Lately, every baby carrier brand tries to bring their own mesh baby carrier on the market because it is so popular.
But is mesh really a good material when used for baby carriers?
Today I want to answer this question!
Mesh is most often made of polyester. While some brands try to only use mesh for some parts of their baby carriers, popular models from Ergobaby are made of 100% polyester.
Polyester is produced i.a. from petroleum, clearly spoken, it is 100% plastic and also acts like plastic.
It can keep us warm but is not breathable and doesn’t soak up water (sweat). Mesh, however, is produced in a way that there are more or less visible holes within the structure. This allows the air to get in and out and also transport sweat to the outside. The polyester fabric became breathable.
Exactly what we want in summer, right? We want to make sure that our babies will not overheat and a fabric with holes where hot air can get out and cool air can come in sounds perfect!
But now looking at some demerits of these mesh carriers, because, surely, there have to be some 😉
The carriers using mesh are often thicker and a bit bulky (except the Ergobaby Airloom maybe and the BabyBjorn). However, since it is still a plastic fabric, it won’t keep you or your baby from sweating.
When sweat meets polyester, bacteria and fungi can grow and the carrier can start to smell unpleasantly. Make sure to wash your carrier often! Else, the unpleasant smell will stick inside the fabric!
Now, when you and your baby sweated a lot and move into an air conditioned location, the cool air will go through the mesh structure and together with the sweat, will do its work. It will cool your baby down. However, since babies until around two years of age can’t regulate their body temperature well, it happens that s/he cooles down too much and freezes. For these situations I recommend having a muslin cloth or something else with you to cover your baby to keep it warm enough.
When getting your baby out of the carrier in this environment, you may bring some spare clothes for changing. (This is also true for when not using a mesh type baby carrier.)
I think that mesh baby carriers are good for hot summers but only when walking outside and not when entering cool places while being sweaty.
In my opinion, mesh isn’t the ultimate answer for carrying your baby in summer. Actually, I am not a fan of using 100% polyester (or other plastics) for carriers or clothing. But it is hard to avoid it completely, right? When buying a polyester carrier, make sure all components are well tested for harmful substances, especially the pigments used for coloring the polyester!
What works best in my opinion (and also keeps your baby warmer when entering a cooled-down environment), are natural fibers like hemp or linen mixed with organic cotton or even silk (there are indeed some extravagant carrier brands offering this..).
Look for a carrier with fewest layers and no paddings. Only one layer has the ringsling or a baby wrap. Most simple carriers are made of a double layer of thin fabric.
Natural fibers are breathable, won’t draw too many smelly bacteria, and many of them have the ability to even warm you to a small extend when they became wet. The best fabric for this is actually wool. It soaks up the sweat and stores it in the inside while being able to warm your baby. Plus, it’s antibacterial. You may want to consider this material for your baby in winter!
While silk can’t soak up much sweat, it cools in summer and warms in winter.
Cotton can soak up sweat but its ability to warm while wet isn’t the greatest.
Hemp and linen are the best for summer. They are cool and fast drying but feel a bit hard if used alone. A hemp/linen cotton blend where hemp or linen don’t exceed 50% is best.
I hope I was able to give you an idea when a mesh carrier is useful and when not.
By the way, I think stretchy options like the Konny or similar are better not made of mesh. They won’t embrace your baby in a way the common fabrics do.
If you are looking for a stretchy option for summer, look for something made of bamboo fibers!
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