Meet the Mamas who Designed our Latest Carriers

We’re thrilled that two of our baby carriers launching in the Original Collection in 2014 are designed by parents just like you!

True to our mission to help parents “wear all the babies,” we strive to keep our Original Collection fresh, updated and current!   Last year, we went to you (our biggest fans) to help us design a carrier.   We loved the results so much that we made not just one, but two.  Sea Skipper and Chevron are the latest new styles in our Original Collection–both designed by parents like you.  We are excited for these new additions to our award-winning Original Collection–our tried and true.

We are committed to helping parents wear their babies in a way that works best for their families.  Babywearing is a wonderful choice not only for convenience, but to bond with baby and reap the benefits of babywearing for both baby and parent, and the Ergobaby Original Collection continues to be the first choice for many parents.  Both designs will be available in early 2014.  The Chevron will be an exclusive through Babies R’ Us.

We would love to introduce you to the moms who designed these carriers.

Sea Skipper Designer

 

Meet Carolyn Bookholt, who came up with the winning design, the Sea Skipper.  Carolyn  is a stay at home mom to two active boys, Alex (4) and Eddie (3), living in Central Maryland. She enjoys traveling with kids and her amazing husband, Chris. In her free time, she volunteers as an officer for her local Moms’ Club, enjoys reading, and owns a small photography business.  You may recognize Carolyn, we’ve used several of her amazing travel photos in our Love Carries On campaign!  We sat down with Carolyn and asked her about her kids, her design and being a mom.

When did you get your first Ergobaby?

My first Ergobaby Carrier was a baby shower present from one of my dear friends before the birth of my oldest son in 2009.

How did you hear about Ergobaby?

It’s funny, I had actually registered for a DIFFERENT carrier…one of those crotch dangling ones…and a friend of mine contacted me and said that she’d like to get me a baby carrier, but that she’d really recommend the Ergo vs. the other carrier I had registered for. She was an experienced mom and I told her that she must know what she’s talking about – so buy whatever she felt would be the best. She bought us an Ergo and I’ve been in love ever since.

Why did you enter the design contest?

I fiddle around with graphic design from time to time and I thought it might be neat to see if I could make something look good on the Ergo graphic provided for the contest. Since you could enter more than once, I had fun creating some “normal” designs and some really wild ones (like crossed swords across the back for the geeky dads and moms out there)!

What inspired the design?

In fashion, nautical is really in right now and I figured it might do well as a concept. Anchors are a popular motif in everything from shoes to stationary. I won’t lie though, the main inspiration for it is my sorority, Delta Gamma. Our symbol is the anchor and I thought it would be so cute if we had an Anchor Ergo in which to carry our little legacies and Anchorboys. I also tried to think of colors/themes that might fit some of the existing Ergo accessories (like the infant insert). I wear an anchor pendent every day around my neck…wouldn’t it be cute to have an Ergo to match?!

How has Ergobaby helped change your life & how to you hope to inspire other parents with your designs?

My family was blessed with the opportunity to live in the UK from 2009-2012, and during our time there, the Ergobaby Carrier was a prominent feature in our family photo album. Even with a newborn and a toddler, we wanted to travel as much as possible. The Ergo baby carrier allowed us to go just about anywhere we wanted. It was a blessing in the airport and kept the kids happy galavanting across three continents and countless countries. I am excited that there are a lot of fresh new design choices coming out for the Ergobaby (including my design!) – and I hope that some of these choices will draw in more families to the baby-wearing community.

What’s your “saving grace” as a mom?

Being a mom is not always glamourous. We get little sleep, little personal time, and little outward appreciation for what we do. What makes it all worth it to me? Watching my boys grow wings. At 3 and 4, my once snuggly little ducklings don’t often need the comfort of the Ergo any longer…they are busy exploring this wide world around them and learning so so much. The lightbulbs that are constantly sparking over their heads and are a constant reminder of how much they are growing and changing. At the end of the day though, no matter how far they have flown, they always come home to snuggle in the nest my husband and I have created. And that makes it all worth it.

Chevron Designer

Introducing Elizabeth Goertz, the designer behind the Chevron Carrier.  Elizabeth is a small town, Kansas girl. She has been married to her husband, Brad, for 5 years and has 2 kids, a 4 year old, Gracelyn, and a 2 month old, Jude. Elizabeth stays home most days and also works part time taking care of the tiny babies as a nurse in the NICU.  We were able to catch up with her and chat about her design, her kids and motherhood.

How did you hear about Ergobaby and when did you get your first baby carrier?

I got my first Ergobaby in 2010 when Gracelyn was about 8 months old.  I heard about Ergobaby from some online blogs and after reading their reviews I knew I had to get my own as all the other carriers I had tried always hurt my back.

Why did you enter the design contest and what inspired your design?

I entered the design contest because I thought it would be fun to try to create a new stylish print for the carrier that I already love so much!  The design was inspired by my favorite color, PINK, and the fact that chevron has been very popular lately and I thought it could make for a very fashion forward carrier that could double as an accessory! Also I wanted the colors to be muted so it would be something people would want to wear daily and not be hard to match with multiple outfits so I chose gray to go with the pink.  The design process was really a lot of fun! I spent a lot of time trying to come up with the perfect design that wouldn’t only appeal to myself but to all of the other Ergobaby fans as well! I would say this is by far my favorite out of all the designs I submitted!

How has Ergobaby helped change your life and how to you hope to inspire other parents with your designs?

Ergobaby has helped change my life by making all the tasks I thought were so difficult to do with a small child seem so simple to do. It makes it easy to maintain my house, go grocery shopping, and even go on fun outings like the zoo. Now that I have an infant I appreciate my Ergobaby even more because I have been able to nurse my baby while still taking care of my 4 year old and keeping up on everything else that needs done! I hope to inspire other parents with my design by letting them see that we can keep being “super moms” (and dads) with the help of our Ergobaby but we don’t have to give up our great fashion sense while doing it!

What’s your “saving grace” as a mom?

My “saving grace” as a mom besides my Ergobaby, of course, is my family. My husband works hard so I have the opportunity to stay home with our children and only work part time. Also, our families live very close to us and we’re always ready to help each other out no matter what we need. A lot of days the kids and I will go over to my parents house just for a change of scenery and an extra hand. It’s nice to be able to cook a meal together and share so I don’t have to try to cook everyday and watch the kids at the same time. I know I’m very lucky to have my family so close!