Ergo wearers! I have questions.

[ryansma]

I have an almost 3 year old who recently potty learned : I am so proud of him!
I usually wear ds2 in my ring sling - but I am finding it increasingly hard to wear baby brother and help my big guy on the potty.

So I was thinking I would have to get used to back carry but quite honestly I don't really want to. Part of why I like babywearing is having my baby right there under my nose where I can talk to him and kiss him and he is part of the action.
I prefer front carry but think back carry may be necessary for trips to the restroom.

I heard that an Ergo switches easily from front carry to back carry without having to remove baby?
Is this true? I couldn't find any instructions for doing so. Maybe I looked in the wrong places, I don't know.
If you have an Ergo, have you done this? Is it pretty simple?
Any suggestions, advice is welcomed
TIA

april

[PiePie]

Originally Posted by ryansma

I heard that an Ergo switches easily from front carry to back carry without having to remove baby?

not true

[ryansma]

Originally Posted by PiePie

not true

doh!

Any suggestions any one?

[jocelyndale]

Originally Posted by ryansma

I heard that an Ergo switches easily from front carry to back carry without having to remove baby?
Is this true? I couldn't find any instructions for doing so. Maybe I looked in the wrong places, I don't know.
If you have an Ergo, have you done this? Is it pretty simple?
Any suggestions, advice is welcomed

I do it all the time, though it was a lot harder and more nervewracking with a 5mo than with a 10mo. And it's easy peasy with a 21mo who can grab hold of me if necessary.

Unclip sternum strap, loosen straps below your arms, bring them back around and hold tight, under your kiddo's arms. Carefully loosen the waistbelt and shift the babe around, until you can slip an arm into one of the straps and complete the shift.

I couldn't do it with a wee babe, but it was easier as he got older.

If you look at the Ergo vids for putting a babe into a back carry, you can see how you do it, though I think those vids start from a hip placement. You'll just have to scoot the babe from your front to your hip as you start.

[painefaria]

Once your little guy is big enough to hip carry in the ring sling you can easily switch to a back carry with the ring sling for potty time and bring your little guy back to the front when you are done. I do this for DS when I am making dinner. When I am at the stove he is in the back and when I am putting things away I have him in the front. I am not sure how this would work with a little one as DS didn't like the sling until he was 12 months. DP preferrs the ergo and has learned to get him in the pack on her own. it would be a lot to switch from front to back for potty time and then back with out assistance. (probably resulting in an accident ) Good luck.

[HeidiMcD]

I have been doing this transfer with my DD since she was 7 months old. I undo the top clip, and take off both arm straps. Then, holding her with one arm, I loosen the waist strap and move the Ergo around to my back. Once the Ergo is in place I scoot her around and onto my back and then pull the straps on again. I find the transfer from back to front way easier, when I do that one I don't take her out, I move her and the carrier at the same time. But for some reason I like to do it separately when moving her to the back. Good luck!

[clutterbug]

Originally Posted by jocelyndale

If you look at the Ergo vids for putting a babe into a back carry, you can see how you do it, though I think those vids start from a hip placement. You'll just have to scoot the babe from your front to your hip as you start.

Yup...on my hip with the Ergo behind him (but straps hanging) is how I start off for a back carry, so going from front to back is no different than those extra couple of inches of shifting. I find the only real issue is my shirt gets kinda twisted around me, but nothing a minute or so of rearranging in front of the mirror can't fix.;..and if you were just just going to shift back to a front carry in a sec, you might find everything goes almost back to where it should be anyway

[PatchChild]

I never even knew to attempt this!

[MilkbarMom]

The Beco Butterfly switches easily from front to back.

[calpurnia]

Originally Posted by PiePie

not true

huh. if i want to put baby on my back in the ergo i actually start out with her on my front & swing her round, i find that so easy. so ymmv.

[Neuromancer]

A friend and I were looking at the Ergo yesterday. Her baby is too heavy for her to carry in her wrap and the Bjorn she had broke. I'm going to share your tips on front-to-back carry with her.

We were also wondering if the Ergo can be put it and taken off without help (i.e. without a second person around). That clip in the back below the shoulderblades is hard for her to reach and I had to do it for her. Any tips?

I'll keep looking through this forum for previous posts on this. Just thought I'd check here.

[ChetMC]

Originally Posted by MilkbarMom

The Beco Butterfly switches easily from front to back.

This is definitely one of the great things about the Beco. Until I got my Beco I always made DH take the older kids to the bathroom when we were out. It's nearly impossible to help a preschooler in a cramped public washroom with a baby in a front carry.

[MommaSuzi]

>>were also wondering if the Ergo can be put it and taken off without help (i.e. without a second person around). That clip in the back below the shoulderblades is hard for her to reach and I had to do it for her. Any tips?

I got pretty good at putting dd in the ergo on my own, but I didn't get one until she was about 9 months old. For front carry, my tip is to raise the clip up higher so it's actually about at the base of the neck/top of the shoulders, rather than being down between the shoulder blades. It was much easier to reach that way.

[Neuromancer]

Thanks, MommaSuzi. That's helpful!

[4Marmalade]

Originally Posted by calpurnia

huh. if i want to put baby on my back in the ergo i actually start out with her on my front & swing her round, i find that so easy. so ymmv.

Me too.

[clutterbug]

Originally Posted by Neuromancer

We were also wondering if the Ergo can be put it and taken off without help (i.e. without a second person around). That clip in the back below the shoulderblades is hard for her to reach and I had to do it for her. Any tips?

This took a while for me to get good at, too. As PP said, you can adjust the cross strap in advance so it's a little higher on your back. However, I find if it's too high (for me, that's just under the base of my neck) it gets uncomfortable. I find if I am having trouble reaching, it can help to push baby up by his bottom, which makes the straps not lie right against me and somehow makes the cross strap more accessible.

The cross strap thing is another little challenge of shifting front-back-front, at least in this house. I adjust it while DS is on my back, and then when DH/I got to put him on the front, the strap is waaaay to low to reach. That's how I discovered the pushing baby up trick

ETA: I was just reflecting on this and I think I also loosen the houlder straps before doing the push baby up thing...lengthening them allows the cross strap to move up higher on your back.

[AlwaysByMySide]

Originally Posted by 4Marmalade

huh. if i want to put baby on my back in the ergo i actually start out with her on my front & swing her round, i find that so easy. so ymmv.

Me too.

Me three.

In regards to the question about putting it on yourself, I have only ever done it by myself. There is a learning curve, but once you get it down, it's very simple. I can even do it while I'm walking.

I my Ergo.