Manduca XT

About a year ago, I was sent the Manduca XT baby carrier from Manduca to test it, to write about it, as well as to enrich my consulting range. In the meantime, I have had the opportunity to test the carrier in various variations and also to gain experience in consultations with it. I would like to write about this in this test report.

The article is marked with [advertising] because the manufacturer provided me with the carrier for the test.

Summary of contents

About the manufacturer Windelkinder/ Manduca

The Manduca XT, as well as all of its sibling carriers such as Manduca First or Manduca Duo, belongs to the German company Wickelkinder, which was founded in 2002. In the meantime, this Manduca has taken over. Manduca XT is the further development of the classic Manduca baby carrier, which has been on the market for a very long time. In order to be able to distinguish both baby carriers even better, the addition"First" was added to the old model, so that it is now called Manduca First. For some time, there is from the house still quite new the carrier Manduca Twist, on which I am also very excited.

At this point I would like to mention that I also had the Manduca Duo in the test and describe in detail in my review Manduca Duo.

On the website of the manufacturer, manduca .de, it can be read that Manduca has the goal to connect the needs of parents and children through the baby carrier. Finally, it can be said about the manufacturer Manduca that it is also very well known in the international arena.

About the carrier

The Manduca XT is a full-buckle carrier, i.e. a carrier that closes with buckles on both the waist belt and the straps. This type of carrier is also referred to as a"backpack carrier" by some parents because the system is very similar.

According to Manduca, the carrier should be suitable for newborns from 3500g and eventually usable until toddler age. For delicate babies, however, the carrier could still be relatively bulky and here you have to look individually whether this already fits. In my experience, the bar width fits approximately up to size 104 and thus grows really long with.

The price of the carrier is 159 € and is available through the online store natuerlich-familie.de *. Somewhat cheaper, the carrying aid is available for purchase second-hand.

Also in the designs and fabrics Manduca has different colors to offer here, so there is the Bellybutton or the Cotton Edtion. In addition, limited editions such as the Butterfly variants are produced.

Instructions for the Manduca XT in video

How the carrier is built, what special features it offers and what else you need to know, I explain in the following video.

You will also find some detailed pictures of the Manduca XT in the following.

Wearing

As I already wrote in the introduction, I could now really extensively test the carrying aid, both with my daughter and together with my consulting parents from the carrying consultations in Oldenburg. Among them were parents with newborns, parents of babies with several months, as well as parents of toddlers.

From what age is the Manduca XT usable?

As I just wrote, the carrier did not always fit directly from birth. With really small, delicate newborns, the carrier still seems very bulky and the baby seems to sink into it, even if the bar width already fit well. Here I would prefer another carrying variant at least for the transition. At the latest from size 62, the Manduca XT was but well adaptable to the babies.

With my son, who wears about Gr.110, the bar width was only minimally too small, so that it should certainly fit up to Gr.104 in terms of bar width for many children. This also reflects my experience from babywearing consultations. However, at this point, the hips are already so mature that the fabric does not necessarily have to reach completely to the back of the knees. Therefore, at least in theory, the carrier can be used until the end of the wearing period. The ellipse on the back part I had taken out when wearing with him.

From the wearing comfort, I would personally prefer other baby carriers for large, heavy children. Since basically all wearing experiences are very individual, however, I would always recommend trying it out beforehand, if possible.

With my daughter, I was able to test the Manduca XT from size 62 to size 80. I often wore it in front of the belly, with straight and crossed straps. I found both variants to be comfortable. Where I prefer the crossed variant, because the straps sometimes pressed me when I wore them straight. However, this is similar with other carriers. Consulting parents also had this impression. Breastfeeding moms in particular sometimes found the straps uncomfortable here, which changed significantly with the crossed carry.

Wearing the Manduca XT on my back was also comfortable for me over a longer period of time. Overall, the wearing experience was only minimally different for me compared to the Manduca First. However, I describe the differences between the two carriers in my article Manduca First and Manduca XT [What's different?].

In general, the carrier can be adapted very well to the different sizes of the baby or toddler, the innovations here are consistently positive, in my opinion. A small exception here are only mini babies, as I wrote earlier.

A pull on the back of the baby was, by the way, due to the dart leading to the abdominal belt and the angle at the Trägeransaatz, not recognizable, so that the stretcher is recommended even before sitting age.

Breastfeeding in the carrier

Breastfeeding in the carrier is easily possible with the Manduca XT. To do this, mant loosens the straps slightly so that the baby can reach the breast better. After breastfeeding, the straps can be tightened again. I go into more detail on this topic in my article Breastfeeding in a carrier.

Washing

About washing, it can be said that the Manduca XT can be washed at 30 degrees according to the manufacturer. I personally washed it only by hand, where no problems occurred.

Conclusion about the Manduca XT

The Manduca XT is a baby carrier that can really be used for a very long time. The innovations compared to the Manduca First, have had a positive effect on the baby. I also no longer need add-ons such as SizeIt, ZipIn Ellipse or ExTend, because everything is already integrated. This is practical.

I also had the mentioned Manduca First in the test, in my blog you can find my experiences with this baby carrier in the test report on the Manduca First.

For me, carrying with my daughter was very comfortable, even over a longer period of time. In front of the belly, I preferred the crossed straps.

The price-performance ratio of the carrier is good overall.

However, I have reported in the article only from my wearing experiences and those of my consulting parents. How the Manduca XT sits with you with your baby and how comfortable it is for you, I can unfortunately not say. Therefore, I would recommend trying out the carrier. Basically, it meets all the criteria that are important for ergonomic babywearing.

^* Since this is an affiliate link, you will receive a small discount on your first purchase. I, on the other hand, receive a small commission.