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In a nutshell

The original ergonomic baby carrier that can take quite a lot of effort to use at first, but it’ll become your best friend once you're used to it.

What we tested

  • Comfort for baby
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
  • Comfort for you
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
  • Ease of use
    A star rating of 3.5 out of 5.
  • Design
    A star rating of 4.0 out of 5.
  • Sturdiness
    A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.
  • Worth the money
    A star rating of 5.0 out of 5.
Overall Rating
A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Pros

  • Great value, comfortable, can be used from birth if infant insert purchased

Cons

  • Fiddly, warm to wear

The Ergobaby was one of the first ergonomic carriers to support a baby’s hips. It was also one of the first to follow the TICKS guidelines for carrying babies.

Comfy for you as well as your baby, the ERGObaby baby carrier can be used until your child’s about 4 years old, and while a bit fiddly to get on and off at first, this carrier is great once you get the hang of it.

The ERGObaby baby carrier is designed without a rigid frame to support your baby with his hips and spine in an anatomically correct way. It’s also flexible – with back, side and front options – and the company boasts about its ethical – both fair labour and environmental – standards.

I’d like to thank the ERGObaby baby carrier for giving me a couple of brand new experiences – the first of which is a baby carrier that, eventually, does what it says on the tin. The second is that I’d never before had the sensation of someone being positing down my back and it’s interesting!

We've also reviewed the ERGObaby Performance carrier and the ERGObaby 360 cool air carrier.

What we love

Cormac is almost 6 months old and an inquisitive individual. Judging by his squeals of delight he very much enjoyed the combination of a good vantage point with comfort and closeness to me.

Once on board and tightened up properly the ERGObaby baby carrier was comfortable to wear. Cormac isn’t a featherweight and I’m sure I could lug him around fairly easily all day. He’s so happy and feels very light in it, I could imagine us using it every day. Our buggy might get dusty.

As most babies when comfy will snooze, one of the carrier’s strongest assets is a sleep hood you pull up to support your dozing baby’s head once it starts to loll.

The carrier, one of many really good looking ERGObaby designs, is in soft but thick cotton, which is washable, an absolute essential for my dribbly little boy.

While it doesn’t fold up super small, it’s certainly possible to stick the carrier in a roomy handbag or changing bag, just in case.

You can buy an infant insert from ERGObaby allowing you to use the carrier for your newborn. One of Cormac’s newest friends gave it a spin and found it very comfortable but a little warm.

What to watch out for

We’d watched the helpful videos on the ERGObaby website and figured out the carrier. It’s not complicated, but does require a lot of fiddling around behind your back, which takes a lot of getting used to. At first it seems a little unsafe until you realise that your little treasure is quite safe and very comfy. We had tried several framed backpack type carriers and in contrast this is unexpectedly easy to wear.

We were putting it through its paces when an already excited Cormac gave one of his soggy-sounding telltale burps and I felt a warm wet sensation. Lovely. My boy Cormac is a greedy little chap so it was probably my fault to try out the ERGObaby just after lunch.

Other users have complained that their babies get very hot in the ERGObaby baby carrier, however, in Scotland in November, Cormac and I haven’t found a problem so far.

Who is the ERGObaby baby carrier best for?

Parents after the flexibility and ease of a carrier but don’t like the macho mountaineeriness of a framed carrier or the unstructured vulnerability of a sling.

MadeForMums verdict:

Once you get the hang of the ERGObaby baby carrier – and it takes quite a lot of effort – it’ll become your best friend. It is comfy to wear, and your baby won’t feel too heavy in it. With the addition of the infant insert, you could go from birth to 4 years, and change from front to back to hip positions as it suited. The sleep hood is a wonderful feature, too.

Still deciding what to go for?

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MadeForMums product reviews are independent, honest and provide advice you can have confidence in. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links. However we never allow this to influence our coverage. Our reviews and articles are written by parents who are professional journalists, and we also include feedback from our parent community and industry experts.

Product Specifications

Product
BrandERGObaby
ModelOriginal Baby Carrier
Price£119.00
Suitable for
Child age (approx)Birth (with insert) to 4 years
Child weight7kg to 18kg
Features
Washing instructionsMachine washable
FasteningClick fit
Carrying positionsBack, front and hip – 3
Features
  • Designed for baby spine health
  • Cushioned leg cutouts
  • No rigid frame
  • Wide straps and belt
  • Security chest strap
  • Pouch with zip
Accessories
Optional extrasInfant insert (to use carrier from birth), raincover, back pouch, front bag, belt extension, sucking pads
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