Soft Structured Carriers are sometimes also referred to as Buckle Carriers or SSC for short.
Front Carry
A front carry in a soft structured carrier is a quick and easy way to carry your baby. Usually the trickiest part of the front carry in a buckle carrier is getting the chest clip buckled behind your back. The basic carry is quite simple, but the specifics can depend on your carrier’s brand and model and the developmental stage of your baby. If you have any questions about your carrier, feel free to ask and we will help troubleshoot!
Front carry with crossed straps (spoken, no subtitles): https://youtu.be/jsna_F3XSJs
Front carry with straight straps (spoken, auto-generated closed captions): https://youtu.be/-T0sKbsAGZs
Front carry with straight straps, t-shirt method of clipping chest clip (spoken, auto-generated closed captions): https://youtu.be/Gau3bUQZ8Lk
Forward Facing Out
Some babies are incredibly curious about the world around them and thrive on the stimulation of observing it. Forward facing out carries can help them satisfy their desire for adventure. Caregivers can monitor their infant for overstimulation, and change positions to inward facing easily in many available carriers on the market nowadays. Babies who have fallen asleep should be turned inward again to keep from falling chin to chest and compromising their airway.
Forward facing out tutorial (silent): https://youtu.be/kEN9jXizZGw
Hip Carry
Note that not all buckle carriers are able to do a hip carry, depending on the way the shoulders attach. Although many people will find this not to be their favorite carry option, it can bridge a gap in curious babies who are still too floppy for back carries in a buckle carrier.
Hip carry tutorial (subtitled): https://youtu.be/e7UDpYzwRPY
Back Carry
A back carry in a soft structured carrier is a real game-changer for most babywearers. It opens up your hands (and view of your feet) and shifts the weight to your back for a more comfortable ride with children who are getting heavier. It can be tricky to figure out at first, but very quick once you get the hang of it.
This video shows an overview of three methods for getting baby on your back in an SSC. You can choose which seems least intimidating if you are new to back carries. (Spoken, closed captioned): https://youtu.be/VIMfGAPF2f4
Here’s a method with baby sitting on a couch (spoken, no captions or subtitles): https://youtu.be/wUp2sGs4hQM
A method for changing from front carry to back carry without letting the baby down (subtitled): https://youtu.be/mMGktFt5Mtw