Why you should choose soft cloth/ergo slings vs other carriers (eg. Baby Bjorn)

[Snoozie]

I went onto Baby Bjorn?s website and found several articles relating to the safety and reliability of the product, and the fact that it is the only carrier that The AUSTRALIAN college of Midwives endorse, kinda sells the point to me.

Well they're not going to have articles that denigrate their product are they?!

Have you tried anything other than a BB? I am not a carrier afficionado but I have tried commercial carriers and then moved onto ergo, then scootababy, then beetlebums (1/2 buckle with mei tai straps) and finally a sling from bear hug baby... I actually bought the sling before the beetlebums but only just found the confidence recently to try something that wasn't structured! I found it awesome and so easy to carry around. Anyway the point is that in terms of comfort for myself and bubs I threw the commercial carriers in the bin. I can walk around all day in the ones I have now with no effect.

[*Beema*]

We have a BB and a Buba Sling.

We bought the BB whe we were expecting, thinking it would be the right thing, once DD was big enough for it (supposed to be 3.5kg, she was 3 months old before she reached that weight... it worked really well for us for quite a while.

We were given a buba sling when she was about 4 months old, and she hated it at that stage.

Eventually she loved it and still does!

I went to use the BB when she was 10 months old and 8.5kg and hurt my neck/upper back, requiring 3 physio sessions to put it all right again

I really really really wish I had bought a sling earlier, for the next bub we are planning to try a HAB or another similar sling

So from someone who has used both.... the sling wins

[V21]

i use a hab and its brilliant! the only concern is that i get very hot in it... but dd feels light as a feather in it which is the biggest concern.... i have tried a structured sling and didnt like it. i am also going to make a sling based on a mei tai just to see whether i like it...

[Smoke Jaguar]

The trick with the HAB, I found, was to wear thin layers underneath - yes, even in a cold Melbourne winter! Not only because of the shared body heat, but because the HAB sits nicely under jackets and shawls that you put on to keep extra warm if you need it When I started using the Ergo I had to judge the day better because jackets and things look bulky underneath...but by then it was summer and not so much of an issue. Looks like will be the same again for us, this time round, and will be toying with the idea of the Sleepy Wrap, a woven wrap or some such thing until the kidlet is big enough for the Ergo (don't actually fancy the idea of the Ergo for a smaller baby, the insert seems a bit fiddly when I could just pop the kid into the snuggly hole of the wrap!).

[sunshine_sieben]

The research in the original article is NOT outdated. Most commercial baby carriers are still designed the same way and the baby's weight is held by the crotch. This is less than ideal. You don't need to have a medical degree to see that all the weight is concentrated in one spot: the bottom of the baby's spine. I don't know why the Australian college of midwives endorses the BB. But I would guess it is mainly that they want to endorse baby wearing as a concept and out of the widely available commercial carriers, the BB is the better product (compared to cheaper rip-offs of the same design). If they endorsed a carrier that is hard to purchase and available in limited numbers, then that wouldn't be very helpful to the consumer.
I agree, the main reason that BB are so successful is that they were one of the first commercial manufacturers of carriers and they are available all around the world and spend a lot of money on advertising.
I would actually count an Ergo as a commercial carrier, too. But, it has a very different design. It has a wide crotch, that the baby sits in, rather than hangs in. Just look at babies worn in them. They look way more comfortable. The weight is spread across the baby's thighs and hips, rather than just the crotch. Just like you would have your arm under the baby's bottom. And they're way more comfortable than the BB. i have used mine sooo much.

The best carrier for both mum and baby is a wrap like the HAB IMO. The weight of the baby is pushed against the mother's chest and the rest of the weight is spread over the baby's bum and thighs and transferred to the mother's hip. It is sooooo comfortable to wear. (I agree, I used to wear just a long sleeved shirt under the HAB for my winter baby and a jacket over the top. ) They are also absolutely perfect for newborns as they hold the head and you can literally bend down to pick something off of the floor without having to support the head. And baby won't even wake up. Great for when you're doing the laundry and stuff like that. i used to wear DD pretty much most of the day (when she wasn't feeding) for the first 3 months. And it was not uncomfortable.

Have you tried any other carrier than the BB? I have yet to meet a person who has trialled a BB and an Ergo or HAB and still said that they would prefer the BB.
I'm not against BB if your other option would be not to have a carrier at all. But it is by no means the best carrier. Not even close. But that is the case with lots of things. Just because something is successful doesn't mean it's the best product.

I personally don't like slings very much. I have a couple of WAHM made ones. But just don't like the one-shoulder carrying. It gives me a sore neck. But they are great for quick dashes to the shops as they are so simple.

ETA: I would be very cautious taking advice from baby store sales staff. I don't want to offend anyone, but really, they are sales staff. They might know the products, but only from what the manufacturer tells them. I have often had situations when I was more knowledgeable about the product than they were. They are not orthopaedic surgeons, chiroprators, osteopaths or physiotherapists.
Your MW is a more credible source. But I would definitely ask her what she bases her evaluation on. The experience of other mothers? The safety ratings of the product? Her own experience or research into the development of the spine of an infant.

Just my 2 cents.

Sasa
xx

[sunshine_sieben]

Oh, another point is: with most slings and wraps, but definitely with the Ergo and HAB, you can wear your baby up to a much higher weight. The BB synergy for example only goes up to 12kg. The Ergo however goes up to 40lb (18kg). So handy for travelling with a toddler. And I know what I'm talking about having made a 30 hour trip to Germany twice (just DD and me, no other support person. First time she was 8 months, second time she was 16 months).

Sasa

[Smoke Jaguar]

DS was 17 months when we went to Ireland and without the Ergo there is heaps we would not have been able to do and see because the buggy wouldn't be suitable in...like the Guinness Brewery, and walking tracks along coastal cliffs! Worth its weight in gold!

[suse]

Sasa, I've not used a HAB itself, but am familiar with stretchy (knit fabric) wraps in general. Whilst many people find that a stretchy wrap is fantastic for newborns and smaller bubs (and certainly has a greater longevity in both the amount of time it can be comfortably worn for and the weight it can carry compared to the Bjorn), they are often found to be not as supportive for older babies because of the stretch factor (resulting in a very saggy baby).

I'm not saying this to discount what you are saying about HABs being more suitable for a wider weight range than Bjorn, because this is true, but to inform people who enjoy wrapping their babies and don't really find soft structured carriers like an Ergo appealing, but are finding their HAB's less supportive that there are more supportive wrap options available - woven wraps. Brands like Vatanai, Girasol, Storchenwiege, Didymos make wraps from cloth specifically woven for baby wearing.

They are a little harder to get in Aus (you won't find them in stores), but can be ordered directly from the manufacturer, second hand - thebabywearer and baby carriers downunder both have for-sale-or-trade boards (as well as a wealth of information), or baby carriers downunder have instocks in some brands and do occasional co-ops in others.