New Vs. Secondhand

[charade]

Thanks all for their original comments and replies! Very helpful.

Re. baby carrier, I have my eye on a real expensive one (Only one that is comfortable) HK$13xx. Hesitating as reading past posts mention their baby's didn't take to being carried this way. Have posters found the baby carrier more used vs. stroller?

We are public transport takers, so imagining in future will go to the baby friendly malls of IFC, Elements and KowloonTong.

thx again!

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I think experience would vary on this. The problem with babies is that it's really hard to know what they will take to until you try it. I was the one who found that my babies disliked the Bjorn. Luckily, someone had given me their old one so didn't matter. My second baby liked being slung but she preferred the cloth the Indonesian ladies us (cost $50) to the Bjorn. Granted we didn't go hiking in it but we could carry her in it for days out... she refused to be in the Bjorn for more than 10 minutes.

For both my kids, I didn't use a stroller until they were about 3 months. Even without a sling, I found it easier to just carry them in the MTR etc, especially when crowded. But both my babies didn't like being in the stroller initially. Maybe if they did, I'd have used it more. Also, they were small babies, easy to carry and born in winter so not hot to have them in a sling.

That's why I think it's better not to spend a lot of money on baby stuff. Hard to know what really will get used. Especially if you have budget constraints or, as is common in HK, space constraints at home.

How about trying to get a secondhand carrier so you can try it out?

 

[brooke]

A lot of people find the bjorns uncomfortable after the first few months and babies are not really supposed to be dangling from their crotch. There are lots and lots of good carriers out there that are better for both your back and your babies. Ring slings, ergos, wrap style, mei tais etc.

 

[keninhk]

Went ahead with the new purchase for the baby carrier solely because it was the only one that fitted comfortably on me as well as the least complicated to wear/operate! Yes, I tried all different brands from 'Ergo' and 'Baby Bjorn' (probably least fav).

Feel a bit guilty of the overspend, guess I have to hope the baby would like it as much as I do! Btw, the brand is called 'Boba'.

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[thanka2]

I think in HK it's a good idea to have a quality baby carrier that is comfortable for the parents. For us, that's the Ergo. It's good to buy one new even if it's a bit spendy because in our case it is well-loved. For the first 7 months of my daughter's life she spent at least 70% of her day in the Ergo. We still use it every day. It is starting to show wear simply because we use it so much!

With our first child we were given a Baby Bjorn and we didn't know much about baby carriers but that thing was a back-breaker! Then later we read it's not really great for proper development of baby's hips either. Nowadays, I think it's almost difficult to give one of those used Baby Bjorn's away. I rarely hear anyone rave about a Baby Bjorn or it's many "copycats" but you'll hear lots of good reports about the Ergo and other similar brands.

 

[evgreen]

i'm totally guilty of buying too many slings. the one that gets the most mileage is the ergo baby carrier. pretty glad i only borrowed someone else's baby bjorn sling cause i would've felt really bad if i wasted my money on it! i have never bought toys. they are all either second hand or given as gifts. i'm also guilty of re-gifting a lot of toys because i find my baby likes playing with anything BUT her toys.

 

[banane76]

I've heard of the Boba, and it looks pretty comfy...like the little slings to put toddler's feet as they get bigger. We bought so many carriers. We did use them all at different stages but the Ergo has definitely got the most use. I think Boba is pretty similar in its construction as a soft structured carrier. I was lucky I guess that both of my babies liked carriers. I think when they are small, they are a little upset at first, but as soon as they and you are comfy, it's a no brainer, especially in HK and you're in and out of transportation. Streets are a nightmare to maneuver strollers especially in Central. Loved the sleepy wrap and baby buddha carriers when babies were small, then would go with pikkolo and ergo for later on. Pikkolo was great for little and bigger babies...especially if you get the extra support pad for your waste to help distribute the weight better.