My favorite baby carrier

I've been wanting to do this review sometime, and then when I saw on my friend Sharon's blog today that it's International Babywearing Week (Nov. 12-18), I knew I just had to get this posted today!

We've tried a sling and an Infantino (Bjorn type) carrier. But I just could not figure out the sling--when Eli was a newborn, the sling seemed to swallow him up, and when he was older and I tried him sitting up facing out it seemed like his legs were completely squashed in there. The only way I could kind of get the sling to work was with him on my hip, but it never felt secure enough for me to let go. So most of the time we used the Infantino front pouch carrier, but it always seemed to slip on me so it wasn't snug, and it hurt my back. Not to mention that once Eli was 15 lbs or so, he was just too heavy to carry in it. So before Hannah was born we looked into other baby carriers, and we decided on the Ergo Baby Carrier.

It had great reviews and looked like it would really work for us all the way from infancy through toddlerhood. Instead of the weight pulling on your shoulders, there's a thick band around the waist, so the weight is support there instead of your shoulders and back. It's very comfortable to wear! There are only two buckles, so it's quick and easy to get baby in and out. And it adjusts so Hannah is snug and tight right against me. Newborns fit in this carrier sideways, and even then she was nice and snug. She was so tiny in there, most people didn't even know I was carrying a baby! Then when she was about 4 months old, she could then switch so she saddled up against me instead of sitting sideways. I'll admit, there were a couple months then where she didn't like it, but I guess she got over it because now she loves it. AND there's a sleeping hood for baby, or a shade if you have a newborn. And there are enough small pockets on it for me to fit my keys, wallet, and a burp cloth.

This carrier can be worn on your front, hip, or back. The hip position felt horrible on me, but it works well on either the front or back. And even Eli can ride in it! He can still be worn on both the front and back, even as a toddler. We don't do this often, because he is an independent toddler, but in a pinch we have used it as an option.

Take a look at the pictures...

testing it out when we first got it

This was a Boston trip in which the sleeping shade was great for while Hannah napped.

This was a zoo trip and we started off with Hannah in the carrier...

...but then we did a flip flop of the kids so Eli could be up to see the zoo exhibits

someone's getting sleepy

worn on our New Hampshire vacation for long hikes
For day trips it worked just fine to wear a backpack in addition to the carrier.

We don't just use a baby carrier for special occasions. I most frequently use it every week when I go grocery shopping and need Eli in the cart. Every week the same cashier guy tells me my back must be hurting me because I'm wearing Hannah around and she's 9 months old now, and every week I tell him, "Nope, not at all. It's a good carrier!"

So there ya have it! My lovely review of the Ergo Baby Carrier.