Ergo vs Patapum Baby Carriers: Back Carry Comfort for Mom and Toddler
Attachment Parenting, Babywearing Add commentsToday we did an experiment. For the same distance I carried Jade in the front in her Ergo Organic and Jack at the back (yup, 2 kids!) with first, the Ergo, then the Patapum.
Comfort for Mom:
“The Ergo. Ergo on Ergo feels comfy. Weight is distributed mainly on the waist and very little on the shoulders. It was a comfy half hour walk.
The Patapum seemed to carry more weight on the shoulder and back which made it very uncomfortable for me by the end of the journey. The thick padded shoulder straps made my arms a little numb when not adjusted properly.
It also kept sliding up my waist, probably because of the stiff waist band and synthetic inner which makes it smoother. The Ergo tends to stay in place but bunches up with a bit more give.
On that note, I’d like to add that carrying 2 tends to generate quite a bit of sweat and it felt cooler with the cotton inner of the Ergo than the synthetic inner of Patapum.”
Comfort for Toddler:
“I prefer the Patapum because I like to put my legs through the hoops. More support. I like the Patapum for my back because it was very light (cooler).”
Asking Jack, he said foot straps would help him sit a little more comfortably. As it is, his legs are dangling rather uncomfortably. He said later that he liked the Patapum’s additional leg support better than the Ergo. There, the ultimate consumer has spoken. 
Ideally there should be a carrier that is comfortable for both Mom and Toddler, that’s why I’m keen to try the Boba which has loops for the toddler’s foot to rest in. Till then we’ll use the Patapum for very short journeys and the Ergo for longer walks but I’ll give his legs a boost by holding them on the side.
Summary:
Ergo – cooler for Mom’s waist, comfy for Mom’s back and shoulders.
Patapum – cooler for Toddler’s back, comfy for his legs because of support.
Mephala is a strange and rather interesting 
October 12th, 2009 at 2:29 am
That’s an interesting comment from Jack about the leg comfort… I wonder if that is the reason why Gavin started rejecting carriers before he was able to talk? I noticed he would always want to be carried by me but would rather someone else carry him if I was going to put him into the carrier…
It’s great when you can get feedback from the horse’s mouth – nothing beats that.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Yeah it is possible. I never realised it might have been uncomfy till he mentioned it. Although it is possible Gavin doesn’t like to be confined? Ask him now. I am curious what he would say.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Yeah, I haven’t tried carrying Gavin in a carrier for a long time. But it will be interesting to see what he says when I bring out the ergo after Gareth is born.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:51 am
You might be right about being confined, though. He seemed to dislike a lot of things that were confining…
October 18th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Let him try it if he wants. He might want you to carry him too, so there comes the second carrier handy.