Ergo Baby, Baby Bjorn, Moby

I really try not to collect too much baby stuff since we have a small house. So it's surprising that we actually do have all three of these baby carriers.  Lucky for us they were handed down or loaned so we didn't have to shell out megabucks for each one.

And since we have all three carriers, I figured I might as well share my thoughts on them.  Maybe those of you who are trying to decide which one(s) you should get for your baby will find this useful....or maybe not.

Ergo Baby (& infant insert)

 

Image sourch: http://www.ergobabycarriersstore.com/

I really wanted to like the Ergo Baby because it seemed more versatile than the Baby Bjorn.  You can buy the infant insert for small babies, remove the insert for larger babies, and switch the carrier to your back for toddlers. For {small} infants the Ergo Baby with infant insert works well.  Unfortunately, we only put our first son in the Ergo Baby with infant insert maybe twice before he grew out of it.  However, it did keep him all snuggly and comfy, and it also was comfortable for me to wear.  I don't know about others, but I'm super paranoid when carrying a young baby in carriers that they might suffocate.  I felt like it was difficult to check that my baby was still breathing while he was all bundled up in the infant carrier.  Once our {bigger} infant grew out of the insert, the Ergo Baby was not really very useful.  His legs weren't ready to spread wide enough to protrude out the sides, and the bottom didn't get tight enough to tuck him in the pouch without the added support from the leg holes.  He would've slipped out the bottom.  Now that our first son is over a year, the Ergo Baby does work well to carry him when carrying on the back.  It's hard to get a young toddler in by yourself though.  So all in all, I think the Ergo Baby is OK, but we don't really use it very often.

Baby Bjorn (original)

Image source: www.sweetrepeatstucson.com

Someone gave us their old Baby Bjorn and I'm glad they did because once our infant son had grown too big for the Ergo Baby with infant insert, we used the Baby Bjorn.  By "we", I mean my husband mostly.  I only found the Baby Bjorn comfortable as long as our baby was small enough to be chest-facing.  It was easier to check on the little one's airflow, but I felt like I had to lean forward and support his head with my hand whenever I was working on something because his head could flop around in the extra space.  Once our son was facing out, I didn't like the Baby Bjorn very much.  On our model the front flap that supports the baby's neck when they're really young didn't stay tucked down in the front so it was always in our son's face once he was forward-facing.  It was easier to load him in and tighten up than the Ergo Baby, but cannot be used on for carrying toddlers on your back. Still, we used the Baby Bjorn more than the Ergo Baby.

The Moby Wrap

Image source: www.thebabystoreplus.blogspot.com

I was skeptical of the Moby, even after a friend of ours raved about hers.  It looked like a hassle.  That friend loaned us her Moby for our second baby, and I've found it to be quite easy to use and comfortable.  I like that our infant's feet can be tucked in under the wrap and his position can be adjusted for comfort and breathing.   With the Moby, it's really easy to check on your little bundle constantly to make sure they've got good airflow, and you can either pull the fabric up more to support the head, or pull it down for visibility.  The Moby Wrap is also fairly comfortable to wear around without the baby, so you can just put it on once and take the baby in and out as you want.  I don't think the Moby will be useful for a toddler, but it's definitely my favorite of the three for an infant.

There is one other carrier that we've also found useful.  However, this one is not brand specific.  We picked up a baby {hiking} backpack at a garage sale and we love it for a baby that's big enough to have some neck strength and spread their legs into the legholes.  The really nice thing about these hiking backpacks is that they usually have a little "kickstand" that can be popped out so the backpack with the baby inside can be set down on the ground....good for loading/unloading and using as a chair for your baby while you're outdoors.

Wow!  Four carriers, all for one {and now two} little babies.  And that's not even counting the four different strollers we have!  Yikes.  Well, ya know, we needed a single stroller, then a single jogging stroller, then a double stroller, then a double jogging stroller.....sounds like it's time to unload some of the stuff we don't need anymore.