Carrying your baby is such a personal thing - people carry for different reasons and different carriers suit different people. Here is Cat's story....
"I bought my Ergo Sport when my eldest was 6 weeks old from a mum-to-mum selling website for a grand total of £30. I don’t even know how old it is but we’ve had it four and a half years now and it’s still going strong!
What I love about it
Firstly I love that it was great value and great quality. It didn’t look new when we bought it but it’s still just as good after pretty heavy usage. I love that its light weight and not very bulky. It can be shoved under the buggy or in the top of the changing bag without any worry so is easy to take along just in case.
Unlike newer carriers it doesn’t do anything fancy and I love that. There are only 3 buckles which makes it really easy to adjust and both my husband and I can get a good fit. I can’t cross the straps, or forward face, but I’ve never felt that I missed out. I love that fact that it’s easy to use and easy to wear. I never feel weighed down by it.
I didn’t even mind using the infant insert for the newborn phase. It was winter so it kept my daughter warm and cosy, and made the transfer to bed really easy if she was asleep. You just took the insert out with her still in it and popped her straight down in bed! When my second came along I borrowed a Lifft stretchy from Sheen Slings which was much better for the newborn phase this time round as I could wear it around the house as well and was super easy when running after my four year old!
I also now have a Firespiral woven wrap which is lovely for snuggly sleeps and flexible carries (and for looking seriously beautiful) but I still find that my old ergo is the one I reach for for a quick, easy and always comfortable carry - especially now my son is big enough to go on my back. I can sling him up there in seconds and he has a great view if he wants it, or snuggles into my back if he needs a nap.
How I use it
I love having the option of carrying for those occasions where it just makes sense. Getting to nursery on the other side of the railway track is a lot easier if I can carry the baby over the bridge rather than walk round to the crossing with the buggy. I always use a carrier for heading into central London. I don’t think I could cope with a buggy on the underground! I love not having to fight to get the buggy on the bus. I even manage to breastfeed in my ergo once while standing up on the bus. I was pretty proud of that!
We never take a buggy on holiday. Carriers awesome in airports and on train journeys. No battling with buggies and suitcases! I’m also very lazy and hate folding up my buggy to put it in the car so carriers are pretty awesome then as well.
I’ve found that my children have tended to go through stages of preferring the carrier or the buggy. Times when they’re super clingy or a bit sick it’s great to be able to keep them close without getting tired arms. I also used my ergo a lot when my daughter started walking and did that planking toddler thing whenever we tried to put her in the buggy. Having the carrier meant that she could walk when she wanted to and come up when she got tired."
-Cat