When you become a parent, it’s like you have a sign on your head that says, “Give me your advice on all the baby products!” Most other parents are very happy to share their opinions about their favorite baby products. When I became a new mom, I heard about the Ergobaby Omni 360 many times, and I wondered, “what’s the big deal about this carrier?”
So what makes this carrier so great? Well, there are lots of things that contribute to why so many parents love it, and I’ll explain all of them here in this post.
4 Positions
One very important thing that I look for when buying a carrier is its versatility, and you can find that in the Ergobaby Omni 360. I want to make sure that the carrier I buy has all the bells and whistles that I want.
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So for a carrier, I want to make sure that I can use it in several different positions. When babies are newborns, they don’t care about much other than eating, sleeping, and knowing where their mom is. So inward facing is a great position to hold your newborn in.
As your baby grows, it starts to be more curious and wants to observe the world in the easiest way possible. It is important, therefore, to have a carrier that you can use in various ways to hold your baby in different positions. This will keep your baby happy as he or she grows older and you will be able to use it for much longer.
Front Carry Inward Facing
As mentioned above, most young babies prefer to be inward-facing. They can snuggle into their parent and fall asleep whenever they want to. This is a comfortable position for them and they feel the best supported when they are facing this direction.
The front carry position that the Ergobaby Omni 360 offers is most important for newborns because it helps them be in the best ergonomic position for their height and weight.
Hip Dysplasia
If you have read my review of the Lillebaby Complete then you know that the inward-facing position is important for young babies because, without it, they could develop hip dysplasia.
What Is It?
So what is hip dysplasia? According to the Mayo Clinic, “Hip dysplasia is the medical term for a hip socket that doesn’t fully cover the ball portion of the upper thigh bone. This allows the hip joint to become partially or completely dislocated.”
Though most people who have hip dysplasia are born with it, it can be a condition that develops over time. The most high-risk time of a person’s life to develop hip dysplasia is when they are a baby.
How Can You Get It?
Many carrier companies are very concerned with babies being in the best position because it is possible for babies to develop hip dysplasia when they are carried in a certain way in a baby carrier or swaddle.
Here are some of the causes of hip dysplasia:
- Low amniotic fluid in the womb
- Baby in breech position in the womb
- Large baby
- First baby
- Being swaddled too tightly around the legs
- Being held in a too narrow position (in certain baby chairs, for example)
- Genetic predisposition
- It is more common in females
The causes that are related to the womb are basically if the baby is held too tightly in their mother’s womb so that the hip is held in an incorrect position. There isn’t a great way to avoid this, but it is something that you want to be aware of as a parent. If your baby is in the breech position or has low amniotic fluid, then keep an eye out for the signs.
Otherwise, try to make sure that your baby is supported but is able to move their legs freely for the most part. Or make sure that they are in an ergonomic position, like any of the four that Ergobaby Omni 360 has.
Signs and Symptoms
Every parent should be vigilant at checking their baby for signs of hip dysplasia, though your doctor will check for it at every wellness visit in your baby’s first year. They may even check for it beyond.
If you have ever wondered why your doctor will manipulate your baby’s legs around while doing a thorough checkup, hip dysplasia is the reason. Your doctor will check your baby’s leg length in comparison with the other leg. He or she will also pull your baby’s knees up to their chest and roll the legs out in a semi butterfly stretch position. This will help your doctor diagnose if the legs have the right amount of flexibility and movement that they should if the hip joint is where it should be.
Some of the signs you can look for in your child for hip dysplasia are:
- If your baby develops a limp when he or she starts to walk
- If one leg is longer than the other
- Less flexibility in one hip over another
Of course, some of these issues do not necessarily mean that your baby has hip dysplasia. However, if your baby is showing any of these signs, you should bring it to your doctor’s attention. Many of these symptoms are not life-threatening, but they should be addressed.
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Front Carry Forward Facing
Another essential position for any good quality carrier is the front carry forward-facing position. The great thing about Ergobaby Omni 360 is that they have made sure that this position is completely ergonomic for baby.
The safe position that eliminates the risk of hip dysplasia in a carrier is the back facing position. However, at a certain age, your baby will be unhappy in the carrier in this position. They want to be able to see the world and observe things as you see them.
Many carriers come under scrutiny because they are only outward-facing, and that is risky for hip dysplasia, but the Ergobaby Omni 360 has made a carrier that can be manipulated into a safe carrying space for your baby.
In the Ergo baby Omni 360, you can cinch up the middle portion that goes between your baby’s legs. When they are inward-facing, they need to have a wide seat to support their legs and hips. When they are forward-facing, they need to have a narrow middle portion to ensure their legs aren’t twisted too much to the side.
Hip Carry
There is also the option of hip carrying your baby. This is an excellent feature for parents who want to carry their baby around their house casually but need a bit more support for their back.
I personally have one hip that I can carry babies well on. I think that many parents are in the same boat as me, too. There is one dominant hand and one dominant side that is really the most comfortable to carry your baby on, but it can get overworked fast. When my babies are especially clingy, I would love the option of switching sides to my less dominant one, but it is nearly impossible because that side lacks the strength to hold my baby for long amounts of time.
For this reason, the hip carry can be an essential position that you look for in a carrier.
Back Carry
Carrying your baby on your back is great for when your baby is old enough that you can pass them snacks back there. Back carrying is an amazing option because your back can support the weight of your baby so much better than your front can.
Even when the lumbar support and cross straps that the Ergobaby Omni comes with, it is amazing to be able to carry your baby on your back and take the strain off your body.
Newborn Ready
There are some carriers on the market that require you to buy a newborn insert for their carrier to work for newborn babies, however, the Ergobaby Omni 360 is not one of those carriers. It, like the Lillebaby Complete, comes completely equipped to handle all babies from newborn (or 7 pounds) to toddler age.
You can adjust the seat of the carrier to have more or less fabric between you and your baby. This will help your baby come up to the right height on you so that their bum is supported and their head can rest on your chest.
This is a better design than the Lillebaby Complete because you don’t need to remember to have a towel to insert in there for your newborn.
Back Support
It is so important for parents to have back support when they are carrying a weight on their stomach. It is especially important for new mothers to have this back support while their body’s relaxin levels are going back to normal.
Cross Straps
Another feature that is important to anyone who experiences back pain is that the Ergobaby Omni 360 has two different options for its straps. They can either go straight down, which some people may enjoy, or they can cross your back, which can be helpful for a bit more support in the back.
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Lumbar Support
The Ergobaby Omni 360 also comes with a nice, wide waist strap that offers stability and lumbar support. The strap that goes around your waist will help to take a lot of the weight off of your shoulders when you carry your baby.
Detachable Bag
One thing that I mentioned in my Lillebaby Complete review was that I was grateful for a pocket but disappointed by how small it was. In the pictures, it looks rather big, but although the zipper is long, there is not much give in the fabric and you can only squeeze your driver’s license and a few dollars in there.
Well, Ergobaby Omni 360 is a whole different story. It comes with a detachable bag, which is honestly even more thoughtful than just a pocket. This bag can fit on your carrier when you want it, or it can detach so you can take it off to look inside so you aren’t blindly trying to feel around for your keys or wallet.
This bag is also big enough to carry a diaper and a small, travel size pack of wipes, which is essential when you are taking a baby anywhere, really. Instead of having to carry a diaper back and a carrier, you can just have one.
For longer trips, you can look for the newly developed Hatcher packs. These carriers double as a backpack, so you don’t have to worry about bringing both. You don’t even have to be minimal about the number of diapers or snacks you bring.
Lifetime Guarantee
One feature that I haven’t really had to use, but I love it when they have it, is a lifetime guarantee. Ergobaby Omni 360 offers a warranty on their carriers made after 2016. This doesn’t mean your lifetime, because with frequent use, anything will break down. However, if there are any manufacturer errors, they stand by their products and will replace them for you. So, should a buckle break of no fault of your own, for example, you can reach out to Ergobaby for support.
As I said before, I almost never have to use these lifetime guarantees, because the companies that offer them usually are such quality companies that their products don’t often break. But knowing that they stand by their product enough to fix any problems as they occur, makes me feel good about buying from them.
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Conclusion
Overall, the Ergobaby Omni 360 is honestly one of the most impressive carriers on the market currently. It has all the bells and whistles that you would want in a carrier. It has several ergonomic carrying positions, pockets, and back support. This is a product I would recommend to anyone I know. And something I didn’t touch much on in the post is that their fabric designs are the most adorable things ever. It’s tempting to buy one for each day of the week.