Is Baby Bjorn really that bad?

[wellyes]

The primary criticism of the Bjorn is that the baby hangs by its crotch.... carriers like an Ergo or Beco have the baby in a seated position that distributes its weight more evenly. For that reason I wouldn't use a Bjorn a ton. Once in a while, especially in the early days, is fine IMO.

Baby facing out has its critics too... again, it's how weight is distributed. It's tougher on your back and it's tougher on the LO's hips. There are also people who say babies get overstimulated when facing out. A facing-in baby has the option to lean on mom's chest or of hiding his face; a baby facing out can't do those things. It's another case where I'd say a little is fine & even probably fun for the kid, but using it a lot isn't the best idea.

For $20 I'd try it, use it for fun once in a while, and eventually sell it and get a more supportive carrier.

[KpbS]

I know it is not the norm here, but we loved our bjorn and used it a ton. I got the one with back support (wouldn't bother with the other style) and it was great. DS1 and DS2 both really liked it and DH would wear it a good amount as well. Go for it!

[okinawama]

I agree with some of the pp, try it and see what you think. You/baby may loe it.

I think that by the time your little one reaches an age where they can face out they'll be to heave to carry comfortably in the Bjorn. I don't think that the Bjorn provides the support that the Beco or Ergo does.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I really, really liked it with of my boys when they were little. By 6m they were too heavy for it and I didn't use it much anymore. With ds1 that was just the end of my baby wearing except some random things like going to fairs, baseball games and traveling. With ds2 I bought a Beco and used that for another year or so.

I can understand the concern about how baby is suspended but I think any carrier can be bad if it is over used. Use common sense and change things up for your baby- that carries over to everything even carseats, swings, strollers...

I loved how easy the Bjorn was to get on and off. I always kept one side mostly done up and put him in on the other side. I never got as comfortable with the Beco. I could do the bjorn in seconds + in cold weather I could put it on, then put my coat on (unzipped) and then put the baby in and out.

Beth

[boltfam]

I used the Bjorn when DS was very young, and he seemed perfectly comfortable, but it killed my back. Since you only paid $20, I would use it and then sell it once baby outgrows it (if you don't like it). We LOVE our Ergo. Like you, I was concerned about DS not being able to face outward, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

[Canna]

We had Ergos, Mei Tais, Slings, Wraps, etc. for our DD#1 and enjoyed using them all. I thought Baby Bjorns were useless. Someone gave us a hand-me-down one before #2 was born and I doubted we'd use it but couldn't pass up adding it to my collection of baby carriers!

Here's what we found: it fits a little baby (first couple of months) really well. It is NOT particularly comfortable, in my opinion, even with a small baby. But it is quite easy to put on so nice for quick trips into a store, for example (not a lot of straps and wrapping); more secure than something like a sling - which I found more important with #2 as I was always bending over and helping DD#1 put on her shoes or use the potty, etc; and we used it a fair amount before DD#2 became big enough to put in the Ergo. Don't get me wrong, for longer wear I was reaching for my Moby Wrap! But I did find, in the early months, a useful place for the Bjorn in my collection (to my surprise!).

DH also liked it because he was never too comfortable putting on wraps or slings by himself. He had a lot of experience with the Ergo. So he used the Bjorn probably more than I did prior to moving to the Ergo with DD was a little bigger.

Bjorns are usually pretty expensive given their limited usefulness - so I wouldn't recommend paying full price for one. They are also EVERYWHERE used - on Craigslist, and at Once Upon a Child, usually for around $30 in our area. However, the $20 your DH paid is a good deal. I think you should keep it and you'll likely get $20 of use out of it!

[mousemom]

We got a hand-me-down Bjorn and it got quite a bit of use here. In the early months, DS seemed to like it and sometimes it was the only way to get him to sleep and have my hands free to do something else. It wasn't super comfortable for me, but it wasn't bad as long as I didn't wear it for too long. When he got a bit older, I used it mainly to take him for short walks around our apartment complex and he enjoyed being able to face out for those. The last time I used it was to carry him through security/onto the plane the last time I flew with him, which was around 9.5 months. At that point, he was pretty heavy so I would not have wanted to carry him far in it, but it was very useful to have my hands free for those short periods and I know he felt more comfortable close to me.

[PGTB]

Thank you all so much for your opinions! It seems like at least during the earliest months we should be able to get some use out of it. I agree. It's definitely not worth returning it, it's much more worth keeping it around for some quick type of errands or travel and for my DH. Because we didn't pay the full price I won't mind having to get another one or two down the line if we do end up liking baby wearing and if the baby likes it too.

[lchang25000]

We have the BJ Active and loved it for the first couple of months (4-5) - until babies start getting too heavy in it.

DS loved being in the Bjorn Active carrier when he around that age.

[ourbabygirl]

Yeah, if you are more petite and have a longer & heavier baby (like I did/do), you may find you'll have a very short usable window for the Bjorn. It really hurt my back since DD was/ is so heavy and long, so I probably only used it for a couple of months. DH used it a bit and it didn't bother him as much because he's bigger and stronger. He would carry DD while vacuuming, etc., but I could only wear it for about 10 minutes at a time. When DD was about 6 months old I tried out an Ergo but really couldn't get used to it and ended up returning it. She was too little for the back carry, which I would have preferred, but when she was in front she was *right* up in my face (which was weird), and when she was on the side she just felt like she was going to fall off my hip, which was also weird. I'm bummed that the Ergo didn't seem to work for me but I'd like to try a Beco or something else for DC2, as I'll probably need to be more hands-free.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works great!