Ruckeli baby carrier

The Ruckeli baby carrier has been available on the baby carrier market for a few years now, and I've also had it in my consulting range for quite some time. So it's finally time for a review of it - of the only carrier I know of that was developed by a father.

In the article you will learn what the special features of the carrier are, why it is sometimes a popular choice in my babywearing consultations and why sometimes it is not. I write about my carrying experiences with it and present it to you in a video.

Summary

Information about the manufacturer Ruckeli

Behind Ruckeli is berlin baby GmbH, which was founded in 2012 by Urs Brettel and Henner-Moritz Jahn. On the website www.ruckeli.de I can read that fairness, ergonomics and sustainability are particularly important to the two in their company. The development of the baby carrier began during pregnancy when the inventor Urs Brettel received the order from his wife to complete a suitable, growing carrier until the birth, which he succeeded in doing.

Since its launch, the Ruckeli baby carrier has found more and more users and enthusiasts. The carrier is designed to combine comfort with urban design. In addition to baby carriers, you can also find loops and harness protectors in the Ruckeli online store.

Information about the Ruckeli baby carrier

The Ruckeli baby carrier is a carrying aid made of organic cotton, which is produced fairly. It is produced in cooperation with textile manufacturers from the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

The baby carrier is available in the Slim and Regular variants, where in the Regular variant the padding of the straps is slightly longer. There are no further differences between the two variants. Ruckeli is a full-buckle baby carrier, i.e. a baby carrier that can be buckled completely.

Four carrying positions are possible with the Ruckeli baby carrier:

• in front of the belly
• on the back
• on the hip
• on the hip, with supported hip fit

For hip sitting, the carrier is completely rolled into the pouch on the waist belt. However, this variant is only suitable for children who already have sufficient torso stability. Of course, they still need to be held.

How much does the Ruckeli carrier cost?

The price of the basic version of the baby carrier is just under 150 € for Natürlich Familie*. Here the headrests are without pattern. The carriers with patterned head support are limited and cost 15 € extra each.

From when can the Ruckeli baby carrier be used?

According to the manufacturer, the carrier can be used from a weight of 3.5kg to about 20kg. You can read about my experiences in the test below.

Presentation of the baby carrier in the video

In the following video you can see how the carrier is constructed and where the special features are.

More impressions about the Ruckeli baby carrier

In the following photos you can see some details of the baby carrier:

My experiences carrying with the Ruckeli Baby Carrier.

I am writing here about my experience with Ruckeli Slim. According to my experience, the Regular version only fits well on women from dress size 42 or L, although the Slim version can also be used here. You can find more detailed information on choosing a size on the Ruckeli website.

I have already used the carrier many times in carrying consultations, but also several times with my now 3-year-old daughter and received different impressions.

The Ruckeli baby carrier scored highly in terms of wearing comfort. The four-way distribution over the straps makes carrying really very comfortable. Depending on the proportions, however, it may be that not every part of the carrier rests evenly on the back, so it can come to pressure points, although this is much less noticeable to me because the weight is distributed over so many places.

Another point where care must be taken in the adjustment is the rear strap attachment. If this is pulled too tight, the abdominal belt slides upwards and is not always evenly on the abdomen, which can also be uncomfortable.

Many parents find it much easier to put on the carrier than with a classic full-buckle carrier, since no connecting buckle has to be closed at the neck. Many parents also find it pleasant to undo the carrier, because the buckle to be undone is easy to grasp and reach at the front.

If these terms overwhelm you, I described and explained all the common carrying options in more detail some time ago in my article Carriers at a glance - What to consider?

Overall, the Ruckeli baby carrier offers a whole range of adjustment options. This can be confusing at first, but is easy to understand once the system is understood.

I myself find carrying on the back very comfortable. Wearing it on the hip creates a much more one-sided load, but this is distributed relatively well. When carrying on the hips, however, it must always be checked individually whether the baby is adequately supported. In addition, you should wait at least until the baby's head is safely controlled.

The fact that the carrier can simply be rolled up and put into the pocket on the abdominal belt is very practical; both for transport on the road and as a supported hip seat for children who are already walking themselves and only want to be held briefly.

From the adjustment options for the babies I have made the experience that the Ruckeli baby carrier is not immr with newborns or already from 3.5 kg suitable. Especially the head area was sometimes not sufficiently supported. Although the back section can be shortened very well at the sides, the fabric then jams in the middle, which can result in a lack of support.

Overall, many parents find the adjustment option for the back part length very uncomplicated and practical. Thus, they did not have to pay as much attention to ensuring that the height fits well directly when they put it in.

Since the bar adjustment is not completely stepless due to the knobs, it should be noted that one more knob can also be used on one side, with the other side being used on the next enlargement level. This means that the gaps are not quite as large. How long the bar width fits depends on the child's proportions. In my consultations, it was between size 80 and 92.

When tightening the strap parts attached to the back part, I would always make sure not to pull directly on the back part, because this creates more pressure on the baby's back. It is better to first bring the strap to the front and tighten the loose strap with the other hand.

The following photos will give you an idea of some of the steps involved in putting on the carrier.

You can also see how to put the carrier on in front of your belly in the following video:

Washing and care of the carrier

According to the manufacturer, the carrier can be washed in the washing machine at 40 degrees Celsius. I would always close all buckles and put it in a laundry net or pillowcase for protection. I would also reduce the number of spins. For washing, the middle part of Ruckeli can also be unbuttoned, so that it dries faster afterwards.

My conclusion about the baby carrier from Ruckeli

The baby carrier from Ruckeli has some special features that change the wearing experience. These include, for example, the carrier system with four attachments, as well as the possibility to store the carrier completely in the pocket on the waist belt. So, it offers a number of advantages.

Many parents like that the carrier is put on very differently than other full-buckle carriers, while still offering the benefits of a buckle carrier. However, I would recommend, as with all carriers ultimately, testing the carrier before buying.

In my article What makes a good baby carrier? you can read more about what makes a good baby carrier and what you should look for when trying out carriers.

I also recorded an episode of my podcast about what you should look for in a baby carrier, where I answer more questions.

If you are interested in full-buckle carriers, you can read another review of the DidySnap.

Your opinion

Have you already worn the Ruckeli baby carrier? What was the wearing experience like for you? Did you notice any advantages or disadvantages compared to other baby carriers?

I look forward to reading about your experiences in a comment!

Note from 07/05/2022

The Ruckeli baby carrier underwent some revisions a few months ago. However, these changes do not affect the carrying in my experience. For example, the excess fabric of the bar width can now be folded away to the side, which looks more coherent in the overall picture.

^*Thisis an affiliate link. I receive a small commission on your purchase for the referral.