Last fall, as the end of my pregnancy fast approached, I became obsessed with baby carriers. Brought about by a combination of the nesting instinct, the recall of the Baby Bjorn Active, and my stroller-unfriendly brownstone stairs, my weeks-long quest to find the perfect tot toter found me grilling innocent baby store proprietors, stopping new parents on the street, and, perhaps most bizarrely, searching the Internet for obscure German carriers unavailable in America.

My criteria were comfort – an absolute necessity – ease of use, and style. As much as having a baby has brought out my Earth Mother side, I am not prepared to walk the city streets in a Guatemalan-print sling.

The carrier search made me something of a buff, but now, after six months of using the four (yes, four) I ended up purchasing, I’ve become a veritable baby-carrier expert. Now I’m the one getting stopped on the street.

So, in an effort to spare others the grueling and often puzzling search for the perfect pouch, here’s my list – in order from our least to most favorite – along with where to buy them.

Baby Bjorn Active Carrier
www.babybjorn.com, $119.99 at Amazon.com

Given its ubiquitous presence on the chests of parents throughout the city, I had assumed that the Baby Bjorn was the standard-barer for baby carriers. But almost every new parent I knew complained that long walks using the regular Bjorn hurt their backs and, therefore, recommended going for the additional lumbar support (priced at an additional $30) of the Baby Bjorn Active. Last fall’s recall was, in fact, due to this extra support – the additional flap fell off some carriers. So, assured that the kinks were now worked out, we bought one. Readers, I am here to tell you: It was a mistake! Despite its command of the market, the Baby Bjorn carrier – the most expensive we tried – was our least favorite. Even with the lumbar support, it still caused back strain. One point in the Baby Bjorn’s favor – and perhaps the reason it’s so popular despite the wealth of better baby carriers out there – is its sleek, sporty, decidedly unfeminine design. In our house, and in the houses of many other new parents I know, the Baby Bjorn has become “Daddy’s baby carrier.”

Weego
www.weego.com, $89

This is the aforementioned obscure German baby carrier I spent a week searching for after an exercise instructor declared that it had better back support than the Baby Bjorn. This corduroy number did indeed tie in back, and its snap-on diaper-like harness within a pouch design did seem more secure for a newborn than the Baby Bjorn’s somewhat wide-seeming leg openings. But by the time the baby got here, we seemed to have better carrier alternatives, so we didn’t break out the Weego much. Bottom line: I’m glad I found it on eBay for $35 instead of buying it at full price.

Hug-a-Bub
www.hugabub.com, $85 atwww.cottoncradles.com

Think of it as a cloth Baby Bjorn – this Australian carrier is actually one long piece of fabric you wrap around your body and stick the baby in. I was put off by the Hug-a-Bub at first because learning to tie it seemed too complicated – it even comes with an instructional DVD. But raves from other parents, as well as an amazingly thorough analysis of its pros and cons on the baby-carrier Web site www.cottoncradles.com, convinced me to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did. Lightweight and comfortable, the Hug-a-Bub provides the full-on back support for which the Baby Bjorn Active strives and – because the carrier is literally wrapped all around your torso – makes the baby feel nearly weightless on your chest. True, the $85 price tag does seem steep for what is, after all, one long piece of fabric with a cute pouch sewn on to it, and other, less expensive wraps on the market are basically the same thing. But the Hug-a-Bub instructional DVD justifies the extra price. The tying lesson was so clear and easy to follow that after two tries I was wrapping my Hug-a-Bub like an old pro.

Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Fleece Pouch
www.kangarookorner.com, $56

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Our favorite carrier hands down (literally) was also the least expensive. People stop us on the street to ask about this fleece pouch every time we use it. From the very beginning, the pouch showed its superiority in ease of use – just put it over your shoulder and stick the baby in it – and versatility – the adjustable snaps made it appropriate for use by either mommy or daddy. Plus, it wins style points for its clean, simple design. And, perhaps best of all, this was the carrier the baby preferred sleeping in. Made of Malden Mills fleece by a mom in Minnesota, the pouch comes in an array of colors too vast to mention – the hardest thing about this carrier was choosing what color to buy.

True, there were a few weeks when the baby was too heavy to carry inside the pouch without neck strain but still needed too much head and body support to sit in the hip-carry position (those were the weeks when our Hug-a-Bub use was heaviest). But now that our baby is sitting up, Kangaroo Korner is once again our go-to carrier, and if the pictures on the Web site are to be believed, our daughter can sit comfortably in the pouch right up into toddlerhood. The only drawback: the fleece fabric, while durable and with the perfect amount of stretch, is bound to be hot in the summer.

For this reason, we’re thinking of getting one of Kangaroo Korner’s lighter-fabric pouches: In addition to fleece, they’re available in poplin ($54), twill ($54), and solarveil ($58).

We’ve also heard good things from a new mommy friend about similar thick, padded, stretch-cotton pouches called Hotslings, available at www.hotslings.com ($36.50-$41.50, depending on design). Unlike the Kangaroo Korner models, these pouches aren’t adjustable, which means accurate measuring is of the essence. I’m still not sure if I’ll go with a Hotsling or a lightweight Kangaroo Korner for my summer baby carrier. But if history is any indicator, I’ll probably end up getting both of them.