F the cult-like following of certain carrier brands (Happy Baby)

[immanuelsdottir]

After a lot of research (and trying half a dozen slings at my local library) I have learn that a Happy Baby Original carrier is one that both myself and my baby like (she likes structured carriers like Ergo/Tula but thick waistbands aggravate my c section scar, I like soft/lightweight carriers but she seems to feel squished in them).

However due to production issues everything is out of stock on the Happy Baby website (and all their distributers) with a very loose restock date. And apparently the restocks sell out in less than 30 mins.

No problem, I’m happy to buy second hand! Except these carriers have a horrible ‘collector’s cult’ which means people are expecting 80-90% of retail value for a ‘play condition’ aka used/stained/frayed carrier! What pure insanity is this?? And even then you have people BIDDING on these carriers so you have to be obsessively checking their Facebook group to even have a chance to buy.

Moreover because the company constantly makes limited edition colours some (again; used, secondhand) carriers are going for 2-3x retail! And people are posting collection photos of 10x $200 carriers with captions like “teehee don’t tell my husband I have another one in the mail.”

And don’t get me started on the rules and acronyms of their official Facebook group - VGUC / MMAO etc. It reminds me of the mindless consumerism/mean girl vibes of 2010 YouTuber makeup haul videos. Apparently baby carriers are status symbols to Mums the same way designer handbags are you teenagers?

People seriously post a picture of their baby carrier and say ‘Make Me An Offer - Starting bid at $200 and you must increase by $10 each bid’. And then if the highest bid is not enough THEY DON’T EVEN SELL THE CARRIER!!! It’s like greed and pride and hoarding all wrapped up in an innocuous linen baby carrier.

And you know what the grossest part it? This is in the OFFICIAL HEAVILY MODERATED Happy Baby Facebook group that is run by the business owners. I understand supply and demand but this just feels… icky. Like you make baby carriers, why are you cultivating such a manipulative cultish atmosphere?!

I know the Sakura Bloom Scout is a similar alternative (that actually has online stock) but for the exact same reasons as above it’s impossible to buy a fairly priced second hand one.

Fuck me for wanting a safe and comfortable way to carry my infant right? Thank your for listening to my rant.

 

[kayzforgod]

@immanuelsdottir Hey so I have a happy baby carrier that didn’t work for me! I bought it on their website in August and I just couldn’t get to to be comfy no matter. I wore it probably once before going back to my ergo360.

You’re welcome to have it - I’ll post it to you. It’s the original baby carrier in Flax (linen)

 

[immanuelsdottir]

@kayzforgod Oh my god yes please! Will PM you now, thank you!!!

 

[obelex]

@immanuelsdottir Replying to say I have the Flax and it's been lovely. It's very neutral and not flashy and I think that's why I got it for a cheaper price than a lot of the more popular colors.

 

[boboc]

@obelex Flax is my favorite!

 

[neostarwcc]

@obelex I bought Java, it was in stock months after their last “restock” — and feel the same way.

 

[christianr_]

@kayzforgod So happy that you were able to do this for OP! I also found a Happy Baby carrier by posting a joke about trying to get me hands on one a couple of years ago. After we were done with it I passed it on to a friend for free. Thanks babywearing community for keeping the good vibes going!

 

[candicewt]

@kayzforgod I just love this

 

[barryjones123]

@candicewt Same. Warms my heart!!

 

[kellyjk]

@immanuelsdottir I looked for a secondhand Happy Baby for months and was similarly shocked and repulsed at how many I saw on Poshmark and Mercari for greater than new retail prices, by a lot. I kind of figured out that they have a production strategy (similar to some cloth diaper brands) that encourages "collecting."

Like you, I have no interest in that and wanted the carrier bc I heard it's good for folks with larger bodies. I ended up getting one of the old styles on their site bc of the price. But I can't imagine trying to find one now. Ugh.

 

[immanuelsdottir]

@kellyjk EXCUSE ME. People collect cloth diapers?! They is even more ridiculous than carriers ahahaha. Look at my fancy poop catcher!!!

 

[traininggrounds]

@immanuelsdottir Oh yeah the cloth diaper collections are unreal. I’ve seen the crazy collector mentality in the indie dyed yarn world but didn’t expect it in baby land for some reason! And I totally agree the happy baby fb group is MADNESS.

 

[bunkworld]

@traininggrounds My mental health improved so much when I left that group.

 

[roxana]

@immanuelsdottir Oh yeah. Everything you said in your post could be said about cloth diapers too. I cloth diaper, but in a sane way lol. I joined a bunch of BST groups because I’m selling as my last baby outgrows our diapers. I had to leave 99% of them because there were so many ridiculous things happening

 

[jhen]

@immanuelsdottir Oh yes.

My cloth diaper covers are super cute but I don't see the need to have more than 10. I don't even need that many now that my son is in daycare and the daycare lady won't do cloth.

 

[neilgram]

@immanuelsdottir Oh yeah, I've seen cloth diaper covers selling on Mercari for easily 4x the retail value. It's absurd. Personally I was never willing to pay more than 80% retail for a cover. And that was only for new or like new ones. And I included the cost of shipping in that!

 

[coas93]

@immanuelsdottir At least MCNs you need a lot of them...there's an actual useful reason to want many of them.
I can't fathom why anyone would want multiple of the Same fit carrier in different patterns...maybe 2 i guess for different looks, but more than that

 

[leftout]

@kellyjk What brand of cloth diaper has become collectible?!?!

 

[kellyjk]

@leftout I have a friend from college who is chest deep in her Mama Koala collection, idk if that brand is still trending. The clothdiaps subreddit used to have a lot of posts with peoples' "stash" which is almost always excessive, it seems to be less frequently posted now though.

 

[hannah%E2%99%A5]

@leftout Designer Bums (an aussie brand) used to be so rare/collectible, you could sell basic ones for almost full price or many, many times more for the sought-after prints. Then they signed a deal with a major supermarket and are always on sale as they produce too many. I mean yay for making cloth more mainstream but i will never ever understand people who were desperate to collect different designs.