My Artipoppe baby carrier review: Zeitgeist baby carrier and Zeitgeist classic

Artipoppe Zeitgeist carrier – my Artipoppe Zeitgeist carrier reviews

The Artipoppe Zeitgeist carriers are very popular, not only in The Netherlands (it’s a Dutch brand) but worldwide. That’s to say; many celebrities out there are carrying their kid in an Artipoppe wrap or an Artipoppe Zeitgeist carrier. But is it really worth the price? How do they wear compared to other carriers?

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Artipoppe Zeitgeist carriers are made of silk, linen, vegan cotton and even more options. You can go for mixed fabric ones or buy a 100% cotton carrier. It’s all up to you. The downside is that these Zeitgeist carriers start at 350,- euro’s/dollars. And yes, that’s a lot of money.

First..

.. the facts:

• the Artipoppe Zeitgeist carriers provide a front carry and a back carry option and are fully ergonomic – they are deemed ‘hip healthy’ by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.
• the waistband, legs and shoulder straps are padded
• you wear this carrier with the shoulder straps crossed at your back
• you don’t need an infant insert as the body panel of the Zeitgeist baby carrier can be adjusted so the fabric runs from knee to knee no matter what weight/age your baby is.

There are three different kind of Zeitgeist carriers. The Classic ones  -which I think at this point you can only buy preloved- that will carry your child from about 6 months up to 2 years old. Then there is the Zeitgeist Baby carrier, which carries your little one from birth up to 2 years old  (3.2 kilograms (7 lbs) – 20 kilograms (44 lbs)).These carriers are sold through the Artipoppe site and are highly adjustable so that even your newborn baby will fit in it. Last but not least Artipoppe sells Zeitgeist Toddler carriers, which are designed to carry your toddler from 1 up to 3.5 years old.

Loving the leopard print on this fabric? I found this cool leopard printed hip carrier and I also found some other animal theme printed baby carriers here.

What I love about the Artipoppe carrier

Well, the main reason is an obvious one: they are beautiful, no doubt ’bout that. It’s really hard to choose from alllll the pretty designs. These wraps and carriers are made of such beautiful fabric and I just can’t get over some of these designs and prints. I guess the Artipoppe Zeitgeist Baby Leopard original is by far the most popular one, and although I LOVE this one I went for the Baby Snake Moon because well, I LOVE this one too and pretty much changed my mind every day untill I finally hit that ‘BUY’ button

When put on this carrier fits very well. I love the way it feels and supports my baby. The fabric is soft yet sturdy and it feels really comfortable wearing my baby in it. I have to say that I wore my little one almost every day in it and some days I wore him for hours -because you know, he didn’t sleep in his cot when big sister was in the house, too much noise-. He sleeps in the carrier very well.

That makes me come to the other thing I love about this carrier which is the neck cushion. You can fold it in different ways to fit your baby. When your baby is younger than 8 weeks old you can fold down the cushion inwards to give neck support. When your baby is older than 8 weeks old you can fold down the cushion on the outside or put it up for extra neck support. You can choose to put it up by buttoning through the button hole for a tight fit. Or you can button it through the elastic loop for a more loose fit when your baby is a bit older. I put the cushion up whenever my little one is sleepy so I can shut out external stimuli. This is a pro compared to the Tula Free to Grow -which I think compares best to the Artipoppe baby carrier- as the Tula baby carrier’s height can be adapted but it doesn’t have a cushion like this. Click here to see price and reviews about the Tula Free to Grow.

Since summer ’22 Artipoppe made it possible to wear your baby facing outwards. I’m not a big fan of carrying your little one facing out but it’s a good thing they made it possible for anyone who does like this carrying option. They made a so called facing out insert, which you can fasten inside the carrier. The insert narrows the body panel and is said to support your childs chest. The downside is that you have to buy this option seperately. I don’t have any experience carrying my little one facing out in the Artipoppe so I can’t say whether this a good option and hip healthy, so please make sure it is yourself.

Are you a petite mom and not sure which baby carrier would be the best option for you, make sure to read our best baby carrier for petite moms review article here.

What I don’t really like about the Zeitgeist carrier

For me the downside of the Artipoppe carrier -except for the price- are the crossed straps on the back. It makes it more difficult to put this carrier on and off, and to adjust the straps by yourself. You need to fasten the waist belt first, then pull one of the shoulder straps across your back and fasten it to the body panel before you can put your baby in the carrier. It might be just me, but I keep forgetting the second part. So after fastening the waist belt I’ll grab my baby and hold him against me while remembering I (again) forgot to fasten the shoulder strap first. So I need to lay down my baby again and fasten the shoulder strap first. Happens around 50% of the time but it might be possible that this says something about the current state of my brain cells after having a baby more so then it says something about the ease of use of this carrier 😉

Like I said, the crossed straps also make it difficult to adjust them in the most comfortable position/fit. Maybe I do have shorter arms then others or maybe I’m less flexible, but I can’t tighten the straps on my back in a way they fit well. The adjusting part is a big disadvantage for me especially compaired to the Tula Free to Go which I can easily adjust by myself when needed. Although I used the Artipoppe carrier for a few months already I still had difficulty to find the right fit and what’s especially annoying to me is the fact that I need my hubby to help me adjusting it while carrying my son. Not finding the right adjustments gives me pain in my lower back and neck/shoulder pain. I love using this beautiful carrier and my son also loves being carried in it but because of the shoulder/lower back and neck pain I don’t use it as much as I would like to. I keep using my Tula baby to alternate and give my aching neck/shoulders some rest and I even still use my good old wrap a lot which is funny because it’s by far the cheapest and oldest carrier/wrap I own but it might in the end carry my kids in the most comfortable way. Which is -considered the fact I spent way too much money on good carriers- actually not that funny at all 😉

I also recently reviewed the Rookie Premium Carrier which is pretty new but already becoming very popular. This luxurous carrier made of linen has many similarities with the Artipoppe carrier. If you’re not sure about purchasing an Artipoppe than take a look at the Rookie carrier for sure, maybe it will be the one for you. I’ve become a big fan after carrying my little one in it for months. Read my full review and if you like it than don’t forget to use my 10% discount code I get to share with you: Rookiexrelaxedbaby 🙂

That brings me to the next point: carrying your newborn baby in the Artipoppe. They say you can carry your newborn in it, but I wasn’t keen on carrying my son that young in the Artipoppe carrier. I wasn’t convinced about his head being sufficiently supported, which I thought was great with my wrap and also in the Tula baby FTG. I heard others say that also the leg support for newborn babies wasn’t great (they are supposed to look like an ‘M’ while being carried). I thought my sons legs were fully supported but maybe he has extraordinary long legs 😉 Anyway, something to think about too if you buy this carrier for your newborn. I prefered carrying him in the Artipoppe from around 3 months.

Another thing is the (lack of) amount of options when it comes to carry positions. You are now able to wear your baby facing out in the Artipoppe due to a facing out insert they made. But there are other carriers out there with a lot more (in built) options for far less money. Then again I don’t think you buy an Artipoppe carrier because of all the options. Click here to see carriers with more carrying positions.

Want to read what I think are the pro’s and cons of the most popular carrier at the moment? Read my article about finding the best carrier for you here or check out my article about the best forward facing carriers.

Besides the Artipoppe baby carrier I do also have a Zeitgeist Standard carrier in velvet gold. Because, well, who DOESN’T want a velvet golden carrier?! Jokes aside this carrier is great too and carries my 2nd kid when he’ll be 6 months or older. Although I just love the velvet gold it’s a lot of money for just another carrier in which you can carry your kid in 2 positions, that has padded straps and bands en carries from 6 months up to 2 years. And it comes with the same disadvantages for me being the not easy to adjust crossed back straps.

Besides the obvious ‘they look pretty awesome’ reason to buy an Artipoppe Zeitgeist carrier there are other reasons. BUT to be quite honest, those reasons don’t really stand out as the facts above can tell. Yes, this carrier has padded and cushy straps and is comfortable for me and for my baby. But so are other carriers. Yes, it’s cool that it provides a front carry (facing inwards) a facing out option with an extra insert, and a back carry option but then again so do others – the Tula Explore and Ergobaby Omni 360 even provide 3 or 4 carry options (being besides the front and back carry options also an in built front facing carry option and a hip carry option).

Click here to view the Tula Explore with four carrying positions or check the carrying positions of the Ergobaby 360 omni

Also looking for a co sleeper to keep your baby close during the night too? Check out this post I wrote.

Conclusion

The Artipoppe Zeitgeist baby carrier and classic carrier are great carriers and I love using them. They are adjustable, safe, sturdy and really pretty and they offer comfort while baby wearing. But that being said, some other carriers offer the same and even more for far less money. The only thing that doesn’t compare to any other carrier is the look of it which is absolutely beautiful and classy. In my opinion it is not the best option for your newborn but it’s a good carrier for a 3 months old baby up to two years old. Is it worth the price? That’s really up to you 🙂 good luck with making a choice 😉

Click here to see some other cool printed carriers I found

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