Ergo Infant Insert - Camel

Comment: The Ergo infant insert is really hard to use. I felt like it was hard to know if I had it on right, no matter what I did though I never had a problem with my baby falling out. Something that attaches to the carrier would be easier so you'd know that it's on the way it's supposed to be. The Ergo is a very forgiving carrier in that you can have the straps so many different ways and it still works but using it for the first few times with an infant I was concerned about having it right. The other downside to the design of the infant insert is that it's basically like wearing a thick blanket so on hot summer it can be very uncomfortable, like walking around with a sauna attached to your chest. Also confusing was the discrepancy between the DVD and the printed instructions on when you're supposed to use the insert. I was very relieved once I got past the infant insert stage and love my Ergo without it. So does my baby!

Comment: My Son & Daughter-in-law say this is a fine product, and wish they'd had one for their daughter.

Comment: I love my ergo carrier dearly and especially now - with baby number 3 - would not know how to survive without it, but I could not for the life of it figure out how to use the infant insert correctly. I always had the feeling that it was uncomfortable for my baby and me. I ended up carrying my children in a wrap until they were old enough to use the ergo without the insert. If you do not own a wrap/sling or don`t like using one, there is a new infant insert out on the ergo carrier website. It allows you to keep the baby in a horizontal position. Maybe that would be an option.

Comment: My son is still too young and small to use the Ergo without the infant insert, so this review is strictly for the insert, as I can't rate the Ergo alone yet because he is not old enough to use it on it's own.

I went to the Ergo website, watched the instructional video several times about how to work this infant insert. Tried several times to replicate what I saw with my son, who was very patient with me, thank goodness, with no luck. My son is almost 3 months old, and it is physically impossible for him to sit centered in the carrier with his bum at the little bump above the waist band, bottom at my belly button level, head centered, and legs off to one side - as they describe in the video. Maybe the insert works with newborns who can just curl their legs up, but my son is older and bigger likes to move his legs so that would not work for him, and it is just physically impossible to arrange him the way they show and have him and myself be comfortable. The leg under him ends up bending and kneeing me in the stomach, which is uncomfortable to say the least, and by the time I get all the straps tightened down, the whole thing is sitting entirely too high on my body, making it impossible for me to nurse him if I chose to try, and the entire thing just feels tight and uncomfortable and awkward. Even once I get everything tightened down, I still feel as if he is going to slip right out, even after following their video instructions perfectly. I would not feel confident at all to do any kind of hands-free work that I have to get done.

I am hoping I can just use the Ergo, without the insert, when he is old enough. But honestly I feel like for a whopping $94 for the carrier alone, plus $25 for the insert (purchased both from a "mom and pop" store near our home), I feel like the carrier should go from infant to 40 lbs, as Ergo claims, easily and comfortably. Overall it's just incredibly frustrating and not at all as easy as the video promises.

Comment: I'm writing for both my Husband and I - I rate it a 4 and he rates it a 2 so we agreed it's an overall three.

Pros: Our baby sleeps instantly in this carrier. Regardless of all else, I love it for this. I actually found it pretty easy to use but I have been carrying my other child in this carrier since she was 6 months (and for a 6-mos old, both of us rate the ergo a five-star carrier) and I still do today (she is 2.5) so maneuvering it was pretty easy once I watched the instructional video on their site. I didn't have to buy a new carrier. It's ergonomically fantastic and fits my body better than most carriers (I am short and short waisted) and I walk a lot up extremely steep hills (San Francisco) while pushing my toddler in a stroller.

Cons: Contrary to what I think, my husband finds it difficult to use. As a result, he cannot easily transfer our sleeping newborn to the crib or sleeping area from the ergo without waking him. He also feels as if the baby is slipping out in the infant insert. I have not found this to be true but no body wants to worry that their carrier is not secure. Finally, he feels like we could have just sewed one of these up ourselves. I have to tease him about that as we own no sewing machines and neither of us can sew anything but a button but I will let him have his point because it sounds like a lot of other folks found simple, free (blankets) products to use instead of the insert. As a final point - this is not what I select my carriers for but I know other moms who do - if you are looking to nurse while the baby stays in the carrier, this is not easy to do with the ergo infant insert.

Synopsis: The ergo is a fantastic, comfortable carrier that easily grows with your child and allows for long distance walking with comfort. However, the INSERT for infants can be a challenge to use and its design is more like an afterthought rather than well crafted like the carrier itself.