I used the baby carrier only to go out alone. Coz if without my hubby, its realy hard for me to bring bb out with stroller. For example, my bb now is only 3 months old, if i take a cab alone, i cant carry him and at the same time keep the stroller.
I also bought the carrier based on online reviews. The good thing abt ergo and beco carrier is thr carrier has a little pouch for bb buttocks to rest on, so bb is like in a sitting position. Whereas for baby bjorn(another very popular brand) the baby is practically resting all his weight on his groin area so i guess its not so comfy for long hours.
As for the strap, i have no problem taking my handbag with bb in carrier at all.
But with bb in carrier, its hard to sit and eat frankly. So if u go shopping or long hours, bring stroller with you if u got someone with you. Put bb in strollerr unless he doesnt like to stay in for too long, at least u have carrier to carry him. Then when eating, put him back to stroller lor.
Good thing abt the ergo or beco carriers is, it is very light weight and can easily be kept under the stroller. So very mobile.