This is my honest review of the Freres De Sang - L'agate - Signature Woven Free-to-Grow Baby Tula. This carrier is not on their website anymore, but it’s the burgundy red one with white bears. Purchased in October 2024.
I really want to love this carrier, but after 5 months of giving it a try, I’m selling it.
It is beautiful and well
...Read MoreRead more about This is my honest review of the Freres constructed, but it is not ergonomic for me and is bulky.
Why I’m not a fan. .
I know this is a size inclusive and free to grow carrier, but I was 5’2”, 150 pounds 36DD, carrying an 8 month old, 18lb baby when I started using this carrier and the straps dangled down to my knees while baby wearing. That’s a lot strap!
I cannot adjust or loosen the straps once I’m baby wearing, no matter how I adjust this carrier, I try to reach under my arms but I can absolutely cannot reach the buckle to loosen. It’s tried many different configurations and adjustments and it’s impossible. The only way to release baby is via the waist buckle or across the back buckle, which is fine, but if I want to loosen the carrier (essential for nursing while baby wearing) or make an adjustment by myself I cannot. Baby is a year now and 22 lbs and we are having the same strap issues.
The woven textured fabric of this particular model is beautiful, but beware it is not really nature friendly. If you wear a woven fabric carrier in the snow, the snow will stick to it and cannot just be brushed off. If you set it down on the forest floor while hiking, leaves and burs will stick to it and are difficult to remove without damaging the fabric.
The super padded shoulders are oddly excessive. Since the weight is mostly distributed on the hips they could have made this carrier with half the amount of shoulder padding and it would still serve its purpose but be more comfortable and less cumbersome.
Another issue is that the waist strap and envelope pocket in the front is so structured and bulky that it forces the hip strap to ride up the back. The rigidity of the waist strap and pocket make it nearly impossible to sit down comfortably while wearing this carrier.
Lastly, and this is just personal preference- the black straps over the woven fabric, especially on the front of the shoulders look terrible. Brown or lighter colored straps would look so good! While on the subject of straps again I’m not sure why there is SO much of the black strap covering the beautiful fabric on the front shoulders of this carrier.
I know I am being nit picky but for the price of the carrier (I paid $290!) this just isn’t it for me. I keep going back to my 2003 original ergo carrier with a similar design because it’s so simple and sooo comfortable. Tula may want to take a look at that original design because it’s amazing and they don’t even make them like that anymore.
Bottom line- if you are 150 pounds or less, I would absolutely not buy this carrier. Read LessRead less about This is my honest review of the Freres