I am in LOVE with my Ergobaby carrier! Let me tell you why...
The picture above I posted on Facebook just a few hours after getting my Ergobaby and I was immediately in love. Seriously, I took it out of the box, quickly read over the instructions, put 'lil man in it, and he was asleep in just a few minutes! (It was extra wonderful because he had been super fussy that day!)
I have officially had my carrier for three weeks today, and it has completely changed my life! I'm not joking.
Before I got it, I wouldn't dare go to the grocery store to full-out grocery shop, and when I did go to the store to run errands, I would get home completely stressed out and frazzled because I was forced to put Lil Man's infant carrier on the basket while the other two walked. Well, if you have ever gone to the store and had a 4-year old and a 2-year old walk beside the cart, you know this doesn't work. I was constantly telling them to stay by the cart while one or the other was running off, hiding behind things, etc. And when one would choose to not listen, the other would follow suit. And then, I had to worry about getting stuff done quickly so that Elijah wouldn't start screaming in his carrier. Not cool.
Also, any one who has had a baby knows the stress it causes when said baby wants to be held, but dinner has to be made or dishes need to be done, or any of the other million things that have to get done every day!
It boils down to this...
1. The absolute #1 reason I love my Ergobaby: I can get things done!
I have had other carriers with my first two kids, and they would never go in either one! With Colton, I had read about the Ergobaby, but felt like they were kind of expensive. So, I went with the less expensive Moby wrap, which I also read great things about. Well, I wasted my money because I don't think we ever successfully used our Moby wrap. He hated it! And I tried several times in several different stages of his 'lil life! I seriously wish we would have had the Ergobaby from the beginning because I can get a lot done!
We go on walks (Seriously, you should see us... 2 kids in the stroller, one strapped on me, and a dog! It's almost comical, but hey, we get to go on a walk!), we can run errands or go grocery shopping, I can cook dinner, etc. etc. etc.... I can get a lot of things done without a screaming baby wanting to be held! It's wonderful!
2. It doesn't hurt my back!
I have inherited a seriously terrible back from my genes... the littlest things will throw it out of place and it doesn't take much for me to end up in pain! So, I was a little worried that even though every one said that this was great on your back that it would still hurt mine. So far, I haven't had a problem with it! Granted, 'lil man is still pretty small.... No more than 12 pounds I'm pretty sure. (We will have his two month check-up in about a week, so I will find out then!) So, I guess we will still have to see when he gets a little older. (I did have a friend mention to me that they can still put their 6 year old in it on their back and go on hikes... and it doesn't hurt their back! So, we should get A LOT of use out of this thing for a long time!)
3. 'Lil Man loves it!
There have seriously been times when Elijah is just sooo fussy. I will lay him down, pick him up, go outside with him, bounce him, rock him, and finally put him in the Ergobaby carrier just to walk around the house. And Ta-Da... He's happy! He loves the thing! And generally, will be asleep in about 5 or 10 minutes once he's in it! :)
4. I love the little pocket on the front!
It is super helpful to have a little pocket just to put stuff in. (Especially when I don't have any pockets!) Typically, I put Elijah's pacifier in there once he falls asleep. Sometimes, though, I'll have a little piece of paper that I don't want to lose... That goes in there too! I don't use it for much, but when I need it, it comes in handy.
5. It has it's own little cover.
See the black thing rolled up on the front? That's a little cover. Technically, it is for nursing the baby while they are in your carrier... I haven't exactly figured out how to do that. I may be a little too well endowed for that to work for us. :) But, a couple weeks ago we were running errands, and it was a little bit cold and drizzly outside. I don't mind getting myself wet, but I hate to get 'Lil man wet, especially in the cold. It was super helpful to be able to just pull up the little cover and know that he was just fine and dry under there! :)
I have officially had my carrier for three weeks today, and it has completely changed my life! I'm not joking.
Before I got it, I wouldn't dare go to the grocery store to full-out grocery shop, and when I did go to the store to run errands, I would get home completely stressed out and frazzled because I was forced to put Lil Man's infant carrier on the basket while the other two walked. Well, if you have ever gone to the store and had a 4-year old and a 2-year old walk beside the cart, you know this doesn't work. I was constantly telling them to stay by the cart while one or the other was running off, hiding behind things, etc. And when one would choose to not listen, the other would follow suit. And then, I had to worry about getting stuff done quickly so that Elijah wouldn't start screaming in his carrier. Not cool.
Also, any one who has had a baby knows the stress it causes when said baby wants to be held, but dinner has to be made or dishes need to be done, or any of the other million things that have to get done every day!
It boils down to this...
1. The absolute #1 reason I love my Ergobaby: I can get things done!
I have had other carriers with my first two kids, and they would never go in either one! With Colton, I had read about the Ergobaby, but felt like they were kind of expensive. So, I went with the less expensive Moby wrap, which I also read great things about. Well, I wasted my money because I don't think we ever successfully used our Moby wrap. He hated it! And I tried several times in several different stages of his 'lil life! I seriously wish we would have had the Ergobaby from the beginning because I can get a lot done!
We go on walks (Seriously, you should see us... 2 kids in the stroller, one strapped on me, and a dog! It's almost comical, but hey, we get to go on a walk!), we can run errands or go grocery shopping, I can cook dinner, etc. etc. etc.... I can get a lot of things done without a screaming baby wanting to be held! It's wonderful!
2. It doesn't hurt my back!
I have inherited a seriously terrible back from my genes... the littlest things will throw it out of place and it doesn't take much for me to end up in pain! So, I was a little worried that even though every one said that this was great on your back that it would still hurt mine. So far, I haven't had a problem with it! Granted, 'lil man is still pretty small.... No more than 12 pounds I'm pretty sure. (We will have his two month check-up in about a week, so I will find out then!) So, I guess we will still have to see when he gets a little older. (I did have a friend mention to me that they can still put their 6 year old in it on their back and go on hikes... and it doesn't hurt their back! So, we should get A LOT of use out of this thing for a long time!)
3. 'Lil Man loves it!
There have seriously been times when Elijah is just sooo fussy. I will lay him down, pick him up, go outside with him, bounce him, rock him, and finally put him in the Ergobaby carrier just to walk around the house. And Ta-Da... He's happy! He loves the thing! And generally, will be asleep in about 5 or 10 minutes once he's in it! :)
4. I love the little pocket on the front!
It is super helpful to have a little pocket just to put stuff in. (Especially when I don't have any pockets!) Typically, I put Elijah's pacifier in there once he falls asleep. Sometimes, though, I'll have a little piece of paper that I don't want to lose... That goes in there too! I don't use it for much, but when I need it, it comes in handy.
5. It has it's own little cover.
See the black thing rolled up on the front? That's a little cover. Technically, it is for nursing the baby while they are in your carrier... I haven't exactly figured out how to do that. I may be a little too well endowed for that to work for us. :) But, a couple weeks ago we were running errands, and it was a little bit cold and drizzly outside. I don't mind getting myself wet, but I hate to get 'Lil man wet, especially in the cold. It was super helpful to be able to just pull up the little cover and know that he was just fine and dry under there! :)
While I loooove my Ergobaby, there are a few things that you probably want to consider before getting one...
The Cons:
1. The price
While it is less than expensive than a lot of carriers out there, it is also more expensive than a lot of carriers. It was definitely more than I wanted to spend, but now that I have used it I feel like it was worth every penny! There are carriers that look similar, but after reading up on them, they just aren't as great on your back, or there was just some other reason that people didn't like them. So, for us, the Ergobaby is well worth it! (Plus, I found a coupon code, that I will tell you about below, that helped make it a good deal for me!)
2. Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious in it.
At times, the strap on the back will pinch my back fat and make me feel really self-conscious. After having a baby, I already feel a little bit touchy about my extra love. When I am fully dressed and ready to go to the store, I don't feel like it is too noticeable. Mostly, when I am in really thin clothes, like a cami, just around the house... Then, I feel like it makes my back look really fat. :)
The Cons:
1. The price
While it is less than expensive than a lot of carriers out there, it is also more expensive than a lot of carriers. It was definitely more than I wanted to spend, but now that I have used it I feel like it was worth every penny! There are carriers that look similar, but after reading up on them, they just aren't as great on your back, or there was just some other reason that people didn't like them. So, for us, the Ergobaby is well worth it! (Plus, I found a coupon code, that I will tell you about below, that helped make it a good deal for me!)
2. Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious in it.
At times, the strap on the back will pinch my back fat and make me feel really self-conscious. After having a baby, I already feel a little bit touchy about my extra love. When I am fully dressed and ready to go to the store, I don't feel like it is too noticeable. Mostly, when I am in really thin clothes, like a cami, just around the house... Then, I feel like it makes my back look really fat. :)
Just FYI...
If you have an infant, or a baby that cannot sit up on their own yet, you'll need to also purchase the infant insert. This helps so that pressure isn't put on their little back before they are ready for that! In the instructions, it said that you will usually use the insert for the first 4 months...
If you have an infant, or a baby that cannot sit up on their own yet, you'll need to also purchase the infant insert. This helps so that pressure isn't put on their little back before they are ready for that! In the instructions, it said that you will usually use the insert for the first 4 months...
Where I got mine:
If you know me, you know that I like to always get the most bang for my buck! So, I scoured the internet to find the best deal!
You can find them on Ebay, but I saw a lot of people saying that there are quite a few different counterfeits out there, many of them selling on Ebay. So, I really wanted to make sure that I was getting the real thing. I looked at several authorized retailers for coupon codes and free shipping, and Thanks Mama was the best deal for me! (I was also really comfortable shopping with Thanks Mama because I bought some of our cloth diapers through them, and had a great experience!)
I was also able to use the coupon code CARRIER to get 15% off (not sure when this code expires...), and because my order was over $60 it shipped for free! Also, they have a rewards program. For every dollar you spend, you get a point. 200 points = $10. So, you can earn some free stuff too! If you use my affiliate link below, I will get a small bonus for referring you to them. So, if you have found this review helpful and decide to make a purchase at Thanks Mama, I would really appreciate it if you would click through my link!
Just search for "Ergobaby Carrier." They start at $115 (before coupon). Mine in the picture above is in the color, "Outback." They have several colors and organic options too!
If you know me, you know that I like to always get the most bang for my buck! So, I scoured the internet to find the best deal!
You can find them on Ebay, but I saw a lot of people saying that there are quite a few different counterfeits out there, many of them selling on Ebay. So, I really wanted to make sure that I was getting the real thing. I looked at several authorized retailers for coupon codes and free shipping, and Thanks Mama was the best deal for me! (I was also really comfortable shopping with Thanks Mama because I bought some of our cloth diapers through them, and had a great experience!)
I was also able to use the coupon code CARRIER to get 15% off (not sure when this code expires...), and because my order was over $60 it shipped for free! Also, they have a rewards program. For every dollar you spend, you get a point. 200 points = $10. So, you can earn some free stuff too! If you use my affiliate link below, I will get a small bonus for referring you to them. So, if you have found this review helpful and decide to make a purchase at Thanks Mama, I would really appreciate it if you would click through my link!
Just search for "Ergobaby Carrier." They start at $115 (before coupon). Mine in the picture above is in the color, "Outback." They have several colors and organic options too!
Do you have an Ergo or another carrier? What is your favorite thing about it? What is your one baby item that you can't do life without?