in thinking that £100 for a sling is crazy?

[DidntWeAlmost]

My DS, 9 weeks is getting bigger. Still only 11lbs but will need a sturdier sling at some point.

I've just been using a long bit of stretchy material that I got off eBay sir £6 (it is amazing and exactly the same as the ones you can spend up to £80/90 on).

Anyway, my dad gave me £50 to get a good sling for him from mothercare.

They do their own brand ones which are £18. I can't see anything wrong with them but a bit reluctant to buy, as some are close to £200!

To me that just seems completely crazy.

AIBU to think that's way too much and actually their own brand sling for £18 is probably fine? Any suggestions?

Depends how long you will use it for. An own brand Baby Bjorn style sling will probably only be usable until 3/4 months until the baby is too heavy to carry comfortably.

A good quality woven wrap or soft structured carry will last you through til toddler hood.

They are a bit strange; some of them seem to be almost coveted designer clothing items.

I'd like to use it for as long as possible! I like having him close to me and the pram doesn't quite cut it yet unless I have stuff to carry.

We bought a cheap own brand one thinking the same. Always felt like baby was going to fall out and it couldn’t fasten comfortably/sturdily so we never used it. A lovely friend gave me a baby bjorn one her wee one had grown out of and it was a game changer! (Lived on a top floor flat so carrying baby and bags from car/pram to flat required a sling for a while.)

Depends.
We bought a Baby Bjorn Miracle for £90 back in 2016 and it’s done DD and DS up to the weight limit of 12kg...that’s 16months for both infants.

We have DC3 coming in summer and will be using it again. Assuming it lasts as well as it has with previous DC that’s £90 for something that’s lasted 48months and frequent use.

To me that’s not bad.

I think you should be able a good sling for £50. I personally preferred the long strips of fabric, I got a Victoria slinglady one for less than £50 (not a stretchy one but suitable for a few years!)

Do you have a local sling library? If so I'd spend the money on rental fees as then you can get a really good one for the price of buying a cheap one. I've been renting a Tula Free to Grow since DS was born and I think the cost of them is silly money BUT when I borrowed a friend's cheap carrier I was astonished at how much worse it was in every way. Either buy second hand or rent - it works out better than buying new cheap.

https://www.mothercare.com/baby-carriers/mothercare-three-position-baby-carrier/LD2937.html?cgid=carbabycarriers&dwvarrLD2937color=black#srule=Review+Rating&sz=12&start=26

This has over 300 reviews and almost has 5 stars... it must be okay? Not sure why I'm so reluctant, as the one I bought for £6 was just a bit of fabric and it has been amazing, so expensive doesn't always = amazing?

I had a cheap (£20 one) and used it twice. The straps were crap and it wasn't supportive for baby.

I spent £100 on a beco gemini and have used it so so many times, my lo will fit in it another year at least. (currently 2).

My woven wrap was quite pricey (not £100, but maybe £50). I remember deliberating about whether it was worth it. I ended up using it every day for more than a year, and for 2 kids. It was definitely worth it!

I bought an Ergobaby which was over £100 before my baby was born. Tbh I thought I’d gone mad on hormones paying that price. But for my baby’s first year I used it for almost very outing as I found it much easier than the pram.

So I feel like I got my money’s worth because it was very durable material, really comfortable to carry the baby (even a 13kg toddler!) and nice and comfy/safe for the baby.

I’d say how much you spend will depend on how long and how often you plan to use it. But I don’t think that price is astronomical for something you’ll use daily.

it depends - if you want a good one, not hurt your back and use it for a long time, get a good one (mothercare own brand and baby bjorn have a high likelihood for back pain (. i bought all of mine pre-loved for under £50. do you have a sling library close? its worth trying them out before you buy (otherwise, manducas go cheap second hand and are liked by most people, tulas are pretty but love or hate and expensive)

I’ve just bought a mamaruga zensling. I’d already spent stupid money on a baby Bjorne one but hated it. Tried this at local sling library and fell in love. I hired it for three months and finally bought my own. Can’t recommend it enough and worth every single penny and then some.
Defo try before you buy - I was able to pick mine up second hand on eBay but never would have know what to look for had I not tried and worked out the best carrier for me

@Larasshadow I feel the same. I just bought the material myself and made a sling (my grandma who is from Nigeria showed me how she traditionally did it, so simple). It's fantastic :) she thinks I can just keep doing that but it does take a while to tie and can hurt my back after a bit.

All I will say is that my BB is good BUT apparently Ergos are EXCELLENT

If it’s just for short periods where you need your hands free a cheap one will do the job but if you’re often going to be using it for hours a day and in place of a stroller, then it’s worth splurging on something really comfortable and nice looking, if you can.

@PaulHollywoodsSexGut as mych as I love ergos - slings are very personal, there is no best. it is really worth trying!

I took a quick look at those reviews and the first few are all 'i bought this last week for my eight week old and I love it'. I suspect if people had been reviewing it just a bit later with slightly heavier babies they might have felt differently.

@LisaSimpsonsbff hmm... that's a good point actually...

I had a mei tai think it cost me around £12 second hand, I used it every day with dc2 and quite a lot with dc3 and it's still in just as good condition as when I bought it.
I'm hoping to sell it on for around the same price soon when I can be bothered to dig it out.

I used a close caboo for first few months then got a tula which was expensive but is amazing

A well made sling is a worth while investment especially if you are using it daily! They tend to hold their value well too and can be sold on for similar prices so you dont really lose out. I bought a Wompat carrier which was the best carrier I ever had second hand for £100 and was able to sell it on for £90. I only lost the value because I lost one of the chest straps.

I spent nearly £300 on slings when DS was a baby. I never used a pram and Carried him for nearly 4 years (only occasional journeys by age 3!). I remember a friend being outraged by what I’d spent, then revealing that her pram cost £700!

I also sold the slings on after I’d finished for over £200.

Worth it for me!

I spent £110 on a sling but used it more than a pushchair for first 14 months. Even at 16 months I prefer a hip seat for the v short walk to school.

considering many people pay over £600 for a pushchair...

We had a second hand baby bjorn and used it from newborn to 12 months. We used it a lot! Just bought a second hand little life back carrier now she’s so much bigger and heavier. Maybe consider the top brand but second hand?