gemini one at all, K'tan rocks. I can take the baby in and out very fast. My son loves facing forward position to enjoy the views. Still both hands are free and I can walk my two dogs on the leashes, go to the store for some groceries and never get any back pain. Now when my son is over 20 lb it is also great work out. Highly recommended and never want to try other carriers with regulated belts ans hard to use snaps (like Gemini is pain to adjust for different positions, is akward and does not fit right, plus hard to unsnap).
I bumped it to a 5 star review because it is truly the best carrier I've tried and I am very happy that I got it. Before I took 1 star because I couldn't figure out the breastfeeding position, but this actually doesn't matter.
UPDATE 2: baby is getting heavier, 26 lb now but I still use baby K tan but not for super long walks, 20-30 minutes max. Awesome work out on the hills. My son is 15 months and he almost looks to big for it but it still works! Carrier looks great, still very black.
UPDATE 3: soon after update#2 I realized that I don't use the carrier anymore. Baby got bigger, walks by itself and for longer distances I use umbrella stroller. But I am pregnant with second one and Ktan looks like new, waiting for being used from the very beginning!
83 of 86 found the following review helpful:
Very versatile and comfortable baby carrier Oct 15, 2008
By A. House
This is my third sling, and I really like it. My other two are both pouch slings: a Hotsling and an adjustable Mayawrap pouch sling. You can't beat a pouch slings for pure simplicity of use. However, I think the Baby Ktan baby carrier is quickly becoming my favorite. It is essentially two pouch slings tied together, plus a sash to use as extra support for some of the positions. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros: Very versatile -- wear your baby like you would in a regular pouch sling, or wear her facing forward or backward like you would in a Baby Bjorn. There are also hip carry and back carry positions -- 8 positions in all. Very comfortable -- the stretch cotton is wonderfully soft and in nearly all the positions, you can have the carrier go over both shoulders. This was a big selling point for me because I find that my back aches after about an hour or so in a regular pouch sling. In the Baby Ktan, with both shoulders carrying the load, it's much easier. Packable -- much less bulk than a Baby Bjorn or other structured/padded carrier; about the size of two pouch slings. Large weight range -- I can also put my 30 lb. toddler in the hip carry position with this thing. Machine wash, tumble dry.
Cons: A little bit of a learning curve and not quite as quick and easy to use as a pouch sling. Takes up about twice as much room as a pouch sling in the diaper bag.
One buying tip: Pay close attention to the sizing recommendations, and if you are at all in between sizes, get the smaller one. The material is quite stretchy. I bought a small to begin with, but returned it for an extra small, which fits me better. I'm 5'4" and average weight.
43 of 43 found the following review helpful:
Best thing I bought for baby. Versitle, multi-position sling with masculine styiling for daddies Jan 08, 2010
By matt
My second kid is coming and I can't wait to sling her too!
After dog-earing Baby Bargains and googling, googling, googling (i'm the research junky in my marriage), I decided to buy the Baby K'tan sling. I joke that I have womb envy (I was so excited to sling-it, i bought the k'tan 6 months before my first child was born!).
So, I only have the Ktan sling but I've used a Bjorn and a NoJo dr. sears one with my nephews and nieces. The thing that sold me on the Baby K'tan was the "8 positions" thing. So I could pouch her while she's young, and then front carry her bjorn style once she can support her own head in a few months. She hopefully won't "outgrow" this one like other slings I saw.
I know that a lot of mommies mention that their husband's love the Ergo/Bjorn style and their manlier looks (compared to a sling) but I think that the dual shoulders baby k'tan look wicked cool. It looks STRONG, not exposed like those Bjorn/Ergo style. Anyway, for me the Ergo/Bjorn style carriers wouldn't satisfy my womb envy so of the slings I saw, this was the one for me. You can pouch baby when their young and then switch to front carry later, and then hip-carry when they get over one year. I've done all those.
So, I love this sling yes, but every sling is a walking compromise (like sailboats, except they float and don't walk). This sling takes some lessons to explain to somebody (like Grandparents, Aunties etc). Now, the bjorn is not the most intuitive thing either, so it's no big deal to me. I just want you to know that you'll have put it on a few practice tries before you sling your kid or hand this off to the unsuspecting.
It's washable and dryable just like anything else cotton. And as you use it it stretches out like cotton does. If it seems too loose, it'll be time to wash it again and it tightens up again.
At first it took me two or three times to position her correctly, but in no time I'm an expert. I drop the outer hoop off my shoulder, form a pouch with the inner hoop and put her butt inside like she is going to sit down like a grown up. Then her head goes up high in the pouch (up on my shoulder). Then she'll slide right into place with gravity. I bring the outer hoop back up on my shoulder, adjust for comfort and then stick my pinky in her mouth till she falls asleep.
I bought on amazon, and i bought the small. I'm 5' 10" 145lbs. My wife is 5' 6" (weight withheld by request) so we can swap easily between us with a small.
29 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Same as Moby... May 08, 2011
By MJ
I got this because I have a Moby and was tired of tying it when I was out in places like parking lots of grocery stores and the airport. I was hoping this would be a lot faster. I'm disappointed. THe material is very similar to the moby only it has a little less stretch - which means it's still HOT. You DO still have to wrap it, it's just that it starts you off by having two loops instead of one long piece of fabric. You still have to use the sash to get it secure whatsoever and that's a pain to drag around. All in all, it's way too similar to the Moby and I wasted my money by getting a second. Buy this OR Moby, but don't expect it to be a second type of carrier like I did.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Good carrier, versatile Jul 09, 2010
By RealGeeky
I found this product in a shop in the town where I live but they only carried black. Unwilling to wrap my newborn in such a dour colour I searched Amazon for a brown one. I like the colour and the appearance of the KTan. It is a very sturdy product. I like that it is hands-free (and very firmly so)--as you have two straps (one over each shoulder, and each one cocooning the baby) there is little feeling of having to hold the baby with one hand. I have managed to get quite a bit done with the sling on. I also traveled by plane within the baby's first month and it was a breeze. As it has no metal whatnots I did not need to take it off when going through security (and have to wake the baby up in the process). That was a blessing! And also, I could nurse her completely discretely and no one was the wiser.
It is much larger and bulkier than I had originally thought, though. It seemed to be smaller than other carriers and so would fit easier into a diaper bag. But such is not the case. It actually has a lot of material and occupies quite a bit of room. I also find the material slightly on the warm side. My baby was born in May and so to carry her around during the summer was an exercise in dehydration. I also feel that you have to be very adept and precise when tucking the baby in, as sometimes the head can be too far down and then the face gets more covered by material than is safe or wise. So be aware of how you insert the baby so there is no fear of suffocation.
In a summary, I like the product. It is easy to use, comfortable, well priced. I just have some of those minor reservations mentioned above.
Editing year later: I actually think this is one of the best products out there. My child is over a year old now and I still use this actively. It is so versatile! I can take my huge dog for a walk and just pop the kid in the carrier and not worry about anything. Highly recommend this, especially once the baby is 3 months and above.
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