I LOVE the Ergo Carrier! And Hiking Tips!

If you are looking for a baby carrier that supports your back, can be used for a newborn all the way through young toddlers, then this pack is for you!  I received the Baby Bjorn at my shower and when Dylan could support his neck I star

ted using but never Really loved it.  Then when he got to be around 4 months old, he just wasn't very comfortable in it and he was getting so big that it strained my back and I used it for very short periods of time.  Around the time he was 6 months old we started hiking several times a week and his

little legs would dangle and hit my thighs when I was trying to hike plus all the weight on the front of me made it really hard to be out for very long!  So for Mother's Day, my husband bought me the Ergo carrier!  There is an insert you can buy for newborns but at this time Dylan was fine using the pack as it came.  It distributed the weight on me much better than the Bjorn and I could go up steep hills without squishing his little legs against my thighs!  I would highly recommend purchasing the Ergo instead of the Bjorn from day 1!   You can buy it on Amazon.com now!   Also, I did not discover this awesome add on until now but there is a waist extender.  I normally wear a size 16 and this would have been really nice!

Hiking tips for infants:

1)  Make sure temperatures are not too hot or too cold.   When it's hot and the baby is right up against you, you both start to sweat and get hot very fast which is not necessarily a great thing for an infant. 

2)  Dylan lasted about 1.5 hours before he was just done hiking and wanted to be back in his own environment so even though it's nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air, make sure you turn around at a reasonable time.  Most hikes we took, if we turned around too early and got back to the starting place and Dylan was still fine, we almost always could find somewhere else to venture around.  But when we would go for to long before turning around, sometimes it was miserable just trying to make it back quickly to the finish.

3)  Expect to do a diaper change or 2 while you are out!  I learned to change Dylan before we started in the back of the car, then when we were about 45 minutes into the hike and he seemed much happier that way until waiting until he cried and then hurrying to change his diaper.  Bring an extra set of clothes in case you have leakage!

4)  Depending on the time of the year, bring a thin receiving blanket and hat that covers his ears.  Sometimes I wound up hiking holding my hands over his ears (I'd move him to the front of me) when there was a breeze and that was okay if he was awake, if he was already asleep that just didn't work (and that's what I get for bringing the cute hats that only cover half of his ears!).  If he was asleep it was nice to work a receiving blanket around him to keep him warm.

5)  Dress them in soft clothes, try to avoid zippers and hard buttons or stiff fabrics so they can be comfy in the carrier.  Also, try layering a long sleeve shirt over short sleeve since the weather where you are hiking can be different than what it was at your house!

6)  Bring a thermos of hot water from your house and make one bottle in your car before you head off from the parking lot of the hike and then make sure there is enough hot water in the thermos for when you get back.  We always kept room temperature bottled water in the car in case the water was too hot in the thermos.  It sounds like a lot of bottles in a short amount of time, but trust me, it's better safe than sorry and hearing a screaming baby because you didn't plan ahead!

7)  If you live where there are bears, keep your bear spray accessible.  Don't stash it in your pack, under the diapers, wedged by the spare clothes and extra hat!  This is just a little jab at my hubby...not sure what he was thinking!