Is Babywearing Too Expensive?
Like many new parents, I spent a lot of time researching what we really needed and how I could cut costs. I wanted to make sure we had the basics covered, but I didn’t have a huge budget.
So when I came across babywearing, I asked myself two questions…
Is it essential?
&
Can I afford it?
I found that those parents who chose to babywear felt very strongly that they couldn’t live without it. I could remember my mum spending hours holding my younger sibling and trying to settle her, and figured that if there was a tool for those situations, I needed to have it. I decided that babywearing IS essential.
So next I looked into pricing.
I noticed a HUGE range of carriers with prices from $50 up to thousands of dollars. Whoa. I had so many questions at this point!
Do I need to put that much money in? If I buy a cheap one, will it be safe or dodgy? Do I REALLY need this? And also… there are so many different types – which one is the best for a newborn? And what might last from newborn through till we’re done with carriers?
Fortunately, I found the right carrier to use from the start. It was perfect for a newborn, and not too expensive either. It was a stretchy wrap which was just under $100. This still felt like a lot for me to pay at the time (for what I thought was little more than a piece of fabric, haha), but trust me, this carrier well and truly paid for itself in restored sanity once my baby arrived.
My baby who would-not-be-put-down totally changed the way I look about babywearing and the price of carriers, so much that I very quickly invested in a number of other carriers, all of which were invaluable in the early days.
Baby Carriers are an Investment
Notice how I used the word “invested”? I don’t mean that you’ll necessarily be able to resell them down the track for a profit (although if your carrier is highly sought after, this is possible). What I mean is that you will reap other rewards from the funds you invest in buying a carrier.
Here’s what you’ll get back out of it:
- Bonding and building a close relationship with your baby
- More time to do things you want and need to do, while keeping your baby happy and close
- More rest for you while baby is content
- Less time spent worrying about “settling the baby” or putting it down for naps
- Potential benefits for breastfeeding
- Great ability to interact with older siblings (if you already have kids)
- Greater efficiency when travelling (either long trips or even just to the shops)
- More opportunities for Dads to bond with and comfort their breastfed babies
- Greater levels of contentment and satisfaction as a parent, with a content, settled baby
Babywearing is a very wise investment for any family with babies or toddlers.
Other Baby Items Cost a LOT!
So we’ve established the benefits and the need for babywearing. Now let’s talk about the pricing. It can help to look at the pricing of more “mainstream” baby items that are commonly accepted as essentials.
As with everything, these items range massively in price, and if you’re on a budget, you can usually pick up a bargain second-hand. However, it’s worth pointing out that the exact same thing applies to baby carriers! You can find extremely affordable and extremely expensive carriers both new and in the second-hand market.
And the list could go on…
In the grand scheme of things, most carriers are actually cheaper than a lot of other baby items, and trust me, you’ll really get your money’s worth. Whereas, I cannot guarantee that you’ll use that nappy bag more than once, and if your baby is like mine, you might just end up selling your pram “like new”.
What Is a Carrier Worth?
Sometimes it can be hard to get over the price of something you’re not totally familiar with. After all, some carriers are just a “piece of fabric”, right? Wrong. The price of a carrier comes down to the massive amount of time and effort that goes into it (probably a lot more than you might think). Here’s what you need to factor in:
- The design process
- Sourcing materials, fabric, parts
- Paying staff fairly and ensuring ethical work conditions (if it’s crazy cheap, you should ask why)
- Rigorous testing and passing safety standards
- Price may depend on the rarity or uniqueness of the fibres used (for example, silk is more expensive than cotton)
- Labour on cutting, piecing, and sewing
- Labour on packaging and presentation
- Cost of shipping
- Administration – businesses need to do a lot behind the scenes, and that cost should be factored in as well.
Really, when you think about it, baby carriers are extremely fairly priced. A lot of time and effort goes into the end product (and usually a lot of love too).
Ready to invest in that carrier now? GREAT! You won’t regret this, trust me. And remember that if you’re struggling to budget for your carrier, we offer take-home layby with AfterPay, so you can pay your carrier off at your own pace. Oh, and we have plenty of budget-friendly options for around $100 and less, so you’re very likely to find something you’ll love <3
Happy babywearing!
Angela
X
P.S. Found this look at the cost of babywearing interesting of useful? Please SHARE! :-)
P.P.S. Quite possibly the BEST way to make sure you get the right carrier for your situation (including your budget) is to talk to a babywearing consultant and try things on in person. Book an appointment with Brooke to see if she can help!
P.P.P.S. We have stock one of the most budget-friendly range of new carriers in Australia! AND we offer take-home layby through AfterPay. Check out our full range here.
Copyright Brooke Maree © 2017
Being a copycat or blatantly stealing is never cool. There is a fine line between inspiration and stealing, so please be respectful, honest, and full of integrity when sharing this piece of writing or using its information. Many hours of work, planning, and editing goes into our pieces to ensure the highest quality first-hand information. Any of our work that is plagiarised will more than likely be found and brought to attention. That being said, you are ALWAYS welcome to share our content, as long as you attribute and link back to the source. xxx
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Ann santos
October 31, 2016
This is a wonderful article. Well-written, coming from the heart. Any mother can relate to this whether they have a 50 dollar wrap or 500… thanks!!! Will share to my wall. :)