ERGObaby

When our first baby was born we were given a hand-me-down Ergo and we nestled our precious newborn in it with the infant insert – and so began our love affair with babywearing.

Ever since then, there has always been an Ergo in our home.  Our first baby is now an active two year old and Ergo has carried him (literally) through every stage – it could be easily be the only carrier you ever need.  Of course if you are like us, you might want to try all kinds of different carriers – and even several types of Ergo carriers.  There are several carriers we love, but Ergo has always been in heavy rotation in our home.  Here are the top reasons we always keep our Ergo within arm’s reach:

• Newborn Insert: We loved that we could use it as soon as we brought our baby home with the insert.  It came in really handy when our snuggly and sleepy newborn wanted to always be close – but we needed our hands free for basic tasks.
• Sleepy Magic:  During those tricky times (teething, growth spurt) when he would resist sleep it was a surefire way to get him to relax and rest.  We would call it the “nap-maker”.
• Toddler Tough:  Even now that we have a big boy who is a good walker, he still loves it.  At 30 lbs. he is still comfortable in it – and just as importantly, we are comfortable wearing him.
• Waist Circumference: As a person with a wider waist I appreciate that there are waist extenders available.  Even better?  Our favorite style (the Ergo Performance) has an extra 5” compared to the original and fits both my partner and I comfortably.
• Gender Neutral:  Or not if you prefer!  There are a lot of different styles and colors available to suit any taste.  Both my partner and I feel like our Spring Green Ergo Performance suits our personal style and works for either our son or daughter.

Now that we have recently added to our family I feel like we have come full circle in our babywearing journey – from newborn, to toddler, to wearing a toddler while pregnant, to newborn again.  Even though Ergo is the only carrier you need, we may need two of them.  Now that we have both a toddler and newborn who both love to be worn – and two parents who like calm happy kids, it seems like a no-brainer to get a second one!

Guest: Sandra Telep

Sandra Telep is a West Philly Mama (not born and raised, but she does spend most of her days on the playground). She is a former professional activist turned stay-at-home-mom. Sandra is happily married to her best friend; they have a precocious toddler and are expecting baby #2.

She blogs about parenting as a queer, Latina, feminist reclaiming family values at www.westphillymama.com