Hoppediz Nabaca

Module carrying aids have been very much on the rise since 2017 at the latest. They are individually assembled from various individual parts. What is interchangeable depends on the manufacturer. Hoppediz has also developed such a modular carrying aid: Nabaca. I would like to introduce this carrier here.

Information about the carrier and the manufacturer

Hoppediz is one of the older manufacturers in Germany. It was founded by Annette Schröder, who developed her own baby carriers that met her needs when she had her first child in 1999. After more and more people in her area asked for her slings, she finally founded the company Hoppediz. Meanwhile, Hoppediz offers the baby carriers Bondolino, HopTye and HopTye Conversion in their store, on www.hoppediz.de, as well as various parent-child articles. Since last year, there is also the Nabaca, as an addition to the range of carrying aids.

As already written in the introduction, the Nabaca is a modular carrying aid. In all its variants, it is a half-buckle carrier with a buckle belly strap and straps for tying, which lie completely on the shoulder, i.e. cannot be fanned out.

Price-wise, the Basic package is just under 150€, with a choice of Slim fit or Regular. They differ in the length of the waist belt, as well as the width of the straps. There are two back parts included. The smallest back part (S) should fit from size 50 to 68 according to the manufacturer, the next back part (M) from size 68 to 86. In addition, a large back part (L) can also be purchased for just under 32€. This should fit from size 86 to 104. Colors can be chosen between three different variants (each monochrome).

The waist belt is firmly and relatively thick padded. The three-point buckle of the waist belt is closed on the padding. The width of the web is adjusted by means of Velcro.

The back part is padded on the sides, especially at the level of the back of the knees. The upper part of the back part is also padded. It can be shortened a little at the sides by straps. However, this could cause the fabric to bunch up on the baby's back and thus no longer provide sufficient support. The straps are connected to the back part in several places. Inside, they are first pulled through an elastic band and fastened with Velcro. At the top they are pulled through a webbing and closed with a buckle.

The neck width can be adjusted with the help of a cord strap and cord stopper. The slightly gathered headrest can be hooked to straps on the carrier with an elastic band. The size of the headrest also increases as the back section size increases.

The straps are well padded and appear relatively bulky. A chest strap is built right in and is just like the chest straps on most full-buckle carriers, adjustable in height. If it is not needed, it can also be removed.

When carrying

I have tested the Nabaca with my 6-week-old daughter on and off since birth. For this, I used the smallest carrying panel (S), as well as the carrier and belly strap in the slim-fit version. The padding of the waist belt overlapped a little, but this bothered me only in the first moment. Overall, I find the carrier relatively bulky, with its many small details, which could initially overwhelm parents inexperienced in carrying. When wearing the Nabaca proved to be very comfortable. The weight was distributed well and I felt the weight of my daughter almost not at all. She seemed very small in it only by the many padding, for example, at the back of the knees. But appearances were deceiving, because it could be adjusted well from the beginning. The lateral shortening at the back I did not use.

I also tested the large carrying panel (L) briefly with our 4-year-old son, who wears size 104. At maximum width, the fabric still sat well in the back of his knees. The height of the back was also suitable, although he preferred to have his arms out. Despite the significantly higher weight, I found the carrier to be very comfortable and had no pressure points on my stomach, shoulders or back. The chest strap fit just about right from the height, I would have liked to have pulled it up a bit higher.

Washing

According to the manufacturer, the carrier can be washed at 40 degrees in the machine, although the spin number should not be over 1000. I personally prefer to wash it by hand. Nice with modular baby carriers in general is that individual parts can also be washed and I do not always have to wash them as a whole.

Conclusion

In my opinion, the Nabaca is a baby carrier with a good price-performance ratio. However, due to the many details, it could overwhelm parents in the beginning. Perhaps the attachment for the headrest or the chest strap could be designed differently. From the wearing comfort, I find it very comfortable. It is also great that there are two different variants for the carrier and waist belt.

The conversion of the stretcher I feel, compared to other modular carriers, more complicated, because the carriers have relatively many attachment points. However, the stretcher also does not have to be converted often. I would still like it if the carrier could be individually assembled, so that, for example, both types of straps (if the parents are very different in proportions and find this more comfortable) or only one back part (if the baby is already size 68) can be selected.