Bjorn carrier painful and unsafe?

[CanaBanana]

I bought a Bjorn One carrier yesterday. Tried it on briefly in the shop and it seemed fine. Put it on for ten minutes when I got home and my lower back is breaking! Googled for solutions and the consensus seems to be that Bjorn carriers are uncomfortable and also unsafe for baby's hips.

I'm debating taking it back to swap for an Ergobaby 360 which apparently is "hip healthy". Any opinions on either carrier?

I'd take it back. I made the same mistake and bought a bjorn before I knew about how bad it is for baby. Now have the ergobaby and much happier.

I’ve had a Babybjörn (admittedly one of the earliest models) and found it terrible. The weight balance is all wrong. I’ve also had an Ergobaby and it was fine (better than the Babybjörn) but my favourite was a wrap tbh.

The new ones are quite different to the old ones so you haven't endangered your baby's hips (unless they have preexisting hip dysplasia, and your doctor's would have talked to you about this) - however definitely agree that there are far comfier ones, especially as your baby gets bigger! The ergobaby is nice, my DH loves ours, for me as a very short person the manduca has been my favourite.

It might be worth seeing if you have a sling library nearby as they can give you lots of advice about baby carrying safely and you can often hire them to try at home.
Good luck, we love our close caboo.

Definitely go for the Ergo. Manduca carriers are also good. I never get back ache with mine and still getting use out of it with my 2 year old. You could t say that about a Baby Biorn!

Might do a swap then, if they'll let me. Related question - how do you carry baby stuff when you have no pram to hang it on? I'll be laden like a pack horse!

Cross body bag or rucksack

Bjorn (certainly the older style) are narrow based carriers. You want something that has fabric from the knee crease to the other knee crease for your child. And then for your own comfort you want fully adjustable straps, probably padded (in a carrier padded straps are great but they’re not needed in something like a mai tai with wide straps that you can spread over your shoulders). I personally prefer shoulder straps with a cross belt as opposed to straps that cross in an x at the back but that will be down to your preference. Remember to carry high (so you can kiss your baby without any effort) and tight to your body as both of those things will increase your comfort as well as increase safety

Definitely get rid of the Bjorn. I’m surprised they still sell them. Ergo is good as is manduca. I wouldn’t stress about a forward facing one. It’s not the most comfortable or ideal position to carry them in. I wore my first until she was 2.5 and was too heavy to carry and she never was anything but happy to be parent facing.

Definitely take it back.

Look at:
Lillebaby
Connecta
Ergo
Rose and Rebellion
Moby

I borrowed one and it did indeed break my back. How old is your baby? I had a Caboo close when dd was little (you could use it with tiny new born, some have a 9 lb minimum weight)and loved it, very comfy and she loved it. Only downside is they out grow them by 6 months or so. We got a Connecta after 6 months and that was really good too.