ERGObaby Carrier – $92
The ERGO carrier was
first recommended to me by another urban-dweller who swore the weight
distribution to the hips and shoulders was much better for women and their
aching backs. Whether science is on the side of the ERGO
or it just was a better carrier for me personally, it made a huge difference
when my daughter grew out of that easy-to-carry stage, yet I still needed to
get about town on foot. This softer and floppier cousin to the Björn is still
useful now that I have a two-year-old as the most efficient way of carrying her
short distances in a hurry, and I’m confident the padding on the shoulder
straps contributes to that comfort. The weight max is 40 lbs on
the ERGO, (higher than most carriers) and
even at this weight, it is still simple to move the kiddo in and out of the
carrier without assistance (although I did have difficulty with the back
position, however, another tester did not).
The ERGO is a series of
straps and buckles which can initially be confusing, but in learning how the ERGO works, it becomes fairly simple to sort out. Caveat - with every carrier, you’ve got to
read all of the instructions to ensure no baby droppage. The new ERGO
models have the very welcome improvement of the permanently attached chest
strap, eliminating those fishing expeditions as the buckles slide down your back
as you try to hold onto your wiggly bundle. The ERGO
has also updated the baby hood to keep the little heads from lolling. The snaps
go directly onto the shoulder straps, eliminating the extra steps and allowing
you to adjust the length of the straps depending on the size of your baby.
One complaint frequently heard is about the lack of options in
carrying positions. You cannot let the baby face out in this carrier; it’s
front-facing, shotgun and piggy back only. ERGO
counters that babies can get over stimulated when facing outwards and babies
are comforted when being held close while making eye contact with mom or dad. My daughter enjoys the inward facing position as long as she's pretty sure she's not missing anything. So while it's not the best choice for parade day, normal trips to her buddy's house are a-okay.
Style-wise the ERGO is fairly
unisex with a few patterns that could be considered ‘hip’, but the mostly dark solids in the ERGO repertoire keep it urban and simple enough to appeal to every type of mom and dad
with a load to carry. But if you really want to be fashion forward, this lady will pimp that ERGO. - April Peveteaux
Get it from Amazon.
Also in Organic.
