I wanted a soft structure carrier (SSC) so that I could put my baby on my back quickly and easily. A clipping SSC is very helpful in cold weather when you want to zip babies up in your coat so they don’t have to wear heavy clothing and when babies are older and want up and down frequently such as at a museum. They are also very useful for every day life when you just want to wear your baby if they are tired and/ or cranky. I tried both the New Generation Ergo and Beco. I settled with the New Generation (NG) Ergo and have been VERY happy with the results. I now feel that it wasn’t a settling, and I made a great decision.
The NG Ergo is greatly improved from the previous version and I recommend it as a great carrier once baby is old enough to sit without an infant insert especially in the back position. I can put my baby on the back easily and it makes life very manageable for my baby who likes to be held. I wear my baby almost every day for at least an hour and am able to cook, clean and play with the other children. I cannot comment on the carrier with the infant insert as I never have used it. I ordering the Ergo from a website which offered 30 day return policy (not an exchange policy as many sites have. and free shipping for the Ergo.
The back support is so much better that other baby carriers that don’t even offer waist support.
Pros:
Great support at waist for those with or without bad backs… and this is the most important feature IMHO
Side zipper pocket. Great when baby is on back and you want to get something out. I didn’t realize how important this was until I had a sleeping baby on my back and I needed my wallet. I also can fit a cloth diaper, keys and a wallet in the pocket with extra room.
Chest strap runner. Chest straps stay in place with no more lost chest straps like in previous versions.
Great for sleeping babies with the head support cover. This is greatly improved from previous versions.
Video is good and should be watched to know how to properly put baby in and make adjustments to the carrier.
Cons:
Waist needs to extend out longer for taller men and rounder people.
Extra infant insert. I like how the Beco has the baby pouch for the infant to be locked in the carrier.
Difficult to clip and unclip straps when crossed while baby is in the front or side position.
The following are only a problem if you go from the front to back regularly (used most in cold weather or with children of differing ages.)
Difficult to adjust straps when baby is in the front.
Difficult to adjust the support strap when baby is in the front position.
I have been waiting on the prefect SSC Carrier for several years because I wanted one with prints, was comfortable, and was cheap. When I moved away from a retail store that sold carriers I put it off even longer longer because I wanted to try them on before purchasing them. I finally spent some money that I had saved up on an Ergo even though I don’t consider the price to be cheap. I also got a boring black carrier because I didn’t want to spend the extra $15 for an organic that had some color and even then the organic colors don’t say “I’m fun” but say “I’m functional” in my opinion. So I ended up settling for something that was Comfortable and by far this is the most important when you wear your baby. I did not try on the carrier before I purchased it but knew I could return it if I had to.
I have a very bad back and and in the back position the Ergo is a dream. I keep the shoulder straps a bit loose and the waist on my hips (not above them) so that the weight is only on my hips and the shoulders straps are only to keep my baby from falling out. When my 15 lb baby is on my back I don’t have any problems with feeing the weight or having the negative effects the next day. The Ergo is also comfortable when I wear my 2 year old, 28 lb baby, but I sometimes have a sore back the next day if it is for more than an hour. If I wore her more, then I think my back would get use to the extra weight and I may not feel the after effects as frequently.
I tried on an older version of Ergo about 2 years ago and didn’t like how it felt in the front position and it just felt uncomfortable with the strap across my back and it rubbed funny under my arms. At first the NG Ergo was also uncomfortable in the front position, but I found if you put the security strap about an inch from the bottom, have it synced slightly, and have the shoulder straps a bit loose it is comfortable. I usually only have my baby on the front until we are in a store, so I can’t comment for long periods in the front position.
I didn’t want to pay extra for sucking pads, but something similar is a must. I have put car seat straps covers on my carrier for my baby to suck on . I have also cut the tops off a few long socks to add color and sucking straps
