Ergo Baby Carrier Blog

No amount of Motrin will take away the pain that McNeil Consumer Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson will be feeling from their dismal marketing video campaign and Motrin Moma-Alogue.  If you haven’t seen it yet check it out at YouTube.  After you are done you can calm down and take your headache away without the use of Motrin with this great video response.  There’s also plenty of tweets for those of you on Twitter.  Just search the hashtag #motrinmoms.  Hopefully there were no moms involved at any point in the campaign development because they have got to be feeling the pain that much more.

For those of you that are annoyed or offended but don’t have the time to jump in on the discussion, the solution I recommend is going to the medicine cabinet and tossing any Motrin products you may have and making a commitment to not purchase them again.  Besides, there’s plenty of alternatives out there.  McNeil will be feeling the pain for awhile since there is a whole print campaign to accompany the web portion - ouch!  They’ve got a brief apology posted on the Motrin website.

For all you baby wearing parents out there keep on wearing however it is you choose.  Keep in mind though that what this campaign is trying to appeal to is a simple fact that whatever carrier you are using for your newborn, infant, or toddler it should be comfortable.  It shouldn’t even have occured to anyone that baby wearing should be anything but pleasurable for the parent.  If you have have a carrier that you don’t enjoy wearing with your child don’t go popping pain relievers - get a carrier that feels good!

“What is better, The Ergo Baby Carrier or the Baby Bjorn Active Carrier?”  This is a question we often get at Little Mountain Outfitters.  New and expecting parents come to us with this dilemma looking for answers.  Nobody wants to make the investment in more baby gear than we really need.  Whether it’s because of budget, not wanting to waste, or just to be living more simply.  Unfortunately, the question of which one is best really doesn’t have an exact answer.

The first mark in the pro column for The Ergo Baby Carrier is that you can purchase just the one carrier for carrying your child from birth to 40lbs.  One small downside to this is that in order to wear the Ergo Baby Carrier with a newborn it does require that you purchase the Infant Insert.

For the Baby Bjorn Active Carrier the first mark in the pro column goes to simplicity.  Loading a newborn into the carrier is a breeze and can be quickly mastered within the first or second try.

The second mark in the pro column for The Ergo Baby Carrier is weight distribution.  The Ergo Carrier places the child close to your body with the weight resting at your hips.  This makes a huge difference in reducing shoulder and lower back fatigue.  For this reason many parents that already own a Bjorn Carrier of some type come to us looking for relief once their child weighs about 15lbs.

The Baby Bjorn Active Carrier gets it’s second mark in the pro column for it’s ability to allow the the child to face out once he or she develops some head control, around 3 months of age.  Many parents feel this is critical.  Often we hear parents say that the child doesn’t want to face in, he or she just wants to look out.  There’s two sides to this.  The Ergo Baby Carrier theory is that parent child bonding is more important and therefore the child should face in.  It is also said that facing a young child out exposes him to more stimulation than his little brain is able to process.  The other side in favor of facing out is simply that the child is hearing noises and wants to twist and turn to see what is going on and becomes frustrated and unhappy when he is not able to.  This is the opinion that seems to win out the most.

Since I’m writing this post in November from Colorado I feel I also have to make some mention of baby wearing in cold weather.  The Ergo Baby Carrier is more accommodating of a child that is wearing lots of layers because you can just loosen the straps more.  The Baby Bjorn does not have quite as much flex room.  However they do have a great cold weather accessory, with the unoriginal name, the Bjorn Cover. It is a windproof fleece cover that is completely worthwhile for cold climates.

Adjustability and fit for parents and child is different on each carrier.  The Baby Bjorn Active Carrier has a really good range of adjustment for parents.  The straps have four points of adjustment, 2 on each side.   The Ergo Baby Carrier only provides the shoulder strap adjustments.  Both work for a wide range of body types without too much challenge.

to be continued…

Shop our entire selection of ERGOBaby Carrier products at www.littlemountainoutfitters.com.

Below is an update to a popular post from our site, www.outdoorgear4kids.com.  Since the original post the Beco Butterfly II has been released as well as the Ergo Organics with Embroidery.

The newest innovation in the marketplace for child carriers is the soft carrier.  There are many varieties but the first one to penetrate the marketplace and truly carve out a niche is The ERGOBaby Baby Carrier.  Our next favorite up and comer is the Beco Butterfly Baby Carrier which has recently been updated to the Beco Butterfly II.  How do you choose between the two?

Like any kid carrier purchase, the best thing you can do is try them on and compare them.  If you live in an area where this isn’t an option then read on and we will do our best to provide as much worthwhile information as we can for you to make your decision.

As far as how the carriers fit on parents we haven’t found a big difference between the two brands. Most body types can wear the carriers equally as well. One advantage that the Ergo has over the Beco is for waist sizing. Ergo does offer a waist extender if you need a little more room.

Where the Ergo Baby Carrier and Beco Baby Carrier begin to differ is with carrying an infant or smaller child. In order to use the Ergo Baby Carrier with a newborn and up to the stage the legs can be spread across your body (usually 4-6 months old) it requires the Infant Insert.  The Beco Baby Carrier has an innovative smaller harness that is integrated with the carrier that can be used with a baby or smaller child.  The Butterfly II has been updated so this insert is now removable and can be out of the way once your child no longer needs it.

The Beco Baby Carrier is also a little different in the height of the fabric that holds the child.  It comes up a little higher than the ergo does.  Some parents like this because it offers more back support for bigger kids.  It can sometimes be challenging for smaller children because their heads may not be fully above it so it limits visibility a bit.

Loading a child into each of the carriers differs slightly.  The Beco Carrier allows you to secure the child into the carrier first and then put it on your body.  With the Ergo Baby Carrier you first put the carrier on your body and then load the child.  The Ergo requires you to learn and refine the technique but the Beco requires you to adjust an additional strap on each side.  Some people don’t mind messing with buckles and straps for others it’s a hassle.  You probably have a good idea of what your preference is.

The fabrics on both carriers are similar.  The Beco fabric is a little softer.  The Ergo conventional cotton fabric is more rugged but softens up quickly with use.  The most obvious difference is also style.  Many of the Ergo color options have been around for awhile and are fairly conservative.  This is great for many people and helps contribute to a timeless appearance.  There are a couple more fun colors such as the Sienna with Stripe lining and the Grey with embroidered stars.  The lighter Camel color is also really popular for summer wear.  Beco on the other hand has focused on limited run prints making the look much more distinctive but not as accessible for everybody if you don’t find a print you like.  They can also be limited in options that dad is willing to wear.  Beco does offer the option in the Butterfly II of solid black and brown that can be a safe bet for anyone.

There is a new Ergo Baby Carrier in organic cotton on it’s way!

The latest color addition to the Ergo Baby Baby Carrier line is Blue with Embroidery and Applique.  We are really excited to have a blue carrier back in stock.  We think the Ergo has done a great job with the detail of the embroidery.  Blue has always been a popular color for mom’s and dad’s.  With the addition of the emboidery and applique to the carrier it may lose the appeal for some dad’s out there.  If dad’s not going to wear it that much no big deal.

Did you know that The Ergo Baby Carrier was selected by Parenting Magazine as One Of The “20 Best Products Of The Last 20 Years”, May 2007?

• It’s comfortable to wear - design put’s baby’s weight on your hips and close to your body so that the weight is distributed off your back and onto your hips and shoulders.

• Your baby will be more comfortable with the Ergo baby carrier’s design that supports his spine.

• The Ergo baby carrier can carry newborns (with infant insert), babies, and toddlers (up to 40 lbs.) - so you only ever need one carrier.

Welcome to the first post for the latest blog from Little Mountain Outfitters.  The goal of The Ergo Baby Carrier Blog is to provide you with the most throrough and complete resource for The Ergo Baby Carrier products.  Whether you are a current user or are thinking about making the purchase of an Ergo Carrier we hope you will browse our posts and find information of use to you.

In order to provide the broadest base of information we hope that you will share your questions and experiences so that other Ergo Baby Carrier users and shoppers can benefit from a collective experience.