I had a carrier like this from Graco, but it seems they don't make them any more. I cannot tell from the picture if this has a "base" for the child to sit on--facing the mother, or if that sling is for the child to sit facing out. If it is a back brace for the child while he sits facing the mother, this is a really good item. mine handled up to 40 lbs and I carried my one year old all over Boston for the day, hands free. I don't think it would be as comfortable for the child, or the mother, if the child faces out with his legs swinging all over the place. Maybe another web site has a better picture of the functionality of this particular brand. I recently looked and looked all over the web for something similar to what I had (18 years ago!) for my soon to be new grand-neices, but wasn't able to find any with a support for the child that would give the mom the ability to use her arm and hand. So--this one I would recommend if the child faces in, not out.