Ergobaby came out with the Omni Breeze mesh soft structured baby carrier in 2021. It functions very similarly to their older model, the extremely popular Omni 360, which I’ve also reviewed and you can read about here if you’d like. You can also look at my article that directly compares the Breeze vs 360 with a handy infographic. If you’re looking for a safe and reliable baby carrier, the Omni Breeze has many features that make it the perfect choice for your family. If you’re considering purchasing a new Ergobaby Omni Breeze, this article will take you through an in depth look at all of the key features the carrier has.
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Table of Contents:
- 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?
- Recap & Final Thoughts
How Easy Is The Omni Breeze To Use?
The Ergobaby Omni Breeze is easy to use. You put on the waist belt, pick up your baby and load them in, then you put on your shoulder straps and reach behind your back to do up the last buckle. A few other carriers on the market function similarly, like baby carriers by Tula. I find it very quick to put on and take off, which is helpful when you’re on the go.
If reaching behind your back to do up the last buckle is a challenge for you, there is a second way to take the carrier on and off if you cross the straps behind your back. By crossing the straps behind your back, when you do up and undo the buckles, it will all be from the front/side of your body instead of behind your back. This might be easier for you if you have tight shoulders or any kind of mobility restrictions.
There are some good instructional videos online about how to get the carrier on if you’re having troubles. In addition, you can even join the Ergobaby Facebook group which is full of helpful moms as well as professionals from the Ergobaby 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.
As far as ease of use goes, baby wearing in general can feel like a bit of acrobatics at first and takes some getting used to. It gets easier as you practice.
I am a BIG fan of the Ergobaby brand, 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 of the Omni 360 to the One Air you can check out if you’d like. These two BabyBjorn carriers go on like a T-shirt and have all their buckles on the front of your body, so there is no reaching behind your back.
How Comfortable Is The Omni Breeze For Baby?
The majority of babies seem to enjoy the closeness and comfort that this carrier provides. Some infants just aren’t happy being worn and will refuse any form of baby wearing, while others crave closeness with their parents so much that they can be tricky if you try to set them down.
- A few features that make the Omni Breeze particularly comfortable for babies are:
- Padded head and neck support
- Padded leg openings
- Allows for a lot of airflow to prevent overheating
- Deep bucket seat for a comfortable supported sitting position
- Sun hood built in to carrier to prevent sunburn
The fabric of the Omni Breeze carrier is pretty soft; there’s also a cotton fabric option called the Omni Dream if you’re looking for a super soft baby carrier. However, the Omni Dream doesn’t have mesh allowing for airflow to provide comfort in hot weather baby wearing.
How Comfortable Is The Omni Breeze For Parents?
The Omni Breeze fits a huge variety of body types very well and quite comfortably. It’s a very adjustable carrier that makes it easy to get a great fit. The first use will require the biggest adjustments as you’re learning how to use it. The waistband of the Ergobaby Omni Breeze can accommodate a 26” waist and up to a 57” 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.
Men with broad shoulders can also comfortably wear this carrier as the shoulder straps have a lot of webbing available to make them longer if needed.
- A few features that make the Omni Breeze particularly comfortable for parents are:
- Lightly padded shoulder straps
- Lumbar support with cut outs to reduce heat build up
- Wide range of waist sizes it can accommodate
- Ability to cross straps behind back for more support
Price
The Ergobaby Omni Breeze Cool Air Mesh Carrier has a price tag around $199 USD ($259 Canadian) if it’s not on sale and it’s the same price as the Omni Dream cotton version.
The Ergo Omni Breeze is a soft structured baby carrier that is well worth the money. The materials used in this product are premium quality, which means that they will last longer than other types of fabric and Ergobaby even has a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing or material defects.
Ergobaby isn’t the MOST expensive soft structured baby carrier but it certainly isn’t the least expensive either. You can also trust that this brand has put a lot of effort into making a durable, comfortable carrier that is safe, unlike some cheaper brands on the market.
Omni Breeze Washing Instructions and Fabric Type
The Ergobaby Omni Breeze 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.
The Omni Breeze is able to go through the washing machine on a gentle cycle. Ergobaby recommends using a wash bag or even putting it in a pillowcase before it goes through the wash. Use mild detergent in cool water and you fasten all the clasps closed.
They also recommend hang dry only on their website, however, the laundry tag sewn into the carrier says you can machine dry it on a low heat. Based on my other extensive use of Ergobaby carriers I can say personally that mine have successfully made it through the washer and dryer, but a high heat will cause the polyester to melt and hang drying your carrier will help prolong its life.
Can You Fold The Omni Breeze?
Yes! You can fold the Ergobaby Omni Breeze easily to store it in a more compact space. I love how portable this carrier is, which makes it easier to put inside a diaper bag or the bottom of your stroller. Actually, there are so many places it’s difficult to take a stroller where a carrier can easily help you go. It’s nice to have this carrier folded up and ready to go when I need it.
Key Features
Safety Buckles
The Omni Breeze has safety buckles that make it possible to cross the carrier’s straps behind your back. The buckles that make it possible to cross the straps are within reach of your toddler’s little hands while they are being worn, so it is an important safety feature that the Breeze has to make them safety buckles.
Shoulder Straps
The shoulder straps of the Omni Breeze are lightly padded and comfortable to wear. The width of the strap distributes your child’s weight across your body so the straps won’t dig in and cause red marks. The straps are also 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 for carrying older toddlers or heavier babies during longer baby wearing sessions.
Infant Head Support
I’ve always liked how well the Omni infant head support system works with my babies, whether they’re newborns or older toddlers. It’s an impressive design. The Ergobaby Omni Breeze features a padded, soft, flexible infant head support system. The carrier uses buttons to secure the head support system up or down. It gives the proper support to tiny newborns who lack strong head and neck muscles. It also gives good, sound support to an older baby who might have a heavy head that may pull away from you when they’re sleeping in the carrier.
Infant Seat
The Ergobaby Omni Breeze seat is configured with velcro and sliders (velcro on the inside of the waistband and external sliders to adjust, based on whether your baby is facing in or out.) configured to be safe for newborns without any add-ons like pillows.
This carrier has also been deemed to be “hip-healthy” by The International Hip Dysplasia Institute, which means it’s capable of keeping your baby in a good ergonomic position if you’re using it correctly. Make sure you’re reading the instructions and adjusting the carrier depending on if your baby is in a face-in or face-out position.
Sun Hood
The Omni Breeze 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.
Waist Band & Lumbar Support
This carrier has soft flexible padded lumbar support that features cut-outs to help allow airflow. A good lumbar support like this will help go a long way toward alleviating lower back pain during long walks and is a great feature to have for comfortable baby wearing.
The Omni Breeze waistband is easy to adjust, with high quality webbing, and fits roughly a 26” to 57” waist comfortably. Because it adjusts easily, different people can switch between wearing it by quickly adjusting the fit.
If you have a very narrow waist, you might like my review of the Ergobaby Aerloom carrier, which has a waistband that starts at 17 inches long.
Carry Positions
The Omni Breeze ergonomic carrying positions are:
- front position face-in for shorter infant (or newborn)
- front position face-in for taller infant
- front position face-out
- hip carry position
- back carry position
Omni Breeze Weight Restrictions
The Ergobaby Omni Breeze baby carrier can accommodate smaller babies weighing 7 pounds minimum up to 45 pounds. This means it will last you a long time, from the newborn stage right into toddlerhood. You can get started using this carrier with a newborn without the need of an infant insert. 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.
Instructions Sewn-in
There is a small fabric instructions tag sewn into the Omni Breeze carrier that will show you some helpful instructions. The tag shows how to adjust the leg positions for carrying the baby on your front, face in and face out (the two most common positions you will use). It can be really helpful to have the instructions to reference quickly before loading your baby into the carrier. Whether it’s been a while since you used the carrier or your baby just had a growth spurt, take a peek at the tag and you’re good to go. It’s nice that the Ergobaby company includes these tags and shows their commitment to safe baby wearing.
How Many Pockets Does Omni Breeze Have?
There are three pockets on the Omni Breeze. One pocket is a zippered detachable pouch on the front of the waistband, which you can remove for a sleeker look. This carrier also has two pockets sewn in, one on either side of the waistband. The side pockets are good for storing small items such as a house key.
Reflective Strips
The Omni Breeze has reflective strips, for late night walking, on the front body of the carrier and the chest strap. This is a nice feature for added visibility.
What would improve it?
Overall this is a really great baby carrier that fully has my personal seal of approval. It’s also a good improvement, in many ways, over the older Omni 360 model. Still, there are a few things that might be able to be improved with this carrier as nothing is perfect.
The mesh of the Omni Breeze is much softer than the Omni 360, but it’s still less soft than some other mesh carriers like the BabyBjorn Harmony carrier (which is more expensive) and it’s less soft than the Tula Coast mesh comparable carriers (but the Breeze has better airflow than the Tula Coast carriers in my opinion).
The Omni Breeze might not be the perfect carrier for some very petite parents with narrow waists. If your waist is smaller than 26 inches, this carrier might not fit you very well. It also may not fit you if your waist is larger than 57 inches unless you’re interested in purchasing an aftermarket waist belt extender.
Recap
The Ergobaby Omni Breeze is a super versatile baby carrier. It’s made from flexible mesh that will help keep your baby cool in warm weather, and you can easily add layers to keep them snug in cool weather. It should last you from the newborn stage well into toddlerhood. I’m confidently able to recommend the Omni Breeze as a great choice for safety and comfort.
- Some of my favorite Omni Breeze safety features:
- Breathable mesh for maximum airflow
- Safety buckles
- Good ergonomics
- Fantastic support for baby’s neck muscles
- Adjustable infant leg position
- fabrics are OEKO-TEX tested and free from hazardous substances
- IHPI certified ‘hip-healthy’ baby carrier
- Some of my favorite Omni Breeze comfort features:
- Lightly padded shoulder straps
- Flexible lightly padded waist belt
- Folds easily
- Machine washable
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