Brand: Ergobaby Omni 360 Carrier: Omni 360
material: 100% cotton weight/age recommendation: 0-36 months (3.2-15kg), panel width: 50.8-71 cm
About the company: I guess I don’t have to say much about Ergobaby 😉 The company has been founded almost 15 years ago and is well-known worldwide for its carriers. Throughout the years the range of carriers and systems have always changed. I had an Ergobaby Performance carrier 5 years ago when my daughter was smaller. I loved it because it was really comfy despite the missing opportunity to adjust the seat.
My first impression: The Ergobaby Omni 360 looks quite different then the Performance carrier I owned years ago 😉 I must admit I haven’t followed the new Ergobaby carriers as I rarely see them. It’s the original collection that’s seen more often on babywearing parents. Anyway, you see on a glimpse how to adjust as it’s really dumb-proof (see next point) and the instruction manual explains it very well, too, with illustrations. The colour is, well, understated 😉 The material is quite stiff but I guess it will soften up after using it more often… I love the detachable pocket on the hipbelt – big enough for storing your keys, phone and some money.
To be used in all positions Ergobaby Omni 360
Functions: As the product name says, the Omni 360 can be used during the whole babywearing period from birth till 15kg (depending on the child’s size, I heard it stops fitting the M positon around size 92) and in all positions: front, back, hip and face forward. Yep, we don’t like face forward at all, but some parents do and if they do, it’s best doing it with the Omni 360 as it can provide a pretty good M position. Above all, face forward can be necessary in special situations like a babywearer in a wheelchair or during meals outside with no high chair and hands needed for other things than holding your baby.
How to adjust it: There’s a continuos velcro with positions in three colours to attach the back panel – really easy and it’s even written on a tag. You just cannot be mistaken. Of course, you can adjust the panel steplessly without fixing it punctually in the coloured areas. That’s it!
How does it fit and wear: While wearing my baby in the front I think it’s pretty comfy. There’s a lumbar support and the hipbelt feels relieving, too. The shoulder straps are padded and rather narrow which is nice for most women, I guess. When using the Ergobaby Omni 360 on the back, there are two things, I don’t like: Though being rather curvy, I seem not to be able to tighten the straps as close as I want. There’s still some space left. Plus: tightening isn’t too easy with the need to pull the straps in the direction of your back but I heard Ergobaby is already working on this.
No insert needed
Now talking about the baby. Mentionable, of course, that you don’t need any newborn insert and can adjust to an optimal spread-squat-position. Also, the panel has a nice padding at knee height. The panel isn’t adjustable in height but the neck support can be rolled in or pulled up. As you can see, my now 10 months old babygirl fits in perfectly and bigger children can of course take their arms out. But: there’s no possibility to attach the shoulder straps on the hipbelt. They end at the panel, on a quite high position and as you can see, there’s some pressure on my baby’s back. It might be okay for bigger children but not with smaller ones…
Conclusion: The Ergobaby Omni 360 is a simple and easy to use multi-purpose carrier. Though adjustable and therefor fitting from birth on, I would recommend it for bigger babies due to the pressure on baby’s back. Some other things could still be improved and the material isn’t as soft as one might like. But the carrier itself brings along a nice support and weight distribution for the wearer.
Deutsch (German)
