There are so many different baby carriers available - including some made by indie companies. The best one for you really depends upon how your baby/toddler likes to be carried.

For a front carry or a back carry, I used the Beco Baby Carrier. Wraps are also very popular - when my son was young, he loved being carried in a Hug a Bub wrap.

Ring slings and pouches are great for breast feeding and for hip carries - I love the ones available at Bronwen Handcrafted.

I would first start out with a handmade carrier, something that isn't too structured or mass produced like the ones you commonly find in department stores. I would start with a pouch sling, then graduate to a ring sling, then on to a wrap.

Start with hotslings.com for the pouch sling, ringslings.com for a ring sling, and then mobywrap.com for a wrap.

You can of course find all of these items on ebay for a fraction of the cost.