There is a new carrier out: The Belle Baby Carrier. Designed by two fathers who engineer rock climbing safety equipment, it has a nice, feather-weight feel and cool, breathable fabrics. When you see the Belle, you just know this is from the west coast where hiking and lightweight gear with strong fabrics are important. However, city dwellers should take note: the breathable fabrics and pared-down design are great qualities for a city baby carrier too.  The Belle works on the premise that the weight gets distributed to your hips, not your shoulders. And that is the way it does work.  You can nurse easily in it too.

I emailed Belle asking for a sample so I could try it out with some of you. Luckily, both they and you were willing.  As most of you use the Ergo, I thought I would ask the company how the Belle improves on or is different than the Ergo. Sue, VP of Sales and Marketing, wrote me back a detailed explanation: (in ORANGE)

The Ergo is a great carrier as well, however, here are a few differences when it comes to the Belle:
 
1.  The Belle is effectively designed to be an infant carrier, up to 25 lbs.  Note that on the Ergo website, they feature larger babies.  This is because the Ergo, alone is not designed for infants; and rather, once combined with the infant insert, it now becomes effective for infant carrying support.
 
2.  The Ergo shoulder straps wrap around the shoulders and there is an extra sternum strap to keep them secure from slipping off of the shoulders.  With the Belle, the shoulder straps cross in the back, thus effectively creating a secure shoulder strap fit; and assisting in distributing weight to the parents hips.
(By the way, I think this is a huge difference. I always have problems with the puffy Ergo shoulder straps falling off- even when I work on adjusting the sternum/back strap.)

3.  The Ergo has a lot of excess padding and bulk.  Many parents look at this feature as added support, however, excess padding does not equal support.  It is the carrier’s ergonomics that enhance support.  The Belle is a sleek, simple design so that parents can easily put the Belle on or off without assistance.
(Bingo! This is what most of the parents who tried the carrier felt were two important points. The Belle was easier for traveling, stroller-stowing and stuffing into a purse/messenger bag than the Ergo because of its simple design. Secondly, the Belle was easier to put on for parents. The straps cross over and clip on your sides so you don’t have to reach behind your back).

4.  The top of the Belle is constructed of a breathable mesh and foam – this increases ventilation around the baby’s neck.  (Also since there is less padding and bulk, the Belle is much ‘cooler’ to wear, keeping the baby ventilated, and the parent as well.
(Yep!)
 
5.  The baby is not loaded into the Belle, therefore, it is much safer in terms of the unlikely accident where the baby’s legs both go through the same hole.  Once the waistbelt is positioned on the parent, the parent can easily secure the Belle around their baby while holding them… this is hard to explain via e-mail, however, perhaps the instructions attached can explain this process better!!
(I understand what she is saying- it is very easy to load the baby- and after watching a few parents do it, I get it.)

PHOTO: Just one of the test subjects- my brother-in-law who really really liked it while carrying his daughter, plus he is on the west coast so he really really really liked it.

Okay, so there were suggestions and complaints:
"the side straps felt like they were digging into my sides. I would like more padding there."
"I couldn’t wear this with my heavier toddler like the Ergo."
"My baby couldn’t put his arms up, they were trapped at his sides and he wanted to move."

Final comments:
"I would buy this over the Bjorn any day. I would use it when my baby was an infant, I thought that the Ergo infant insert was bulky, awkward and uncomfortable."
"I would use this for travel and in combination with my stroller. My stroller gets so heavy with the Ergo in it."
"It would be hard to decide between the Ergo and the Belle- given that they are at the same price point. In the end, I would want probably want both, but the Ergo would serve me and my baby for a longer time due to the weight limit of the Belle"
"I would want both of these, plus my sling."

Lastly, Belle was a nominee for the Innovative Product of the Year competition
for 2007 by the JPMA (Jouvenile Product Manufacturers Association).

Price point: $90-100. Available at Flying Squirrel and Mini Jake in Williamsburg.

Flying Squirrel

http://www.flyingsquirrelbaby.com/

96 N. 6th Street

718-218-7775

Open M-W:11-7, Th-Sa:11-8, Su:11-7.

Mini Jake
http://www.minijake.com/

178 N. 9th Street (btw. Bedford Ave and Driggs)
Brooklyn, NY 11211 (Williamsburg)
718-782-2005

Similar Posts: