Ergo vs. bjorn

[Pilotbaby]

I haven't tried the Gemini, it came out after I bought my others and I've resisted shopping for more. If its like the Butterfly, it would be good to use alone because its easier to get into a back carry. The Butterfly is more complicated but very adjustable once you figure it out. Does the Gemini have a similar pouch inside? If so, I think it may be the best of both worlds.

Thank you- I don't know what the pouch is so I will have to look online and see if it has one or not. Thank you so much.

[BabyBearsMom]

I wore my DD starting at 2 weeks with the Ergo and infant insert (I had a c-section so couldn't wear her until I healed). It was wonderful! So comfortable and DD loved it. My DH still wears DD on his back now and she is 29 lbs! DD still loves snuggling in close.

I am not a fan of the out-facing baby because I think it causes extra strain on your back. It is much more comfortable to have them facing you and more natural for your body IMO. My DD never felt deprived by not being able to look around. She was happy to look to the side and snuggle up with mom. I really hate Bjorns, and find them extremely uncomfortable.

[mommylamb]

I really disliked my bjorn. By the time DS was 3 months old, it hurt my back too much to use it. I got an ergo when he was about 9 months old and used it for a long time.

This time around, I want to get a moby wrap for when DS2 is a little. I do not own the ergo infant insert, so I can't use my ergo until he gets older anyway, and I'd rather get the moby than buy the insert I think. I'm actually hoping to borrow one anyway.

[lizzywednesday]

I haven't tried the Gemini, it came out after I bought my others and I've resisted shopping for more. If its like the Butterfly, it would be good to use alone because its easier to get into a back carry. The Butterfly is more complicated but very adjustable once you figure it out. Does the Gemini have a similar pouch inside? If so, I think it may be the best of both worlds.

No, the Gemini is kind of like what could happen if an Ergo and a Bjorn had a baby. Easy-to-use carrier, includes a forward facing-out position and can do hip & back carries; built-in support belt (like the Ergo or Boba) but narrow base where baby sits (like the Bjorn, but not as crotch-dangly because it's a bit wider than the Bjorn is); criss-cross straps for front carries (like the Bjorn) ... make sense?

There's no pocket/pouch like the Butterfly, but there are cincher cords that can shorten the body to kind of make a pouch for Baby to sit in when he/she is itty-bitty, but it's not like the built-in infant insert of the Butterfly.

It's a great carrier anyway, IMO, and if I were in the market for a new SSC, it would be on my shortlist. My DD and I tried it last fall and she snuggled right in like it was our trusty Ergo!

[acmom]

I had the Bjorn Active with my first and got very little use out of it. She was little and not big enough for it at first (the minimum weight was 8 lbs I think) and then I only used it comfortably for a month or so, and then it killed my back. With my second, I really want to be able to wear him so I could have my hands free for my toddler, so I tried a few other carriers at a local store. I tried the Ergo, Pikkolo, and Beco Gemini. They were all more supportive than my Bjorn. The Beco Gemini was the most comfortable for me and my baby. I liked all the different positions options too. He was early and tiny when he was born too, but the Gemini said it could even be used with preemies. It was still comfortable to wear him at 15 months. It has great back support and is really easy to use. There was no insert needed at any point and I used it comfortably all through the summer as long as I dressed both of us lightly. I wish I had had it for my 1st!

[CKfamily]

First time posting (our baby is due in February)...

We are also deciding on a carrier, and it seems that one of the primary complaints for the Bjorn is the lack of lower back support. On that note, has anyone tried the newest Bjorn (Miracle)? It definitely seems to have addressed the issue of back support.

Another complaint for the Bjorn that we've seen is that it only lasts up until 26 pounds. It seems that this is still the case for the Miracle Bjorn, while the ERGO states a 45 pound limit. Is this correct? Any experience here?

Finally, we like that the Bjorn can be used without an insert from infancy, but some people say that the ERGO requires a newborn insert and others don't. I'm assuming this is just based on the baby's size? or are there other factors to consider?

[lowrioh]

Another complaint for the Bjorn that we've seen is that it only lasts up until 26 pounds. It seems that this is still the case for the Miracle Bjorn, while the ERGO states a 45 pound limit. Is this correct? Any experience here?

Finally, we like that the Bjorn can be used without an insert from infancy, but some people say that the ERGO requires a newborn insert and others don't. I'm assuming this is just based on the baby's size? or are there other factors to consider?

My Ergo has a 40 pound limit listed and I have carried a 45 pound 3 year old in it just to see if it actually worked and it didn't hurt my back or shoulders. (although I wouldn't want to do that for any length of time )

You can use the Ergo without the insert but you have to put the baby in side saddle rather than have them straddle the front flap. You can either put them in like a frog and have their legs tucked up into the pouch or you can use a blanket to wrap them up...there are youtube video's explaining how to do it. The pouch width is just too big for a newborn's legs to straddle.

[lizzywednesday]

First time posting (our baby is due in February)...

We are also deciding on a carrier, and it seems that one of the primary complaints for the Bjorn is the lack of lower back support. On that note, has anyone tried the newest Bjorn (Miracle)? It definitely seems to have addressed the issue of back support.

Another complaint for the Bjorn that we've seen is that it only lasts up until 26 pounds. It seems that this is still the case for the Miracle Bjorn, while the ERGO states a 45 pound limit. Is this correct? Any experience here?

Finally, we like that the Bjorn can be used without an insert from infancy, but some people say that the ERGO requires a newborn insert and others don't. I'm assuming this is just based on the baby's size? or are there other factors to consider?

Here's the biggest drawback of a front-carry only carrier, in my opinion - it's a one-trick pony and that shortens the lifespan regardless of how (allegedly) supportive the carrier is supposed to be.

In my experience, a larger baby on your front messes with your center of gravity, especially if you wear the baby forward-facing-out (FFO) because Baby then leans further forward. If you're a bigger person, like me, you might be able to wear a front-carry carried up to the 26 lbs "limit" but, then again, you might not, depending on how Baby is situated.

If you get something like the Pikkolo (with support belt!), Beco Gemini, Beco Butterfly II or ErgoBaby, it has a longer lifespan because you can put Baby on your back once they've got good head control.

Frankly, we had a wrap-carrier and the Ergo when my DD was a newborn. I found the wrap a TON easier to use (even out in public; I could wrap it in a windy NJ parking lot within 15 seconds) with a floppy-headed newborn than it was to figure out the infant insert for my Ergo. A local babywearing group helped me learn how to use the insert, but by then the weather had changed over from cool-to-cold to warm-to-hot and I didn't get any use out of it as my wrap is a woven wrap (EllaRoo brand) and much cooler in warmer weather.

Despite that limitation in the early days, however, I'm still using the Ergo with my DD now ... and she'll be 2 this March. We just got back from a week-and-a-half vacation at my ILs' 2nd home where I used the Ergo for everything except one trip to the mall where we used the cheap stroller we keep out there. (I hate the stroller.)

I've worn DD in our Ergo to TRU on "Gray Thursday", in the PHX Zoo, through two airports, in NYC on the subway, the grocery store and church. The versatility and higher weight limit of the carrier was a huge attraction for putting it on my registry ... and the local babywearers helped me learn to get DD up on my back solo. (I've had folks offer to help get her up and I've politely declined because, regardless of how it looks while I'm getting her into the rig, I can do it in less than 30 seconds if nobody's in my way.)

I've been thinking about the Gemini as another SSC option, though it's got a lower weight limit (35 lbs vs. 40 or whatever of the Ergo), because it's got a FFO option, though I'm not 100% sure I'd need that. My other consideration would be the Pikkolo (my babywearing group likes the wider base of the Pikkolo better than the Gemini) with the support belt. I'd have to try a Butterfly on to see if it was comfy - they tend to be recommended more for more petite mamas, so it kind of put me off them.

Hope that helps put things in perspective for you!

[BayGirl2]

Here's the biggest drawback of a front-carry only carrier, in my opinion - it's a one-trick pony and that shortens the lifespan regardless of how (allegedly) supportive the carrier is supposed to be.

In my experience, a larger baby on your front messes with your center of gravity, especially if you wear the baby forward-facing-out (FFO) because Baby then leans further forward. If you're a bigger person, like me, you might be able to wear a front-carry carried up to the 26 lbs "limit" but, then again, you might not, depending on how Baby is situated.

If you get something like the Pikkolo (with support belt!), Beco Gemini, Beco Butterfly II or ErgoBaby, it has a longer lifespan because you can put Baby on your back once they've got good head control.
....

My 2.5 year old is 25 lbs and there is no way ever he would fit physically in a Bjorn or that I would wear him on my front. It would be really straining on the back. However we still wear him on our backs in the Pikkolo or Beco Butterfly II. We switched to back carries around 15-18 lbs, but from what I've heard few people could even tolerate a Bjorn up to that weight.

Even for a little baby I personally wouldn't get a Bjorn, I just don't like the dangliness of it. I used the Beco with DD starting at 2 weeks and she's nice and secure with her legs tucked against my body in a seated position, no pressure on her crotch.

The Bjorns are still pretty expensive for such short use. IMO if you are going to spend the money on a carrier, get a good one that does more than just a front facing dangle. You'll get more use for your money, spare your back, and it will have more resale value down the line (if that matters to you).

[CKfamily]

All great advice. I think we'll try a few of them on. It's a good point that only being able to use the carrier until 26 pounds is a bit short considering how much we're spending on it.