Frugal Wearing!

When I first started babywearing I wanted everything on the cheap, which if you know me now, I don't think you would ever guess that. But truly, most of my babywearing items have come "on the cheap". So here are a few ways that you can save some money when babywearing that I have used.

Homemade Mei Tai $45

After finding a second hand Ergobaby Carrier, much under retail, that didn't really work for me, I then began my quest on the search for the perfect baby carrier. The one that lasted for most of Miles' first year was a homemade Mei Tai. It was lovely, reversible with two beautiful quilting cotton prints and gray straps. Absolutely nothing fancy, but it fit me and it was comfortable. It cost $45 dollars for all of the fabric, thread and padding. And really if I had used a more grippy fabric for the straps, I probably
would have stuck with it.

Size 5 Girasol Chococabana $90

But I did use the fabric I did, so it left me looking for a more comfortable option. So I knew it was time to take the leap into woven wraps. The first wrap I purchased is a great starter option. I bought a well used Girasol, size 5. It was lovely, perfect to start with because it wasn't grippy, making tightening easy, and it had different coloured stripes, so it was easy to not get the wrap twisted. But above all it was $90 shipped to Canada from the US, and when I was done with it I was able to sell it for the exact same amount. So it went to another newbie wrapper.

Size 2 Didymos Indio Karibik $90

Something that I have been doing a lot lately to save money, is buying a wrap that is too big and cutting it to the size I want. Buying a size 7 or 8 can get you two short wraps, or a mid-length wrap and a ring sling piece. You then keep the part you want and sell the rest, for what it is worth. You could even sell just a piece of a wrap, there will most likely be someone looking to buy it. I have saved a ton of money doing this, because I am quite small, so I never want the longest wraps, but I can always cut and sell the rest, making the wrap I want a bit cheaper.

Hoppediz Osaka Size 8 ....to be determined the cost to me :)

Size 4 100% Linen DIY $30

The other frugal option I have used, is DIY wraps. And there are lots of different options for this one. The most popular is using Osnaburg fabric, it is sturdy, natural materials and not a huge cost. But once you are getting in to the longer sizes, the price is coming very close to what my steal of a deal Girasol was, so really it is about weighing your options. 

For me the only time I have done a DIY wrap is this past trip to Estonia. I wanted to get some fabric there to use as a wrap as a souvenir from our first trip with Miles. I bought two, a 100% linen and 65% linen and 35% cotton, total cost for two wrap $46. The cotton blend is breaking in really nicely, whereas the linen one still needs a lot of work. This is one thing to be wary about when making a wrap, that you need to be able to work with the fabric, I would never recommend the 100% linen that I bought to a newbie wrapper, it is just too difficult to work with. I feel that it would be discouraging, and they would think wrapping isn't for them. So just be aware if you are looking to go down this route, that the cheapest option isn't always best option.

Size 2/3 DIY Cotton/Linen blend $16