Hellobee

We had the Bjorn comfort and liked it. It has a lot more support than a regular Bjorn because of the hip belt. Of course, it’s also pricier. But it’s a good option if you have a baby who likes to face out instead of in, as ours did.

I also used the Moby until probably 3 months, and Baby Y would nap in it and become calm if he was fussy, but agree that it is super annoying to put on. It does get easier, but it’s still something I rarely wore out of the house because it was too cumbersome to put on elsewhere.

I made a “fauxby” Moby — Googled the right amount of fabric, bought it at the fabric store (t-shirt type fabric) and voila. You don’t even have to sew anything!

I have the Beco Gemini and I love it–except for the cons you mentioned. I would definitely recommend it to a friend, we’ve been using it with LO since the beginning. She hated the Moby and the Maya Wrap.

I used a Moby when DD was first born and then got an Ergo when she was about 2m old which we used with the insert until she was 5m and could comfortably be without it. We used our Ergo pretty much exclusively at WDW when DD was 18m. At 28m/25lbs she still likes the Ergo and will agree to be carried some (although she much prefers walking). I have a pouch sling and made a ring sling which we used for a little while, like for quick trips in and out of stores, when she insisted on being carried in our arms.

For LO#2 I plan to use all the different carriers I have as much as possible since I will have a 2 1/2yo in addition to the baby. Currently I have 2 pouch slings, 2 rings slings, 1 Moby, and 1 Ergo (with insert).

I’ve tried almost all carriers out there, including ones made by WAHM’s. My all time favorite is the Kinderpack. It comes in 4 different sizes to fit infants up to preschoolers. The prints are gorgeous and it is SO comfortable. I have converted all of my friends over. Her carriers undergo weight, stress and lead testing, just like the retail brands, so they are 100% safe.

we have the ergo sport, but I wouldnt recommend it for new borns, I think its better for older babies and the newborn insert can get a bit awkward and hot in the summer. But I do like it for older babies and love that I can carry my baby on my back which leaves my arms free to do stuff.
we also have the baby bjorn, its great for smaller babies but I try not to use it too much because it doesnt support the baby’s body properly.
Finally we have a sling by seven. its ok I guess but bit awkward. I havent used it in a while. I got it for free so I dont mind having it but I wouldnt pay for it

At this point, I have 3 carriers and one on the way… obsessed much? I used a SBP ring sling almost exclusively for the first 2 months. We’ll start using it again a lot more, I think, once LO is ready for a hip carry. We have the Ergo and the insert. Neither LO nor I ever felt comfortable with them. A little too overwhelming. Right now the favorite is the Beco Butterfly II. I like that it has a panel the goes between the baby and the wearer. I think it’s going to make back carries a lot easier down the road. And it’s much trimmer than the Ergo… less overwhelming. I’m waiting for my custom Babyhawk to come in the mail. Can’t wait to try it out!

We have the Bjorn Synergy, Infantino wrap and tie, and ERGO Performance and my favorite is the ERGO. The Bjorn Synergy is great but definitely not as comfortable as the ERGO. I bought the Infantino one to travel with with my oldest since it’s all fabric but haven’t used it since and this was 2 years ago. Too many straps. Haha! It’s similar to the Mei Tai.

I’m planning to get the Ergo. I have to have the waist belt to support the baby’s weight or my injured back will crumble.

I have the Beco Gemini and love it so far (baby is 5 weeks old). Obviously we haven’t tried many positions, but sometimes it is the only way she will calm down and sleep.

I have the ergo and the moby. I loved the moby when he was little because I could face him outward, which he really liked. I regret not doing research and finding the Gemini before buying the Ergo. I hated the infant insert. My December moms group is full of Gemini lovers!

I love that my ergo has a hood, Wonder Baby falls asleep way easier with the hood on. That sets it apart from the other soft structureds for me.

mrs. high heels, it’s like your reading my mind with all these comparison guides. i’ve been going crazy researching the multitude choices and love your simple, informative rundown–thank you!

@Mrs. Stroller: how do you face them outward in the moby??

I have the beco gemini, moby and also the maya ring sling. I love them all for different reasons. The moby was best for when he was less than 3 months. Now he seems too big for me to comfortable carry him in it.

The beco he didn’t like as a little baby either, at 5 mos he’s just now starting to kinda like it. As you said though, I hate that there is no pocket. You can go to paxbaby to get a custom cover with a pocket

The maya worked for all our needs and it fits great in the diaper bag.

@Coco Bee: I wrapped it just like I was going to carry him inward with the X across the front, but then stuck him facing outward with the X going across his body so that it came up through his crotch and over his shoulders and then lifted the panel up and over his belly to secure him in place. I watched youtube videos to figure it out

I loved the carry when he was little because I could stick him outward and he would be content looking around. In the Ergo with the infant insert I had to be constantly moving (never inside, always walking) or he’d be unhappy. When I faced him outward he’d hiccup after about 10 minutes (a sign of being over stimulated), I’d take him out and he’d go down for a nap just like that. It was like my secret weapon to get him tired enough for a nap!

We have a moby wrap and I hate it (and my kids don’t like it much either) I don’t know if I’m really the baby carrying type. though it would make things easier. I wish I could just test one out. Probably the Ergo seeing so many love it.

You’re missing the pikkolo. I’ve tried all of these carriers except the baby hawk and pikkolo beats them all.

@deannab1 – i’ve never heard of the pikkolo… i’ll have to look into it if it’s as good as you say!

@sloaneandpuffy – i know someone that did that too and it really worked well for her! i sometimes wonder how much money moby makes off us moms when all it is is a long piece of fabric that you tie a certain way.

Aww, I love the moby! I’d put it on before I went in the car . I think it’s so comfy.

I also love the boba…it has straps for your purse and very easy to put on. My LO has fallen asleep in it many times, and I can cover his head for privacy.

We used the moby and baby bjorn up until LO was 2.5 months old. Then we tried the ergo and didn’t like it because the shoulder straps would slide down no matter what adjustments we made to it. My mom got us the pognae and we love it! It is super comfortable!! We still use the baby bjorn when we want LO to face outward, but at 18 lbs at 5 months, my little man puts a lot of strain on my back and shoulders!

In retrospect, I wish I had gotten the beco as our one and only carrier.

@Teachermama: Thanks for mentioning the Boba! Does anybody else have experience with that one? I’m leaning toward it, originally I wanted the Gemini for facing out but then a read a bunch of stuff about how that’s not a great position, so now I’m back at square one, but I read some awesome stuff about the Boba.

We have an Ergo, a Bjorn, a Moby and a hot sling. Hated the sling. The moby we like but we haven’t used it more than a few times. The Bjorn has been our go-to since Baby H was first born. It’s so super simple and great for running errands, but your back definitely does ache after awhile. When we were still getting used to wearing Baby H, the Bjorn made it a snap! We’ve just started using the Ergo, though, and I like it a million times more! We never got the hang of the infant insert and it always seemed so hot so we stayed away from the Ergo until she could be in it without the insert. It’s great. It’s like she’s giving me a big hug in it and I don’t feel like I’m wearing anything!

I have an Ergo and love it! We did a lot of traveling during my baby’s first 15 months, and that thing was amazing for airports. At 21 pounds, she still fits comfortably in the front carry position, but we’ll be experimenting with the back position soon!

Question, I have the Ergo (picture #3), I really don’t know much about the baby carriers and this one was given to me. I actually used it for the first time in SF this wknd but I wasn’t aware of any other positions besides the front facing in. My baby LV is almost 9months and weighs about 20lbs. Okay finally here’s the question, am I able to wear front facing out? And if no, why not?

@Lovemommy: No, the original Ergo cannot be worn front facing, but they came out with a new version (Ergo 360) that does allow for front facing out. With the one you have, you can do a hip carry or back carry along with the front facing in. If you tried front facing out with this one, I think it would be bad for their hips and put them in an awkward/uncomfortable position bc it really isn’t made for it.

i have an ergo and love it for hiking but my favorite carrier for daily use around the house or out and about has to be my maya ring sling. It’s so easy to get baby in and out of and works great for newborns when breastfeeding and I still use it with my little boy who is two. Great investment!

Am I the only one that doesn’t like any cotton carriers? I get hot, my Bee gets hot, then he fusses. Even in the wintertime, we’d get overheated together. I used the Bjorn Original and the KTan, both in mesh, and was happy with them.

Side note on the Bjorn original: I completely agree that it hurts your back after the baby gets over 20 lbs, especially if they face out. That being said, of all the structured carriers, I think it’s the most flattering to the mother carrying the baby — which is why I suspect it’s popular with celebrities.

Bjorn makes a model with a hip strap that I returned. When Bee was tiny, the strap covered his eyeline and he hated it. It had an option to face out; but I couldn’t figure out how to get the flap out of his face. To top it off, there were a million straps and I felt like I had tentacles.

Time to learn to walk!

i have a moby and a really old, third-hand ergo. I used the moby with my first, a late summer baby, when the weather was cool. I loved it in cool weather, it was so snugly. He loved it too. It is not convenient to put on away from my own house because it is like 12 feet long. Maybe more. My second child was in June and not having ac neither he nor I wanted to be wrapped at all. Someone gave me a hot sling and baby2 and I both hated it. Too tight and he couldn’t move. I like the ergo for them when they’re bigger. The moby started to hurt my back after they got bigger. For my twins, I used the moby a little bit. I wanted to use it more but I spent so much time nursing them that when neither was nursing I really had to lay them down and take a break. I used to ergo and a double stroller when I was out and about to manage the twins and toddler. So to recap I love the moby for tinies but I would like to try the baby ktan bc I hear it’s similar but easier to use. The ergo is convenient and far more comfortable for bigger babies. I can still wear my two year olds in it! (One at a time of course)

I have an ergo that I love. I have no problems getting my 16 months old into the back carry by myself. The baby Bjorn is not a good carrier. It’s a crotch dangler and is terrible for baby’s hips. Babies should also never face outward in a front carry, same reason as above, it is terrible for their hips. If you are going to do an article on carriers, please don’t post crotch dangler as good carriers. Maybe do more research on why crotch dangler and out facing front carries are so bad for babies. We

@Stephanie: This post was just a comparison of the various carriers available – I never said all these were “good carriers” (that would be very subjective and based on parental and baby preference). I wrote about this based on the process I went through, the carriers I looked into as I did my research, and tried to stick to the facts. I did write under the cons that “Another one of the big concerns people have about the Baby Bjorn is that it’s known as a “crotch dangler” – the way a baby is positioned in this carrier is not good for their hips/joints.” – I actually posted about this carrier because I wanted to mention the crotch dangling issue, but felt no need to go into detail when people can do their own additional research if they wanted.