ergo question

so with the ergo can u not put baby facing out on the front??? doesnt this make it frustrating for them??? is there any carrier for an older bub where they can face forwards?? I have the HAB and baby bjorn and maybe thinking about something a bit more sturdy and for longer carrying sessions... i love the look of the ergo but am concerned about not having her on my chest facing and experiencing the world...

Technically you can, you just tuck their feet inside like you would if you were carrying them front facing in a ring sling.

Otherwise, you can carry them on you back so that they face the same way that you do. My DD, whose preference was to always be carried forward facing in the ring sling was happy to go back carry when she was big enough.

Ergo's are much better for babies spine and back anyway, as the carriers like the baby bjorn direct place pressure on the base of the spine. Carries like the Ergo and the HAB distribute the weight across the hips as it is more of the sitting position than a hanging position (does that make sense?)

I wouldn't, but at a certain age (about 7m or so) I find the koala hold in the HAB works wonders. Its also similar to a hold you would use in a ring sling where they have one arm out, and one arm in, and they are kinda on your hip holding on a little more.

Have a play wiht your HAB and see how you go.

i have her facing fwd in the HAB at least once a day for our walks with the puppies etc... and the baby bjorn is just for quik in and outs at the shops.. i know its not great on bubs spine so thats why i have always limited it for quik things... in the pix of the ergo when they're on ur back facing fwd it doesnt seem like bubs can see over ur shoulder?? ive tried the hip thingy do da with my baba sling Fi... (yes i am a carrier nut, though only bought the HAB.. others were hand me downs)... maybe i'll just keep experimenting with the HAB... Altho a 4th carrier cant be wrong can it...hehehehehehe:p

If you're up for a 4th carrier and you are a carrier nut (such as myself :) ), then definiately think about an Ergo. I think that you'll get plenty of use out of it, esp as you bubba gets older.

As for carrying them on your back, they get to see plenty out either side, but sometimes if I stop and talk to someone, I have to face side on so bubba is included in the conversation :) Otherwise she doesn't appreciate being left out and gets squirmy....

thanks Kara, thats exactly what Eden would do... and i guess my only worry is walking the puppies- which is and hr or so everyday.. she likes to help by holding the leads LOL... maybe i can do fwd facing HAB for that and ergo for everything else...
and yes i am a self confessed nut... im so excited about getting an ergo... what colour do you have? i'm thinking the black with green inserts... it will be so handy to have it.. and esp with the pocket on the front.... i hope it comes before Eden and i go to canberra in three weeks..SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

I love the black and green :D
I have the burgandy one which is great. jenna loves being in it, we go for walks with Hamihs in the pram and her in the ergo, and its cool. Then if they get bored, I swap them, but Hamish is still on the front since he is so little.

I was initially concerned with the contraindication of only chest to chest with the Ergo when I first looked into it, but I do subscribe to their reasoning as to why.
The big thing that they cite is overstimulation. With the Ergo, they can still see out to the side, from front and back, and if you're talking to someone they can be in on the conversation. However, if baby is forward facing, baby has no control over when they can block all of that out and just tuck in to take a breather from it, they are in that forward facing position taking in all that stimulation whether they want it or not.
Now, I have the quintessential 'go fast' baby who walked and ran early, but in my Ergo he knows in himself when he's had enough and will just tune in to the world at his own pace...and tune out at will.
Aside from the ergonomic benefits of the chest to chest carry, I really like that Oscar can tune out when he wants, and I long ago got over the whole 'but he won't see the world'.
Trust me, just by being carried, our babies are experiencing the world from a better angle than a full-time pram-pushed baby. They are close to conversational convention (turn-taking, listening etc), and their vestibular senses are far better stimulated - motion sideways, forwards, backwards, up and down and all the ways that a mechanised bouncer will never provide for a baby or child. That's why when carried babies start to walk, they do it more confidently than 'static' babies, in general, because they already have a great sense of balance, inertia and core stability :)
Anyway, preaching to the converted here!
So, just to let you know from experience (and I've used a HAB for the first 6 months, a shoulder sling periodically and mostly the Ergo now, having done so for over 8 months), that not being able to face forward is not a biggie in the end, and that's coming from a baby who LOVES to engage with his environment :) Best investment I made apart from the HypnoBirthing classes!

Beautiful post Mayaness! Being a sling nut myself, I agree with everything you said :) My 14 mth old rarely goes in the stroller and spend most of her time on me. Was the same with #1 until I got pregnant, and only then did the stroller actually start seeing the light of day. Even then, hubby would carry him when he was around :)

I've got the older style Ergo, and it is black and tan colour. Nice to see you have a choice :)

thanks so much mayaness... sounds like the ergo may be a nice treat for Eden then... she's go go go.. just being there and not overstimulated might be good for her, i often wonder how babes learn to be ok in there own thoughts and not only relying on what they are seeing... and yeh, no need to convince me... Eden's been in her pram about 5 times... i already can see and know the benefits of baby wearing...
So you dont think putting her in it now is too late???
i noticed today when she woke up from sleeping in the HAB(so facing chest to chest) she was more than happy to just be and slowly wake and listen etc....
O i wish the tax man would give us our money now.. i want it.. so green and black is a goer!?!? was thinking cranberry- but (of all people) hubby said , nah that might clash with what you and her are wearing ...LOL

Edensmumma - I don't think it's too late to get an Ergo at all! You'll get plenty of use out of it and realise that it's money well-spent :)
I have an older generation Phil and Ted's Excellent Buggy Adventure and whilst it is fantastic, I hardly ever used it till recently. And that is only because I'm really working at getting my pelvis stable through osteo and yoga, and having DS on my front is impacting negatively on my pelvis at the moment.
That said, I can afford to wear him to settle him, to get him to sleep, and to feed him when we're out (keeps him more focussed than feeding him in my lap). Wearing him on my back is better for my posture these days (until said pelvis gets stronger!), and liberates me for more household activities as well.
DS has had such a good start with hardly being in a sitting position (slings really encourage the bum pouch effect, instead of having the weight bear down directly onto the pelvis) that I don't worry when he's in the buggy about his spine. Plus, the buggy is softer than a pram and it cradles his bum more than other pushers. I reckon that his time in the sling also taught him to tune out better when he IS facing outwards in the buggy. When it gets too much, he closes his eyes and nods off, instead of carrying on like a pork chop. But, damn, I LOVE carrying this kid, even though it aggravates my lower spine!
My Ergo is black and cranberry and I don't think it has ever clashed with my clothes. Then again, I tend to wear more earthy colours. Even if I'm in a bright red, the Ergo seems to tone the reds down, rather than clash with them. The cranberry takes the stark edge off the black, too. Maybe I'm analysing colour too much!!
The only thing with the black is that I use it so much, the straps seem to have a fade effect, so that it looks a bit aged now. I've machine washed it once (line dried, don't have a dryer) and the rest of the time I sponge wash it. Perfect. And if you use a nice aromatherapy oil on the sponge it will smell lovely!
Kaos - thanks :) I've had to explain myself to my parents because they were worried, for a while back there, that all this baby wearing would spoil DS somehow. They can see now that he is more confident with explorations because he knows exactly where to come back to when he's done, or when he needs some lovin'... And I've done a bit of reading about baby wearing, too :) I can justify baby wearing to any stranger at the drop of a hat! Not that I even have to, but YKWIM!

maya::: i am totally on par with the baby wearing ........ nixon is a busy busy tot and he just relaxes in the ergo ....

i only bought mine a month or so ago after giving up my sling as he did not like the positions at all ....

i cant wait to find an excuse to wear him ....