What baby carrier did you register or buy? (this is for a body/front carrier)

[Anonymous]

Ergo.

[Anonymous]

I have 3: the Moby, the Ergo, and the Bjorn. The Bjorn is my favorite.

The Moby was a pain in the ass to put on and when the baby was tiny I always felt like he was suffocating. Then when he got bigger it was too bouncy and didn't feel secure.

The Ergo is very supportive on your back, but it's still somewhat annoying to put on and more importantly it does not allow the baby to ride facing out (which my DS loved starting about about 4 months). The worst thing about the Bjorn, though, in my opinion, was that the waist strap was TOO TIGHT for my post-partum body. I am not overweight at all normally, although I did gain quite a bit of baby weight, and it really pissed me off that as crappy as I was already feeling about myself, I had to suffer the indignity of buying a WAIST EXTENDER from the Ergo company. (In addition to the $125 for the Ergo and the $25 for the infant insert). I was able to ditch the waist extender by about 3 months but it still made me so mad that a product specifically made for carrying babies was not large enough for an average sized woman post-partum.

The Bjorn is super easy to put on and allows the kid to face in or out. The active version is pretty good on your back as well. It's probably not ideal to use for very long periods of time because it holds the baby by the crotch and lets the legs hang, but my DS was always comfortable in it. We used it for long walks but not all day.

[Anonymous]

20:09 here. I meant to say the worst thing about the Ergo...

[Anonymous]

I've tried a number (admittedly never personally used to the Bjorn), and loved the Moby for the infant stage with #1 (#2 didn't really love being held at that point), but think the Ergo was the #1 best $$ spent on any piece of baby gear. It only works OK during the infant stage, but is terrific once they're old enough to sit in it properly (around 5-6 months), and it's especially great if you use it for a back carry. My first lived in it, and I'm once again using it frequently with #2 (8 months old.) And now and again it still gets used to give my 3 year old a piggy back ride.

[Anonymous]

ive tried a zillion of them. none are perfect, and what works at one age may not work that well at another. but for me, the baby k'tan was the best for the newborn period (it's basically the moby but already looped so a lot less fabric, easier to pack, and less maneuvering to get it on), and then the ergo for the older period. i agree the ergo can be a bit of a pain to fasten in the back if you wear the baby on the front but the comfort for me and the baby compared to other carriers is well worth it. my kids have never had a problem facing in though i can see where that would be a down side for some. i can still wear my 3 year old in there if i have to.

[Anonymous]

Loved my Baby K'tan for the early infant phase, then LOVE my Ergo now for later infant/toddler. DH & I both like the Ergo.

[Anonymous]

Would you recommend Ergo or Bjorn if you have back problems?

[Anonymous]

Olives and Applesauce. It is more comfy than the Ergo to me and has a built in infant harness so it is great for a newborn when the Ergo is still awkward.

I would NOT NOT NOT recommend a Bjorn to someone with back problems. An Ergo, sure.

The Ergo tends to be a lot of carrier for most until 4+ months minimum. The moby wrap or ktan are great until then. The O&A is great from birth.

[Anonymous]

My family has used the Moby, Bjorn, and Ergo. The Ergo blows everything else away in my opinion. The weight is on your hips, not on your shoulders. Very comfortable to carry the kid on the back or the front for long periods of time. When the Ergo arrived, we felt like we had a new-found freedom, as the baby is content on the parent's body while the parent is comfortable and has free hands to make dinner or whatever.

Only downside to Ergo for my family is that it is expensive and not readily available for a good price used, like some of the carriers that have been around longer. But I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

[Anonymous]

The other negative of the Bjorn is that once baby is older than a year, it gets really uncomfortable.

In addition to the Ergo, I'd also suggest that you check out Beco carriers. They are also $$, but really comfortable and will last to 35 or 40 pounds (if you will!). The Gemini (a new-ish model) has an option for the baby to forward face in a front carry. I have the Butterfly and have been using it comfortably since my babe was 8 lbs or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you recommend Ergo or Bjorn if you have back problems?

If you have back problems you may not be a good candidate for using a baby carrier. I actually never had back problems before, and my baby was quite small at the beginning, and yet using any kind of carrier made my back kill for 3 days. I tried the Ergo, the Moby, the Bjorn (the version with extra back support), and a few others that people lent me, and they all had the same result. I would think if you have back problems already it would be even worse. It was a bummer because I loved the feeling of having him right up against my chest, but my DH wore him a lot (he preferred the Bjorn) and the baby was was pretty happy in the bouncy seat or swing.

[Anonymous]

I use the Moby and my husband uses the Beco; I will probably use that, too, for back carries when the baby is too heavy for the Moby.

We also have a Bjorn and a Maya sling, and I never used either and probably won't now that the baby is over 16 pounds.

[Anonymous]

Typically back pain in a soft structured carrier means the user doesn't have the baby close enough to them -- pretty common error. I see babies worn too low/loosely in Ergos all the time.

Many people with back issues do use soft structured carriers quite happily. I would not choose a bjorn, though. I would want a soft structured two shoulder carrier: Ergo, Beco, Olives and Applesauce, etc.

[Anonymous]

I had a parents of invention ultimate baby wrap - very similar to a moby and LOVED it when my DD was ~ 3 months ish. We also used a bjorn with her, but I couldn't stand it once she got a bit heavier. I wish I had an ergo much earlier, but I used it all the time when my DD was 2/almost 3 until I got too pregnant to wear it anymore. So I totally vote wrap for those early days, bjorn for structured carrier when the baby is light, and ergo once you don't need the insert anymore.

[Anonymous]

Maya wrap (ring sling) from day 1 to around 4 months, Pikkolo from 3 months on. We could have used the Pikkolo much earlier if we'd had it. I know you can use a ring sling longer than we did, but once baby was over 15 lbs we preferred a two-shoulder option. We did get our money's worth from the Maya, though - baby spent most of his days in there as he wouldn't sleep in the crib during daytime.