The short version
In an Indian city without lifts or pavements, a carrier beats a stroller for the first eighteen months; wear the baby upright, face visible, high enough to kiss, chin off the chest. Buy a light stroller later for malls and holidays.
What happened
The stroller was the first big thing we bought, before he was born, in the way you buy a car seat in a country where most babies ride in laps. It was beautiful. It reclined, it had a cup holder, it folded with one hand. It also weighed nine kilos and we lived on the third floor of a building whose lift had been 'coming soon' since 2019.
Used four times. Each time involved carrying nine kilos of stroller and four kilos of baby down three floors, pushing it along a pavement that ended in a pile of sand after forty metres, lifting it over a drain, and then folding it into an auto while the driver watched with pity.
The carrier, bought as an afterthought for did everything. Stairs, market, auto, temple, wedding, doctor's waiting room. He slept in it, I ate in it, we walked the whole of Lalbagh in it. The only rule I learned the hard way was the newborn position: face in, high enough to kiss, chin off the chest, so the airway stays open. A proper carrier holds a baby that way by design; a loose sling doesn't, and the deaths in slings all come from the chin-to-chest position.
The stroller did eventually earn its place, at about eighteen months, on holidays with real pavements and in the mall on Sundays. I'd still buy one, later, lighter and cheaper. I wouldn't buy the nine-kilo one again, and I wouldn't buy anything with wheels before meeting the pavement outside.
A review in the Medical Journal of Australia of 17 infant deaths in baby slings found the mechanism was chin-to-chest flexion and face obstruction in a curled position. Safe babywearing guidance: baby upright, face visible and uncovered, high enough to kiss, chin off the chest. The AAP also notes that swings, car seats and similar devices are not for sleep.
Byard RW, Gilbert JD, Med J Aust 2011;195:321. Source · Red Nose, Hammocks and slings. SourceThe verdicts
LuvLap Royal hip-seat carrier, 6 to 24 months
Four positions and a hip seat that saved my back on long days. Used almost daily for a year and a half; check the weight and age range on the current model.
A structured newborn-safe carrier or an ergonomic one (LuvLap Galaxy or similar)
For the first six months, a carrier that holds baby upright and high, with proper head support. Check the chin-off-chest position every time.
Cubworthy, with a catch
A light, cheap umbrella stroller for after 18 months
For malls and holidays, when he's heavy and the pavements are real. Light, folds small, lives in the car boot.
The nine-kilo premium stroller with the cup holder
Meet your pavement before you buy wheels. Ours lived in the hall for two years.
Product details are as we used them; the version on sale now may differ. Check the exact model and the manufacturer's instructions.