Step Caddy child carrier. The best child carrier for preschoolers. Step Caddy is a piggyback Carrier.
Step Caddy child carrier. The best child carrier for preschoolers. Step Caddy is a piggyback Carrier.

The Best Piggyback Backpack Carrier

Step Caddy's is designed for bigger kids: active toddlers to preschoolers (2-5 years). Its unique design creates a totally weightless carrying experience. It is perfect for hikes, festivals, theme parks, travel, and family outings.

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Discover Step Caddy: a compact, lightweight child carrier. As seen on: AP, Morning News, ABC, Peacock, Fox News, BCS News and SI
Discover Step Caddy: a compact, lightweight child carrier. As seen on: AP, Morning News, ABC, Peacock, Fox News, BCS News and SI
Listen and Learn About Step Caddy

Child Carrier for Big Kids

Discover Step Caddy: a compact, lightweight child carrier for growing toddlers and preschoolers, perfect for outdoor adventures.

Nearly all Child Carriers for older kids are just larger versions of young toddler designs. They have not evolved to account for the differences in size, weight and activity.
- They are cumbersome to get into.
- The kid sits uncomfortably facing your back, legs and arms dangling out the sides.
- They place all the child's weight on your shoulders and back.

That's where the Step Caddy is different. The Step Caddy child carrier is designed for the larger, heavier, more active child.

Discover Step Caddy: a compact, lightweight child carrier with hip-lock straps, 1680D ballistic nylon, and magnetic locking buckles.  
Step Caddy toddler carrier for outdoor adventures with kids, perfect for hiking and family outings.

Eliminate Back Pain

From day one, Step Caddy was designed with the primary goal: to eliminate back strain while carrying bigger kids. While many carriers claim comfort, most still place the child's weight high on your torso, forcing your spine to compensate and your posture to suffer.

Step Caddy takes a smarter approach, positioning your child in a natural standing stance shifting all the child's weight directly to your hips. This frees your back of strain, improves your posture, and gives you greater balance and mobility on any terrain.

Customer: "I was absolutely blown away with how light my kid felt when I was carrying him."

XRay of Adult Male Spine.
Discover Step Caddy: a compact, lightweight child carrier what prevents back pain.  
Step Caddy toddler carrier for outdoor adventures with kids, perfect for hiking and family outings.

Unrivalled Ease-of-Use

The piggyback standing position is a game changer because it is easy for your child to mount and dismount without fuss or the need for any additional supervision. Step Caddy's piggyback position, thoughtful ergonomic designs, patented waistbelt with stirrups, and the new magnetic self-locating and auto-locking buckles deliver safety, comfort, and unparalleled convenience.

Customer: "It features some very cool buckles to attach the shoulder straps which make putting it on a simple task."

Shared Adventures and Special Moments

Piggyback carriers turn every walk into an adventure by giving your child the same view that you have. Traditional carriers keep them stuck behind your back, Step Caddy lets them see, hear, experience everything, and engage with you. Whether you're exploring a trail, wandering through a market, or navigating a crowded festival, your child stays connected, curious and chatty.

Customer: "He was so happy riding on my back, his mood rebounced and he got all chatty all the way to the car."

Lightweight. Durable. Packs Small

A critical feature of the Step Caddy child carrier is that it packs up small so it can be taken anywhere, even just in case. It is engineered to be supportive and firm where needed, comfortable with four layers of foam, and also to strategically fold so it can pack up small. Small enough to throw into your bag, trunk, or carry-on.

Customer: "It is still pretty small and I shove it at the bottom of my backpack."

The Best Child Carrier for Hiking

For parents who love the outdoors, the Step Caddy Child carrier is the perfect solution for hiking with a 2-year-old to a 5-year-old. Step Caddy offers unmatched comfort, ease of use, and flexibility. It allows toddlers, and preschoolers to walk when they want and ride when they need a break, all while keeping parents pain-free, hands-free, balanced, and mobile.

Customer: "I can't say enough good things about this product, makes hikes and walks so much more fun for them!"

Dad carrying kid with a Step Caddy child carrier, on a hike, walking towards a mountain range.

Invented by a Dad

Hi, I'm Nick Fishwick, a dad, an engineer, and the creator of Step Caddy, the best child carrier for outdoor fun; well, that's my completely unbiased opinion. In 2014, my kids were 5 years old, little but heavy, and they had outgrown the big framed carrier a long time before. I needed something that could pack up small but still take the weight off my arms, shoulders, and especially my back. So, I made my first prototype (seen in the photo) and they loved it. Finally, after a long pause followed by dedicated years of development and testing, the Step Caddy child carrier is ready. It is the best portable, packable child carrier there is. If your kids need the occasional lift, either periodically or just at the end of a long day, this is the child carry you need.

Step Caddy prototype child carrier with the inventor and his kids having fun in front of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Step Caddy child carrier. The best child carrier for preschoolers. Step Caddy is a piggyback Carrier.
Ergonomic preschool child carrier, with hip-lock straps and magnetic locking buckles. magnetic buckle toddler backpack.
Discover Step Caddy: a compact, lightweight child carrier for outdoor adventures with kids, the perfect toddler carrier for hiking and family outings.

Questions You Have Right Now

What Ages Can You Use Step Caddy?

Sling Carriers are for babies. The big Framed carriers are excellent for young toddlers who spend a lot of time watching and sleeping.
But when your kid gets more active, more energetic, more adventurous then the Standing Carrier is what you need. Step Caddy works best for kids aged 2-years-old up to 5-years-old, or up to 50 lbs.

How is Step Caddy different from Other Carriers?

In every way.
Step Caddy represents a new way of thinking about child carriers, with a focus on supporting the needs of older, more active toddlers and preschoolers (ages 2-5) while keeping parents comfortable, mobile, well-balanced, pain-free, and hands-free. It is a unique design that is based on biomechanics research.

1) Saves Your Back: The Step Caddy is based on biomechanics research, which is why it utilizes a special, patented load-bearing waistbelt combined with the piggyback rider standing position, completely eliminating strain from the adult's arms, shoulders, and especially the back. 

2) Greater balance, stability, and mobility: The higher the center of mass of the child, the more unstable the platform; you instinctively know this from carrying a child on your shoulders. Step Caddy transfers the weight directly to the hips; the child's center of mass is very close to the adult's, hence giving the adult normal levels of balance, stability, mobility, and improved posture on any terrain.

3) Exceptional Ease of Use: By positioning your child in a natural standing "piggyback" stance, with an exceptionally low center of mass, the weight is transferred to the hips, making it easier for them to stand up when they have climbed on.

4) Eco-Friendly Foams🌱: Algae-infused foam is a real innovation with practical, measurable benefits. Traditional foams rely heavily on petroleum-based polyols. Algae-infused foam replaces a portion of the polyols with algae-derived biomass, thereby reducing reliance on fossil fuels.  

5) Packs Up Small: so it can be taken anywhere, even just in case. It is engineered to be supportive and firm where needed, comfortable with four layers of foam, and also strategically designed to fold up small. Small enough to throw into your bag, trunk, or carry-on.

Are Piggyback Carriers Safe?

Yes, Step Caddy piggyback carrier is VERY SAFE.

1) Stirrups are built into the load-bearing waist belt. These secure the feet, prevent unplanned dismounting due to slips. The stirrups grip the feet during transits and relax and cleverly release the feet when dismounting.

2) Child Safety Harness is worn by the child prevents them from falling.

3) Magnetic Self Locking Buckles immediately lock the safety harness to the yolk with no hassle. The harness attachment points are at chest level, forward of the shoulders so the parent can see buckles with ease without craning their neck.

4) Web Tunnels for the harness straps under the grip handles. These protects the hands of the smaller riders. See, we've thought of everything.

Do Kids Like Piggyback Carriers?

Kids love Step Caddy.

1) It is the freedom from an hassle free onboarding and dismounting.

2) It is the high vantage point, so that they can see everything, and not be staring at a forest of legs or your back.

3) It is the interaction and chatting that comes from the proximity created. Step Caddy creates special shared moments, turning a tired child into a chatty child.

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Satisfaction Guarantee

Try Step Caddy risk-free for 45 days.
If it’s not your kid’s favorite ride ever, return it hassle-free.

Dad carrying 4 year old son with a Step Caddy child carrier.