Baby Carriers - Brainerd,MN

I'm a DD and I love the Ergo Baby. FYI, I have been through 6 carriers and there's no comparison to the Ergo Baby for ease of use, comfort, flexibility.

Completely agree with the Ergo! I thought when we bought it for our first, that maybe it was too expensive -- but now, on our third, I realize it was the BEST purchase we ever made. SO comfy -- can be used on the front, back (even side, too, I think), and can hold up to 40 pounds! Also has no metal frame or whatnot, so it's so easy to collapse it down and stuff it in the diaper bag. Love, love, LOVE the Ergo!

Ergo will most likely be your best bet! We carried around our kids up to age 3 and 4 in it. (Rarely at the older level but it was still comfortable when we did!) And our 2nd was a big boy from the start. And he loved the carrier for the first 2 years of his life!

Ergo. Ergo. Ergo.

Did I say, Ergo? ;-)

I agree with Ergo. We have the newer Ergo Sport and it's great! More breathable fabric & longer waist strap (hubby and I have both had trouble taking off the pregnancy weight.) Love it!

After everyone recommended the Ergo, I Googled the Ergo Sport, which is supposed to be better for the summer. I found a website called Heavenly Hold that lets you do a 14 day trial for $8 plus shipping. If you like it, you just keep it and they will charge you the full amount ($110-115ish). Otherwise you just send it back. I just ordered one--excited! Perhaps you could order one a few weeks before your trip and then use the trip to try it out.

Have you considered a backpack? We bought ours at a consignment shop (several years ago), so I really don't know what a good price is. I like it, though. My boys can see everything, and they like it as well. They have both been known to fall asleep in it. Here's one on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-Smart-Support-Backpack-Red/d...

Well, the most adjustable, grow with the baby and change with mom's size carriers out there are a traditional wrap, and they can be folded up and stored in very little space for easy packing on a trip.

Here is a link that describes them: http://www.cottoncradles.com/stylesdescription.htm

Here are some places to get ahold of them:

http://theslingstation.com/wraps.html

http://www.snuggybaby.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_lis...

http://www.edensbaby.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=139

http://www.mobywrap.com/

http://www.nurturedfamily.com/baby-wraps-and-wrap-carrier...

Kelty makes backpack carrier that has sturdy frame shoulder padding and adjustable for babies up thru preschooler- our 3yr old still fits+isnt too heavy for us.also has a backpack bottom behind the kid for storage+u can buy a canopy for shade for it. Cost us lil over 100bucks 3yrs ago. Bought @scheels but gander, cabelas, rei etc probably carry it too.

Haven't tried a Ergo. But I did try out a Beco Gemini and loved it. So versatile!
And way cuter than Ergo. ;)
It has super long straps that can accommodate a large person and adjust easily.
And 4 carries!
HTH!

I am not reading other answers, so forgive me if this is a repeat. Both my kids were big and I never found the bjorn type carrier comfortable - I also couldn't use a sling past about 3 months. My frind has a carrier that puts the baby on your hip. The straps go across your chest ans waist like a seat belt and the baby rest on your hip. She has a BIG girl and says it is super comfortable. She runs around the playground after her oldest with #2 strapped to her hip. Might want to check it out. Sorry I don't have a name brand for you.

You could also try a mobi wrap and just play with different positions until you find a comfortable one.

We have three kiddos, and have been through the Baby Bjorn (which we now use for newborns, but not much after that, as our kiddos gain quickly), two backpacks, and an Ergo. We snowshoed with the Ergo, and it was great for that and ice fishing with a 4 month old. We took our firstborn into Walnut Canyon in Arizona (very, very steep) with a Kelty Kids backpack. We now own an REI backpack. Some thoughts:

If you want close carrying, for a baby, an Ergo is great.
If you want something that will allow you to closely carry your baby for a while, an Ergo is great.
If you want something where your baby can see--and will continue to see--get a backpack.
If you go with a backpack, pay attention to these things:
--get one that has good hip supports, not just shoulder straps
--put your baby IN the carrier--our REI backpack is great, but by the time our babies fit into it, they're almost wanting to walk on their own
If you get a close-carrier, Bjorn or ERGO style, it will be warm--perhaps uncomfortably so--in South Dakota and Wyoming this summer.
If you are chesty and also hippy, and thinking ERGO, consider trying one out first--I am a size 14, and the waistband on the ERGO just fits. It's obviously not meant for plus-sized women!

For that kind of trip in particular, I'd recommend a backpack. I'm assuming he sits up fine. Most backpacks will fit him at 9 months, and many will adjust for a much older child. Make sure he's up high enough that he can see, but low enough that you don't feel tippy carrying him. Most backpacks these days come with daypacks, which are helpful for carrying diapers, sunscreen, wipes, snacks, etc. Ours is the actual REI brand backpack, which we love--better than Kelty Kids, in my opinion, and cheaper. I don't know if they still make it. It adjusts in so many places, it's easy to fit a lot of people. To me, also, the backpack is the easiest (even moreso than the ERGO, which gets warm) for long, outdoor hauling-of-kids. Another option to consider--depending on whether you have a potential walker on your hands--when my oldest was 18 months, we went to Arizona and toured canyons and all sorts of rocky terrain. We hauled our jogging stroller (which we got not because I jog but because the wheels were better for our long rural gravel driveway) on the plane, and it was wonderful--it got a workout, but was great because he could hop in and out of it, and we could use the bottom for hauling "stuff."

Good luck; have a blast!

Updated

We have three kiddos, and have been through the Baby Bjorn (which we now use for newborns, but not much after that, as our kiddos gain quickly), two backpacks, and an Ergo. We snowshoed with the Ergo, and it was great for that and ice fishing with a 4 month old. We took our firstborn into Walnut Canyon in Arizona (very, very steep) with a Kelty Kids backpack. We now own an REI backpack. Some thoughts:

If you want close carrying, for a baby, an Ergo is great.
If you want something that will allow you to closely carry your baby for a while, an Ergo is great.
If you want something where your baby can see--and will continue to see--get a backpack.
If you go with a backpack, pay attention to these things:
--get one that has good hip supports, not just shoulder straps
--put your baby IN the carrier--our REI backpack is great, but by the time our babies fit into it, they're almost wanting to walk on their own
If you get a close-carrier, Bjorn or ERGO style, it will be warm--perhaps uncomfortably so--in South Dakota and Wyoming this summer.
If you are chesty and also hippy, and thinking ERGO, consider trying one out first--I am a size 14, and the waistband on the ERGO just fits. It's obviously not meant for plus-sized women!

For that kind of trip in particular, I'd recommend a backpack. I'm assuming he sits up fine. Most backpacks will fit him at 9 months, and many will adjust for a much older child. Make sure he's up high enough that he can see, but low enough that you don't feel tippy carrying him. Most backpacks these days come with daypacks, which are helpful for carrying diapers, sunscreen, wipes, snacks, etc. Ours is the actual REI brand backpack, which we love--better than Kelty Kids, in my opinion, and cheaper. I don't know if they still make it. It adjusts in so many places, it's easy to fit a lot of people. To me, also, the backpack is the easiest (even moreso than the ERGO, which gets warm) for long, outdoor hauling-of-kids. Another option to consider--depending on whether you have a potential walker on your hands--when my oldest was 18 months, we went to Arizona and toured canyons and all sorts of rocky terrain. We hauled our jogging stroller (which we got not because I jog but because the wheels were better for our long rural gravel driveway) on the plane, and it was wonderful--it got a workout, but was great because he could hop in and out of it, and we could use the bottom for hauling "stuff."

Good luck; have a blast!