Help me choose a carrier

[wr2]

I'm looking to upgrade my baby carrier. I received a baby bjorn at one of my showers and never loved it. (Also after finding this sub, realized it wasn't great for baby either). I'm torn between either the Tula Explore or the Ergobaby Omni. I'm leaning toward ergobaby because it looks like it has a lumbar pad which I think I would prefer.

A few facts:
Both my husband and I would baby wear, we are 5'8" and 6'0" respectively.
We have a big baby. He is just 7 months and is 21lbs and 29 inches long.

I haven't been able to find any babywear libraries or swaps in my area to try either carrier, so I was hoping this community could share their experiences and hopefully help me decide.

Does the lumbar pad make a difference? Which carrier could be better for a tall baby/child?

Thank you!

 

[savedbythelord317]

@wr2 I do not find that the lumbar pad makes a considerable difference. Both carriers are fairly bulky, but tula is less bulky than ergo Omni. Is forward facing out important to you? It’s not a great position for baby and will be uncomfortable for both baby and wearer after a short period of time and it’s not recommended for more than 20 mins at a time. If you don’t care about forward facing out you might also consider a standard tula. My personal favorite for comfort is a kinderpack. Lenny lamb also makes great carriers, I also love the original ergo which are readily available for cheap secondhand.

 

[wr2]

@savedbythelord317 Thank you so much!

 

[savedbythelord317]

One more thought- I hear great things about lillebaby for tall wearers. I’m very short so I can’t comment directly.

 

[suicidegirl1988]

@wr2 I love Tula. With all of their patterns and styles (especially in the Facebook BST groups) they really have something for everyone. My husband and I have a 4 inch height difference and we have an easy time adjusting it to fit when we switch out who uses it.

Haven’t tried the lumbar support on the Ergo, I have an older model, but I feel like it would just be sweaty. I’ve never had back issues with the Tula.

 

[wr2]

@suicidegirl1988 Thank you this is so helpful. I too, love the Tula designs but didn't want to get trapped in picking a carrier because it was pretty lol

 

[suicidegirl1988]

@wr2 I haven’t used the Explore because I don’t think world-facing is a good fit for us but I’ve used a Standard and FTG in canvas and woven! I will vouch for pretty and functional

 

[pitcharan]

@wr2 I’m pretty sure Tula makes an additional lumbar piece you can purchase. I personally bought their ‘Free to Grow’ carrier as it’s much less bulky than the explore. Since your kiddo is already over 20lbs you’re not realistically going to be able to wear them facing out, they’re too heavy and it’s going to murder your back.

The only reason to purchase the explore IMO is the facing out option.

 

[hannelie]

@wr2 If you’re looking to try other carriers, Little Zen one has a free try before you buy program. You just gotta join their Facebook group to sign up. They’ve got lots of options.

 

[shovon27]

@wr2 Look into artipoppe

 

[ens123]

@wr2 I had ergo baby embrace for newborn face and it was great. Then I went to lilibaby all-seasons for the lumbar support and both me/baby didn't enjoy it. Lilibaby felt very bulky, I need an extra pillow under baby's bum, just wasn't working. Then took the expensive leap to artipoppe & haven't looked back! Artipoppe is easy to use solo (very similar to ergo baby embrace), the crossing back straps seems very supportive with structure front & of course they have fun design! You can get a discount code, but also you can find them second hand if you're patient.