10 Budget Baby Carriers under £30
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Holly writes…
There is a whole world of baby carriers out there and it can be a minefield (and an expensive one at that). There are so many advantages to “baby wearing”, that a good carrier is an essential buy for most new parents. Different carriers suit different people and it depends on your body shape and size, your baby’s size, what you want to do with the sling and how long you are going to be wearing it for, as to which is best for you. I would recommend going along to your local Slingmeet group before purchasing a carrier to try out different ones and chat to other parents about their experiences with them.
I have picked out some of the best bargains on the web to make buying a carrier a fun and inexpensive experience.
Tomy Freestyle Click ‘n’ Go -(Pictured top) A structured carrier that has an ergonomically designed and padded parent harness for superior comfort. The baby carrier unit completely unclips from the parent harness for easy and safe loading. Includes loose strap tidies, storage pocket, soother holder and a dribble bib. Baby can be carried facing inwards or outwards (from 3 months). It looks smart, with a black colourway with moleskin style lining and was Highly Commended in the 2006-7 Mother & Baby Magazine Awards. Suitable for babies up to 19lbs 12oz. It is currently reduced on the Tomy website from £49.99 to £24.99.
BabaSling- A hammock style sling that has 7 different carrying styles for different ages of baby and toddler, and for different occasions including breastfeeding. It is easily adjustable and well padded with a large buckle fastening for ease of use. It was shortlisted for the 2007-8 Mother and Baby Magazine Awards. Made from 100% cotton and is completely machine washable. The best price I could find online is at That Cute Age. They have it in pink, black and natural reduced from £39.95 to £29.71.
Mothercare 3-Position Carrier - This structured carrier has a special ergonomic design that spreads the weight across your back, front and shoulders. It has a removable head cushion to support a newborn’s fragile neck and has 3 positions to suit you and your baby’s needs: front position facing you from 3.5kg, front position facing out from 3 months, back position from 3 months. It is one of the few structured carriers that has this back carry option, which is really useful if you are out and about. It is on special offer at Mothercare at the moment, with a £10 saving. Now £24.99 instead of £34.99.
Hotslings - The Hotslings carriers are a pouch style sling. This means that they are not adjustable to fit different people, you have to measure yourself and buy to fit you. This does have its advantages though, it means that you can just pop the sling on and pop your baby in. You don’t have to worry about adjusting it to fit you or sorting out tricky fastenings. These pouches have 3-5 different carrying methods and can be used to breastfeed in. They are also suitable for babies through to toddlers. Hotslings are an American company and their pouch slings won the iParenting Media Hot Award for 2008. Selected pouches at Natural Child are just £29.99, including this gorgeous La Vie En Rose floral patterned stretch pouch.
Liberty Sling - This pouch style sling in cool rainbow stripes isn’t adjustable and bought to fit you. It is one length of fabric, sewn into a ring that you wear over your shoulder like a sash. It is made from a cosy fleece fabric and is machine washable at 60º. As well as the rainbow pattern it is also available in a more sombre black. Babyworld have it on special offer at the moment, reduced from £29.99 to £24.95.
Premaxx Baby Bag - The Baby Bag is a hammock style sling that can be used in two ways, making it useful for a long period of time: 0 - 5 months in a lying position, 5 - 18 months in a sitting position. It is fully adjustable, making it suitable for use by different sized people. The Baby Bag is quite a gadgety sling with various pockets and zips, so not one that Daddy would be embarrassed to wear! It is made from 100% cotton and is machine washable. Kiddicare have it in blue and orange for £29.99 reduced from £34.99.
Tippitoes - This structured carrier from Kiddies Kingdom is only £15.95 reduced from £19.99. It is designed to have your baby facing towards you for the first 3 months and then turn outwards to see the world. It has wide cross over straps at the back and adjustable shoulder straps to provide support. Also included is a detachable dribble bib that is machine washable.
Moby Wrap - Although not strictly under £30 I thought this sling was such a bargain I had to include it! At only £32.20 at Big Mama Slings it is a great saving of 30% off the RRP of £46. The Moby is a wrap style sling, it is a really long length of fabric that you tie yourself into whatever carry suits you and your baby. It is suitable from birth up to 35lb+. I have a hefty 3 1/2 year old daughter and can still carry her in this style sling now. It can be worn in an almost unlimited amount of styles, including breastfeeding carries, front, back and side carries. Made from
100% OKO certified organic unbleached cotton this carrier is kind to the environment and to your baby’s skin. Read Rachel’s review of The Moby over on our sister site Bambino Goodies here.
Infantino Sling Rider - Another hammock style sling the SlingRider is designed to gently cradle your baby in a soft, secure cocoon. The one-shoulder design with wide padded strap is incredibly comfortable and easy to use and offers ideal positioning for easy, discrete nursing. Breathemesh fabric built into the design ensures excellent air circulation while baby is held securely in place with the soft integral harness. It is suitable from birth to 9kg and is available from Argos for £29.39.
Calin Bleu - This crinkled cotton wrap sling from Calin Bleu is a wrap sling, but a very simple one. It is much shorter than most other wrap slings, so most people can only do one style carry in it (the simple cross carry, as shown in the picture), but that is more than ample for most people’s needs. Wrap slings are excellent for distributing the weight of your baby as the fabric straps can easily be spread wider to make sure the weight isn’t all in one place. This sling is available in this cheerful red colour and is £29.50.
[...] writes…Last week I wrote a post featuring the best baby carriers on the web for under £30. This week I have found even more budget slings and carriers, here are 5 [...]