Cybex i.GO

I was very excited to try this carrier. At first glance the Cybex i.GO baby and infant carrier looks like the perfect love child of the Ergo and the Björn. With Björn's sleek looks and Ergo's ergonomic design Cybex was bound to have parents around the world falling hard. Eh, no.

It looks sleek and chic, but there are so many straps and velcros, and straps under velcros inside lining, that it feels more like a straight jacket than a baby carrier. Try as they might, the baby still dangles from her crotch when facing out. The lumbar support is pretty good, but the shoulder straps are not padded enough and it hurts. You need to put the Cybex on and then wiggle your baby in through the very narrow top.

The Cybex also works as an infant carrier, where the baby lies on his back facing upwards at 90 degrees from you, as if you were a cigarette girl from the 20's. His legs dangle off unsupported. It's not very cozy, and definitely not convenient for nursing. Although it is pretty comfortable to bottle-feed the teeny babies while in the Cybex, which is a nice change from other infant carriers.

Although modeled by beautiful people (seriously, google the summer ads - I'd get it just on the off chance my hip bones might look like that woman's), the Cybex is not ideal babywearing material.

I love the Ergo too

Every blog out there raves about the ERGObaby.

I bought it.

My life is a before and after.

The ERGObaby carrier’s ergonomic design supports a correct sitting position for the baby’s hip, pelvis and spine growth. It disperses most of the baby’s weight between the hips and thighs and helps prevent compression of the spine. The ERGObaby carrier also alleviates physical stress for the parent by balancing the baby’s weight to parents’ hips and shoulders. It has three carrying positions: front (baby facing in), hip and back (for older babies and toddlers).

We had the BabyBjörn before this (comparison chart here). I was carrying 3 and a half month old Lucas in the BabyBjörn around the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid and (very infomercial), thought to myself "there has to be a better way!" My shoulders hurt so much I felt I could relate to the weeping mother in the Guernica. (I shouldn't even say this, the pain conveyed by that mother is so unbearably profound.) Yet, you get my point. After a lot of research, we decided on the Ergo. I laughed at the demonstration video made by an Ergo fan (until I realized she was selling it on her website). Mocking aside, it convinced me.

When we first received it Lucas was still a bit young for it (we probably should have used the infant insert). He could sit in it, but his legs weren't long enough for his knees to reach the edge, so he was a bit uncomfortable. Now he loves it. We love carrying him in it too. The hip support is amazing, the shoulder pads are very well padded. We can carry Lucas around for long periods of time without being in pain. Putting it on is easy - for me. Wynn needs help, since he isn't flexible enough to strap the shoulder bands together by himself. We have yet to try it with a newborn baby (we used a sling) so I can't comment on it as an infant carrier. But for anyone hoping to comfortably and happily carry a heavier baby, the Ergo is amazing. At first I though Lucas would mind not being able to look out, as he could with the BabyBjörn, but he seems perfectly happy to turn his head and look. Granted, he is a cuddly little kid... but so are we.