DIY or buy? Buy or DIY?

As far as my promoting babywearing goes, the slings does not have to come from me. I even encourage interested parents/caregivers to DIY their own slings. I would even help them work it out ;)

So, then, rises the questions...

1. Why DIY when you can buy?

I'm not sure how many of you would actually like to DIY your own slings. Indeed, I'm not even sure if the DIY link I've posted on my blog months ago is attracting any attention... it's not a post... it's a link that stays on the right hand side of my blog under 'Babywearing Sites'... yes... the one named "Sew your own sling" and it's got links to sew all sorts of slings ;)

If you were wondering at all... no, I did not have enough luck to stumble upon this when I was trying to DIY my sling. It was much, much later that I saw these links. The Peek-a-Pouch comes from a combination of techniques and tests but the link that started it all for me was Stacy's instructions.

Anyway, why would anyone DIY their own slings when they are readily available on the market?

• unique fabric ... basically, you can choose whatever you want
• saves money ... though this might not always be necessarily true
• you know your size and your preference best!
• your sewing machine is already up and running... so, this will just be another sewing project ;) that is, if you are attempting to DIY something that needs to be sewn
• Not sewing? You can always just cut up some fabric for a no sew sling!
• loves experimenting.. it's fun!

2. Why buy when you can DIY?

So, now that there's so much 'advantages' to DIY, why would anyone buy instead of DIY-ing?

• fabric you've never seen/ hard to get
• don't have time to visit fabric store ("What is this?! Where are they?!")
• have customer support ... though this might not always be up to satisfactory results
• doesn't want to spend money and time trying out and experimenting the different types of fabrics
• "I don't sew and DIY is just not my thing!"
• "Ok... I sew but by the time I lug the sewing machine out, cut the fabric... work out how to sew... actually get time to sew... actually have a will enough to finish it... my baby no longer needs a sling"

That's all I could think of now... any more to add?

Please note that 'buying' does not necessarily mean buying from a Malaysian vendor. It just means 'buying', be it from Malaysian vendors or importing them from overseas.