Ergobaby review

I hadn’t really planned on reviewing the Ergobaby carrier, but after using it for Race for Life at the weekend, and after the huge amount of questions I got about it following my Race for Life blog post I decided that I should share my view of it.

I can only compare it to the Baby Bjorn baby carrier which is what we had for L when she was a baby in France (when we moved back to the UK we sold all our baby stuff and have started afresh here). I really loved the idea of carrying my baby in the Baby Bjorn but the reality was very different, I never found it to be overly comfortable, and L was a tiny baby so I have no idea how others manage with bigger babies.

I carried her looking towards me (2 months old):

L in Baby Bjorn

And I carried her facing outwards, which I have since discovered is bad for the baby (age 4 months):

L facing outwards

Neither position was particularly comfortable and both hurt my back after no time at all (and look how tiny my 4 month old is in the photo above).

When we had C I really wanted to carry/wear her but I did my research into carriers this time and I asked my trusted friend, Twitter. The unanimous reply was the Ergobaby carrier, which you can wear on the front, on the side and on the back, always keeping the baby in optimum position, without damaging your back. What I loved is that you can carry a child up to 18kg in it, which then avoids having to buy and lug around those big, frame rucksack carriers.

They are pretty expensive (about £80 new from Amazon) but I was incredibly lucky as I stumbled across one in our local children’s charity shop for a mere £30 which included the newborn insert.

So, do I rate it?

First of all I didn’t get on with it at all – C was a bigger baby than L but was still pretty small (3.2kg/7lb at birth), and the newborn insert just didn’t work for her, or for me. She hated being scrunched up inside it and I really struggled to put her in it, despite watching tons of videos on You Tube of her how to use it.

Now, however, it’s a totally different story. It’s so comfortable for both of us (aged 6 months):

C in front carrier

I’ve carried her in it lots, as has Hubs (he’s about 12cm taller than me), and both of us find it really comfortable, and can carry her for long periods with absolutely no problem (aged 4 months):

Hubs carrying C

This weekend was the first time I tried back carrying, and it was even more comfortable than front carrying, I literally felt like I was carrying next to nothing. In fact, at one stage L wanted to be carried too, so I had my 18kg 6 year old in my arms and my 7.5kg 8 month old in the carrier on my back and felt fine (I am no weight lifter!).

I don’t have any great pictures of the back carrying during Race for Life so here’s a selfie I took at home (please ignore the state of the room around us!):

C in back carrier

(I’m leaning forwards as I’m no good at selfies, not because of the carrier!)

I don’t have any photos of the side position as, having tried it at home on the side, I don’t feel overly confident in the safety or comfort of that position, but maybe that can be said for all side carriers, as I’ve not tried any others so can’t compare.

If I were to have my time over I would use a sling for the first few months (up to 7kg when you can then use the Ergobaby without insert) – maybe someone can recommend a sling for new mums as I’ve never used one? Then I would move on to the Ergobaby with absolutely no hesitation. If you’ve got the Baby Bjorn, good luck. Maybe you get on with it better than I did.

If you are looking for other sling/carrier reviews I can recommend:
Bod for Tea’s Kiddy Heart Beat vs Ergo Baby Carrier review
My Two Mums Babasling review

Disclosure: I did not receive any product or compensation for this blog post, I am writing it in response to questions received about my baby carrier. All opinions are my own.

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8 Responses

  1. AtoZ Mummy says:

    Thank you for this review! I used a money wrap when A was little which was great but as it has a big knot somewhere on the side and I was feeling horribly overweight I was too self conscious to use it outside much but I did wear him a lot around the house. I too have a Baby Bjorn classic carrier and am not a huge fan – I like the ease of putting it on and off and have use it a lot (facing inwards) but I think our days are numbered as it kills my shoulders. I am quite tempted by this one now – I might check eBay for second hand ones x

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      I can’t recommend it enough and I know people on Twitter who have used it with toddlers up to 18kg and had no problems. I hope you manage to find a decent-priced second hand one.

  2. Gaby says:

    A couple of things – good first slings are Close or Kari me stretchy wrap type slings. The close has rings on it so easier to put on. The Kari me you have to tie around you and both allow you to have a baby close in a variety of positions. Pouch slings have been found to be dangerous for young ones.

    Babybjorn type slings dangle the legs which is bad for the hip development and front facing carries put the back into the wrong shape – an S which is not good for the baby.

    Last point – Ergos are great but please be careful when buying one especially second hand as there are quite a few fakes circulating which have been known to have straps break etc allowing the little one to fall out.
    http://counterfeitergobabycarrier.blogspot.co.uk/ Look at this post and it shows you how difficult fakes are to spot or google for yourself.

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      Thanks for all this information, especially about the fakes – I knew nothing about that!

  3. Hannah Ruth says:

    We loved our Ergo and my husband still carries our toddler in it occasionally even now. We did like the infant insert for the first few months – he was born in October so it was like a cosy little cocoon for him all winter! I recommend this carrier to everyone too.

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      C was born in November too, but maybe it’s because I didn’t use the carrier immediately so she didn’t take to it, or maybe I just never did it properly! Glad you like it too 🙂

  4. Daisy Burton says:

    We have the Ergo 360 which has recently come out and we love it. Like you, we didn’t get on with it when little boy was a newborn but now at 8 months it’s worth its weight on gold! Love it.

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      Would you believe we’re still using ours and Clémence will be 4 in November?! It’s brilliant for back carrying older ones too, love it still 🙂

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