Ergobaby carriers are some of the very best on the market; they’re one of my favorite brands. If you’re trying to decide between the Ergobaby Aerloom or the Embrace, the fantastic news is both are great carriers. After personally using both of these carriers, I can explain all the key differences and similarities between them.
In this article, we’ll compare the Ergobaby Embrace and the Ergobaby Aerloom baby carriers so you can pick the right carrier for your family.
Check out my full review of the Ergobaby Aerloom carrier here and my full review of the Ergobaby Embrace here.
Read through the full article to see all the comparison side-by-side photos in each section. Or use the table of contents to jump to a specific topic.
Table of Contents:
- Ergobaby Embrace vs Aerloom Infographic
- Aerloom & Embrace Differences & Similarities
- Embrace vs Aerloom Key Features:
- How To Choose Between Embrace and Aerloom
- Final Thoughts & My Personal Choice
Ergobaby Embrace vs Aerloom Infographic
Ergobaby Aerloom & Embrace Differences and Similarities
Aerloom & Embrace Similarities
- Flexible padded waistband
- No infant insert needed
- Breathable fabric
- Approved by International Hip Dysplasia Institute (hip healthy)
- Similar infant padded head support
- Similar padding of infant leg openings
- No sun hood
- No complicated wrapping
Differences Between Embrace & Aerloom
- Embrace shoulder straps cross behind back (Aerloom straps do not)
- Embrace shoulder straps are wide, thin fabric
- Aerloom shoulder straps are contoured, thicker straps
- Aerloom can be used in back carry position (Embrace cannot)
- Aerloom has one pocket (Embrace has none)
- Aerloom has excellent lumbar support (Embrace has none)
Embrace vs Aerloom Key Features
Shoulder Straps
One of the biggest differences between these two baby carriers is the shoulder straps. You can see in my side-by-side photos that the Embrace newborn carrier has shoulder straps that are made of thin wide fabric pieces that resemble a wrap or ring sling.
The Embrace shoulder straps cross behind your back and buckle at the side/front of your body. The Aerloom shoulder straps are more like a standard soft structured baby carrier. They are contoured for even weight distribution across your shoulders and upper back without the need for crossing. The Aerloom straps fasten together with a buckle behind your upper back.
If you have any shoulder mobility issues, you may find that the Embrace baby carrier is easier to buckle at the side of your body instead of reaching behind your back to do up the Aerloom.
Infant Seat Adjustment
For both of these carriers, if your baby is longer than 23 inches (58.4 cm) you use the carrier normally (as-is) to create a regular infant seat.
For an infant smaller than 23 inches, you fold the Embrace carrier around the waist belt twice before you buckle it on your body.
For an infant smaller than 23 inches, you fold the Aerloom carrier through a strap on the front of the body panel before you buckle it on your body.
Both carriers involve some kind of folding/wrapping to create a more narrow infant seat for ‘newborn mode’.
Waist Belt & Lumbar Support
The waist belts of both the Embrace and Aerloom are soft, lightly padded and flexible. The biggest difference is that the Aerloom baby carrier has built-in lumbar support and the Embrace does not.
You likely won’t miss the lumbar support feature when using the Ergo Embrace carrier with a light, newborn baby. As your baby gets heavier, lumbar support can really help prevent lower back pain and more evenly distribute your baby’s weight over your body.
It makes sense that the Aerloom has lumbar support because it’s approved for use with heavier babies (up to 35 pounds) and the Embrace is not.
Weight Restrictions
The Aerloom carrier can carry babies that are 7 – 35 lbs (3.18 – 15.88 kg).
The Embrace carrier can carry babies that are 7 – 25 lbs (3.18 – 11.34 kg).
You can use both carriers with 7-pound babies without the use of an infant insert. The Aerloom has a higher weight limit. This means you’ll be able to use the Aerloom baby carrier for longer into your child’s toddler years. Although the Aerloom is more expensive than the Embrace, it has greater longevity and you may get more use out of it.
Price
The Ergobaby Embrace carrier is $99 USD when it’s not on sale ($129 CAD).
The Ergobaby Aerloom carrier is $219 USD when it’s not on sale ($279 CAD).
The Aerloom carrier is made from sustainable post-consumer recycled polyester and the colors it’s available in are limited editions. I would imagine the process to create the Aerloom Formaknit fabric might be more expensive than the Embrace Fabric.
Another possible reason for the higher price could be because the Aerloom has greater longevity and can be used with heavier, older babies. The types of shoulder straps it has, added lumbar support and zippered pocket may add to the price as well.
Sun Hood
Neither of these baby carriers have a sun hood. If you’re interested in a baby carrier that includes built-in sun protection I highly recommend checking out my review of the Ergobaby Omni Breeze or slightly older but very popular Ergobaby Omni 360. All the Omni carriers have a privacy hood.
If you’re interested in a baby carrier with a detachable sunhood I highly recommend checking out my review of the Tula Explore or Tula Free To Grow.
Carry Positions
You can use the Ergobaby Embrace in three carrying positions:
- Front-facing in carrying position with a newborn (no newborn infant insert needed).
- Front-facing in position with a larger baby
- Front-facing out position
You can use the Ergobaby Aerloom in four carrying positions:
- Front-facing in carrying position with a newborn (no newborn infant insert needed).
- Front-facing in position with a larger baby
- Front-facing out position
- Back-carry position
Make sure to adhere to the recommendations in your carrier’s instructions or on the Ergobaby website so you ensure your baby has adequate neck support and meets the minimum height for each carry position. You cannot hip carry with either of these carriers; if that’s important for you, check out the Ergobaby Omni Breeze or Omni 360.
Pockets
The Ergobaby Embrace has no pockets. The Aerloom carrier has one zippered pocket on the lumbar support of the carrier’s waistband. The pocket is large enough to hold a phone, small wallet, or keys.
Infant Head Support
The infant head support system looks very similar in both baby carriers. They both have soft fabric and a small amount of padding at the top of the body panel. The padded neckline helps to cushion your baby’s head.
If you’re looking for something that will provide more adjustable head support for an older infant or toddler, I highly recommend checking out my review of the Tula Explore and Ergobaby Omni Breeze or even the BabyBjorn Harmony carrier.
Type of Fabric & Washing Instructions
Both the Embrace and Aerloom are machine washable and hang dry only.
Secure all the buckles together and for extra care, you can put the carrier in a laundry bag or pillowcase. Machine wash in cool water on a gentle cycle. Use gentle detergent and no fabric softener. You should hang-dry both carriers.
The Ergobaby Embrace is a blend of 79% polyester, 17% rayon, and 4% spandex. Polyester can melt when it gets too hot so do not iron your carrier and don’t put it in your dryer. The fabric of the Embrace is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Certified, which means right out of the box it is safe to use with your baby and contains no known hazardous substances. The Embrace comes in a soft knit fabric option as well as a mesh fabric option called the ‘Embrace soft air mesh newborn carrier’.
Aerloom baby carriers are knit with lightweight yet durable, post-consumer recycled polyester yarn and an inner lining that is 100% cotton OEKO-TEX certified fabric. The materials are all tested to be certain they are free from harmful substances and safe for your baby’s skin. The Aerloom carrier also has mesh panels that are worth mentioning since they help keep baby wearing nice and cool.
How To Choose Between Embrace and Aerloom?
Why choose the Embrace:
The Embrace is less expensive than the Aerloom; if you have a tight budget this could be a big deciding factor.
Some parents are done baby-wearing after their baby is about a year old and this lightweight, cozy carrier could be perfect to get you through the early days of parenthood. It can be used up until your baby is 25 lbs (11.34 kg) or around one year old.
Why choose the Aerloom:
If your baby is already more than 2-3 months old, you may like the Aerloom carrier better.
The Aerloom can be used for longer because it has a higher weight restriction of up to 35 lbs (15.88 kg).
The features of the Aerloom like the lumbar support and style of shoulder straps are great as your baby gets bigger and older, to help distribute weight more evenly across your body.
If sustainability is incredibly important to you, the Aerloom will also appeal since it is one of the only baby carriers made with post-consumer recycled fabric on the market.
Final Thoughts & My Personal Choice
I’ve used every soft structured baby carrier that Ergobaby currently offers as well as a number of baby carriers from other brands like BabyBjorn and Tula. I love that both the Embrace and Aerloom carriers work well for a newborn and are streamlined, sleek-looking, well-designed baby carriers. Either one of these could be the perfect baby carrier for you.
Personally, if I could only pick ONE I would pick the Ergobaby Aerloom instead of the Ergobaby Embrace because I’ve found myself using my baby carriers well past the one-year mark. This would mean that if I purchased the Embrace, I would also spend money again and buy a second baby carrier later for an older, heavier baby.
If I was buying a combination of baby carriers, I’d happily buy the Embrace for my newborn and use it until my baby was around 3-4 months old. Then I would consider buying an Ergobaby Omni Breeze, Tula Explore or Babybjorn Harmony, which are some of my absolute favorite carriers for babies and older toddlers.
