Disclosure: Ergobaby provided free product for review. This site also makes a small commission when you purchase an Ergobaby product after clicking the referral links. However, all opinions stated here are my own.
News Flash- I am officially back on the Ergobaby bandwagon. After starting my babywearing journey with the Original Ergobaby, and trying out some others along the way, I’m happy to report that they reeled me back in with their newest carrier! Guys, I’m serious. They hit it out of the park this time and I’m excited to share why the Ergobaby Omni 360 carrier needs to be on your registry.
Searching for more in a carrier
As I mentioned, when I first started babywearing (almost 6 years ago) I used the Ergobaby Original Carrier. It was great for us at the time, but I knew the second time around I needed something more out of a carrier. I came up with some features that were important to me when considering my next carrier. I really wanted to get it right, because lets face it, a good baby carrier is a bit of an investment.
Must haves:
- Multiple carrying positions (including forward-facing)
- Comfortable back support
- Easy on and off that I could do myself
- Storage pocket large enough to accommodate large cell phone, keys and pacifier
- No need for extra infant insert
I searched the internet, read about a million reviews, and even purchased and used the LÍLLÉbaby Complete Organic for some time before trying out (and falling in love with) the Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh carrier. While the LÍLLÉbaby checked all the boxes, I noticed it was lacking in ways I hadn’t considered with my original specification list.
I had two main issues with the LÍLLÉbaby. First, I would often have a giant sweat mark on my shirt when I would take baby out of the carrier. Second, and by far the biggest inconvenience, was what a huge pain in the butt it was to switch from forward-facing to inward-facing. I found that in one outing, my baby would often require multiple positions. She would be happy to be outward-facing at first, but as time would go on, she would get overstimulated or tired and need to face inward. When using my LÍLLÉbaby, the inconvenience of switching back and forth made me reach for the stroller more times than not, instead of my carrier.
Enter Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Mesh Carrier ===>
Total game changer. Not only did it meet all the marks on my original wish list, but it also addressed the issues I was having with the LÍLLÉbaby. My favorite thing, *Everything about this carrier is intuitive*. It’s like they designed it for sleep-deprived parents, or something…. 🤣
Color-coded Velcro squares make it easy to adjust settings to be size appropriate for your baby, and its as easy as moving a Velcro tab to go up or down a size.
Changing from forward-facing to inward-facing can easily be done by sliding a plastic clip. That’s it! You don’t have to completely remove the carrier, slide the lumbar support off and mess with confusing snaps (Like you do with LÍLLÉbaby) Yay!
To inward-face, you slide the clips to the highest point on each side to make a wide seat.
To forward-face, you slide the clip to the lowest point on each side to make a narrow seat.
With the Cool Air Mesh fabric, baby and I both stay cool. Midwestern summers can get seriously hot! And two warm bodies up against each other in 90+ degree heat gets old pretty fast. I’ve been amazed at what a difference the mesh makes with overall comfort. I do still get a little sweaty where the support band wraps around my waist, but the days of a soaked shirt (for both me and baby) are gone. If you live in a warmer climate or anywhere that experiences relatively warm summers, I would opt for Omni 360 with the Cool Air Mesh over the regular fabric option. With that being said:
Updated Must Haves for the perfect baby carrier
- Multiple carrying positions (including forward-facing)
- Comfortable back support
- Easy on and off that I could do myself
- Storage pocket large enough to accommodate large cell phone, keys and pacifier
- No need for extra infant insert
- **Breathable fabric**
- **Easy switch from inward to outward-facing**
Our favorite ways to wear
I’m thankful for all the ways the Ergobaby Omni 360 has made toting around a baby more enjoyable! Shopping, weekend outings and work around the house have all become a little more manageable.
At the grocery store, I’m not constantly struggling to keep a busy baby seated in the cart. Instead, I can wear her close and enjoy a few extra snuggles and kisses while she happily enjoys the ride. While trying to get housework done, I used to have a little shadow who would constantly chase the vacuum and get in the way. Now, if baby is in a particularly curious mood, I can wear her and actually get stuff done outside of nap time. And a recent trip to the beach didn’t involve pushing a fussy baby in a stroller though hot sand- Hallelujah! Instead, we wore her and she was happy to be close and even dozed off on the walk back to the car while we both stayed cool. 😎
These may seem like simple things to some, but to parents who have known that the struggle is real these are little accomplishments that are worth celebrating! So do yourself a favor, and mark a “WIN” in your parenting book with this carrier.
