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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Baby carriers - new or second hand?

21 replies

CrazyKitkatLady · 15/02/2020 09:58

Hi, I’m wondering if anyone has bought a branded second hand baby carrier. Is there any difference in buying from new?
I had a quick look on eBay and have seen there are a lot of unbranded ones very cheap from new but I’m not sure if they’d be up to safety standards?
I’d like to avoid paying top dollar for a new branded version but I don’t have much experience with this sort of thing! Hopefully some of you will be able to help

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Bol87 · 15/02/2020 10:11

Do you have a local sling library? You can go try different ones & rental for a week is usually pretty cheap! My DD hated baby wearing.. I tried all the slings & carriers, she just screamed in them. So I was glad I hadn’t bought one in the end! She was a baby who just loved to be stretched out & asleep in her own space. At 2.5, she still hates being cuddled when it’s sleep time (very affectionate when awake!)

If you don’t etc, you are looking for a carrier that supports baby in an ergonomic position. Some cheaper (and branded) carriers are notorious for crotch dangling. You don’t want that. Bad for their hips - see the photo I’ve attached.

Do your research, if it’s say an Aldi carrier, google images of people wearing one. How is baby positioned? YouTube had hundreds of reviews of baby carriers too.

There’s nothing wrong with second hand at all, I’ve just bought an ergobaby stretchy wrap from Facebook Marketplace (a good place for cheap carriers) but just get a good one for baby & read about safe baby wearing

FriedasCarLoad · 15/02/2020 10:14

We managed to get our structured branded baby carrier in a sale. Our soft one was branded and second hand.

For pretty much everything except car seats and mattresses we bought second hand and therefore could get trusted brands.

peanutbuttermarmite · 15/02/2020 10:14

I’d buy a secondhand branded one no question - my ergo was in good condition after 18 months use, and you can wash them in dettol.

I’d rather get a good brand over an unbranded one but I had my first 10 years back and possibly the unbranded ones are good quality.

Cardboard33 · 15/02/2020 11:57

Definitely go second hand for most of your baby stuff. Do you have a mum2mum market or NCT nearly new sales near you? Or charity shops?

Read the reviews (which? Magazine is a godsend when pregnant for unbiased/impartial reviews) and decide which one you want then just keep an eye out on the second hand market. We got an unused Baby Bjorn One carrier still with the seals on for £20. The person had bought two (they had twins) and had tried it out after they were born and the babies hated it.

Darkstar4855 · 15/02/2020 15:20

Second hand is fine but if you’re planning to do a lot of a carrying I would invest in a decent quality branded one such as an ergobaby. It’s likely to be more comfortably, safer and last longer.

I invested in a Stokke Mycarrier and am still comfortably carrying my son at 15 months. I wouldn’t be managing that with my old mothercare cheapy one.

Sewinginscotland · 15/02/2020 15:25

All 3 of my slings/carriers are second hand and I've had tonnes of use out of them! Plus I'll probanly sell them on again when I'm done with them.

I got them off a facebook group, I find them better than eBay. But I tried a sling library first to see what I (and DS) liked.

Megan2018 · 15/02/2020 15:29

I had a Close Caboo 2nd hand and got a new Ergobaby for Christmas. I’d have been happy second hand though.

annlee3817 · 15/02/2020 16:27

I got my ergo baby 360 new, but it's currently going strong with my friends little girl and will be passed onto another friend of mine later in the year, structurally it's still great, easy to clean and is four years old now

PrayingandHoping · 15/02/2020 16:31

I was given a 5yr old babyjorn which was really comfortable for me but I quickly noticed it doesn't sit her supported in the "hip healthy" position.... so I bought a new one with the up to date standards.

It's really comfy (I have issues with my collar bones dislocating easily so have to be cautious)

BlueEyedFloozy · 15/02/2020 16:39

I second the advice to check for a local sling library so you can try before you buy. From recommendations on here I was set to buy an Ergo baby carrier but when it came to trying it out, I really didn't like the structured waist band and tried a few before settling on a Connecta which we used until my daughter was 2yo comfortably and the bonus was it was a fair bit cheaper!

If you are looking second hand from a stranger then be on the look out for fakes, Ergo in particular have an issue with counterfeit products which were found to contain dodgy dyes, poor quality stitching and buckles which were not strong enough. They only sell through select retailers and come with authenticity certificates which any seasoned sling user would keep and be able to provide.

ElphiasDoge · 15/02/2020 16:47

I would go to a sling library, find one that fits and suits and try it out and then buy that one second hand.

I hired one before baby was born. It hadn’t crossed my mind that he wouldn’t be huge as all my siblings and I were over 9lb. He was a dinky 6lb11oz and didn’t leave hospital for the first month and was still under 7lb at discharge. A lot of the structured ones you need to be over 7 or 8lb. So it was a bit of a waste getting one at 39 weeks! Pop down with baby when they’re here!!

I ended up hiring a stretchy one for a few weeks whilst he was dinky and then exchanged it for a structured one, tried it out and then bought from her as she’d given me loads of help and advice and been generous about hire fees and hospital stays. There was no pressure though and when she didn’t have the colour I had hired she even suggested buying elsewhere! So it would be fine to buy the one you want second hand once you know what that is!

Selfsettling3 · 15/02/2020 16:51

My baby has all naps in our Manducca. I bought a second hand one to keep in the car for out and about and as a spare as she had extreme reflux at first and my day would be awful without it.

alohamore · 15/02/2020 17:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RhymingRabbit3 · 15/02/2020 17:18

Sling library is a great idea if there is one nearby, as not all slings are suitable for all parents or babies.

Secondhand is fine. Be aware with very popular brands (especially ergobaby) there are often "fakes" around so if you're buying from ebay or somewhere else secondhand definitely ask to see proof of purchase to check they bought it from a proper shop and not online as it could be fake and therefore not safe.

More details
ergobaby.com/counterfeits

Nowayorhighway · 15/02/2020 18:36

Bought my ergo 360 second hand on eBay and it’s great, it had barely been used.

Junobug · 15/02/2020 19:01

This thread is exactly the reason a sling library is a great idea. I hated my connecta and close caboo but love my stretchy and an ergo baby that must be 20 years old now. Its easily carried 5 children and just been passed between friends. Please watch out for the older baby bjorn type that are really bad for babies hips. Also be aware that it can become an addictive and expensive obsession.

Original poster

CrazyKitkatLady · 15/02/2020 19:33

This has given me lots to look into, thanks everyone!

OP posts:

IOYOYO · 15/02/2020 19:40

Also coming on the second the point about fakes... buying secondhand from an individual and asking for proof of purchase gets around that. I bought a great Ergobaby carrier for £60 and used it for years with my dd. It’s a little faded but in perfect working order and I’m using it again with my ds.

But, there are a million types of sling. Hire them first and work out what works for you, then look to buy.

I’d also advise you avoid the ones where the baby just hangs from the crotch - older style Baby Bjorn and others, they’re crap at distributing the weight and not great for the baby’s hips. The hips should always sit in a frog M position and the baby. Again, a sling library can help here.

Monstamio · 16/02/2020 06:43

As others have said there are loads of fakes of things like ergobaby out there. There are a couple of good sling selling groups on Facebook which can help you get around that. Just make sure the seller has the original receipt. I would probably avoid ebay.

Fromthebirdsnest · 11/10/2020 21:30

We brought a new tula with our 3rd child we used it from around 4 months (our baby was pram ) until over 3 ! Well worth the investment we will have it as a spare with this baby (baby no4 is due early april) but we will buy a new one as the patterns are lovely ... I have brought a caboo close second hand for £15 but I saw them recently for £25 in t kmax x (i had already brought mine ) and would definitely recommend as I borrowed a friends for our son for the first couple of months and it was great x I do think they are worth buying new if your getting a tula /ergo/connecta more because all of the parts and you don't know how well it's been looked after but something like a wrap it doesn't really matter as long as you put it on a hot wash x

Hatscats · 11/10/2020 21:36

I got a close Caboo lite off Facebook market place, bargain!

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