IZmi Baby Carrier
As part of a test trip, I had the opportunity to try the IZmi Baby Carrier, which was provided by Advikids. You can read about my experience with this carrier here.
Information about the manufacturer and the carrier
IZmi is a British manufacturer, which was founded by Emily Williamson. She is a mother of two children and developed the IZmi carriers herself. The website also states that there is still a larger carrier being developed specifically for older children, which should be available soon.
The IZmi Baby Carrier is available in two sizes: baby and toddler. I tested it in Toddlersize, which is supposed to fit from 8 to 27kg. For me it was already very uncomfortable at my son's weight of just over 12kg and I can't imagine using it with more weight, also the bar width was getting tight here. Price-wise, the carrier in both sizes is 80 British pounds, which is about 93€.
The carrier is one of the full-buckle carriers, which are carriers that close with buckles on both the waist belt and the straps. The carrier is available in both sizes in two variants each. First, there is the classic variant, where the carrier is made entirely of cotton fabric. In the Breeze variant, the back part is partly made of a kind of mesh fabric, which is often used in sports and is supposed to be more breathable.
The waist belt is overall very soft and only lightly padded. It is tapered, which means it is wider at the belly than at the sides. In the back, it is closed with a buckle. However, adjusting the length here is not done with a webbing, but with a strip of sewn cotton fabric, which also makes up the rest of the carrier. The adjustment of the width of the bar is done with Velcro, which is inserted in the appropriate width in tabs on the abdominal belt.
The straps of the IZmi Baby Carrier are not padded. They are attached with darts relatively wide on the back part and also become wider on the shoulder due to the darts. Then they narrow again and end in a webbing strap. The straps can be crossed or straight attached to the back part.
The tightening at the back part is done next to the webbing, just as with the waist belt, by a strip of cotton fabric. Where the straps are always attached directly to the back part. If not worn crossed, the straps should be connected with the height-adjustable neck buckle. Another adjustment option for the length of the straps is located in the front area above the back part.
The ruffled head support of the carrier is removable and can be easily attached to the back part with the help of snaps. It is attached to the straps by means of clamps and is therefore completely variable in height.
When wearing
I tested the carrier mainly with my son, since only he fits in the required weight window. Here, the donning and especially the tightening of the abdominal belt proved to be very difficult, as the fabric hardly slipped. The straps I find in itself very well thought out by the width and the option of crossing. However, the shape unfortunately does not fit my proportions at all. No matter how I adjusted them, they were always off to the side, which created pressure points and wearing was very uncomfortable.
The bar width was already a bit tight for my son with Gr.98. When I also tried the carrier with the toddler doll from my consultations, my experience was little different. Even with the light weight, the waist strap was hard to tighten and the straps were awkward on my shoulders. Retightening the straps in the front made this worse.
Washing
According to the manufacturer, the carrier is machine washable at 30 degrees. I have not washed them myself, but would then always use a laundry net or wash them by hand to protect the buckles.
Conclusion
The carrier unfortunately did not prove itself in my test, despite the relatively inexpensive purchase cost. Both the waist belt and the straps I found not particularly comfortable. What I find nice here is the removable headrest. In itself, I also find the wide straps, which can be crossed, a good idea. However, in my case, they unfortunately do not fit my shoulder shape.
Especially in this rather negative review, it is again clear that this reflects only my personal experience. I make no claim to general validity. However, I would recommend testing before a purchase, as with all carrying aids.