Carry Me Away :: CMA: Frugal Carriers

The current economic situation means it's belt-tightening time: the perfect opportunity for us to share with you our thoughts on frugal babywearing.

While there are many luxury baby carriers out there, having a basic workhorse baby carrier is, in our book, an absolute parenting necessity. You will get as much use, if not more, out of your baby carrier as you will your stroller, which you are likely to pay substantially more for! That being said, many of us are on a budget and interested in frugal options.

The absolute best value you can get in a baby carrier is one that will take you from birth to toddlerhood (and beyond), will fit wearers of different sizes, is versatile and can be worn comfortably in a variety of positions.

The best value: Mei Tais and Woven Wraps

Our recommendations? Mei tais and woven wraps. Both a mei tai and a woven wrap can be worn in a huge variety of positions, are almost infinitely adjustable, can carry infants and older children and can be shared by most wearers, even of different sizes. Both carriers provide comfortable two-shouldered support as your child grows.

Check out our woven wraps: Ellaroo and Bali Baby Breeze

Check out our mei tais: Ball Baby Overall and Kozy Carrier. Kozy carriers (at left) are all reversible, so that you can choose the pattern you love but also have a solid black or natural side - double the value in one carrier.

Least Expensive: Pouches and Ring Slings

Pouches and ring slings are the least expensive carriers, due to the simplicity of their design. Ring slings have the edge in value, because they can be shared between users of different sizes. Keep in mind though, that while a pouch or ring sling requires a smaller outlay of cash up front, they may become uncomfortable for very long carries as the baby gets older due tobeing one-shouldered. Most people find that they need another carrier as their child grows.

The least expensive baby carriers available in each category at Carry Me Away are:

Stretchy wrap:The Moby Wrap (good for newborns -4 months)
Woven Wrap: Gypsy Mama Bali Baby Breeze wraps
Pouch: Hotslings Pouches in EveryDay fabrics.
Mei Tai: Kozy Carrier
Buckle Carrier: ERGO Baby Carrier

To this list, we add that the Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Pouch (especially in fleece) is an exceptional value, due to its comfort over time and some adjustability between wearers.

Why the Baby Carriers at Carry Me Away May Be More Expensive than the Ones at Your Local Big Box Store.

Many people are surprised at the price of the baby carriers sold here at Carry Me Away. Jan Andrea of Sleeping Baby.net has written a great piece explaining why baby carriers made by WAHM (work-at-home-mother) businesses are priced the way they are. You can read it here.

Making Your Own Baby Carriers

If you are an excellent seamstress, making your own baby carrier can be a great way to get a good carrier for the cost of materials plus the cost of your time making the carrier.

Since we are not seamstresses here at Carry Me Away, we humbly defer to others for advice on making your own baby carrier. Jan Andrea of SleepingBaby.net (again!) has collected many of the best ones (as well as patterns for other baby and natural parenting related items) at her site.