Argh - what should I do - 2.3yo needs a new sling but for how much longer?

[SlimJimBra]

Have had various slings for ds but I am really pushing it to carry him in anything I own now (close, short wrap and a fleece pocket sling I can't remember the name of... scottish company...rainbow fleece...anyway...)
I hired both a mei tai and a ssc from my local sling library but the rrp for these carriers is around £100. The thing is although ds is small for his age and I have no problems weight wise carrying him I wonder how much longer he'll want to be carried for and whether £100 would be a worthwhile investment. I want to be able to carry him on my back, which at the moment I can't really do (can do short trips using short wrap but not for any length of time)
Any suggestions of how long he might want to be 'slung' for? And any ideas about mei tai/ssc for a toddler that won't break the bank. Thanks :)

I found a kozy worked really well even for bigger children - we still occasionally carry our 4.5 yr olds in one. They retail for around £60.

What brands are you considering? Something like a toddler sized rose and rebellion has a resale value only about £20 less than the retail price so you could sell it without making too much of a loss once he's no longer happy to be slung!

If you're on Facebook, join the group "slings and things: FSOT" and you can pick up something preloved for a price similar to what you could sell it on for in the future.

If you would use a longer woven wrap, Lenny Lamb tend to be around £50 on websites like love to be natural or tribal babies; the ones blended with bamboo are beautifully soft and utterly fine for a toddler :)

I'm now being tempted into the world of wraps! I used to love my short wrap for reboza but have neglected it recently... maybe a long wrap is the answer?

PS totally irrelevant now but I have checked what my other sling is - it's a bright sparks coorie pouch which gets used most often these days as a blanket (it lives in the car for quick-run-into-the-shops moments)

Thanks for the slings and things recommendation rockchick I have just bought a napsack mei tai 2nd hand. Thought the wrap porn on there is something else - very tempting but the prices are scaring me slightly!

Though not thought!

Glad you got sorted! It's mostly sling porn on there for me - I quickly learnt which sorts were within my budget and which ones are on my lottery-win-list

I'm feeling inspired to do some of the long wrap carries on there (i've spent most of the past two days watching youtube videos of different carries!) I'm going to hire a long wrap from the sling library to have a play with,, I can't afford the mistake if I can't master it/ DS doesn't like it.