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We've been lucky enough to try out several different kinds of baby carriers in our home, and unlike other dubious baby products hawked to the masses of new parents, I think these devices are genuinely useful. Why lug around that huge stroller when you can strap on one of these? Well, the reason, we've learned, is that after a while, you get tired and sore from carrying around your little sack of sugar, and even the best carriers and slings are somewhat restrictive. These two brands claim to offer the best possible infant-carrying experience, so we tried them both out.
I'll start with the K'tan ($55). This is, to my taste, one of the more attractive carriers around. It doesn't have a lot of buckles and strange designs and padding, so parents who wear it generally don't look foolish. It employs the simplicity of the cool "sling" design, while using two straps instead of one to share the load with both shoulders, sort of like the all-popular (but ugly) Björn (see a recent review below). It's the best of both worlds! Except it's super difficult to put on. It's like some kind of puzzle and if you don't have the directions in front of you, you probably won't succeed. My wife left for a walk with this thing on and returned five minutes later because she'd put it on wrong. This is a drawback with a squirming baby.
The Ergo ($92), on the other hand, is easier to load up. It has two big padded straps for your shoulders and has gotten very high marks from all of our hippie-type friends with kids. They like its versatility (you can use it on your back, too) and (perhaps obviously) its ergonomic design. It really is the most comfortable carrier we've found. Drawbacks: it doesn't look that cool, what with all that padding, and it spreads your kid's legs kind of wide, so it might be a stretch for the chubby or small-legged. Also, it doesn't allow for the popular "facing out" option, although personally I think babies look silly and helpless like that, like big ornaments. But that's just my opinion. Overall, I'd say go with the Ergo, unless you really crave simplicity and fashionable perks — in which, case you must be willing to put up with the yoga-type moves necessary to enter and extract yourself from the K'tan. — Arthur Bradford |
