am I right in thinking that slings end up costing more than buggies in the end?

[lackingNameChangeInspiration]

I gave up on em last time but didn't have great ones and was hoping to use a sling a bit more with DC2

thing is, seems that the people who get along very well with slings but several of them, they don't seem to have last very long with a new style required every few months?

how much does it ACTUALLY cost to be a proper baby wearer who uses slings all the time? how many different slings do you REALLY from birth to toddler?

BUY several of them, not but several

No, not in my experience. Many people buy more then one buggy - a pram for a baby, then a pushchair.

I swapped slings and get them second hand. The only one I bought new was the ergo.

How many slings have you had LM?

One! A Kari Me, bought second hand on eBay - absolutely fab.

For three babies:

A Wrap sling (second hand)
two piece wrap sling tricot I think it's called (free from family)
Ring sling (second hand)
ergo (new)
and another baby carrier which was second hand and I never used.

But I started back in 2004 when there wasn't much choice.

badbuddha how long did you use the kari me for?

From about two months (when a friend recommended it) to nearly two yrs old. By that point DS was mostly walking everywhere, but I do now have a VERY cheap Tesco buggy for the longer distances when he's tired.

Oh, and if you buy one on eBay, when you're finished with it, you can sell it for as much as you bought it for! I did anyway, to a very happy buyer

lots of the reviews on amazon etc warn about forgeries and ripping, which is worrying when it is holding your wee baby, they are as expensive as buggies new though!

[remembering now why I gave up all together on slings last time..]

I have the kari-me as my only sling. DH got the chicco but I didn't get on with it and he was just as comfy in the kari-me. Had both DDs up to 18 months or so in it.

Am thinking of trying it backwards as a piggy-back support, now 3.5 as per the instructions.

so two votes for kari me as an only sling.. thats good
[glimmer of hope for slings re-ignited..]
they are bloomin ugly faffy things though! borrowed one to try with DS and hated it
Would an ergo do as an ONLY sling?

right, looking out for a non-batik wrapsodys then (do they exist?)

batik is the ugly patterns on the material on most of them that I've managed to find on google (wax poured on the fabric between dyes to creat the effect)

there's no excuse for batik outside yr7 art/textiles!

If you want an only sling I would get something like an Ergo or a Beco (that's what I had) - they'll go from newborn til 2+ whereas the soft stretchy wraps will only last 6 months.

I bought a second hand Close carrier for the first 6 months (cost £30)
A second hand Beco Butterfly (cost £50)
A second hand ring sling (don't remember how much this cost - maybe £50)

I could have done with just the Beco though. Buggies I had a travel system (£350!), and two umbrella strollers at £50 each so slings are definitely cheaper!

They get very expensive if you find byootiful ones and turn into a crazed acquisitive obsessive like the people here.

You can use the ergo from birth but you need to buy the infant insert

had a look and the beco I can cope with, fabrics not too... anyway!,
I can't see the difference between the beco and the ergo, are they much the same?
is there a newborn insert for becos like there is for ergos?

ohbuggarandarse I'm having trouble finding the least ugly ones TBH

I only actually USE two - a stretchy wrap for the newborn stage (and I made my own out of T-shirt fabric so cost was low) and a mei tai style (in my case a Connecta) after that (I could probably make that one too, if it came to it, but I haven't). I did go through a couple of others while figuring that out with DC1, but fortunately there's a thriving second-hand market in slings and if you buy second-hand in the first place you can sell on for the same amount that you paid.

I wouldn't go with a Kari Me as an only sling. You can't back carry with it safely and most kids hit a point where they are easier to carry on your back at least some of the time. And whilst some people use them for a long time I see a lot of people at the sling library I run who have 4-8 month olds and feel they are getting heavy, and find a different sling comfier.

A woven wrap will do birth to whenever you like (my sister carried my then nearly-12-year-old step son on my back in one for a laugh). Because it isn't fitted at all, and is weight tested to very high weight , it can cope with the widest age range. It's also lovely and snuggly for a tiny baby. You do need to learn to tie it though.

If you want buckles a Manduca is my favourite for newborn to toddler/preschooler at a push. Prefer to the Ergo as find the Ergo infant insert a bit rubbish and too hot. Prefer to the Beco as it is wider and so supports legs for longer and prefer to the Connecta as more structured which I find adds support.

But I'd go to a sling library and see what fits you / suits you / appeals to you, if you can.

The Beco has an infant insert bit for a newborn - it just lifts them up a bit rather than a big snuggly thing like the Ergo though. The main difference between the Beco and other buckled carriers is it has an internal harness that the baby straps into, so back carries with a baby are really easy as you can strap the baby in first then put it on your back - we also found it really useful when ds was a baby in front carries as you can swap the carrier from me to DP without taking the baby out/waking him up.

I wouldn't use a Kari Me either for older babies. I would get a woven wrap. I am now getting an Ellaroo for DD.

no, we spent about 100£ on a carrier (ergo) and another 100 on a pushchair.
pretty cheap I think compared to an expensive travelsystem.