Budget Conscious Babywearing

Budget Conscious Babywearing
Guest Blog Post By: Erin Carpenter

As a newcomer to the babywearing world, the sticker shock of various woven wraps 
and carriers can leave you wondering if this is even feasible for your family, or if 
this is a practice for the wealthy and privileged. I was a first time mom without the 
financial means or support at home to afford what I thought was the “necessary” 
carrier, an Ergo. Unaware and uneducated about my options, I fell prey to the allure 
of a counterfeit carrier, with its lower price point. You don’t have to make the same 
mistake as I did, and you don’t have to sacrifice safety in order to wear your baby.

Donated Carriers
There are several specialty non-profit organizations that will donate a carrier to 
you, based upon family circumstances.

The Carrying On Project – Carriers for military families, who cannot otherwise 
afford a carrier.
Ruckabye Baby – Carriers for wounded warriors or Gold Star families with a child 
under the age of two.
3.21 Carry – Carriers for families whose child/children have Down syndrome or 
other disabilities.
Lift Me Up Babywearing – Carriers for families whose child/children have 
developmental disabilities, and who don’t otherwise own a carrier.

DIY Carriers
Handy with a sewing machine, or have someone available to help you? Our own 
VBE Natalie has made a number of her own carriers, with patterns and materials 
that are readily available. There are DIY forums on TheBabyWearer.com, with tons 
of online patterns and instructions to help you make anything from a tablecloth ring 
sling, an Asian baby carrier (mei tai, podaegi, onbuhimo, etc.), even a soft structured 
carrier! Osnaburg is a popular fabric used for DIY wraps, running as low as $3.89/
yd online and it can be dyed for a personalized touch.

Low Cost Carriers 
Little did I know when I first started out, there are safe and time-tested carriers 
out there that are low cost! The Infantino Sash Mei Tai can be purchased for less 
than $25 at your local big box store. There is a "Babywearing on a Budget" group on 
Facebook where users can buy, sell, and trade carriers under $100 – you might even be in 
the right place at the right time and score a much pricier carrier for a steal! Local 
resale groups and Craigslist are also good options for looking for a budget carrier. 

I regularly see stretchy wraps for sale. Use caution when purchasing a carrier 
through the last though, as counterfeit items will show up. When in doubt, get a 
second opinion from a VBE or an experienced babywearer. Have a non-ergonomic, 
narrow based carrier? There is a scarf trick to make the seat more comfortable for you and babyYou can use a scarf to make a wider seat for them! 

Lending Library
Not sure about what carrier you’d like to use with your baby, and cautious about 
how you’re spending that limited budget? Consider membership into our BWI 
group! For the cost of $30 a year, you’ll have the ability to check out one carrier a 
month from our Lending Library! You’ll have access to wraps of various sizes, ring 
slings, mei tais, soft structured carriers, as well as pouch slings, that can grow with 
you and your baby. It’s a great option to explore what works best for you and your 
family, while still being mindful of your dollars.

Babywearing is not a privilege for some, it’s a benefit for all, and can be done on any 
budget! It’s not the carrier that matters, it’s the carrying that counts. Let BWICOS 
help you wear your baby, whether your budget is $20 or $200!

April Meeting at Cheyenne Mountain Library

The turnout for this month's meeting at Cheyenne Mountain Library was modest but we had a great time! Because the group was smaller, we spent time helping each other troubleshoot our carries and played with carriers from the lending library. The kids enjoyed each other's company, as well! If you didn't make it out for this meeting, join us on Saturday, April 19th at Cloth Diaper Market for the next one.

A snapshot of some of our lending library! Join today and you can take one of these beauties home for a month!

Stella K. wrapping up a furry baby. :)

Galen D. snuggles one of her sweet kiddos!

Chris M. and Marcia S. discuss carries that work best for them. 

BWI of Colorado Springs!

We're thrilled to announce that our local group is now an official chapter of Babywearing International, Inc. This means great things for the future and support of our group, our lending library, and our mission to promote babywearing within our community!

We encourage everyone that is able to attend meetings regularly and join as a member of BWI of Colorado Springs. The annual dues amount is $30, and you have complete access to our lending library with the option of renting out one carrier each month for the year. These paid dues will help our group expand our lending library! Please consider joining us as a member and be a part of this amazing organization. If you are unable to join as a dues paid member, meetings are still free to attend and the lending library is still available to try out during meetings.

If you haven't yet filled out a photography release, please do so by following the link so that we can continue to use your awesome action shots of you wearing those babies! If you are not comfortable having your picture taken at meetings and used for our purposes, please check the box necessary within the release.

This is a really exciting time for our group! If you have any questions about this news or how you can be a part of things, please see our Facebook page at BWI of Colorado Springs. Thanks everyone!

Lending Library Revamped -- Again

This is a copy of the document on our Facebook (written by group leader Jillian D.), outlining our new Lending Library policies and the current carriers we have!

Thanks to many generous members and vendors, our library has grown quite a bit in the last few months. To protect the carriers in the library, continue to grow our library and make lending fair for everyone, we have decided to update our lending policy. Our new policy is as follows:

• Any member may have one carrier checked out at a time.
• The lending time is one month.
• Name, address, phone number... will be entered into a spreadsheet to keep track of who has which carrier.
• Contact information, donation and deposit must be given before any carrier can be borrowed.
• A nonrefundable $5 donation must be made each time a carrier is borrowed. This donation will go directly into the group to help purchase more carriers or to cover costs for the group (ex. meeting venue rental...).
• There will be a $5/week late fee charge for carriers not returned on time.
• It is the responsibility of the person borrowing the carrier to return the carrier to a leader in a timely fashion by bringing it to a meeting, playdate or a leader’s home.
• A refundable payment* for the value of the carrier must also be made. This can be done via PayPal or a check. For the PayPal option, funds must be gifted to a leader and then will be gifted back upon return of the carrier. For the check option, a check made out to a leader will be held (not cashed) and then returned upon return of the carrier. *Payment is refundable if the carrier is returned in good condition.
• In the case of a damaged or lost carrier, the refundable deposit will no longer be refunded. The deposit will then be used to replace that carrier for the library.
• If a carrier is not returned in 90 days, the deposit will then be used to replace the carrier.
• Please spot clean carrier upon return; if more than spot cleaning is required, contact a leader for specific directions.
• Carriers can be tried on for no charge at meetings or play dates. The fees apply only if you would like to take a carrier home with you.
• To borrow from the library, you must acknowledge that you have read this policy by commenting "read" on [the document on Facebook].
  
  
  
  

Here is a list of the carriers and their value:

Wraps-

Didymos Nino 4m $100

Easy Care Stripes 4.7m $145

DIY Osnaburg 4.9m $35

DIY Dyed Linen 4.2m $60

DIY Dyed Linen 3.74m $50

DIY Dyed Linen 2.58m $50

Hoppediz Mainland 4.7m $115

Didymos Peacock eye 3.6m $140

Boba Stretchy Wrap Chocolate $38.00

Boba Stretchy Wrap Orange $38.00

Ring Slings-

DIY Dyed Linen 75" $40

DIY Dinosaur 90” $30

DIY Orange 76” $50

Mei Tais-

Babyhawk Tan $99

DIY Print $40

Catbird Whitney $89

Earthy Bliss Heavenly Breeze Ring Waist $219

Soft Structured Carriers (Buckle Carriers)-

Ergo Sport $115

Boba 3G $160

Beco Soleil $130

Beco Soleil Infant Insert $40.00

Lillebaby Complete $135

Ergo Original $130.00
Moby Go $79.00

Pouches-

Seven Slings 24" $40.00

Seven Slings 26" $40.00

Munchkin 26.5" $35.00

DIY Floral $20.00

DIY Muslin $20.00

DIY Beatles $20.00

Our Lending Library

We have a more updated post on the Lending Library, including  the terms for borrowing as well as an updated list of carriers.  Click here.

The Lending Library check out process has been revamped!  Carriers can be checked out at meetings or if you make a special arrangement with one of our leaders (Marcia S. or Jillian D.).  It will be $5 to check out a carrier for the whole month.  If you are late returning a carrier, it will be an additional $5 a week for every week it is returned late.  The money is slated to go toward raising funds to add more carriers to our library.  

To check out a carrier, you must present a check as collateral or refundable PayPal to one of the leaders.  The check will be given back (or the Paypal refunded) when the carrier is returned within three months; if it has been more than three months, you forfeit your deposit.  We will be keeping check of who has what carrier via a Google Doc.

Carriers that we currently have include an Ergo Sport, a Boba 3G, a Boba (stretchy) wrap, a BabyHawk mei tai, a Didymos Nino 4 woven wrap, a Hoppediz 6 woven wrap, an Easycare 6 woven wrap, an osnaburg 6 wrap, a linen ring sling, linen wraps sizes 3, 4 and 5, a DIY cotton mei tai and various pouches.