Buying a gift for a novice babywearer- Ergo Sport or regular Ergo?

[blueridgewoman]

Hi All!

My sister is having her second baby in a few months. She has a blended family- one nine year old, a four year old, and a two year old. I asked if she wanted me to buy her a carrier and she agreed. She used a Bjorn with her daughter and I wanted to get her something healthier and more versatile with this baby. However, the carrier has GOT to be the easiest on and off possible- nothing to tie, no sashes to drag the ground etc.

Which eliminates my personal favs- woven wraps and Mei Tais. :) I thought of the Ergo, but it looks like they have several types now. Any thoughts on sport vs regular?

Random bits of information:

She'll be using it for an infant at first and it'll be VERY hot here when she has the baby.

She's not active exercise-wise at all so she'll mostly be using the carrier for shopping trips, family outings, and possibly around the house

She's 5'2 and of average weight and all that

She will be breastfeeding but I'm not sure that she'll breastfeed in the carrier.

Any help would be very much appreciated! :) 

[ElaynesMom]

While I love my ergo, it doesn't always work the best with newborns. I haven't used either of these personally, but some other buckle carriers you might consider are the Beco Gemini or the Catbird Baby Pikkolo. Both of these have the ability to narrow the base to have a newborn/young baby's legs out, and also can be used forward facing in a more ergonomic position than the bjorn if your sister really wants that feature in a carrrier. Later you can widen the base to make a better seat for an older baby, and they are both capable of doing back carries.

[Brambleberry]

We have an ergo (not sport) and an infant insert, and I love the ergo but was less than thrilled with the infant insert.  The main issue with it is that it is HOT - not a good choice for summer newborns, and it is separate from the carrier and so requires two steps to put baby on.  I've heard that the Boba 3G works for newborns and is very similar to the Ergo, but I don't have any personal experience with it.

[clovergirl]

If it's going to be hot and she's going to want to use it with a newborn, I'd not recommend the Ergo either.  A Beco Butterfly or a Boba 3G would be a better option.  A Beco Gemini would be awesome too, I actually prefer it to the Beco Butterfly for newborns (it's a little easier to use), but is a smidge hotter (the body is padded).  I was personally not a huge fan of the Pikkolo but lots of people like them for newborns/young infants.

Hope that helps!

[Mom2M]

Beco gemini is awesome! It fits tiny babies great and is very streamlined so that someone who is petite will not be overwhelmed by carrier. I had an Ergo and got rid of it to get a Gemini because I'm short and the Ergo did not fit well at all. It is padded but there is no other extra material hanging around so it really didn't feel hot to me, it was definitely cooler than just holding the baby and it was very hot and humid when I started using it.
It is extremely easy to use, I could snap it on with one hand no problem and once you buckle the side straps you just pull up on them to tighten it. We really loved it and used it till she was about 1 3/4 years old.

I kept it in the car and used it all the time to go in and out of places because it is so fast to put on.