Recommendation of the manufacturer: 8 – 20 months of age (from 70 – 75 cm, the maximum height limit is not specified), recommendation of the babywearing group Moderní nosičky (i.e. Modern Babywearers): 70 – 90 cm

Width x height of the back panel: 40 x 44 cm

OK, then. We are going to measure the carriers from now on and also try to take photos with as many children of different ages and sizes placed in them as possible to be hundred percent objective and not to blabber on about suitable carrier sizes.

We already tried Donkey carrier (which comes from a local manufacturer from the town of Orlová near Ostrava) during our trip to the Czech babywearing guru Vivina to her wrap/carrier kingdom. Both Linda and I thought that it was a ˈdecent carrierˈ, however, we were not able to say anything more substantial about it after only a short try. Currently, there is the medium-size Donkey carrier travelling around for testing in the group Moderní nosičky (i.e. Modern Babywearers) and I was naturally very curious about how it would pass more thorough testing.

My first impression – a well-sewn carrier, similar to the one-size LennyLamb carriers, that was worn a lot in the past. To be clear, all the stitches were in their places, there were no tears or pulls, but the Yaro wrap (I suppose it is a Yaro wrap – Yolka Toddler Red Blue) was quite lumpy. Besides the lumps, the wrap is a good choice for a wrap conversion – an all-cotton piece with higher weight, of practical colour, soft and compliant. The buckles and straps are of good quality, the straps had no tendency to turn in the buckles and did not loosen during carrying while it was not hard to tighten them even with the wearie on. The only remark about the quality of the carrier I have is that the wrap on the shoulder straps turned a little bit (probably due to previous long-term wearing) and the seams that were supposed to be on the sides of the straps changed their position. I was a little bit afraid that it would mess with the position of the back buckle but I did not notice anything while carrying so I consider this ˈflawˈ to be just aesthetic.

Adjusting the carrier is easy, minimalist and fool-proof; it is possible to pull the back buckle as low as my back wants it to be. I was very content concerning the child’s position in the carrier, both the ˈMˈposition of the legs and ˈCˈshape of the back; the back panel embraces the baby just perfectly. As far as the comfort for the wearer goes, the soft waist belt is pleasant in my opinion, suitable even for slim moms (the length of the padded part of the waist belt is 70 cm), however, I could imagine it to be a bit wider (we measured 12 cm). However, after seating Emilka into the back panel, I had to pay attention to the waist belt not to bend in the middle part so that Emilka did not sit on it but in the back panel ˈpocketˈ. The shoulder straps are padded just enough for me and my strap-crossing-loving back was relatively OK even after a longish walk.

Emilka is quite small for her age, weighting 9 kg and measuring 74 cm in 16 months of age – the medium size was just as custom-made for her, and the width as well as the height of the back panel fitted her perfectly. Certainly, there was still some space for growth left and with my undersized toddler in consideration, the upper limit of 20 months of age could be adequate. However, the carrier was a bit small for 18-months-old long-legged Helenka who measures 82 cm – but the kind ofˈit is still OK but we should buy a bigger carrier very soonˈsmall, no tragedy. Anyway, I have no idea where the above mentioned 90 cm limit came from.

Verdict: a very good carrier I actually have nothing negative to say about – except for the lack of possibility to detach the hood, which is a property you can put in your cart while ordering the carrier, though. Also, it would be SO great if the back buckle was detachable in case you want to cross the shoulder straps, but one should not expect too much wonderfulness in one place at one time, right? Either way, if you desire a “Czech LennyLamb carrier”, moreover made of a wrap of your own choice and a bit more affordable, I can recommend the Donkey carrier by hundred percent! ? 

My thanks for the opportunity to test the carrier go to the Facebook group Moderní nosičky (i.e. Modern Babywearers).