I HATE my ergo!!!

[diva-n-dan]

Hate is such a strong word ....

How about loathe, abore, can't stand the sight of it and if it didn't cost so much would torture it slowly so in some small way satisfy myself that it's going through at least the same amount of pain as me!!!

As I said in a previous thread, I have a bodgy, DIY HAB which I love. With him strapped in I can crawl under tables to retreive lost toys, bend down the not so OHS way to pick up dropped teaspoons, and even once vault over a fence and pelt down the road to save our runaway dog from becoming a road pancake (ok vault makes it sound graceful ... it was actually a clumsy scrabble, but hey, it's my reality, I'll tell it how I like )

I can have our DS in it from 6am to 6pm no sweat, something that I love as I don't like to leave him alone for a second as we have a monster dog that's way too bouncy and rough for a little boy.

The only real downside to the HAB is that it takes a bit to get "strapped in" which peeves our son to no end ... and when he's squealing I lose concentration and therefore it takes longer.

There's also no real "place" for a nappy bag ... we have a backpack that I take but I HATE the backpack style as every single thing gets "mooshed" down the bottom and when you have a wailing child blowing out your eardrum, you want to find their toy asap, not dump the entire contents of the bag on the floor and scrabble through the carnage like a hobo looking for scraps ...

So I bought an ergo ... as I have heard rave review about how "comfortable" and "easy" it is and there was an added benefit of an attachable nappybag ... perfect when we have to fly (quite frequently), as that's one less thing for me to hold.

Today it arrived and we threw in the DVD and sat down to watch it.

Seem simple enough ... so we chucked it on, chucked him in it and OMG ...

I felt like I was carrying a 50kg weigh in the front ... not the 5.5kg that he really is!!!

The waist band pulled my hips out ... the arm bands pulled my shoulders out. Basically I felt like I was 60w preggers ... it really killed and my back is STILL protesting half an hour after taking it off and all we did was a 15min jaunt to the shops, sans nappybag!!!

Now we've played with the chest strap, played with the arm straps and yes the hip strap got a going over too, but so far NOTHING is working!!!

So what am I doing wrong??? Why am I not basking in the glow of this piece of mummy engineering??? Why am I looking at it with fear and trepidation and just plain loathing instead of that warm fuzzy feeling everyone else is getting???

Somebody .... anybody .... please help???

[Astrid]

No tip for the ergo, but I have one for the backpack. Roll everything and put it on end, so when you look into the bag you can see what you need. I had a rolled cloth nappy for spills etc, rolled the spare change of clothes all together, bunny rug etc. Also put things into plastic ziplock bags, so group your nappy and wipes in one etc So you pull out in one motion what you need to change a nappy.

[Junglemum]

Maybe it wasn't quite adjusted right Diva. Was the waistband sitting on your hips, not your waist?
I find i need the arm straps loose-ish so i take most of the weight on my hips. The strap that joins the two shoulder straps together needs to be at the right height too.
Don't give up yet! Play with the straps a bit and see if you can get it sitting better.
I find it as comfortable as my HAB...... hope you do too soon!

[christy]

I couldn't get it in the shop when I was trying on an ergo, so I didn't go for it because I love my HAB, but saying that my friend loved the Ergo and doesn't "get" the HAB, so I think most of them are personal... having said that, have a fiddle and hopefully it will work!

Otherwise you could sell it on eBay.

[diva-n-dan]

Thanks for the backpack tip Astrid ... will wander down to the shops and pick up some ziplock bags. Never thought to roll everything up ... that would make everything a darn sight easier to see ...

Falguni - Thanks for your info too ... we've so far managed to get the chest strap across my back right ... it pulls in the armstraps in enough that the buckles and whatnot don't dig into my armpits anymore.

As for having the waistband across my hips ... do you mean so it's around my bottom and not sitting on top of my hips??? I'll give that a crack once bugalugs is awake ... poor thing is starting to hate the ergo too, with all the pushing/pulling/prodding/in and outing he's doing ... lol!

I will not let this beat me ... after all I refuse to be the only person in Australia that finds this thing grossly uncomfortable ...

Trust me Christy ... I'm thinking about it! ... Brand new organic choc ergo ... worn 15mins only ... selling 'cause I can't get the sodding thing to work ...

[Junglemum]

I am trying to imagine how the buckles dig into your armpits.......Definately tighten the chest strap. i have the strap high enough that i can clip it myself behind my neck. And it is reaonably tight but not uncomfortable.

When i put the waist band on, it sits on my hips. Kinda where low rise jeans sit. The top of my hip bone almost lines up with the top of the strap..... Have you ever worn a hiking pack? I have the waist band in the same postion as a hiking pack would be.

Am i making any sense?!

BTW- if you did want to sell, i was talking to someone from BB yesterday who's looking at buying one.......

[Beach Mama]

Ah Diva, maybe the second person in Oz who doesn't like it! I tried it on a few weeks ago - admittedly with a bump, but I found it literally swamped me and with Iz in it I just felt overwhelmed by the whole thing.

I am making a DIY HAB and Mei Tei and will see how we go - I guess one good thing about the Ergo is that they hold value pretty well so if you do decide to sell it "as new" you will probably get back most of what you paid and can then go and buy some material to make something comfier!

[diva-n-dan]

@ Tanstar .... I get the "swamped" feeling too ... perhaps it's just not designed for those 5 foot and under????

I will admit the "hip" hold was the most comfy ... but you can't use the sunshade, and they can't sleep that way either as there's no neck support.

I KNEW I should of stuck with the macpac possum ... sure it's a structured carrier and therefor bulky ... but I've tried that one on (couldn't do the same with the ergo) and the support??? MMMMMMmmmmm bliss.

Pity it's probably too bulky for our little microscopic airplanes though ... which is why I thought the ergo would be perfect ...

Will definately try to put the waist strap more round my waist ... I do think it was "dipping" a little ... I know it did when we finally put our little son in ... thanks for the ongoing support Falguni ... like I said, I LOVE the idea of it all ... and for the planehopping we do it will be fabulous ...

I've just got to get the silly thing to work!!!

Perhaps I've done up the armstraps too tight too??? 'cause they seem to go right up under my armpits .... where should the arm buckles be in relation to the armpit and the hips???

[~Trish~]

The first time I tried on my Ergo I cried (I was sleep deprived mind you :P) because it didn't feel right! It took a couple of goes at getting the adjustments right and now I LOVE it! I found if the straps that go under my arms are too tight it puts more strain on my waist. Where Ange described around your waist is spot on!

Give it a few more goes, I'm sure you will love it eventually!

[diva-n-dan]

Oh good Trish ... I'm not the only one!!!

I felt like crying too ... and definately had the feeling of "wrongness" about it as well ... and it was pulling on my hips (and therefore the small of my back) more than anything.

I will give it more of a go ... I didn't like the HAB either at first ... couldn't get the folds of fabric across his bottom nicely and they would bunch and make him uncomfortable so he didn't like the HAB at first either ... got that sorted and now he loves it.

Thanks ever so much for the support guys ... with everyone raving about how fantastic it is ... I felt like a right royal nong when we couldn't get it "just right" first go!

[melbel]

Okay if you are under 5 feet tall then you are prolly not going to like the ergo. From my investigations it seems that it does not suit well those of use who are hmmm shall we say vertically challenged. This is advice from several babywearing forums. Their advice for shorter people is the patapum, or catbirdbaby style of meitai type carrier.

As for fitting it, To reduce the stress on yur back, babies bottom needs to be sitting higher than your belly button so you could try adjusting for that.

I do know what you mean about the straps cutting under the arms, I had the same problems when I tried it on and I am 5 foot 1inch on a good day.

Good Luck, I have a feeling a trade in might be on the way...hehe......

[suse]

Couple of things with Ergos:

- they are most comfortable used in a back carry, less so in a front carry.
- people with narrow shoulders often find that they are not the most comfortable soft structured carrier. Don't know if this applies to you. I am personally not enamoured with the heavily padded shoulder straps and find that they rub under the arms. I can get a reasonably comfortable carry with the right adjustment (which is to have the shoulders as tight as possible so that the baby's body is as tightly pressed to mine as comfortable, this creates less drag), but it is no where near as comfortable as my mei tai, which has only very lightly padded straps and a shallow strap angle, making it more comfortable on my narrow shoulders.

Any new carrier uses different muscles to carry. It is not uncommon for a carrier to cause a bit of grief for the first few carriers, whilst the previously unused muscles adjust. And until you get the best possible adjustment on the Ergo for you, it might be too early to write it off.

Having said that, there are carriers that just don't suit different body shapes - perhaps you are one that doesn't suit an Ergo. If not, and you want to try a different kind of soft structured carrier for the convenience, some other types to look for are: Patapum, Beco, Pikkolo, Connecta.

HTH

[diva-n-dan]

Well I have to admit I'm "vertically challanged" ... I once fell into a chest freezer and couldn't get out!

I'm also .... cough .... "cuddly", a very curvy hourglass shape with big boobs to boot. I too found if I had the armstraps as tight as they go it "felt" better ... don't think our son agreed though ... I think he felt a bit "squished".

Hmmmmm will still persist, but by the sounds of it a trade just might be on the cards ...

Ladies if you're looking for a cheap organic choc ergo watch this space!!!

[boomba]

Well I have to admit I'm "vertically challanged" ... I once fell into a chest freezer and couldn't get out!

lol you made my day!

I hope you can get it to work! We love ours! Could you get a refund? Or an exchange?

Good luck i hope it all works out! xx

[Emma1979]

wow that sucks
i carry my 15month old in it and love it.

[Laranna]

I have one too and love it also (I'm 5'2")...my tips would be everything that Falguni has said. The arm straps don't cut in for me. I have the chest strap high enough that I can reach it myself. The arm straps are high enough that I can reach the same side hand up to tighten it. I guess it is in line with where my bra strap is. The waist sits on my hips like Falguni said same height as hipster/low rise jeans.

Good luck I hope you get it worked out.