So the lovely folks at Liliputi have sent WYSL one of their new and shiny soft structured carriers – after a redesign it is always good to get feedback and we liked the look of the Liliputi SSC as soon as it came out of the box.
First of all, it is definitely pretty, the Folk Tale design on brown straps is bright and fun but not over the top. The carrier comes in a sleek box with a useful cotton storage bag.
What does the Liliputi SSC do?
An ergonomically sound, soft buckle carrier suitable from newborn to toddler with front, hip or back carry options. The newborn adaptation is a soft, integral newborn seat, sold as standard not separately, which raises the little one up inside the carrier and tucks their legs inside. The newborn seat fastens to the side with slightly fiddly poppers, but has the added bonus of being attached with Velcro, and removable when the child no longer requires it.
A removable sleep hood is a great feature, and a sturdy zip holds it in place meaning there is no chance of it popping off accidentally. There is a small amount of padding to the curved headrest and fairly chunky padding to the sides around the backs of the baby’s knees. I like the way the central panel is light allowing parents to rub and pay their baby through the carrier. Overall the carrier is medium weight, not overly heavy but not a lightweight.
The waistband is medium weight shaped foam, the straps offer a good set of configurations including crossing on the back, or using a connecting strap, and perfect fit adjusters at the top of the carrier body. The straps are overall fairly short, with a good minimum fit, making this a good choice for petite adults.
Extra features?
The carrier comes with seat extenders which zip into place, increasing the leg support as the child grows. I was impressed with how well these supported toddler legs. The attention to detail here is impressive, whenever there is a piece of webbing, there is something to tuck it into, the carrier feels sturdy and solid overall.
Any downsides?
I really do like the Liliputi and think it will fit a broad range of adults and children. I think it has been cleverly designed by people who clearly know their stuff. There are only two small things I would change – the length of the webbing on end of the shoulder straps is long enough to cross straps but extra length there would make that an option for all. As it is, crossing the straps is only really an option for small to average sized adults due to the shorter length being out of reach for those with a bigger frame. Last up would be the buckles, they do their job well and hold effectively to a high weight but somehow feel a little plasticky compared to some other brands.
The verdict
It’s great, it’s clever, and it looks well made. It will fit a good variety of adults and children, and it will be especially good at fitting those with smaller frames. In my opinion it will be best suited to parents wanting a carrier to suit two or more ages of children or those wanting one carrier from birth to toddler. Internal seats for newborns work but are always a little harder to use at that stage, so I think the optimum range, where it works at its best, will be with children 4 months to 2.5 years approx, although it will perform fine outside of that range. The range of extras in the bag make it a very good value option I am happy to recommend.
The Liliputi SSC is part of a range of new carriers from the Hungarian brand including mei tais, stretchy wraps and ring slings, as well as carrying coats, bags and accessories, so we are definitely going to hear more from Liliputi in the future.
Available to hire from 4/11/15 at WYSL
Liliputi Buckle carrier
From 99 Euro direct
http://www.liliputibabycarriers.com/buckle-carrier
Sling Heaven
£79.99
http://www.slingheaven.com/Liliputi-Soft-Baby-Carrier-_p_638.html
The Technical Stuff
3.5Kg- 20kg
Removable internal infant seat.
Minimum seat width 7 inches on newborn seat.
Carrier proper 13 inches with seat darting.
Carrier extenders extend to a 19 inch shaped seat.
Body height drawstring adjustable, max 16 inches into curved head rest.
Minimum waist measurement 28 inches, maximum 56 inches approx.
Perfect fit adjusters.
Removable sleephood.
Seat extenders as standard.
Dual Adjustability in underarm straps.
Crossed back only for smaller adults.
Back carry 6mo +
wyslinglibrary.com 