Ergo Baby Carrier - Black/green

Comment: This last one, I literally ripped it into 4 pieces in a fit of rage. I guess my baby doesn't like doing a full split when he is riding in a carrier. Who would of thunk? So he would bring his legs in and then slip them down the front belt thing. Oh yeah, all while screaming right into your face. Maybe this is because he is only 5 months, but I was so fed up I totally destroyed a 100 pieces of baby apparatus. Not for all babies.

Comment: I have come to loathe this thing. The only use we've managed to make of it has been as a backpack, if one or the other of us is around to put our son into it. However our carrier for hiking is far more comfortable and doesn't require two people to operate easily. Once he's in the Ergo, he seems okay (if a bit sweaty), but trying to get him in and out solo just feels unsafe.

The side carry is absurdly complicated and uncomfortable (for us and our son). We've followed the instructions to the letter and one strap cuts across the neck, another seems to bind our son uncomfortably and the whole experience is more physically demanding than if we just carried him on our hip without the pack. What other pack requires instructional videos to operate?

We started with a Bjorn and went with the Ergo due to a few recommendations and good reviews. The Bjorn pretty much does one thing, but it does it simply and comfortably. The Ergo tries to do several things, but doesn't succeed fully at any of them. Maybe its me, my wife, my sister and mother in law and various others who have tried to use ours (and been willing to undergo the training required), but this carrier is FAR more trouble than it's worth.

Comment: Baby carriers in general are AWESOME, and every parent needs to find one that's right for them. That being said, I got this one because my baby is getting so big, and I heard this one is slightly more comfortable than the Bjorn. However, my baby prefers being on the front facing out, which is not an option with the Ergo. She's going to have to get used to the Ergo, however, because my shoulders (which is where most of the weight goes when you wear the Bjorn) can't take much more weight (she's now 19+ pounds), and the Ergo puts some of the weight on your hips.

Another small point is that the material the Bjorn is made out of is less chemically-smelling than the Ergo. My baby puts her mouth on the material, so that's another thing to consider.

They are both really nice carriers, all in all. If I had to recommend just one, I'd probably say the Ergo because it is usable longer.

Comment: I ordered this after seeing a good friend use it for her one year old. I tried it for a few short walks with my one year old on both my front and my back. I found that the waist strap didn't have enough length to adjust to fit me (I am a size 12). I also found that I couldn't get it adjusted so that the buckles at my sides didn't dig into the backs of my arms. Also, keep in mind that the baby cannot ride on your front facing out (for when he/she gets older and wants to be able look around more). I'd also suggest that it be used from the time the baby is little so he/she can get used to it. My daughter didn't seem to like it much. I sent it back and received a refund.

Comment: I would most definately NOT recommend this carrier to anyone. I am ashamed to say, even as a physiotherapist, I was swayed by the great marketing, however was incredibly disappointed with the poor design and though of this product.We bought it as well as the infant insert, and looked forward to being able to "wear" our baby. We paid careful attention to the instruction DVD. Our daughter felt so unstable while in the infant insert, we gave up on it and waited until she was 4 months old and had good head control to try the carrier again.
At four months, the carrier was functional but certainly not pleasant for her. We used it with her on our chests. The straps cut right by her face when she would try to look out. Have a careful look at the advertising pics of babies in the carrier and you will see what I mean. To ensure that she wasn't sagging, she had to be strapped in incredibly tightly, which meant that it was difficult for her to move her arms, and was also incredibly hot.

Now that she is bigger (10 months) it is even worse. She absolutely hates it, whether she is on our chest or back. We tried her on the back today while berry picking. In an effort to see past the terribly designed straps, she had to extend her neck way backwards, and had red marks where the strap had cut under her armpit as she had put her arm over the strap in an attempt to have some freedom of movement. There is no support for the back of the baby's head, which can be a real problem for babies who don't have good head control yet.

In addition, the area of the carrier under her buttocks still cuts into her legs - it is far too wide. This carrier also forces the baby's legs to be widely abducted (spread apart) which isn't so much of a problem now that she is bigger, but when she was younger, it was almost as if she was doing the splits.

In addition, we bought the organic cotton option. Nowhere at all on the carrier is there a label to actually say that it is organic cotton. It only says that it is cotton, so we probably paid more for nothing.

This carrier is not cheap. Don't waste your money.