Baby Tula vs Ergobaby Baby Carrier Comparison

Baby Tula and Ergobaby are two very popular brands of baby gear. Between their great comfort, multiple carrying styles, and wide range of child size accommodations, these brands are excellent options to consider when you are hunting for your next baby carrier.

To learn about and understand the most popular carriers on the market for babywearing, we purchased fourteen different carriers from a variety of brands to determine the best baby carrier. Among these fourteen, we purchased one Baby Tula product and two Ergobaby products: the Baby Tula Coast Explore, the Ergobaby Omni 360, and the Ergobaby Omni Breeze. These carriers were similar in style and soft structure, but have some definite differences.

Baby Tula and Ergobaby Options

Baby Tula Carrier Choices

Baby Tula offers several options for baby carrier types, including preschool and toddler options. They break their carriers down into categories made up of the Standard, the Explore, the Free to Grow, the Lite Compact Travel, Toddler, and Preschool Carriers. Here are examples from each category for this brand:

Version	Child Weight Range	Carry Options	Accessories
Baby Tula Standard Mesh Carrier	15-45lbs	3	Sun hood, pocket
Baby Tula Standard Carrier	15-45lbs	3	Sun hood, pocket
Baby Tula Explore	7-45lbs	6	Sun hood
Baby Tula Coast Explore	7-45lbs	6	Sun hood, pocket
Baby Tula Free to Grow	7-45lbs	3	Sun hood, pocket
Baby Tula Free to Grow Mesh	7-45lbs	3	Sun hood, pocket
Baby Tula Lite Compact	12-30lbs	2	Sun hood, integrated hip pouch
Discover Tula Toddler Carrier	25-60lbs	2	Sun hood, pocket
Baby Tula Play Preschool Carrier	35-70lbs	2	Pocket

The categories can break down a bit further by material type and print, and Baby Tula also offers ring sling options.

Ergobaby Carrier Choices

Ergobaby does not have quite as wide a variety, but does have multiple styles of baby carriers, including a hip seat and a baby wrap:

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

The Ergobaby products tended to have more carrying options and more consistent weight ranges.

Specs Overview

Here are some summary specs for the LILLEbaby and Ergobaby products that we tested:

Value – How They Compare

The baby carriers were similar in price over $100. The Coast Explore was a bit more expensive, pushing the $200 mark.

Neither brand is the cheapest that we have used, however, due to their wide range of carrying options and versatility, we think both Baby Tula and Ergobaby are brands well worth considering when shopping for a baby carrier.

Baby Tula Complaints vs Our Experience

When researching the products for our testing process, we read the customer complaints for the Baby Tula Coast Explore baby carrier. Here we compare the complaints to our experience while testing the carrier:

Criticism	Our Experience
Carrier is bulky	We didn’t find the carrier to be very bulky, except for the shoulder straps
No lumbar support	Agreed. The back band is only a thin nylon strap
Uncomfortable waist strap	The front of the waistband is overly wide, but the back is a simple, unsupportive strap
No breathability	The material itself is not very breathable, but there is a breathable mesh panel on the front

Ergobaby Omni 360 Review

Ergobaby Carrier Complaints vs Our Experience

We also reviewed the critical customer complaints for both the Ergobaby Omni 360 and Omni Breeze carriers to compare them to our experience while testing.

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)	The 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 all of the baby carriers we purchased, scoring each of them on the following categories:

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

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

Comfort

Parent Comfort

Throughout our testing process, we tested each carrier on its comfort for both adults and children. We considered multiple factors when testing the adult comfort: the softness and breathability of the fabric, the padding (particularly around each shoulder strap), the lumbar support, and how well the carrier distributed weight.

Here’s how each carrier ranked for parent comfort:

All of the carriers were decently comfortable. The Ergobaby Omni Breeze and Omni 360 both had lumbar support pieces, which the Coast Explore did not offer.

The waistband of the Coast Explore was very wide, almost too wide, and difficult to move in. However, the back of the waistband is only a nylon strap, which does not provide any lumbar support and can dig into the skin.

The adjustable shoulder straps are well-padded for both the Ergobaby carriers and the Tula Coast Explore. They are a little bulky, however, especially the Ergobaby shoulder strap design.

***show straps***

The Ergobaby Omni Breeze and Omni 360 had great weight distribution. The Coast Explore also had pretty good weight distribution. Baby does seem to sit lower in this carrier, and her weight did push down on the waistband somewhat.

Child Comfort

We put our child test subjects into the carriers to measure their comfort as well. We tested how soft the material felt if their legs were comfortably positioned, whether or not they seemed happy in the carrier, how soft the seat was, and how much padding the carrier provided.

Here’s how each carrier ranked for child comfort:

The carriers all have adjustable seats to customize the width to baby’s specific size. The Coast Explore uses buttons on the waistbelt to adjust the size, while the Omni Breeze and Omni 360 use color-coded Velcro tabs.

The Ergobaby carriers were easier to adjust, but all three carriers did a good job of keeping baby’s legs in the ergonomic “M” position.

The Omni 360 and Coast Explore are made of cotton. The Coast Explore’s fabric feels less breathable, but the carrier does have a mesh panel on the front, allowing for some airflow.

The Omni Breeze is made up of a polyester mesh material. Though not as soft as cotton, it does provide more breathability and airflow than the Omni 360 or the Coast Explore.

Usability

We measured the usability of each of the carriers we tested based on its user-friendliness, set-up time, and instruction easiness. These were the usability ranking results:

We found the seat setup for the Coast Explore to be more difficult than the adjustment for either of the Ergobaby carriers.

The seat adjustment requires the use of six buttons, three on each side of the waist belt, underneath a band of fabric. The buttons snap into each other in varying patterns based on baby’s size.

Both Ergobaby carriers employ the use of color-coded Velcro tabs on the waist belt for seat adjustment, and the carriers themselves have a sizing guide sewn into the carrier for easy reference.

None of the carriers we tested required the use of an infant insert, which was helpful.

It took around seven minutes to set up the Coast Explore the first time, largely because of the confusion surrounding the seat adjustment. We found the instructions to be a little confusing the first time. But with future uses, it did become easier.

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

Versatility

In both brands, all of the carriers we tested had solid weight ranges of 7lbs to 45lbs, accommodating babies from newborn to toddler years. Though Baby Tula does have other options for toddlers and young children, the Coast Explore will still last your little one well into their toddler years.

Ergobaby brand carriers don’t tend to go as high in weight ranges as some of the Baby Tula carriers, but they generally do have a decent accommodation range, with a few smaller capacity carriers like the Ergobaby Embrace for newborn or younger babies.

The carriers all have pretty standard carrying positions, with the Ergobaby brands being a bit more diverse with an included hip carry. Here are the carry options for the carriers we tested:

Version	Carrying Positions
Ergobaby Omni 360	Inward facing, outward facing, hip carry, back carry
Ergobaby Omni Breeze	Inward facing, outward facing, hip carry, back carry
Baby Tula Coast Explore	Inward facing (newborn, baby, toddler settings), forward facing, back carry (baby, toddler settings)

Though they are not labeled as separate carrying positions, the Ergobaby carrier inward carries can also be adjusted for a younger and older baby – no infant insert required.

The carriers are compatible with different adult sizes. The Omni Breeze and Omni360 waistbelts can accommodate 25.5 inches to 55.25 inches.

The Coast Explore can accommodate waist sizes from 27 inches to 57 inches.

Design Quality

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

The security and stability for all of the carriers are pretty good. The Coast Explore did seem a little shorter, not holding an older baby or taller child quite as easily.

Though we preferred the seat setup of the Ergobaby carriers, the Coast Explore still had good leg support and kept baby’s legs in the hip-healthy “M” position.

All three carriers had fairly bulky straps, but the Ergobaby carriers were a little bulkier than the Coast Explore’s.

Though bulkier, the Ergobaby carriers do allow for the straps to be worn in a crossed “X” pattern for additional security or a more comfortable fit if needed.

The Coast Explore only requires two sets of buckles: one set on the waistband and the other behind the shoulder blades.

The Omni 360, Omni Breeze, and the Coast Explore all required putting baby into the carrier before buckling each shoulder strap behind the shoulder blades, which is kind of challenging to do if baby is heavy or especially wiggly.

Both the Ergobaby carriers and the Coast Explore offered sunshades, as well as pockets on the waistband for storage. The Omni Breeze and Omni 360’s pockets come as a removable storage pouch, while the Coast Explore’s pocket is sewn into the waistband.

We do like that the Coast Explore offers a breathable mesh panel at the front of the carrier. Though the Ergobaby Omni Breeze would overall be more breathable, this mesh panel offers breathability that the Omni 360 does not.

Comparing Baby Tula and Ergobaby Carriers

The Coast Explore, the Omni 360, and the Omni Breeze all scored well in our testing process. They are similar in style and structure but have some key differences. For example, the Ergobaby carriers are easier to set up but are more bulky than the Coast Explore and often more expensive. However, both carrier brands are very versatile and great options when looking for a solid baby carrier.

Baby Tula vs Ergobaby

Both Baby Tula and Ergobaby are trusted baby carrier brands, offering a wide variety of carrier options and styles to fit your needs. They all do have some pros and cons, which we have researched.

Here are some of the pros and cons of both carrier brands, based exclusively on the three products we tested:

Baby Tula Pros	Baby Tula Cons	Ergobaby Pros	Ergobaby Cons
Lower price	Harder to set up	Easier set up	Higher price
Smaller size	Less comfortable fabric	Easy to adjust seat	Mesh isn’t very soft
Mesh panel on the front	Poor lumbar support	Good lumbar support	Bulky straps
Fewer buckles to fuss with	Seat adjustments are not as easy	Crossable straps	Smaller lumbar support piece

Ergobaby and Baby Tula are solid baby gear brands. Even in just the few examples that we tested, we found that their design, versatility, and included accessories outshone many other brands of carrier.

With their wide selection of offerings and long-lasting weight ranges, you are almost sure to find a carrier in one of these brands to fit you and your child’s babywearing needs.