Review: Ergo Baby Carrier for Toddlers

Before I begin this post, I want to make sure that I write that this is NOT a paid advertisement. I simply LOVE my Ergo and haven't written a post about its functionality with a heavier toddler. With that said:

This is my Ergo

Inside of my Ergo is my 2 years and 4 months old son. He weighs right about 28 pounds now.. possibly 30. (I know, I'm one of those moms that doesn't know her kids' exact weights.) This is how we take the dogs for a walk - toddler happily riding on mommy's back. (By the way, these are our two rescue dogs Ava (the German Shepherd) and Cooper (the one-eyed Toy Poodle.))

I've used strollers for walks, and that's okay sometimes. The main two reasons I love using the Ergo instead are:

1. Bonding

When Samuel is riding in the stroller, he's kind of in his own world and so am I. When he's sitting up high on my back, he sees exactly what I see and he can talk to me with ease the entire time. I love seeing his little hand from the corner of my eye pointing to cows and horses and hearing him moo and "neigh!" at them as we walk past. I can explain all sorts of things to him while we walk without having him constantly lean around the canopy of the stroller and ask, "What? What Mom? What? What did you say? Mom?" Anyone that's spent much time walking with a toddler in a stroller, especially on a windy day, knows what I mean.

2. Ability to do More

When we walk using the stroller, we are GREATLY limited where we can travel. Strollers are super hard to push in grass with heavy kids in them. If the big kids want to walk off into a pasture to pick flowers, there's no wrangling with getting stuff out of the stroller, putting the stroller somewhere safe while you walk, and if your toddler is younger and not so steady on his feet, having to STILL carry him. (we've done this dance a few times.)

With the Ergo if we want to go somewhere, we just go! If Samuel wants out to go play, I just unlatch the top front strap, slip it off of my shoulders, grab his hands, and let him slide down my back to the ground. It's so simple! Why oh why did I not discover this amazing contraption with the other two children?

Another reason I really need something like this is so I can control dogs on walks. I've tied dogs to the stroller before, but it severly limits my ability to correct any misbehavior on walks. Having both hands to hold leashes - priceless!

So, what's the point of this post? Basically, to let all of you mommies know that life really can be easier with certain types of baby gear. This, in my opinion, is a must-have. No matter how big your toddler gets or how heavy they are, you can still COMFORTABLY carry them in the Ergo.

Soft "peanut-style" slings are super easy and sweet when you have a light newborn. I wish I'd have had one for those trips into walmart... but for the most bang for your buck, you just can't beat this product. I've used it since the week after Samuel was born, and see no signs of not being able to use it anytime soon. It's still looks just like new! No tears, rips, nothing. It's been chewed on by him for months on end when he was teething, washed in the washing machine several times (really.. many many washings) and used for almost 2.5yrs now. I know people that have had the same Ergo for several years, through several kids and it just holds up so well.

So, new mommies and mommies with toddlers.. take my advice and the advice of many moms in the world and grab an Ergo! You will never regret it!

Sam in the Ergo at 1 month old

Sam in the Ergo at 4 months old

Sam in the Ergo at 6 months old