The Ergo vs The Moby, and why I love baby wearing!

  Just like anything else that has to do with your baby, you should definitely research baby wearing. If you don't know what it is, or don't do it, I highly suggest you look into it. I love to baby wear because it keeps Chester close to me. I love having him right against me, knowing he's safe in my arms. I love how I can easily get things done on days he just wants to be held. It's very convenient having the carrier so I can have my hands free when I need them. Baby wearing can also help extremely cranky babies. Chester will happily fall asleep in his Ergo when he's cranky and I can't get him to sleep any other way. Usually he will fall asleep nursing, but sometimes all he wants is to be snuggled up on my chest. It's comforting to them because it reminds them of being in your belly. I still use my stroller sometimes, but I like the option of having him right there against my chest so strangers have no way of touching him or getting in his face. That's one major problem I have with using my stroller, people love getting all up in your baby's face where they don't belong!

So what exactly is baby wearing? Basically, you have a carrier or a wrap and you carry the baby on you. It keeps baby close so they feel safe, they can feel your heartbeat and love the closeness. Of course there are carriers that aren't safe for babies, these are usually called crotch danglers. Here is an example from International Hip Dysplasia Institute showing the recommended way to carry your baby.

 So here it shows you the ones on the left are not recommended. The carriers should always support the baby's knee joint and allow the legs to spread, keeping the hips in a stable position.

  When I first started baby wearing I had no idea about the images above. I had a crotch dangler and though I only used it a few times, I wish I would have researched baby wearing more! So after realizing I had a crotch dangler I went with a Moby wrap. I thought the Moby was the best way to go and admittedly I did little to no looking into wraps and carriers. I wish I would have looked into all my options because I ended up unsatisfied with the Moby wrap. Let's start with the things I liked about the Moby wrap, don't worry, this list will be extremely short. I liked that I could baby wear safely, the Moby wrap supports the baby properly. Honestly, I can't think of anything else I liked about it, seriously, that's all. The only thing I liked about that wrap was that I could safely baby wear. Let's get on to what I didn't like about it, shall we? I didn't like that the thing took so long to put on. The Moby is so complicated that I would rather put Chester in his stroller and go, even if that meant getting the huge stroller out and shoving it in my tiny car where I really had no room! The Moby is also not good for hot days. On a warm day I couldn't wear Chester very long or we'd both be sweating and so uncomfortably hot. With that said, how the heck would I even try nursing him in that thing? He gets extremely sweaty and hot as it is while nursing, add in the heat from wearing him in the Moby, it would be a disaster. Also, I feel like the Moby really restricted us. He couldn't move around very much. He could look left or right and that was about it. He couldn't move his legs or arms very well. Craig refused to even try to put the Moby on because of how difficult and time consuming it is to put it on. He would rather carry our chunky baby around the mall than fiddle with the wrap. Now, if you're a Moby lover, don't start screaming at the screen saying how amazing the Moby is and how stupid I am for not liking it. For my family, the Moby was the worst idea and is just terrible. I don't feel bad for saying that either, it's kind of just a ridiculous wrap. Those things cost almost $50 for a huge piece of fabric. I could make a wrap way cheaper than that! Luckily I didn't spend THAT much on it, I bought a slightly used one for a little cheaper. The only problem is now I'm stuck with the dang thing! I really need to sell it, it makes no sense to have that stupid wrap laying around not getting any use.

Here is Chester in the Moby wrap.

  Well, now that I got that out of my system, I want to talk about the Ergo! First, the Ergo is a bit expensive. However, if you're looking for a great carrier that you'll use for a long time and often, this is definitely your carrier! The Ergo can carry up to 45lbs vs the 35lbs the Moby reaches. The Ergo can be used for your newborn too! There are several different prices for the Ergo. The one I purchased was the Original Galaxy Grey. I didn't purchase the bundle, because Chester is way over the weight for the insert, but there is an option if you're buying right from baby's birth. When we have our second child, we can purchase the insert separately. The price of the carrier without the newborn insert is $115 and the "Bundle of Joy" that comes with the newborn insert and the carrier is $135. The newborn insert by itself runs about $25. So you're saving about $5 getting the "Bundle of Joy" if you have a newborn. Luckily, I came across a sale at our local green/cloth diaper store so I saved some money on my carrier. You should definitely always keep an eye out for sales. 

Alright, so let's talk about my experience with the Ergo and what I love about it! First, I love how simple it is to put on. You put it around your waist, buckle it, put your arms through the straps and buckle that. I can easily hold Chester while putting the Ergo on and taking it off. It seriously only takes a few seconds. I love that the Ergo distributes the weight in all the right places. The Moby really put a ton of weight on my shoulders and I would be sore after wearing Chester. The Ergo is much better, I don't get as tired wearing him. Sometimes if I'm wearing him for hours, it takes it's toll on my hips. I'm pretty tiny though and Chester weighs a ton, so it's not a surprise that I would get a bit tired after wearing him for hours. The Ergo also has a little "hood" you can put on the baby, It snaps right over his head.  This way if he's sleeping and I don't want anyone disturbing him, I can put the hood on him. It also comes in hand when it's really windy or really rainy. Chester really likes the Ergo because it's comfortable and he keeps cool. He can stick his arms out if he wants or tuck them back in. It's great when he falls asleep in it too, he lays his head on my chest and still won't get too hot. I feel like it holds him in better too. I guess I would compare it to a bra- the Moby is like a bra without under wire, your boobs have NO support and kind of just dangle there. I feel like Chester was just dangling there in the wrap. The Ergo is like a bra with under wire, it pushes your boobs up and holds them there. I feel like it keeps Chester in place where he should be without the fear of him possibly sliding down. I really can't say enough how EASY it is to put him in the Ergo. Seriously, today we were walking into the store and I had Chester in my arms, putting him in the Ergo, snapping it together AND walking into the building all at the same time. Now if you know me, you know I can't walk and do ANYTHING. Seriously, I have to stop to take a drink or I'll have it all over me. The Ergo is pretty much like a backpack, you can wear baby on your back (facing you of course), you can wear him on your chest (again, facing you) or you can wear him on your hip (again, he should be facing you). They really don't recommend letting babies face outwards while baby wearing. 

Here's Chester in the Ergo.
(Yes, Dads can baby wear as well!)

   So the verdict is obvious. I prefer the Ergo carrier much more than the Moby wrap. However, I would definitely suggest research your options. Don't pick one just to get it over with. If I had researched from the beginning I would have picked the Ergo over the others and saved some money. I appreciate having good friends who suggest great products to me. A fellow intactivist told me I would love the Ergo and she was absolutely right! Even Craig will tell you how much he enjoys baby wearing now that we have the Ergo. He loves using the Ergo and will finally wear Chester because of how easy and great the product is! It's definitely worth the money you will spend on it. The Ergo also has great accessories to add to your carrier. Craig pointed out how Chester is always chewing on the straps. The Ergo has a great solution to that. They have teething pads to put on the straps, they help teething babies while keeping your carrier in top form. They're easy to wash and only cost an extra $17. Ergo really thinks of everything, they have so many cool accessories.

This is the exact Ergo we have.
They have a great selection!

All opinions are my own. I personally love my Ergo carrier, but it may not be for everyone. Research your options and choose what best for you and those little baby hips!