Similar to an Ergo..?

[SirBoobAlot]

DS has started really fighting to go in his buggy recently. I tried a friends Ergo today this one and it was great - it didn't feel heavy, and DS seemed very happy in it. But its rather pricey

Can anyone recommend anything similar but cheaper, please?

TIA.

A lot of people would say that Patapum is similar but much cheaper (personally I didn't like Patapum and have never tried Ergo)

Personally I loved Rose and Rebellion (the 'token' dad pic in link :o)

So much that I plan to get one of the new-fangled newer-style ones for next time around. It has the buckle fastening and padded waistband feature of Patapum.

Depending on how fussy you are about the design, you may be able to pick one one up second-hand (I want to do this but the patterns I can live with never come up - I'm not really into the Goth stuff! :o)
Horses for courses though :)

Am assuming your DS is relatively young - otherwise there are toddler versions of these

Have you checked out http://slingguide.co.uk?

I have a Patapum - toddler version - and it's great. The baby version is basically the same as the Ergo, so not necessarily any better. The toddler one is really supportive though. It's supposed to be from 12 months but you can use it from about 7 or 8 months on the front (though it's bulky - well worth it though when you get into the back carries)

I still use mine for 2yo DS and have used it recently on my front as well and I find it really comfy.

You could look at second hand as well? ukbabywearerswap on yahoo groups is supposed to be good.

Thanks both. DS is a year nearly - I haven't used a carrier before because I'm disabled, and was worried about the weight / balance / co-ordinating with stick or crutches, but trying it out today it was much easier than I expected. I think the fact the weight was so distributed and the straps were so good with the support was a major part of this.

Have a look on the natural mamas forum. It's very fluffy but theres a really good for sale board with cheap second hand carriers and the advice is fantastic. There are loads of carriers out there like the Ergo, and I never knew... :)

It's worth noting that the Patapum toddler is the only carrier which has extra straps to pull the toddler's body in towards you and prevent back arching (which puts more strain on the back). You probably want to look quite in depth at the different options to find which carrier will suit your needs. I'd usually recommend the Boba 2G at this point as well since it's meant to be even better than the Patapum from a support POV, but the difference is a foot rest which is used from around 18 months+, so I guess it would depend on whether you envisaged using it beyond that point. If it's likely just to be for the next 6 months to a year that you are using it then you probably wouldn't notice much difference and the price difference is pretty high.