Why Can't my Baby Face out in the ErgoBaby Carrier?

February 2015 - updated to include information on the new Ergo 360 Baby Carrier Sling.


For many years, ErgoBaby made only carriers that would allow babies to be worn facing their parents when being carried on the front.

The are very many reasons why parent-facing should be the default for front carrying infants and these are detailed in the original version of this article set out below.

So why have Ergo brought out a carrier that enables children to be carried world facing, ie away from the parent?

Ergo appreciate that the most important thing is that parents carry their children and the Ergo 360 is designed to allow parents to have the flexibility to carry their babies in the most ergonomic positions possible, whether facing in or out, on the front, back or hip.

Due to its innovative design, the Ergo 360 holds your baby:

• In the correct ergonomic position with knees up high at or above the hips, in the m position
• Has a unique bucket design to support developing spines in the correct c shape
• Is comfortable for both parent and child 
• Gives excellent support for both parent and child and prevents undue stress on the baby's crotch area

It is recommended that the world facing position be used for only short periods from around 6 months and up and only when the child is awake.

Parents should continue to closely monitor their children and respond to any signs of tiredness or over stimulation by returing the child to the parent facing position.



The original article follows below:

Why Can't my Baby Face out in the ErgoBaby Carrier?

The ErgoBaby Carrier has been very specifically designed so that the baby faces inwards, towards the parent, when they are in the front carry position.

ErgoBaby took this decision following the recomendation of Dr. Evelin Kirkilionis.


Why should a baby face inwards when being carried:

• You can communicate better with your baby
• You can make eye contact with your baby, evaluate and respond to their facial cues
• You can better determine and respond to your baby's needs
• Babies in outward facing baby carriers cannot turn away form stimuli when they need to and may become overwhelmed
• Inward facing baby slings tend to allow the baby to have more and better sleep

When you are carrying your baby in the Ergo Carrier, you will find that they are kept stimulated and interested by watching YOUR reactions and listening to you talk to them.

If you want to allow them to join in a conversation or to see something in particular, you will find that you angle your body so that you are both looking in the same direction, sideways on. 

This is better than using a front facing carrier, as you and your baby can respond to each others' visual cues, which you cannot do if your baby is facing away from you.

You can find more tips on using the Ergo 360 as a front facing baby carrier on our website.

Do I Need the Infant Insert for the Ergo Baby Carrier?

This is one of the questions that we get asked the most by customers.

The Infant Insert (or Heart to Heart Insert) is designed to fit inside the Ergo Baby Carrier to ensure that your baby is sitting in the safest, most comfortable position.

It is used for babies from newborn to around 4-6 months, depending upon your baby's development and growth.

The insert supports your baby’s head and neck, as well as spine and hips during those first crucial months of development.

You can stop using the insert once your baby can hold his head up for long periods of time and can comfortably splay their legs/hips to sit in the baby carrier itself.

Each baby will develop at their own pace and these two milestones may not occur at the same time, so you will need to monitor your baby and decide when you stop using the insert.

The new Heart2Heart Infant Insert supports the Natural Sitting Position, sometimes called the "Spread-Squat Position", with baby facing you in the carrier.

This prevents "crotch-dangle" and any health implications that may arise from a baby not being correctly supported in a baby sling.

The bottom pillow in the Heart2Heart Infant Insert can be removed from the insert and placed inside the carrier, with your baby sitting on top of it. This allows babies from around 5-6 months old, who may no longer need head and neck support, to be at an optimal height inside the ERGObaby Carrier.

The Heart2Heart ErgoBaby insert is available from The Natural Nursery in cotton (£18.90) and organic cotton (£34.90) in a range of colours to match the Ergo Baby Carriers.

Organic Ergo Baby Carrier - new colourway

ErgoBaby have just launched a new colourway for the organic Ergo Baby Carrier, called Desert Bloom.

Desert Bloom features a rich golden desert sand exterior with Sahara. blue, brown and gold bloom geometric flowers on the lining.

It has matching coloured zips and webbing, to give a real designer look to the baby carrier.

Like all the other organic Ergo Carriers, it is made from exceptionally soft 100% certified organic cotton, and will allow you to carry your baby on your front, on your hip and on your back.

The Desert Bloom Carrier is available to buy now from The Natural Nursery, priced at £107.95, a saving of 10% on the normal retail price - including FREE UK First Class Post.

Ergo Baby Carrier Customer Reviews

We appreciate that the Ergo Baby Carrier is one of the more expensive carriers available in the UK but we think it is worth every penny!

And so do our customers - over the years we have sold hundreds of Ergo Slings and have been lucky enough to receive some great feedback from our customers.

If you would like to read some reviews left by our customers, you can have a look at our ErgoBaby Carrier Review Page.

Types of Ergo Baby Carrier

As the Ergo Baby Carrier has become ever more popular, a wider range has been brought out.

The first Ergo baby backpack was the Classic, which was discontinued some years ago.

It was replaced by the Ergo New Generation (sometimes called the New Gen) and now known as the "Original Ergo Carrier".

An range of organic cotton Ergo Carriers is also available, some with beautiful embroidery on them.

Some taller men reported that they found the Ergo Original to be a little short in the body for some, so the Sport Ergo Carrier was introduced. It will fit women from around 5' 4" all the way up to 6' 5" men.

For very active parents, and those living in hotter countries, the Ergo Performance was introduced in 2010. It is made from high performace materials, rather than the 100% cotton or organic cotton of the Original Ergos.

The latest Ergo Carrier to be brought out is is the Ergo Options - the first solid black Ergo that can be purchased on its own or with a set of extra covers that can be used to vary the look of your baby sling.

Welcome to the new Ergo Baby Carrier UK blog, maintained by Arabella Greatorex of The Natural Nursery, one of the UK's leading suppliers of natual and organic baby products.

We have been selling Ergo Baby Carriers for over 5 years and we have helped hundreds of families choose the right baby sling for their baby or toddler.

I carried my daughter in an Ergo Carrier until she was over 4 1/2 years old - I don't drive so having a sling that allowed me to carry a such a large child for periods of up to 2 hours at a time was vital.

At The Natural Nursery, we are always happy to talk you through the difference between the various versions of the Ergo Baby Carrier and all our products come with our 30 day refund policy.

You can buy ErgoBaby Baby Carriers for delivery to the UK and EU from The Natural Nursery or do contact us on 01392 499 394 if you would like some more information or have a question.