REASONS TO BUY
Multiple positions for various ages
Soft mesh fabric
REASONS TO AVOID
Uncomfortable to wear
Harder to use and clean
Can feel bulky
LILLEbaby Complete All Seasons Review
Harder to use and wear option that isn't as cozy as the competition
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price: $100 List
By Juliet Spurrier, MD and BabyGearLab Review Team ⋅ Feb 19, 2018
RELATED: The Best Baby Carriers
The Skinny
The LILLEbaby Complete is a soft, structured carrier for children from newborn to toddlerhood. It offers several carry positions to accommodate your child's developmental needs, including front carry, either forward-facing or outward-facing, hip carry, or on your back. Compared to the best baby carrier contenders, the Complete includes some attractive features, like a removable lumbar support panel for added support. However, the carrier's overall padding doesn't suit everyone and lacks comfort for the baby and wearer. Wearers had trouble adjusting the Complete and learning to narrow the seat for little one's comfort. This difficulty results in frustration, hasty adjustments, and potentially shorter trips with your little passenger as they may struggle to stay content in this carrier.
Editor's Note: The LILLEbaby Complete gear review was updated on October 18, 2022, with additional sections to provide information and details to help you narrow down the options.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
LILLEbaby Complete All Seasons | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | $100 List $99.99 at Amazon | $90 List $69.99 at Amazon | $95 List | $60 List $59.95 at Amazon | $45 List Check Price at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A bulkier carrier with disappointing comfort for the parent and child | Comfy sling to wear and sit in with an easy to use design | Comfy for baby and parents but the fabric could be softer | Budget-friendly wrap style that is easy to use and comfy enough | Economical and comfortable but you need to hold baby when you put it on |
| Rating Categories | LILLEbaby Complete... | Nalakai Ring Sling | Maya Wrap ComfortFi... | Baby K'tan Original | Boba Wrap |
| Child Comfort (25%) | |||||
| Parent Comfort (35%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (30%) | |||||
| Ease Of Cleaning (10%) | |||||
| Specs | LILLEbaby Complete... | Nalakai Ring Sling | Maya Wrap ComfortFi... | Baby K'tan Original | Boba Wrap |
| Min/Max Weight | 7 - 45 lbs | 8 - 35 lbs | 8 - 35 lbs | 8 - 35 lbs | 7 - 35 lbs |
| Carry Positions | Facing In (7 - 45 lbs) Facing Out (6 mo - 45 lbs) Hip Carry (6 mo - 45 lbs) Back Carry (6 mo - 45 lbs) |
Facing In (8 - 35 lbs) Hip Carry (8 - 35 lbs *BGL recommends Head/Neck/Torso Control) |
Facing In (0 - 3 mo) Facing Out (3 - 6 mo) Hip Carry (6 mo - 35 lbs) |
Kangaroo Position (8 - 35 lbs) Hug Position (8 - 35 lbs) Adventure Position (8 - 35 lbs) Explore Position (8 - 35 lbs) Hip Position (8 - 35 lbs) |
Facing In (Newborn - 35 lbs) |
| Weight | 1.97 lbs | 0.9 lbs | Sm: 0.92 Lg: 1.16 lbs |
Sm: 0.89 Lg: 1.04 lbs |
1.41 lbs |
| Packable Size | Large | Small | Small | Small | Small (5.5 yards in length) |
| Fabric | Polyester, Cotton | 58% Bamboo 42% Linen |
Cotton, Polyester | 100% Cotton | 95% Cotton 5% Spandex |
| Hood | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Storage Options | Storage pouch below headrest, Lumbar pad, Mesh back panel | Pocket on the tail | Zippered pocket on the tail | Pouch on the belt. | Storage Pouch |
| Other Features & Notable | None | None | Available in two different lengths, standard and long | Azo Dye-free | None |
| Included Accessories | None | None | None | None | Storage Sack |
| Care Instructions | Machine wash warm, hang dry | Machine wash cold, hang dry | Machine wash cold, hang dry | Machine wash cold, tumble dry low | Machine wash cold, tumble dry low |
Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲
Our Analysis and Test Results
LILLEbaby is grounded in Scandinavian design principles of stylish, functional, and obtainable. Designer Lisbeth Lehan founded the company intending to create baby products that reduce hassle, simplify the process, and improve quality of life. They researched and designed the Complete to be what they hoped would be comfortable, functional, comfortable, and stylish.
Performance Comparison
Our little testers had trouble being truly content in the LILLEbaby Complete.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Baby's Comfort
The Complete has a softer mesh fabric than other mesh we saw in this review, but baby comfort is still lacking overall. This carrier has some adjustability designed for children of different ages and sizes. However, it still struggles for true comfort for everyone, and our little testers needed some help staying content in the carrier, indicating some discomfort.
Parent's Comfort
The Complete performed below average in our tests on parent comfort, indicating it is not a carrier we consider very comfortable to wear, especially for longer adventures.
Between the padding and features, the carrier feels bulky. Parents with larger frames (primarily men) liked the wider padding on the shoulder straps and waistband. But, more petite-sized users (primarily women) felt the padding was uncomfortable and remarked that the super thick padding on the waistband rubbed while walking and dug into legs while sitting. This is a problem during the front carry (above left). Making adjustments for comfort was difficult as the straps are stiff, and some testers never found a comfortable "fit," especially in a back carry position (above right).
Ease of Use
The Complete is not user-friendly out of the box, with very few testers being able to adjust the straps intuitively. The directions are particularly confusing for changing to "Narrow Seat."
Adjusting the LILLEbaby Complete is difficult when wearing the carrier, and testers struggled with on-the-go changes due to stiff straps.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
We experienced difficulty adjusting the straps and putting the carrier on for back carry. Eventually, We determined that putting in on front carry and rotating is the easiest way for many testers. Overall, getting everything adjusted was cumbersome and frustrating.
The LILLEbaby Complete is harder to clean than some of the competition because it is harder to spot clean and must hang to dry.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Ease of Cleaning
The Complete is not the easiest to clean despite being machine washable in warm water. While we appreciate that it's machine washable, it would be nice if it was tumble dry instead of hanging dry. Depending on where you live, its thick padding could take longer to air dry, meaning you'll be without a baby carrier until it's thoroughly dry and ready for babywearing.
Should You Buy the LILLEbaby Complete All Seasons?
Comfort is vital to a successful babywearing journey, especially if you intend to use a baby carrier for the long haul. The Complete is designed to grow with your family, working from newborn to toddlerhood, but it lacks the level of comfort we expect. Those with a slender or more-petite size may feel particularly uncomfortable wearing the Complete due to the carrier's thick and wide padding. Since the lineup includes more comfortable contenders that deliver a better user experience, we suggest passing on the Complete.
What Other Baby Carriers Should You Consider?
If longevity is at the top of your priority list, the Tula Free-To-Grow is a better option. It's a higher-scoring contender that works from newborn to toddlerhood (7-45 lbs, the same weight range as the LILLEbaby Complete All Seasons) and is more comfortable for both parent and child. It offers fewer carrying positions than the Complete, which may or may not be a deal-breaker for you. If you're open to other baby carrier styles, the Nalakai Ring Sling is a comfortable sling option. It fits parents of different sizes and is less bulky, so you can easily stash it in your diaper bag or under your stroller.
Manufacturer Video
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Juliet Spurrier, MD and BabyGearLab Review Team
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