BabyBjorn vs Ergobaby Baby Carrier Comparison

BabyBjorn and Ergobaby are two of the most popular baby carrier brands on the market. From their high weight range capabilities to their versatile carrying options and bonus accessories, they are two solid brands that are great for parents looking for the perfect carrier for babywearing your little one.

To gather firsthand information and study the most popular baby carriers, we purchased fourteen different carriers from a variety of brands. Among these fourteen, we purchased three BabyBjorn products and two Ergobaby products: the BabyBjorn Mini, the BabyBjorn One Air, the BabyBjorn Harmony, the Ergobaby Omni 360, and the Ergobaby Omni Breeze.

BabyBjorn and Ergobaby Options

BabyBjorn Carrier Choices

BabyBjorn offers five carriers, with the Mini and the Free being fairly similar in style as well as the One and the One Air being fairly similar in style.

Version	Child Weight Range	Carry Options	Accessories
BabyBjorn Mini	8-24lbs	2
BabyBjorn One Air	8-33lbs	4
BabyBjorn Harmony	7-40lbs	4
BabyBjorn One	8-33lbs	4
BabyBjorn Free	7-26lbs	3

BabyBjorn carriers, though higher in price, do not offer additional accessories and have average to lower weight ranges.

Ergobaby Carrier Choices

Ergobaby also offers multiple carriers even beyond those that we tested. We felt that the Omni carriers that we tested were very similar in style, with the fabrics being their largest difference.

Version	Child Weight Range	Carry Options	Accessories
Ergobaby Omni 360	7-45lbs	4	Detachable pouch, sun shade
Ergobaby Omni Breeze	7-45lbs	4	Detachable pouch, sun shade
Ergobaby Omni Dream	7-45lbs	4	Detachable pouch, sun shade
Ergobaby Aerloom	7-35lbs	3	Zippered Pouch
Ergobaby Embrace	7-25lbs	4
Ergobaby 360	12-45lbs	3	Sun shade

Ergobaby also offers a baby wrap and hip seat. Though Ergobaby carriers do run on the higher priced end as well, they tend to have higher weight limits and added accessories.

Specs Overview

Here are some summary specs for each BabyBjorn carrier and Ergobaby carrier that we tested.

Value – How They Compare

All the carriers of both brands cost over $100, some pushing $200 or more, making them some of the more expensive brands that we tested. Overall the BabyBjorn Harmony and One Air were more expensive than either of the Ergobaby carriers, with an up to $100 price difference. When taking value into account, it is important to consider factors like how long a carrier will last your child, its comfort level, and capabilities.

As noted by the higher overall scores, the Ergobaby carriers provide a greater versatility and comfort than the BabyBjorn products. They will last your child longer into their toddlerhood and may be a better value for the price.

BabyBjorn Mini Video Review

Pros and Cons of BabyBjorn Products

Though we overall like the BabyBjorn products, they do come with pros and cons. These pros and cons are based on the three products we tested.

To read more about some of the pros and cons of each BabyBjorn carrier we tested, check out our full reviews of the BabyBjorn Mini and BabyBjorn One Air:

• BabyBjorn Mini Review
• BabyBjorn One Air Review

Pros	Cons
Very adjustable to baby’s height	Higher price
Comfortable and well padded	No included accessories
Breathable material	Difficult buckles
Good support	Pretty strap heavy

Ergobaby Omni 360 Review

Pros and Cons of Ergobaby Products

The Ergobaby products, though solid baby carriers, also came with pros and cons.

To read more about some of the pros and cons of the Ergobaby carriers, check out our full reviews of the Ergobaby Omni 360 and Ergobaby Omni Breeze:

• Ergobaby Omni 360 Review
• Ergobaby Omni Breeze Review

Pros	Cons
Easy to adjust	Bulky shoulder strap
Wide weight range	Material less breathable
Bonus accessories	Harder to buckle baby in
Easy to use buckles	Carrier a little bulky

Ergobaby Common Complaints vs Our Experience

We reviewed the critical customer complaints for both the Ergobaby Omni 360 and Omni Breeze and compared them to our experience. Here are a few of the complaints for each carrier.

To view our ENTIRE criticism and experience table, check out our full reviews of both carriers:

• Ergobaby Omni 360 Review
• Ergobaby Omni Breeze Review

Criticism	Our Experience
Too Bulky (360)	Though this was bulkier than some carriers that we tested, we did not feel that it was uncomfortably large.
Material is hot (360)	Material is less breathable than mesh carriers, but we did not feel that it was too warm.
Pulls on back (360)	We didn’t feel that this carrier pulled excessively on the upper back area.
Scratchy material (Breeze)	We do agree that the mesh polyester material is not as soft as some of the others we tested.
Straps difficult (Breeze)	The straps are a little bulky and it takes some practice to use them effectively.
Baby is uncomfortable (Breeze)	Our test subjects seemed happy and comfortable.

How We Researched and Tested

We performed extensive testing with each of the baby carriers, scoring them on the following categories:

• Comfort (Adult and Child)
• Usability
• Versatility
• Design Quality

For all carriers that allowed their sizes, we tested the baby carriers with the assistance of a one-year-old and three-year-old.

Comfort

Parent Comfort

We tried on each of the carriers to measure their comfort level. When measuring parent comfort, we took multiple things into account: the softness of the fabric, the padding of the carrier – particularly around the shoulder straps, the lumbar support, the warmth and breathability of the fabric, and the weight distribution of the carrier.

Here’s how each carrier ranked for parent comfort:

Overall, the carriers were pretty comfortable. We did feel that the BabyBjorn Mini was the least comfortable, which was partially due to the smaller size being designed for a newborn baby or smaller baby. Though it did make the carrier less bulky, it sat higher on the adult torso, resting just under the chest rather than at the hips, which detracted from the lumbar support.

Both Ergobaby carriers and the BabyBjorn Harmony had lumbar support pieces on the waist strap, which is one of our preferred accessories for adult comfort.

The shoulder straps on the four larger carriers are pretty well padded. Though this made them a little bulky, we never felt it was uncomfortable. One advantage that the Ergobaby carriers provided was the ability to have to change the shoulder strap position. You can adjust it to rest in a parallel “H” position as well as a crossed “X” position for extra security.

The weight distribution was best in each Ergobaby carrier. We noticed a little more shoulder strap pulling on the BabyBjorn carriers, but it was never excessive in any of them.

Child Comfort

When measuring child comfort, we put our child test subjects into each carrier. We measured their comfort level based on the material softness, the position of baby’s legs, their happiness (or lack thereof) while in the carrier, the seat comfort, and the overall padding of the carrier.

Here’s how each carrier ranked for child comfort:

The highly adjustable seats helped ensure child comfort on both Ergobaby carriers as well as the BabyBjorn Harmony and One Air. The ability to adjust the seats to the customized sizes helped keep baby’s legs in the ergonomic “M” position that is helpful for baby’s hip development.

Again, the Bjorn Mini scored the lowest in this area. The seat buckles for the carrier create the seat itself, forcing baby to sit on had plastic buckles. There is no infant insert or cushion to protect baby’s legs and bottom.

The Omni 360 and the Bjorn Mini were a soft cotton material. The Omni Breeze, Bjorn Harmony and Bjorn One Air are made of a mesh polyester. The mesh options were more breathable, but the cotton carriers were softer for baby’s skin.

Usability

We measured the usability of each of the carriers based on its overall user friendliness, time to set up, and how easy the instructions were to follow. These were the usability ranking results:

The Omni 360 and the Omni Breeze have color coded Velcro tabs with a guide on how to adjust them to specific heights. This was the best adjustment method of all the carriers we tested, even beyond just the Ergobaby and BabyBjorn brands.

There are also buttons on the front of the Omni 360 and sliding clips on the Omni Breeze to narrow or widen the front portion of the carrier for additional customization.

The Bjorn Mini has a nice seat adjustment method, with a sliding clip over a clearly labeled measuring piece on the seat. All you have to do is slide the clip up and down to your child’s height, however, we did feel like the clip was a little difficult to move by hand.

The Harmony and the One Air can also be adjusted by height. Their adjustment requires zippers on the front of the waistband as well as behind the main carrier flap.

The Bjorn Mini has the fewest straps and was probably the easiest to set up overall. It does have three completely different styles of buckles on the small carrier, though, which seemed a little excessive.

Here’s how long each carrier took to set up the first time:

Versatility

With the exception of the Bjorn Mini, the carriers we tested all had pretty decent weight ranges.

Version	Child Weight Range
Ergobaby Omni 360	7-45lbs
Ergobaby Omni Breeze	7-45lbs
BabyBjorn Mini	8-24lbs
BabyBjorn One Air	8-33lbs
BabyBjorn Harmony	7-40lbs

The Bjorn Mini is specifically designed for a smaller baby and recommends use up to around one year, so it will not last as long for your older baby or toddler. The One Air and the Harmony had higher weight ranges, but the Omni Breeze and Omni 360 topped out at 45lbs, which fit even our 3-year-old toddler well.

The Ergobaby Omni Breeze and Omni 360, the BabyBjorn Harmony, and One Air each had four carrying options, while the Bjorn Mini only offered two.

Version	Carrying Options
Ergobaby Omni 360	Inward Facing, Outward Facing, Back Carry, Hip Carry
Ergobaby Omni Breeze	Inward Facing, Outward Facing, Back Carry, Hip Carry
BabyBjorn Mini	Inward Facing, Outward Facing
BabyBjorn One Air	Newborn Inward Facing, Baby Inward Facing, Outward Facing, Back Carry
BabyBjorn Harmony	Newborn Inward Facing, Baby Inward Facing, Outward Facing, Back Carry

Of all the varying baby carriers that we tested, The Omni Breeze and Omni 360 were some of the only standard style carriers that offered hip holds.

Both Ergobaby carriers could accommodate adult waist sizes ranging from 25.5 inches to 55.25 inches.

The waistband for the BabyBjorn Harmony measured to about 54 inches and the One Air is around 56 inches.

The BabyBjorn Mini has a more unique strap design without a specific waistband, but it is designed to accommodate up to a size XL, again making it a smaller option.

Design Quality

We measured overall design quality based on the support and security offered by the carrier, as well as size and design components. Here’s how the carriers ranked overall in design quality:

The support and security of all the carriers was pretty good. The BabyBjorn One Air’s shoulder straps are not adjustable and cannot easily go over an older baby’s taller shoulders. Though there is a disclaimer that a toddler or taller child can place their arms over the straps, but it felt like it took away some security.

All of the carriers offer an adjustable head support piece that can be raised or lowered in accordance with baby’s height.

We did feel that these carriers were a bit bulkier than some, with the exception of the BabyBjorn Mini, which is smaller due to its capacity design. The Ergobaby carriers especially felt bulky in around the shoulder strap.

The buckles on the Ergobaby carriers are much more straightforward than on the BabyBjorn carriers. The Ergobaby carriers offer a standard squeeze and release buckle, with the shoulder straps including an extra button release for additional security.

The BabyBjorn Harmony and One Air have unique main buckles that took a little while to figure out. A top piece slides over the top of the buckle, snapping it into place, only to be released by a squeeze button on the side. Though it’s a fairly simple concept, the buckles do not always smoothly clip into place and it can take a few tries to secure the buckle.

The BabyBjorn Mini has three different types of buckles, none of which are very standard, so with any of the BabyBjorn products, you’re going to be experimenting with new buckle styles.

The BabyBjorn One Air’s polyester fabric had a bit of a chemical smell, which we didn’t notice in the other mesh carriers.

Each Ergobaby carrier that we tested came with included accessories: a baby sunshade and detachable pouch on the waistband. There are also small pockets on the front of the waistband.

None of the BabyBjorn products included any additional accessories.

Putting baby into the carrier was easier with the BabyBjorn products. Simply set the child in the seat and fold the portion up, securing baby with straps and buckles over their shoulders.

With the Ergobaby carriers, you place baby into the carrier the same way, but they are secured in by pulling each shoulder strap over the adult shoulders and buckling behind your shoulder blades. This seemed a little complicated while balancing a wiggly older baby or toddler.

Comparing BabyBjorn and Ergobaby Carriers

Though there are many differences between the BabyBjorn and Ergobaby brands, we did note some similarities between the individual carriers. Here are what we deem to be the counterparts to some of the products we tested:

BabyBjorn Product	Ergobaby Product
BabyBjorn One Air	Ergobaby Omni Breeze
BabyBjorn Harmony	Ergobaby Omni 360
BabyBjorn Mini	Ergobaby Embrace (untested)

BabyBjorn vs Ergobaby

Both BabyBjorn and Ergobaby are solid brands for your next baby carrier. They all have pros and cons, but overall are good pieces of baby gear. They’re all on the higher end of the price range for a baby carrier, so it’s important to know what you’re looking for to make sure it’s worth the price for you.

Babywearing is a common practice, and choosing a carrier can be a challenge. BabyBjorn and Ergobaby both offer a good variety of carriers for your choosing. Whichever brand you ultimately choose, you will be choosing a solid product for your little one.