I had been thinking about getting this carrier for months. I recall hip carrying my other children and it being easy but with this one even at just 9 months it felt too hard. I got this and now I’m not trying to hand her off to my husband. She sits there with ease! The shoulder pad is perfect in padding but also balance without hurting any muscles (remember it’s a shoulder pad, not a neck pad, this changes the experience entirely). I carried her all around the markets with ease and got many compliments and questions.