Talk to me about how you use your Ergo

[babygirlsmama]

I'm getting used to the Ergo but am not in love yet. I'd love to hear some specifics from Ergo lovers about exactly how they use their Ergo. Seriously, specifics like when do you use it, what do you do while wearing baby in it, what positions, how old is baby, etc. Also, do you use it when baby is awake, or does baby stay awake in it?

My daughter is almost 4 months old, and is rarely interested in being in the Ergo awake. But, it is a great tool for getting her to sleep if she's tired and cranky. We use the new heart to heart insert, which frankly I think she is too big for now....but I improvise, and we do the cradle position like with the regular insert and it works pretty well. It seems best if we are going for a brisk walk outside, because if I put her in it and stay inside (walking to and fro doing chores or whatever), she gets fussy (or stays fussy). Today at least, she has quieted down quickly when I went outside with her in it....thankfully she stopped crying before I hit the end of the driveway.

So, how do you use it? What works well? If you have an older baby, how did you adjust as the baby grew? Thanks in advance!

[jewelsJZ]

I've had an Ergo since ds was about 8ish months old. He sometimes gets fussy but when he does, I just walk briskly around the house or wherever I am, for a few minutes until he settles down. He usually goes to sleep but sometimes not. I mostly use it around the house when I am cooking or doing chores that don't involve a lot of bending down (back carry). Laundry, loading the dishwasher have to wait. He is 14 months now and it is just not comfortable for him or me to bend down when he is in the Ergo.
I have also put him in the Ergo to walk up to pick up my older son front school, to take my older two kids out while they ride their bikes, I bring it when we have the jogging stroller as he sometimes gets fussy in there, mainly because his 3 year old sister is bugging him. I bring it when we travel if we can't fit a stroller in the car with all our other stuff. I just posted on another thread that I used it while hiking in the snow that was too deep for him to walk in.
When my kids were younger, like your dd's age, i used the Moby wrap and a ring sling much more often. Of course, that was before I discovered the beauty of the back carry and how much I could get done around the house while wearing the baby.
I have seen people carrying two year olds in their Ergos. I def. can't carry him for as long as I used to now that he is over 20 pounds but I would say I still use the Ergo about three times a week, or more if we are traveling.

[Rowansmama]

I didn't get an Ergo until DD was about 15 months old. Before that, I used my hotsling for everything. Once I got the Ergo, I could all of a sudden carry her everywhere for long periods of time. To the mall, while travelling, doing groceries...I'd just strap her on my back and go. I did occasionally put her on the front and she'd sleep there if we were out and about and not home for nap time. I'm too pregnant now to wear her, but my husband still wears her a lot and she's 27 months and almost 30 pounds. She still loves it and it's still comfortable. I can't see stopping anytime soon.

[Comtessa]

We've had an Ergo since DD was born. I never liked it much with the insert, by the time she was 4-5 mos we used it without.

We use front carry for: shopping, going for walks, traveling (esp. on buses, in train stations, etc.), naptime when we're on the move. When she was littler, I used it as a way to keep people from trying to handle her too much. Also used to be great in church for keeping her calm.

I only use back carry for cooking (watch for grabby hands, though) and some household chores.

Hip carry is nice for bigger babies, but a little unwieldy with the Ergo, IMO. I like wearing them in hip carry, but switching from front/back to hip is a pain. If I'm going to use hip carry I usually just switch to a ring sling.

ETA: My favorite thing about the Ergo is that I can put DD in it, then put on a cardigan sweater and a coat and button them both up around her with just her head poking out. Then I can put a warm hat on her and she stays warm no matter how cold it is outside. We frequently have to walk places even when it's extremely cold outside, so it's great to have a way to keep her warm.