Feast on the fruits of my obsession

The long list of slings I own (keep in mind, this is a miniscule fraction of the slings for sale):

4 hotslings: one unpadded, two padded, one fleece. Out of all my slings, my pink and orange (the Sari fabric from her first wave of slings last year, for those in the know) padded Hotsling saw the most action. Sizing is critical, because they don't adjust.

3 kangaroo Korner fleece pouches. I used to have four, and sold one to a desperate new mother for a pittance. I would have given it to her for free because it was very well-loved, but she insisted on paying me. I'm a bad, bad businesswoman.

2 Kangaroo Korner cotton pouches, one M and one L. Never got much use out of these. The pouch is oddly deep, and would always leave welts on Naomi's legs in the hip carry. I understand it's great for a summertime kangaroo carry though.

1 Maya Wrap. This sling got lots of love, but only because I didn't know any better. My experience soured me on ring slings and turned me into a devoted pouch lover.

2 Maya Pouches. Great for preemies because of the shallow pouch. Not so great for hip carry because of the lack of padding. The heavy duty zipper adjustment fell in just the right spot to put pressure on my shoulder blade. Not an issue for more people, but enough to have me seek greener pastures.

1 Zolo cotton. I got one because...well...I can't be a sling addict without a Zolo! But generally not a fan of ring slings. Maybe Newbie will change my mind.

1 Mamma's Milk cotton reversible with a built in diaper bag, wet bag and protection panel. This designer has so many good ideas that it's hard to keep up with her! But this one only fit in my skinniest days, so it didn't get much love. Most of my clients love it because it's not "crunchy looking". It's toile. It's sleek. Very pretty.

1 Mamma's Milk adjustable pouch. Top pick for sling-as-gift, by the way. Pouches are the easiest for a new user to figure out. Fabrics are fairly conservative, and the sling is adjustable over a wide range of sizes.  Also good for every season and climate. I have red, currently drooling over the chocolate and the silks. I just got this recently and I fully expect it to be a Newbie staple.

4 (!) SlingSet pouches. I have so many because I'm trying to figure out the sizing. I'm having trouble recommending what size to buy, so I bought a bunch, and I am planning on selling some of them. Okay, maybe I'll sell one. It's such an innovative pouch that I want to keep more than one size around so clients have a range to try on. Forget it. Not selling. Money shmoney.

3 MamaBabies. Great in theory, but takes lots of practice.

2 New Native pouches, one L one S organic. These are cheap on the swap lists. People always end up with the wrong size and the pouch depth is awkward for the hip carry.

1 Ellaroo. I wasn't much of a wrap girl last time. Maybe this time I'll feel the Wrap Love. People say there's nothing like Wrap Love, once you go Wrap, you never go back.

1 Didymos. Ditto for the Ellaroo.

1 Ellaroo lightly padded ring sling. Mine has a sewn tail. The one pictured has an open tail for more adjsutability. I got this one mostly for show and I've only used it a few times.

2 Kozy carriers. There is a Kozy Mystique. Her wait list is months long. Mine are some of the first Kozy's made, the fabrics are long discontinued, and so would fetch a hefty price on the swap list or Ebay, should I ever sell them. So I hold onto them, even though I've never really felt the Mei Tai style love either. Maybe Newbie will like my back better than Naomi did.

1 Bambino Blue. They are discontinued, but ZoloWear bought the innovative design and is making pouches very similar to the Bambino Blue. It's the only pouch design that allows for independant (but limited) adjustment of each rail (or edge of fabric, for the uninitiated). [edited to add: guess what? I was wrong about that! Two other sling designers, ChicSlings and Happy Slings, have come out with pouches with adjustable rails. Where have I been! I have been remiss on my drooling and shopping!]

1 sling-eeze padded sling. I never used this one. It was free. I keep it to show how unweildy and unneccesary all that huge padding is. A well fitting sling shouldn't need any padding for your comfort. The only padding I consider to be necessary is the padding under the kid's legs in the hip carry.

1 Over the Shoulder Baby Holder. Ditto above. Plus, these things are a bear to adjust. An interesting side note: both this and the sling-eeze (as well as the horrid Nojo) were designed originally in 1981 by Rayner Garner, a sex therapist, and his wife Sachi. Google his name and you get tips about performing oral sex. He invented the modern baby sling, not Dr. Sears. But there was no theft or anything underhanded, their relationship is quite warm and fuzzy (no, not THAT warm and fuzzy...unless Dr. Sears can use some sex tips)

1 Nestmom BabyNest sling. This was discontinued when Nestmom was sold last year. They redesigned the sling completely, I think. I have no idea what the new one is like.

4 homemade pouches. I used these as sizing reference for clients. I can whip one up in 20 minutes. I have a ton of fabric.

1 very bright tie-dyed fleece wrap. I only got this because I forgot my sling and I had to go to Walmart and get a no-sew carrier. So this is a 5 yard strip of fleece 25 inches wide which functions like an Ellaroo or Didymos. If I had a serger I'd make pouches out of it. (anyone have a serger they want to get rid of for cheap?)

Other babywearing accessories I have:

The Poncho: I am hoping this is warm enough for our Mid-Atlantic winter. When Naomi was still slinging it, the poncho was only available in Finland, and could ony be viewed on a website entirely in Finnish. Finally Peppermint brought it here.

A Hotsling T-shirt. Isn't it cute? Doesn't quite leave room for the little belly, though.

The short list of slings I want (this list tends to grow longer whenever I peruse this site):

A Wave silk Mamma's Milk. Yummy. They are washable, don't worry.

Sachi. I've heard it's more comfy than the Kozy and I want to see for myself.

Rebozo: traditional knotted sling/shawl/blanket form Mexico. They are beautiful and versatile.

Baby Space Adjustable Pouch. This is a hybrid of a ring sing and a pouch. I am curious, I admit.

Any math people? I'm afraid to actually count up these slings. How bad is my addiciton? I tell myself there's always someone worse. I tell myself it's okay, I got most of them cheap on the swap list and they were for business, right? That's what I tell myself.

I counted 38 slings. Now that's a sickness.

Coming soon: the rundown on pumps and why you should have one, as requested by LisaG in her comment to my breastfeeding post.

Comments

[Andrea]

Oh my god! Look at them all!

If I ever have another baby, I'm coming to you to ask about slings. And I know someone who was thinking of getting one, I might point her here too....

[sster]

I have been looking for good information on slings, but I haven't been able to find a good middle ground between manufacturer self-praise and blogger tomes. This list is perfect. It's short and sweet and tells you what you need to know. You are such a wonderful resource for mothers and parents in general.

[Tanya]

Wow! What a wealth of sling info! So incredibly helpful....

I was recently given an OTSBH and decided almost right away that it wasn't going to work. Too much padding and material to be convenient...very bulky imo. I picked up a WAHM "NN style" one on ebay and it seems to work well so far for my almost 18 month old in the hip carry...we'll see in August how it works with a newborn.

And thank you Andrea. ;)

[Casey]

Aaaahhh! Too many choices! I guess I really should look into it, though. We have one sling, and by the time Ivy was 4 months, it was totally useless because she was so freaking heavy and it killed my shoulder. Maybe I'll try a wrap next time.

[Aimee]

Dude. *bows down* I have two carries, a ring sling and a FrankenKozy I sewed last year. At nearly 50 lbs, my kid is just too heavy to be carried much. I'm coming to you for advice if I should have the fortune to be wearin' a baby again.

[Adria]

38 slings. I am in awe.

[Amy]

Are you willing to sell one of your hotslings? You said you had 4. A pink and orange one? Just wondering if you are selling them! Thanks.

[Drea]

very informative!