Ergo Baby Carrier

After researching the many baby carriers out there, I found the most positive reviews for the Ergo and now I know why. It is fantastic! Both me and my husband love it. It is very easy to put on and fit… to your size, it is comfortable to wear as it balances the weight on your upper body so not too much is put on your shoulders or back, and our baby loves it. We used the newborn insert for the first 2 months and now use it without. Both ways it has been great. I recommend the insert because without it, it would be difficult for your baby to be supported, although I think you could probably use a blanket for the same effect.

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First of all - if you are considering buying this carrier but aren't sure - DO IT! YOU WON'T BE SORRY!!! I did quite a bit of research and reading of reviews before committing to putting this on my… registry. Well, I am SO glad that I did. It was definitely among the top 5 best baby items to have. My son is now 9 months old and 25 lbs. and I am still using it and plan to continue using it until my son stops loving it! Why I love the Ergo: - Ease of use: yes, it seems challenging to get it on at first, and I'll admit it took a little bit of practice before I had mastered the front carry, but once you get the hang of it (only a few times), you'll be able to do it blindfolded. There are 3 different ways you can carry your baby. I prefer the front carry, but there is also a back carry and a hip carry. The back carry I have just started getting used to and love it. - Infant insert: I purchased the infant insert for when my little guy was too small to splay his legs apart. I literally started using it when he was about 1 week old and both he and I were addicted. It was wonderful for getting things done around the house, and for going on walks, going to the supermarket, breastfeeding. I did everything with it. - Comfort: Everyone would swear up and down that the Bjorn was great - when their babies were little, like less than 15 lbs. Once they hit 15 lbs, it starts to kill your back, not to mention that the positioning of the Bjorn is not healthy for your baby. The circulation to their legs gets constricted because their bums are not properly supported and they are facing out. In the Ergo, your baby sits naturally as though you would be carrying him holding his bum facing towards you, not facing out. Because of this natural positioning, and the use of the hip belt - not a waist belt - I can still comfortably carry my 25 lb. baby and have ZERO back pain. The shoulder straps and hip belt are so well padded that I never have shoulder pain either. - Quality and convenience features: The Ergo has several features that make it not only a handy carrier, but make it clearly a higher quality than other carriers. I have the carrier with the camel lining, and while it is not the organic cotton, it is 100% cotton. A very high quality, thick cotton with excellent padding. The convenience features include: a sun/privacy shade, which is especially helpful if you are nursing your baby in the carrier, if the sun is quite strong, or if your little one has fallen asleep in the carrier and needs his/her head supported. I love the sun shade. There is also a zippered pouch which is great for carrying a cell phone, keys, credit cards or whatever else. There is an additional pocket which holds the sun shade when it is not in use, but when it is in use, can be used for additional storage. I can't say enough good things about this carrier. It is definitely a MUST HAVE if you plan to babywear. It will make you want to wear your baby all the time!!!

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We have 4 month old twin boys and people have given us numerous baby carriers including 4 Baby Bjorns and several slings (Maya, Mei Tai, and ring slings). But our babies just don't care for those other… carriers and almost always start crying whenever we put them in the bjorn or a sling. Those other carriers are also so darn complicated I can't stand to even use them. Then a friend raved about her Ergo carrier so I ponied up the $105 and ordered one, and it is the BEST!! My boys never cry when I put them in the Ergo, and they usually fall right asleep. I think the reason they didn't like the Bjorn is because their arms can only stick out two awkward little holes which constrains them, plus they hang from their crotch whereas with the Ergo its more like a "seat pouch", and the material on the Bjorn is just not as soft as the Ergo. Lastly the Ergo doesn't hurt my back at all. I can't say enough good things about this carrier. Yes it is more expensive than the Bjorns, but not by much, and well worth it! We are thinking about buying a second Ergo and just selling all of our other Bjorns and slings.

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This is the one product I never leave home without (besides the major necessities). I started using the Ergo when my daughter was 2 months old - with the infant insert (which I didn't like at all), but… once she got to 3 months, I stopped using the insert. I have tried it all - the bjorn, beco, moby, hotsling, belle and this by far is my favorite. Why? It's the most comfortable. I can carry my daughter in this for hours without my back or shoulders hurting and it's easy to use. The bjorn, belle and hotsling really hurt my back and shoulders. The beco (although more aesthetically pleasing) didn't feel as comfortable and the moby, it was difficult to use and there was just too much fabric. Some areas for improvement: fabric design - basic colors, unappealing applique designs less padding on the shoulders - can't wear underneath a coat more breathable material - can get really hot in the summers Also, their customer service is GREAT! I emailed them to let them know about an issue I was having with the elastic safety belt around the waist and they sent me a brand new replacement! That's a company that stands behind their products!

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We have a Baby Bjorn (Original) as well as an Ergo baby carrier. I think both have their advantages and disadvantages, which I will try to explain below. We purchased the Ergo carrier before our daughter… was born based on the recommendation of a friend. However, we found that she could not sit in it comfortably at first. Before your baby can straddle your torso (until about 4 months/15 lbs), you have to put both legs on one side. I watched the instructional DVD several times and tried to place her into the carrier as comfortably as possible, but she did not like it at all. It didn't look comfortable either with her back twisted and body squished. This is when we decided to try the original Baby Bjorn carrier. Our daughter loved being in the Bjorn (facing in or out). This carrier is easy to put on and take off and quite compact. However, it was not very comfortable for me (especially as she got heavier) since it put a lot of pressure on my back and shoulders. The fact that there is no waist belt and little padding on the shoulder straps probably contributes to this. The newer Baby Bjorn Active carrier with lumbar support may alleviate some of these problems. (I haven't tried this product though, so I'm not speaking from personal experience). We used the Bjorn until she turned 4 months (about 15 lbs). I was so relieved when she could finally fit into the Ergo properly (with one leg on each side). It is so much easier on my back and shoulders. With the Bjorn, I could maybe last 15 minutes (at 15 lbs). With the Ergo, I can comfortably go for an hour or two (at almost 20 lbs now). I go grocery shopping and on longer walks this way. She seems very comfortable in it now. She's happy whenever I put her in it and will even go to sleep in it. (Sometimes, this is the only way I can get her to sleep). It looks a lot more comfortable than the Bjorn since she's sitting in it as opposed to being suspended from her crotch. I also don't have any trouble nursing discretely in the Ergo. Around 6 months I also began carrying her on my back in the Ergo, which was even easier on my back. I have found this to be really convenient when doing things around the house such as vacuuming, doing laundry, cooking etc. It's also nice for outdoor activities like apple picking, strawberry picking, hiking etc. I find these activities somewhat more difficult when carrying a baby in front. While it is easy to put your baby in the front carrying position by yourself, it takes some practice to wear your baby on your back. At first, I needed somebody to help me get her situated on my back, but now I can easily do it by myself. Some may not like the fact that you cannot face your baby outward in the Ergo (and some babies may not like facing inward). This has not been a problem for us. While our daughter loved facing outward in the Bjorn, she did not object to facing inward in the Ergo. Rather than being pressed up against me, she's sitting in it, so she can still look at things to the sides. One more thing about the Ergo - I would recommend purchasing the sucking pads (ERGO Sucking Pads - Cream). Our daughter loves sucking on the straps and it's just much more convenient to wash the sucking pads rather than the whole carrier. In summary, I think that both, the Bjorn as well as the Ergo, are good carriers, each with some drawbacks. The Bjorn is wonderful for a newborn up to about 12-15 lbs. Being able to have your baby facing in or out is a nice feature. Because of the strain on your back however, I would not recommend using this carrier with older/heavier babies. The Ergo is great for babies starting at around 15 lbs or when they are able to wrap their legs around you. It is much easier on your back and being able to carry your baby on your back can be convenient. For us, the Ergo was not very useful before our daughter turned 4 months as she was not comfortable with her legs on one side, but this probably depends on the baby. I would rate the Bjorn 3 stars (because it's so hard on your back and we could only use it for a few months) and the Ergo 4 stars (because we couldn't use it with our newborn). My recommendation would be to get one of each if you can. We bought a gently used Bjorn for less than $10, and I have seen a lot of these on Ebay as well as Craigslist. Maybe you could even borrow one from a friend. It just seems like a lot of money to spend on something you aren't going to use for very long. However, I loved carrying my newborn around in it, so I wouldn't have wanted to do without it.

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