ERGObaby Review & Giveaway CLOSED

If you've been around TCC for awhile, you know how passionate I am about babywearing. When the media attacked babywearers, carriers, and attachment parenting a few months ago, I nearly lost it. Instead of calling up all the major networks and giving them a piece of my mind, I wrote this post. The bottom line is that wearing your baby is one of the best things you can do for him/her. (That along with Breastfeeding, practicing Attachment Parenting, and having a Natural Birth.) ; ) However, that's not what we're talking about right now. We're talking about the ERGObaby...aka, the best "baby/kid thing" we've ever purchased.

That's right. You read that correctly. The ERGObaby Carrier is THE BEST THING we've purchased for our girls. This thing should be what parents run out to register for when they find out they're pregnant...instead of those stupid strollers. The ERGObaby allows you to wear your baby from they day they enter this world (with the infant insert) until your back can't hold 'em anymore. Hensley is almost 2 and a whopping 25 pounds (I know, she's tiny) and I still wear her in the ERGObaby with ease....with absolutely no plans to stop wearing her anytime soon.

I'm passionate about products I like, but my passion for the ERGObaby runs so much deeper than most things. I love this thing so much it makes me want to go stand on the corner in downtown Charleston and shout like a crazy person to everyone walking by that they should have one! I'm not kidding.

Besides being hands-free (something you'll NEVER get from a stroller), your baby is right up against you, snuggled up and cozy....and at the perfect position for top-of-the-head-kisses anytime you'd like. The ERGObaby makes almost any outing easier. Baby's hungry? No problem! You're ready to nurse. Baby's sleepy? She'll fall right asleep snuggled up to her Mommy or Daddy. Sean and I are very fortunate to have two ERGObaby Carriers, and I'll be totally honest, we don't leave the house without both of them.

As a matter of fact, we recently went to Vermont for five days and took both girls....and you're not gonna believe me when I tell you this, but we did the whole vacation stroller-less. (GASP!!!) Airports, layovers, delayed flights, trips to the Vermont Teddy Bear factory, family reunion, boating on Lake Champlain...the whole nine. No stroller. No joke. We got more crazy looks than we could count, and we actually had one Mom come over to us and say, "Did you forget your stroller, or did you check it?" Ummm, neither. Strollers suck, lady...don't you know that?!

ERGObaby kindly sent us this Orginial ERGObaby Carrier in Camel, along with the super-handy Front Pouch, to review.



The other ERGObaby Carrier we have is this gorgeous HeartRose pattern.

So, spoiled parents Sean and Elizabeth headed out to the airport on a Wednesday morning with two huge suitcases, two gorgeous girls, two ERGObaby Carriers, two car seats, one backpack full of "plane toys."

Sean put Hensley on his back in the pink ERGObaby (yes, my husband is man enough to wear our daughter in a pink carrier!) and I put Daycie Doodle on my front in the Camel ERGObaby. I put the backpack on my back, and in to the airport we went. We checked our bags and one car seat and headed to security. Here's where this whole thing gets really cool. Security didn't make us take them out of the carriers to go through! The Front Pouch had to come off the Camel carrier (super easy...it just velcro's on) and they both had to give up their Taggie Blankies so they could get scanned, but thankfully, both girls stayed right on us as we went through. AWESOME! We get to our gate, and our plane starts boarding minutes later. Sean carries Hensley's car seat onboard (with Hensley still on his back) and is able to strap H's car seat into the seat with her on his back the whole time.

Now, I want you stop for a second and re-play this whole scenario with a stroller. Do you KNOW the hassle they give you at security? How about getting your kid on the plane? And then while you're strappin' down that car seat, what's your kid gonna be doing? Let me tell you. Running up and down the aisle like a hooligan....NOT a good way to start things off. Instead, Hensley went right off Sean's back and into her seat. I boarded, took my backpack off and stowed it, and was able to sit down and buckle up with D still in the carrier. Once everyone was on and the flight attendant was going through the safety stuff, I took Daycie out and stowed my ERGObaby.

Fast forward a bit....we've landed and we're taxi-ing to the gate. As soon as we're able to stand up and get our stuff, Sean and I put our girls back in their carriers, Sean unhooks Hensley's car seat, and we're ready to go. No holding up the people behind us, no dragging our kid down the aisle, no nothing. It was fast, easy, and efficient. On all four of our flights we had people tell us they were impressed with our parenting and how efficiently we "managed" our children. All that thanks should go to ERGObaby, because without their carriers, we would have been one hot mess, that's for sure. : )

We took our ERGObaby's with us all over Vermont. We walked and shopped on Church Street in downtown Burlington, we wore them while touring the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, we wore them when we went to a family reunion down in Manchester. We wore them for walks up and down the road where we stayed. We wore our girls all the time, and it was wonderful.

What really made the ERGObaby shine on our trip was our ride home. Our flight left at 7:45 on Sunday evening. Not the best time to travel with kids, but we figured we'd manage. A short layover in Dulles and we'd be home in Charleston by midnight. No worries, right? Yeah, no worries until we get to Dulles and our flight is delayed from 9:50 to 10:30, then 11:30, then 12:10, and finally 12:25. Thank to the ERGObaby, our girls slept soundly the entire time in Dulles. Hensley on Sean's back, and Daycie on my front. Hensley, my horrible sleeper, was totally content to catch some serious Z's...and I've got ERGObaby to thank for that. Neither Hensley nor Daycie would have slept at all in a stroller, which would have resulted in screaming, crying, fit-throwing kids. Pretty much exactly what all the other Charleston-bound people (who were all also sitting with us in that gate since 9pm) wanted to hear. Oh wait....no one wants to hear screaming kids....especially not when you're in an airport at a ridiculously late hour. Bottom line, ERGObaby saved our trip, on numerous occasions.

But I don't want you to get the wrong idea. ERGObaby Carriers are NOT just for travel. They're for anytime you go out with your baby, and even for sometimes you don't go out. Instead of snapping that infant carrier into the shopping cart at Target, put your sweet baby in the ERGObaby. Instead of subjecting your teething 8-month-old to the nasties on that shopping cart at a grocery store (cos you KNOW she's gonna put her mouth on it!), put her in the ERGObaby. Take your baby for a hike and let him experience nature in a way he never would at his age...in an ERGObaby. And we all know what its like to have a Fussy Baby Day. You know, the days when you can't get anything done because you're baby wants to be held and coddled all day? Those are the days when emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming, and even going pee will be brought to you by ERGObaby. ; )

The possibilites are endless when you go stroller-less. And although your baby will never actually thank you for being worn in a carrier as an infant, you'll be rewarded for your efforts everytime that sweet kiddo gives you a kiss or tells you she loves you. Because everytime you put her in the ERGObaby as an infant and toddler, you're bonding with her. That bond is priceless, everlasting, and its the greatest love known to humans. Why would you NOT want to strengthen and nurture it? So put that stupid stroller on Craig's List and get your baby an ERGObaby. You won't regret it. I promise!

ERGObaby has a whole line of Carriers and Accessories. You're sure to find a pattern that you love, and with the release of the ERGObaby Performance just a few weeks ago, you've got yet another awesome carrier to check out!

I'm LOVING this Organic Carrier...


...and I've been a fan of the "Galaxy" print for a long time...


...and I also love the ERGObaby Performance! In addition to the gorgeous green color, its constructed from lightweight fabric AND has a longer waistbelt, so it would alleviate the need for me to use the Waist Extension on my current ERGObaby Carriers.

Buy It: You can buy the whole line of ERGObaby products from their website and a number of online retailers. Also, be on the lookout for ERGObaby Carriers & Accessories on BabySteals!

Win It: One lucky TCC Reader will win an ERGObaby Doll Carrier for their little one!



Mandatory Entry Requirements: (You must do this or your other entries will not count)

• Go to ERGObaby and tell me your favorite carrier style and pattern or favorite accessory. (1 entry)

• Follow me publicly on Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

Extra Entries:

• Follow TCC on Twitter (1 entry)

• Follow ERGObaby on Twitter (1 entry)
  

• Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to include @TCCElizabeth, @ergobaby, and http://tiny.cc/qx37d in your tweet! (1 entry)

• Re-tweet daily (1 entry per day)

• Vote for TCC on Top Mommy Blogs (3 entries)

• Like The Crafty Charlestonian on Facebook (2 entries)

• Like ERGObaby on Facebook and leave this exact comment on their wall: "I entered to win an ERGObaby Doll Carrier from The Crafty Charlestonian! Thanks for sponsoring this giveaway! You can enter here: http://tiny.cc/qx37d "(1 entry)

• Sign up for the ERGObaby Newsletter (scroll down and click the box that says "Sign up for our Newsletter) (1 entry)
  

• Subscribe to my RSS or Email Feed (1 entry)

• Put my button on your blog and tell me where you put it...leave a link to your blog! (1 entry)

• Blog about this with a link to the giveaway...leave a link to your post in your comment! (1 entry)

• Enter another current giveaway from TCC. Leave a comment with giveaway entered. (1 entry per giveaway...no limit!)

• Enter a current giveaway from I'd Rather Be Changing Diapers. Leave a comment with giveaway entered. (1 entry per giveaway...no limit!)
  

**Be sure to include your email in your comments, and BE SURE TO LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EVERY ENTRY!**

This giveaway will end on August 22nd, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn via random.org. The winner will be notified via email and on this blog and will have 48 hours to respond. Open to US residents only.

Disclaimer: I received this product to review free of charge and upon my request. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated for this review.