carriers -- moby, beco, bjorn, ergo?

[twinsouvenirs]

We are taking the girls on vacation and want to have some easy walking sans strollers (also in airport, and will be wearing them on the plane...)

Suggestions as to what the best carriers are? We have two bjorns and a moby but I'm not convinced they are the best as the kids get older. Any ideas? The girls will be about 12 mo // 17.5 lbs by then at least, if not 18. They are crawling, cruising, and may be toddling by then.

 

[Greenfield1984]

I wouldn't go with a moby at that age/size. I stopped using mine around 6 months.

I love my babyhawk for my babies when they're about 6 months - 2. Then when they get really big or if I'm going on a really big hike I'll use my ergo.

 

[Egdisney]

The ergo can be used well into the toddler days. I also feel it is the best position for kids to be in. You can carry front, hip or back.

 

[Gracie09]

Ditto the ergo

 

[ah1126]

I have a Boba Air that I love!

Do you have anywhere nearby where you might be able to try on several carriers? I tried on several different brands and the Boba Air fit me the best. I was so glad I had the chance to try them out. I would have been really disappointed to spend the money and have an uncomfortable carrier.

 

[amylevan]

Do you have a place where you can try them on? I ask because I bought an ergo based on everyone's recommendations, only to find that it completely dwarfed my petite frame. I am MUCH happier in my beco soleil.

With my DS, I wore a little bit in the bjorn around a year, but after trying the more ergonomic carriers (beco, ergo, mei tais...) I would never go back.

 

[spectrecat]

I highly recommend the ergo for that age! And older. My two year old napped in it on our 09 trip!

But I do agree with the previous posters....more petite people have trouble with it....I have one friend that is asked if she's the babysitter on a regular basis....five ft. tall, slender, etc. Did not fit her. Another friend is shorter....just under five feet, and it just didn't fit well. So I also suggest going somewhere to try them out....But the Moby won't be supportive enough, and when my baby was 10 lbs, I couldn't deal with the Bjorn, and learned all about other carriers.

 

[JulieODC]

We took DD last fall at 14mo and used an Ergo - worked out great!

 

[Angel Ariel]

i love my beco gemini. dd is a year, and 18.5 lbs and she still fits very well in it. you can use it with a hip, back or front carry (on the front carry you can face in or out).

another great carrier for older babies is the kinderpack. they have sizes that work throughout childhood, and are very comfortable as well imo.

if you can find a babywearing international group near you, many have meetings where you can try on different carriers and see what works best for you. if you become a member, many chapters have a lending library where you can borrow the carrier for about a month at a time.

 

[stormyR]

B'jorns are awful on your back once the babies get larger (not so great when they are small either).

Mobys will be too stretchy and not as comfy. I think I had to stop wearing DD in hers around 15 lbs.

Ergo, Beco, Boba are all excellent choices. I have an Ergo and a Boba and I prefer Boba out of those too. I have walked miles in the heat with DD (almost 2 and 22lbs) on my back and never felt uncomfortable, just hot. Boba is really easy to get the kids up and down as well.

I would caution against Boba Air for long wearing periods. Its cooler, which is great but it also doesn't have as much cushioning and starts to "dig" after awhile. I walk DD a mile to preschool in the regular Boba in the scorching hot Savannah sun all summer and while its a little warm, I don't find it unbearable.

 

[sueliz]

I really LOVED my Ergo- but didn't have any of the others so can't compare.

 

[TMEF23]

I used my Ergo starting at 18 months with my twin sons (I had a Bjorn before, but hated it). We used it last year in August. It helped out a lot when riding on the bus. I was able to have one child on my back and hold the other one in my arms while my DH got the stroller on. Although the Ergo was a little warm on me and the children, it still worked out fine.

 

[corneredbycorn]

Don't do the Bjorns, they aren't very good for hips or spines and you're likely to get very tired and both of you will probably get uncomfortable quickly. Your littles have got to be getting to the Moby's "limit" (in quotes because Moby's official weight limit is higher than when they tend to start sagging) and could be way too hot depending on when you are going.

Better options for full buckle carriers are Ergo, Boba, Beco, Kinderpack, Catbird Baby, Action Baby Carrier, Lillebaby, Onya, and Tula. My preference is the Boba (I have the 3G and the Air). It is super comfortable and easy to use. It's also got a tall back and foot rests so older toddlers can ride more comfortably (this is a downfall of the Ergo, the body is short so many toddlers outgrow it by height way before weight). My only complaint is that it doesn't do a front facing out position. While I wouldn't use it very often (not very comfortable), it would be nice to have if I *did* want to use it. I intend on bringing the Air for quick trips in and out of places.

Woven wraps are super comfortable, but kind of complicated and take more time to get situated. That said, I plan on bringing my Girasol Snow Diamonds with us in September and am considering making it my primary carrier while we are there (back carry to get to the park, hip carries between rides, front carries on rides (facing in or out, depending on the ride), and front carry facing in on the way back to the resort since I'm sure DD will have crashed completely by that point. I may also bring a couple of DIY gauze wraps, which tend to be cooler and might use those more during the day. Besides Girasol, other good brands are Wrapsody, Didymos, Natibaby, Vatanai, Oscha, Hoppediz, and Elleville.

Then there's the mei tai, which is kind of a cross between the full buckle and a wrap (and there are even mei tais that have buckles!). It's got the body of the buckle, but the straps of a wrap. It'll also be cooler than both because it uses less fabric overall. I am considering going this route as well, but I would be making my own. Brands are too numerous to name. Some popular ones are Kozy, Catbird Baby, Mei Tai Baby, plus wrap conversion mei tais like the Didytai and Hoppediz Hop Tie.

Then there are ring slings, but I can't offer advice there because DD would always become hysterical when I tried to use them and I never got into them after that. I wish we could though because I have a feeling those would be fantastic for inside the parks. Easy in and out, not much material, folds up nice and small. Who knows, maybe I'll give our Maya Wrap another shot.

If you made it this far, hooray! Clearly I am still on the fence about what I'm going to bring. I wouldn't be shocked if I bring them all and figure it out as I go along.

 

[kellyjeanie]

I agree with the posters who said if you can find a place to test drive one it would be ideal. I tried an Ergo but felt quality-wise it didn't compare to my Beco Gemini - the Beco felt so much softer. Though IMHO the Gemini wasn't as good for my older babies, I preferred something with a longer body. Perhaps the Beco Butterfly?

Beco, Ergo, etc. are SSC (soft-structured carriers) if it helps your search. They are very easy to use, even my DH would wear our babies in them, and you should be able to wear your 1-year-olds very comfortably.

 

[sweetnjmom]

I was a huge fan of the Ergo for my son. He really liked it until he could walk well. A big plus was that my DH used it too. DS didn't walk until 15 months, and he was in the 90th % for weight (so around 26 lb or so) and it wasn't TOO bad.

When he was an infant, I wore him in a Baby K'tan carrier. I loved that thing. He'd even nap in it, on me, for hours.

 

[DopeyDame]

I love my ergo.

Like others have said, try to find someplace where you can try them on and test them out. If oyu have a Buy Buy Baby near you, they usually have lots of options that you can try.

 

[RachSal]

We loved the Ergo that we got for DD so much we got a second for DS. I still use it for DD2 and occasionally for DS4, but they are both small for their ages. I'm hoping DD will let me wear her around in it when we got to WDW next May

 

[acceber32]

I am not a buckle carrier lover like most, I'm petite and have just never found one I like. I do have a mei tai and two woven wraps I love and will be taking with me. Like the others, I suggest trying to find a local group so you can try some on before buying. If you don't have one and want to buy a carrier without spending too much, Infantino sells a mei tai for around $35 that's pretty good.

 

[disneyshan]

I also echo the Ergo. I have a Beco Butterfly too and it's not as good at that age/weight.

 

[mrsp1030]

Love my Becco. Carried my 3 DS throughout Europe and disney over The past 7 years.