Tips for Ergo Baby Carrier

My baby hated it at this age too. Are you using the infant insert? My mantra is sling for months 0 to 3, bjorn for months 3 to 6, (they love facing out at that age and looking around) and then ergo from 6 months and beyond. I never thought I would want three carriers but that worked the best for us. We learned to love ergo. She is 14 months now and we still use it, on the back. good luck.

Are you trying different positions for him? At that age, he is too small to stradle you, right? When we got our ergo, my husband could carry our son lying sideways in the ergo diagonally across his front, but I was too small to be able to carry him that way comfortably (for him) and he'd cry. He was just big enough to be able to stradle me and that position was more comfortable for him (and me, honestly). I think you have to keep playing with it until you find a comfy position for him, but I know that's hard if he's screaming! Hopefully if you keep at it you'll find the trick, otherwise you might just need to wait a few months until he's big enough to stradle you. Do you know anyone else with an ergo (or a shop that sells them) who could be there with hands to help you try different positions? Hope it works out. We LOVE our ergo.

i had the same problem with my little guy when he was around this age, i love my ergo but we ended up using a sling for a little while until he could sit up and was a little bigger. WE found he was fine when he was really little in a kangaroo carry legs tucked under him but when he got bigger that was no longer comfy but he wasnt quite big enough for the straddling to be comfy. Now that he is bigger he loves it again and so do I!

M.,

Your children are old enough to be in the hip carrying position in the ergo. Some kids don't want to face into the parent at 2 years old. My daughter is 10 months old and I started doing the side carry about a month or so ago when she is alert and she loves it. I only put her facing me when I want her to go to sleep.
To go on the hip you need to unclip the shoulder straps -they will be hooked into the opposite one when finished. Try to move the back clip out of the way, then strap the left should strap into the right hip clip. Put the ergo on her waist and tighten. The strap that strap over your head and on her right hip. The strap that is attached should be on your left shoulder. Now put the baby into the carrier - on your right hip and take the right should strap and bring it around your back- mid back - to hook around your left side to the left strap. There is also a video for this carry.
I find my daughter can see better and is soooo much happier this way.

Good luck,
L. M

PS you said you wanted to start a play group in your area but you didn't say where you live.

I love my ergo, but it did take some getting used to. My kids all love it...but they probably need to adjust as well. Once you get a hang of it it will become second nature. As for a playgroup, I am sure that your area has a mother's group that you might want to check into. Here in the Merrimack Valley we have a huge group of almost 900 members, but I know most towns have moms clubs. That will probably be your best bet.

Good luck!

H. Z. (SAHM 5, 4, 17 month old boys)

The Ergo is really for babies 15 lbs to 45 lbs. For a younger, less sturdy infant, you should get the infant insert. I never used it that way and heard that it is a little challenging to get the baby in but not bad when you get used to it. If you have a regular sling or something, you might want to wait until your little one is around 6 months to use the ergo.

My baby cries until I leave the house, then she is thrilled. This is getting better now that she knows what it is when I put it on.

I did not like or use the infant carrier. When she was your son's age, I put a blanket under her butt to hike it up and keep her legs from splaying too wide.

My son is 4 months and I use the ergo all the time. I started using it when he was about 2 months, without the infant insert (it seems pretty pricey for what it is, and the short amount of time you can use it, so I wanted to see if it would work without it). I sat him froggy style, with his knees up and feet flat until his legs were long enough that his knees reached the edge of the carrier. One of his daycare providers has taken trainings in babywearing and said that was a fine position -- and it's one I had used in the sling with my older son. I used the new native sling with my older son but once I found the ergo, the sling never felt as comfortable and my younger son always calmed down quicker in the ergo.

With both kids, I found that I was often putting them in the sling or ergo when they were grumpy or sleepy so sometimes they just had to get out a few last cries before they got content. Usually, a rhythmic tapping on the bottom, and/or deep knee bends seemed to do the trick - it would take 2-3 minutes, sometimes. If that doesn't work, I found that a very fast-paced walk for another few minutes would usually be effective.

also, depending on his growth, remember that in just a few short weeks, he'll be big enough to peek over the top and that might help as well.

My older son just turned 3 - he didn't like being carried in the ergo at all during the last year ... but now that I carry the baby in it, I find that he thinks it's a special treat if I carry him instead. It comes in very handy if we are out in public and he starts to get grumpy or difficult to handle. I can put the older one in the ergo on my back and carry the baby in my hands. It's counterintuitive but it is MUCH easier than having the quiet baby in the carrier and the flailing toddler in your arms!