Ergobaby Four Position 360 Cool Air

For whatever reason, the moms I know seem to be incredibly brand-loyal when it comes to their baby carriers. There are the Tula moms. The BabyBjörn moms. The Moby moms. And the Ergo moms. I am steadfastly in the last camp. I have been wearing my baby in the Original Ergo since she was about 4 weeks old (in fact, when she was a newborn, the only way I could eat dinner was to put her in the Ergo and rock her to sleep). As she’s gotten older, though, I wanted to wear her forward-facing—an option that the Original Ergo doesn’t allow. So, I was really excited to try the new Ergobaby Four Position 360 Cool Air.

The 360 Cool Air is basically everything I love about my other Ergo: It’s simple to get on and off. It’s easily adjustable so that different sized people can use the same Ergo without too much hassle—just a few tugs at the waist band and the shoulder straps, and it easily fit both me and my husband. It puts baby in an ergonomic frog-legged position to maximize comfort to the baby and minimize any strain on the baby’s hips or neck. And, most importantly for me, it distributes the baby’s weight across your hips, rather than your shoulders and lower back, making it possible to wear the baby for extended periods.

The front-carry option of the 360 Cool Air is also incredible. Once my baby was about 5 months old, she wanted to look out at the world instead of cuddle in to me when being worn. The 360 is designed so that she basically has a little bucket seat when facing out, instead of just hanging from her crotch like other forward-facing carriers. I’m comfortable, and she’s comfortable and entertained, so it’s a win. The only slightly annoying thing about the front-carry option is that you have to readjust some buttons to make the seat a little smaller when switching from any of the other carry options. But, after you’ve done it once, it’s easy to do and a pretty minor price to pay for all the other conveniences of the carrier.

If you haven’t guessed by the name of the carrier, the Cool Air is designed to be cooler and lighter than the traditional Ergo or even the standard  360. The bodice is made out of mesh, rather than fabric, which allows more air to circulate around the baby. We often found ourselves a little too warm in our other Ergo, so this is a welcome change. The 360 Cool Air also is an improvement in the waist belt as compared to the standard 360. The Cool Air brings back the clip, rather than the Velcro, keeping the waist belt more secure and less likely to fray.

Given these improvements, if a front-carry option is important to you, I would definitely recommend the Four Position 360 Cool Air over the Original Ergo. If it’s not, the Original Ergo is still a solid choice. The sunhood on the original is more convenient and the front pocket is such a useful feature that is sadly missing on the two carriers with the front-carry options. Of course, you could always be like me and use both!

Price: $180
To buy: amazon.com