The Ergobaby Omni 360 has been around since 2017. It took the baby wearing world by storm and has been massively successful, and for good reason because it’s one of the best baby carriers out there. I’ve had my Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh baby carrier for almost three years now. I’ve used this carrier with a newborn, baby, and toddler so I know and understand this carrier pretty well.
If you’re considering purchasing one you should also take a look at the newer Ergobaby Omni Breeze, which functions very similarly with some great updates I like a lot. You can read all about the differences between the two carriers here, or carry on to read this detailed review of the 360.
If you choose to purchase a carrier by clicking an Amazon affiliate link on this website I might earn a small affiliate commission from either brand at no extra cost to you.
- How Easy Is It To Use?
- How Comfortable Is It For Baby?
- How Comfortable Is It For Parents?
- Price
- Fabric Type and Care
- Can you fold it?
- Key Features:
- What Would Improve It?
- Softer Fabric
- More Sleek Look
- Recap & Final Thoughts
How Easy Is The Omni 360 To Use?
The Ergobaby Omni 360 is easy to use and I find it very quick to put on and take off, which is helpful when you’re on the go. There are a few baby carriers on the market that function similarly to the Ergobaby Omni 360; you put on the waist belt and then pick up your baby, put on the shoulder straps and reach behind your back to do up the last buckle. As far as ease of use goes, you may find it tricky the first time but it definitely gets easier as you practice.
Reaching behind your back to do up the last buckle can be a challenge for some people depending on their mobility. However, this is not a unique challenge of the Omni 360 but more of a baby-wearing challenge in general. If someone else is around to do up the buckle for you, it’s very easy. If you’re alone you may feel like there are some acrobatics involved. Don’t let that dissuade you! If you use the carrier differently, by crossing the straps behind your back then when you do up and undo the buckles, it will all be from the front/side of your body instead of behind your back.
There are some good instructional videos online about how to get the carrier on if you’re having troubles. And you can even join the Ergobaby Facebook group which is full of helpful moms as well as professionals from the Erogbaby company who answer user questions and will provide you with a ‘fit check’ to see if your carrier is fitting you and your baby safely and comfortably.
I am a die-hard Ergobaby fan, but if you find this style of carrier to be a challenge, you might be more comfortable with a BabyBjorn One Air, or BabyBjorn Harmony. I’ve used and reviewed them both and even wrote a comparison about the Omni 360 to the One Air you can check out if you’d like. These two BabyBjorn carriers have all their buckles on the front of your body, so there is no reaching behind your back.
How Comfortable Is The Omni 360 For Baby?
In general, this carrier is fantastic and very comfortable for most babies. It’s true that some infants just don’t like being worn (if that’s the case they might not like any carrier at all). On the other hand, a lot of babies crave closeness to their parents and demand to be held, which can be tricky if you’re trying to get anything else done. Instead of being held in a parent’s arms, most babies are satisfied with being worn close to their parent, where they can still hear your heartbeat and feel safe and secure.
A few features that make the Omni 360 particularly comfortable for babies are:
- Padded head and neck support
- Padded leg openings
- Cool air mesh version allows for great airflow to prevent overheating
- Deep bucket seat for a comfortable supported sitting position
- Sun hood built in to carrier to prevent sunburn
The fabric on the Omni 360 could be softer. The newer Omni Breeze has softer fabric and even more airy mesh if you’re looking for a mesh baby carrier. There’s also a newer cotton fabric option called the Omni Dream, which is softer than the Omni 360.
How Comfortable Is The Omni 360 For Parents?
My body has changed a lot over the past three years, I’ve been bigger and smaller depending on the year and season, and the carrier fits differently as a larger or more petite person. As a size medium or large in ladies clothing, this carrier fits great. I’ve also heard from friends in the plus size baby wearing community that it’s a good option for plus sized parents. My husband can also wear this carrier comfortably; his broad shoulders have no problems with the straps.
The Omni 360 fits MOST body types very well and quite comfortably. The waistband of the Ergobaby Omni 360 can accommodate a 26” waist and up to a 56” waist. Ergobaby doesn’t currently sell belt extenders on their website.
If you have a very small waist and short torso, you might like my review of the Ergobaby Aerloom carrier, which has a waistband that starts at 17 inches long. You might also like the Tula Free to Grow; it doesn’t come with lumbar support so it’s easy to tighten the waist band around a narrow waist or hips.
A few features that make the Omni 360 particularly comfortable for parents are:
- Well padded shoulder straps
- Lumbar support
- Wide range of waist sizes it can accommodate
- Ability to cross straps behind back for more support
Price
The Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh Carrier has a price tag around $179 USD ($234 Canadian) if it’s not on sale and it’s the same price as the Omni 360 cotton version. You can click the photo below to check the current price on Amazon.
A baby carrier like this is called a soft structured carrier. There are a few of them on the market that have buckles instead of wraps, or there are ring slings. Ergobaby isn’t the MOST expensive soft structured baby carrier but it certainly isn’t the least expensive either. So, is the Ergo Omni 360 worth it? I would say yes, it is. It’s made from premium quality materials that stand the test of time. I’ve put this carrier through A LOT in the last three years and it is still in great condition. You can also trust that this brand has put a lot of effort into making a safe, comfortable carrier that is durable.
Fabric Type and Care
The Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh Carrier is 100% polyester and is also OEKO-TEX tested and free from hazardous substances. This is especially important to me considering my baby’s skin is up against the carrier material for long periods of time, and sometimes ends up in my baby’s mouth. I feel comfortable knowing the carrier wasn’t made with harmful toxins or cheap material.
It is one of the ONLY soft structured baby carriers you can put through the washing machine and the dryer. The majority of other baby carriers on the market might be machine washable but they are hang-dry only. This may be important to you if your baby spits up a lot, or if you plan on washing your carrier frequently. I’ve put my carrier through the washer and dryer multiple times over the past few years and the fabric hasn’t faded, it still looks good.
The tag on my carrier matches the Ergobaby website recommendations and says the Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh Carrier can be machine washed using mild detergent in cool water and if you fasten all the clasps closed, you can tumble dry the whole thing in your machine too. Make sure your settings are “tumble dry low heat” because it’s possible for polyester to melt.
I would still recommend letting the carrier hang dry if you have the time to keep it in good shape for longer.
Can You Fold The Omni 360?
Yes! You can fold the Ergobaby Omni 360 easily to store it in a more compact space. This makes it easier to put inside a diaper bag or the bottom of your stroller.
There are so many places that are inconvenient to take a stroller where a carrier can easily help you go. It’s nice to have this carrier folded up and ready to roll when I need it.
Key Features
Safety Buckles
The Ergobaby Omni carriers have standard buckles on the waistband and behind your back. There is, however, a set of safety buckles on the front of the carrier. These buckles make it possible to cross the straps behind your back. Because these two buckles are on the front of the carrier, it is, in theory, possible for little toddler hands to reach the buckles and play with them. This is why the buckles on the front of the carrier are safety buckles. It makes it impossible for a child to accidentally release a strap and cause a fall.
Shoulder Straps
The shoulder straps of the Omni 360 are well padded and comfortable to wear. They are easy to adjust from the front of the carrier since you can pull them towards your body instead of awkwardly away. You can also cross the shoulder straps behind your back (which most other carriers can’t do). Crossable straps can help give you additional support when needed and are especially handy if you’re carrying older toddlers.
The well-padded shoulder straps make it a great carrier for hiking, if you’re looking for hiking sneakers with lots of cushion check out this article next!
Infant Head Support
The Ergobaby Omni 360 features a padded, soft, flexible infant head support system. It uses buttons to fasten the head support system up or down. It gives a desirable amount of support to tiny newborns who lack strong head and neck muscles. It also gives a nice amount of support to an older baby who might have a heavy head when sleeping in the carrier. I’ve always liked how well this works with my babies no matter their size.
Infant Seat
The Ergobaby Omni 360 seat is configured with velcro and sliders (velcro on the inside of the waistband and external sliders to adjust based on whether baby is facing in or out.) configured to be safe for newborns without any add-ons like pillows.
The Omni 360 is capable of keeping your baby in a good ergonomic “hip-healthy” position if you’re using it correctly. Make sure you always adjust your carrier properly depending on if you are wearing your baby in a face-in or face-out position. The International Hip Dysplasia Institute has evaluated them and deemed this carrier to be “hip-healthy”.
Sun Hood
The Omni 360 has a sun hood/privacy hood that is good in the front carry position for discretion while breastfeeding in the carrier, and for keeping the sun off your baby’s head when it’s bright out. It’s also an important feature if you’re wearing an older baby/toddler in a back carry position you can use the hood to make sure they have neck support if they fall asleep back there.
Waistband & Lumbar Support
The Omni 360 has soft flexible padded lumbar support that is helpful in alleviating lower back pain during longer baby wearing sessions. The waistband is easy to adjust, with high quality webbing, and fits roughly a 26” waist up to 56”. I find the waistband has good weight distribution over my hips and different people can easily switch between wearing it by quickly adjusting it.
Carry Positions
The Omni 360 is an ‘all positions’ carrier. It does everything you could want it to do in so many different positions.
Ergobaby Omni carry positions:
- front carry face-in for shorter infant (or newborn)
- front carry face-in for taller infant
- front carry face-out
- hip carry
- back carry
Weight Restrictions
The Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh has a minimum weight standard, starting at 7 pounds, and going all the way up to 45 pounds, which means this carrier will last you from the newborn stage into toddlerhood. You don’t need a newborn insert in order to get the perfect fit with this carrier. A separate infant insert can be bulky or hot so it’s a real bonus not to need one in order to use this carrier with a newborn baby. This is a really huge range for weight recommendation and the good thing is you’ll be able to use it for a long time.
Instructions Sewn In
The Omni 360 carrier has a permanent soft tag on the inside that will show you some helpful instructions. The instructions tag on my Ergobaby Omni 360 shows how to adjust leg positions for carrying the baby on your front face in and face out (the two most common positions you will use). This can be so helpful to have a quick reference right on the carrier in case your baby had a growth spurt and you can’t remember if it’s time to change things up yet. Or maybe your carrier has been in storage but you just had another baby and it’s time to peek at the instructions before using it once again to make sure it’s in the correct position. I really think Ergobaby, as a company, does all they can to ensure their customers have the support and guidance they need to babywear safely and comfortably.
The Omni 360 has one pocket on the waistband of the carrier. You can detach the whole pocket if you’d prefer the waistband to look more sleek, or just find that you don’t use it. There is technically one more small pocket near the head support of this carrier but it is to store the infant sun hood/privacy hood, not to store parent belongings.
What Would Improve It?
Softer fabric
I don’t find the fabric on the Omni 360 to be particularly soft. The newer Omni Breeze takes care of this problem if you’re looking for a mesh carrier. It’s softer to touch. The newer Omni Dream takes care of this problem if you’re looking for a cotton/fabric carrier with no mesh.
More sleek look
Some people think the shoulder straps are a bit too bulky and the carrier looks ‘technical’. I don’t mind the way this carrier looks, but again I do believe the Omni Breeze and Omni Dream look a bit more streamlined.
Recap & Final Thoughts
The Ergobaby Omni 360 is a great baby carrier choice. I think you’d be happy with it. I would recommend it seeing as I’ve enjoyed using mine for years. It’s fairly easy to get a comfortable fit, and has won numerous votes as ‘best carrier’ over the years. I also think if you’re on the market for an Ergobaby carrier you should check out the new Ergobaby Omni Breeze since it’s a newer model and only about $20 more expensive at the moment. You can read about the Omni Breeze here.
Some of my favorite Omni 360 safety features:
- Cool air mesh option features breathability to prevent baby from overheating
- Safety buckles
- Good ergonomics
- Fantastic support for baby’s neck muscles
- Adjustable infant leg position
- Fabrics are guaranteed free from hazardous substances
- IHPI certified ‘hip-healthy’ for baby
Some of my favorite Omni 360 comfort features:
- Padded shoulder straps
- Flexible lightly padded waist belt
- Folds easily
- Machine wash AND dryer safe
For more carrier reviews and comparisons, check out these articles:
Ergobaby Omni Breeze vs Ergobaby Omni 360 a Comparison and Review
Ergobaby Omni Breeze (Detailed Review)
Ergobaby Aerloom Baby Carrier (An Honest, Detailed Review)
Ergobaby Embrace Newborn Carrier (An Honest, Detailed Review)
Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh VS BabyBjörn One Air 3D Mesh Baby Carriers
Lillebaby vs Ergobaby Carrier Comparison (I Tried Both)
BabyBjorn Harmony 3D Mesh Carrier (An Honest Review)
BabyBjorn One Air Carrier (An Honest Review)
Pingback: Lillebaby vs Ergobaby Carrier Comparison (I Tried Both) – Mama's Buzz
Pingback: Ergobaby Omni Breeze vs Ergobaby Omni 360 a Comparison and Review – Mama's Buzz
Pingback: Ergobaby Omni 360 Cool Air Mesh VS BabyBjörn One Air 3D Mesh Baby Carriers – Mama's Buzz
Pingback: Ergobaby Omni Breeze (Detailed Review) – Mama's Buzz