store.ergobaby.com
Whether or not you subscribe to the tenets of kangaroo parenting or believe in the so-called fourth trimester, there is no denying the widespread popularity and convenience of “wearing your baby.” Thanks to the ERGObaby Performance Carrier, carrying your child doesn’t have to slow you down. Well-suited for strenuous outdoor activities like hiking, and longer-duration urban expeditions like shopping, sightseeing, or visiting the zoo or a museum, the Performance Carrier improves on the company’s original, time-tested design. It is 30% lighter, water-repellent, and lined with a highly breathable and durable ripstop polyester outer layer. The soft, moisture-wicking cotton knit interior pouch keeps you baby comfy, cool, and dry, and an adjustable, elasticated, water-repellent sleeping hood protects from the elements. Also, unlike many slings and carriers, the ERGObaby Performance Carrier looks cool, modern, and technical.

The Performance Carrier can accommodate a child from infancy (with an Infant Insert cushion, sold separately) to 45 pounds (about five to six years old, on average); at the lower end of the weight scale, the pack is comfortable in the extreme for both adult and baby. The ERGObaby cradles newborns and infants close and secure in an ergonomically advantageous position that supports the proper development of the spine, pelvis, and hips. The affect on the wearer’s balance is minimal—important on an uneven hiking trail and a bustling metropolitan sidewalk. The ERGObaby offers three riding positions—on chest, side, and back—but only facing the adult wearer (an important distinction from other carriers). This, ERGObaby argues, avoids potentially harmful pressure on the child’s developing skeleton and joints. My six-month-old daughter consistently fell sound asleep as soon as she was strapped on, but her three-year-old sister complained about the restricted views available from the ERGObaby’s inward-facing positions. And, even though she falls within the weight limits of the ERGObaby, neither of us was very interested in conducting a test ride of significant duration. Be warned:  it takes some practice, and flexibility, to master the ERGObaby. Buckling and cinching the strap that connects the shoulder harnesses behind your back while balancing a wiggly baby on your chest is, on the first few attempts, a daunting and risky endeavor (at least for this non-yoga-practicing father in his late 30s). Persevere, though, and the ERGObaby Performance Carrier will provide many hours of happy on-the-go kangaroo parenting.
–Adam Greenhalgh