ergo baby carrier

Many new parents – and mothers in particular – suffer from the lack of support they find when the baby is born. For the first few days, relatives and friends all come around to see the new baby but after a while, visits space out. In traditional societies, new mothers would be surrounded by their own mother, their sisters, aunts, and younger siblings. Everyone would help look after the new mother and the new baby.

Finding yourself at home with a newborn can feel daunting. How do you manage to put the baby to sleep, feed him, make your own meals? Even taking a shower feels like a luxury of the past.

There is one piece of baby gear that helps a new mother feel as if she had an extra pair of arms: an Ergo baby carrier.

• The Ergo baby carrier is designed to be used from birth (with the addition of the infant insert) right until toddler-hood.
• The Ergo baby carrier can be worn on the front, on the hip and on the back.
• The Ergo baby carrier suits parents of different sizes. Even if mum is tiny and dad is tall, they can share the same baby sling. The optional Ergo waist extender adapts the sling to larger parents.
• The infant insert is designed so that baby can recline in the baby sling and sleep comfortably. Once the child is older, he can sleep upright. His head will be supported by the sleep hood.
• It is dad-friendly so dads can carry their baby, put him to sleep in the sling and build a strong bond with their newborn.
• It is even easy to use for grandparents. Relatives are keen to help with the new baby but they don’t always know how. Showing them how to put on the Ergo baby carrier and go for a walk while mum catches up on some well-deserved sleep is ideal.

Have we mentioned how pretty the Ergo baby carrier is? It sounds frivolous to mention how pretty a baby sling is but it actually matters. When you wear your baby sling day in and day out for months, you want to have a carrier that you enjoy wearing, that suits your wardrobe, and makes you feel good.

The Ergo baby carrier makes new parents’ life so much easier. is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

Related eco parenting posts:

1. The Ergo baby carrier, a true birth to toddler baby carrier
2. Baby sling glossary, E like Ergo baby carrier
3. Protecting your Ergo baby back carrier with the sucking pads

What is the Ergo baby carrier?

The Ergo baby carrier is a soft structured baby carrier. It is composed of a body, with a belt secured by two clips around the waist. The top two straps are carried like a backpack, around the shoulders. It forms a pocket where the baby can slide in comfortably.

How do I use the Ergo baby carrier from birth?

The infant insert allows parents to use their baby carrier from birth. The shaped cushion holds the baby in an ergonomically correct position. Place the baby in the infant insert and slide him in the Ergo baby carrier.

How do I use the Ergo baby carrier for front carries?

Place the belt of the carrier around your waist and close the buckles at the back. Bring your baby snug against your chest and, holding the baby with one hand, bring the body of the carrier up with the other hand. Still holding the baby, slip one shoulder strap over your shoulder. Swap hands to do the same on the other side. Pull on the straps until your baby feels nice and snug.

Can I use it for back carries as well?

You can use your Ergo baby carrier on your back from the moment your child can sit unaided or whenever you feel confident. Many parents move to back carries when their child is about nine months old. Remember to close the chest strap.

Is the Ergo baby carrier easy to wash?

The baby carrier can be washed by hand or in the washing machine on a gentle cycle. To avoid washing the carrier frequently, the fabric can be protected by the Ergo sucking pads. The pads clip onto the top straps and baby can then chew on the straps to his heart’s content.

The Ergo baby carrier is a sturdy, easy-to-use and comfortable baby carrier. It can be used from birth well into toddlerhood. It can be worn by parents of different sizes and in several carrying positions. It is so sturdy that it can be used again for a younger sibling without showing any significant sign of wear.

The Ergo baby carrier, a true birth to toddler baby carrier is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

Related eco parenting posts:

1. Protecting your Ergo baby back carrier with the sucking pads
2. The Ergo baby carrier makes new parents’ life so much easier.
3. Tip of the day: Making your Ergo baby carrier more comfortable

Ergo baby carrier

Fleece – a baby sling can be made of various fabric, and fleece is a lovely option. It is soft, durable, has just the required ’stretchiness’ to snuggle and support your baby. It is easy to wash, doesn’t even need to be tumble dried and will protect your baby from the weather.

Forward Facing – Many parents like carrying their baby facing forward i.e. facing away from the mother. Many baby sling manufacturers recommend that this forward facing position not be used at all or be used for short periods of time.
When the child is placed facing forward, his spine is curved back, putting pressure on his lower back, and leaving the weight of the head resting on his spine. Babies’ spine is still too fragile to hold the weight of their head, especially if you’re planning to carry for longer periods of time. It also means that the child has no contact with his mother. He takes the world full on without having mum’s reassuring voice, heartbeat and scent to help him ‘interpret’ what’s going on.

Frog position – The child’s optimum position in a baby sling is often referred to as being in a frog-like position. This is the position that allows his spine to develop harmoniously.
His back should be curved forward, his head able to rest on your chest or on your back if he falls asleep. His legs should be wide apart, slightly flexed and the knees higher than his bottom. Try squatting and resting your bottom on your heels, that’s pretty much the position you’re aiming for your baby.

Baby sling glossary, E like Ergo baby carrier is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

Related eco parenting posts:

1. The Wilkinet, a versatile baby carrier
2. The Ergo baby carrier makes new parents’ life so much easier.
3. New in stock the organic Ergo baby carriers, comfortable and so soft!

Here are a few pointers to use your Ergo baby carrier comfortably.

As a general rule, babies need to be well supported in slings, so although the idea of freedom is great, it can lead to problems as the baby can move too much and as you say makes it hard to carry. Baby should be held snug against yourself.

When you are carrying on your back, at 8 months the best position for the arms is under the straps. This will depend upon each baby/parent but we have found that the vast majority of parents carrying on the back at this stage found that this is the best position for the arms.

It is worth checking how tight the shoulder straps are: the toggle that goes underneath your arms, rather than the chest strap. If this strap is too loose, it could lead to the baby not being as supported as they need to be.

When you place the baby in the Ergo baby carrier, make sure that the baby is seated well at the bottom of the carrier. If need be, ask an adult to grab the top edge of the carrier and pull on it as you bounce gently. This will make sure that the child is deeply seated in the carrier and has as much fabric as possible supporting his back.

As with any baby sling, the baby’s legs should be flexed and wide apart, almost resting on your hips.

Many parents find that a few sessions with an osteopath or a cranial osteopath also greatly helped their child settle in the baby carrier.

“It took me a few tries to adjust my Ergo baby carrier. I experimented with tightening each straps, loosening them, moving the chest strap higher or lower, moving the hip belt higher on my waist or lower on my hips. Once I had found what worked for me, it was incredibly comfortable. I could carry my son for hours without any ache. It was worth experimenting what worked for me”, says Ann.

Here are a few tips. Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have more questions. Are you an experienced ‘babywearer’ with advice for other parents? Get in touch with us, we’d love to hear from you.

Tip of the day: Making your Ergo baby carrier more comfortable is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

Related eco parenting posts:

1. Using your child carrier on your back (2)
2. The Ergo baby carrier, a true birth to toddler baby carrier
3. Baby sling glossary, E like Ergo baby carrier

Ergo Sport Baby Carrier

We get lots of calls asking what is so different about the Ergo Sport so I thought it would be a good idea to put some of the differences down on paper:

General Features and Benefits

The Ergo Sport is designed for fathers and male carriers – it still has all the features and functions of the Ergo New Generation II but is cut slightly larger to accommodate a male frame and looks more rugged.

Fabric

The Sport is made from a 35% cotton/65% polyester blend designed to have a slight wicking to help keep babywearers more comfortable.  This fabric is lighter and more breathable.  The fabric also feels soft to the touch.

The New Gen II is made from 100% cotton with 100% cotton poplin lining (both SKAL certified organic in the case of the organic Ergos). 

Sizing

The Sport’s waist strap can be extended an extra 5”, so fits from 30 inches to a maximum of 48 inches.

The Sport’s shoulder straps extend an extra 4”, so it will fit 5′ to 6.5′ body height.

The New Gen II has a waist belt circumference of 25″ to 43″ and the shoulder straps will adjust to fit from 5′ to 6′5″ body height but we would suggest that those over 6’ would be more comfortable with the Sport.

Design

The Sport has a vent to provide added breathability to keep both baby and parent cooler and more comfortable.

The Sport is available in black with feature white stitching making an urban, rugged looking sling.

Sleeping Hood

The Sport’s hood can be completely removed and stored in the built-in pocket.

The New Gen II sleep hood is fixed to the babycarrier and can be tucked into the pocket when not in use.

Carry positions

Both baby carriers can be used in the front, back and hip positions, for babies from birth up to 18kgs.  Both carriers support the spread squat position being the correct sitting position for the baby’s hip, pelvis and spine growth and does not allow the baby to hang from the crotch.

Both slings distributes weight to the carrier’s hips and shoulders giving a more comfort carrying experience.

Back Pocket

On the Sport, the zippered pocket has been removed and instead there is a poppered pocket to store the sleep hood when it is not in use.

The New Gen II has a side zippered pocket to store small items in and an open top pocket to keep the sleeping hood tidy when not is use.

Can they be used by male and female carriers?

Absolutely, both carriers are designed to be used by both sexes.

Personal thoughts

I haven’t actually used the Ergo Sport as I am barely 5’ 2” and my daughter is sadly too big to be carrier now but I did use the New Gen 4 or 5 times a week until she was 4 1/2 years old.  I can say that the new fabric on for the Sport is lovely and soft, it looks really hard wearing and my husband would have jumped at the chance to have one.

Ergo Baby Sport v Ergo Baby New Gen II – What are the differences? is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

Related eco parenting posts:

1. New in stock the organic Ergo baby carriers, comfortable and so soft!
2. Father’s Day Pressie?
3. The Ergo baby carrier makes new parents’ life so much easier.

The Ergo Sport has been redesigned with daddy in mind – it looks more urban, has longer straps and a sleeker fabric.

And to make it even better, we have just reduced the price and you get FREE delivery plus a free gift too.

All in all, a great Father’s Day present.

Father’s Day Pressie? is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

Related eco parenting posts:

1. Ergo Baby Sport v Ergo Baby New Gen II – What are the differences?
2. Protecting your Ergo baby back carrier with the sucking pads
3. The Ergo baby carrier, a true birth to toddler baby carrier