Why don't you like padded slings?

[Evergreen]

I would think a padded sling would be more comfortable, and an unpadded one would dig into your shoulders, but I have seen a few posts talking about how unpadded ones are better. I like my OTSBH, but maybe an unpadded one is a better choice. Explain, please!!!

[lexbeach]

I don't mind if the shoulder is padded, but I hate the slings with the padded railings. Way too bulky for me. Little babies seem to get lost in them, and they are just not very stream-lined. When I'm wearing an unpadded sling, I sometimes forget that I even have a sling on. . . impossible with a padded-railings sling, IMO. I don't find unpadded slings to be any less comfortable as long as there is enough fabric to spread out a bit over the shoulder.

HTH!

Lex

[eclipse]

in my experience, they are harder to adjust and just all around less versatile than unpadded slings. like the previous poster, with an unpadded sling, its easy to forget you're wearing one. plus, they are easier to fold or roll up and stuff in a diaper bag, stroller basket, etc. also, i live where it's prett much summer all year round - the padded ones just seem to get too hot for me.

[wemoon]

I'm fairly petite and the padded slings were just like this enormous bubble around me! It was very difficult for me to adjust and I ended up just not using it anymore.

[kris1225]

Too hot!!...Although soft and snuggly. I have an OTSBH that I never use, but I did like how snuggly we felt in it. But I can get the same effect from a fleece pouch without all the bulk. Also, the rings slipped constantly in my OTSBH. I don't know why I keep the thing.

Now a small amount of padding in the shoulder - like a Kissasling can be quite nice. And there's another kind of padding I am not allowed to mention (where's my avatar??) that I like, because it only effects the baby.

[Viola]

I use both padded and unpadded.

With a newborn, I like the padded rails but not the shoulder pad. The padding in the rails helped to support the head better. The unpadded edge of the sling had to go over her head in order for her to have support. Once she could hold her head up, it wasn't as much of an issue. I didn't like the padded shoulder because I didn't need it with such a light baby and it felt bulky. But I would still have needed it to spread out, so padding was OK.

With my first DD, I actually switched back to the NoJo when she was 2 because I wanted the padding sometimes. It wasn't as adjustable, that is true, but sometimes I just wanted to basically strap her against my side and the NoJo was good for that. The rings grip better than the thin metal ones on my Maya (I still have the thin rings--the thick might be better). The other good thing was that sometimes when I had her legs hanging out, the padding would be better against the back of her thigh than the edge of the unpadded sling.

But I ended up just using the Maya once she was over 3.

With my 6 month old, I use them both frequently, and I've started using my Baby Trekker also.

[Kristine233]

I dont mind a padded shoulder but padded rails.. yuck. Too bulky when I take it off I want to be able to fold it up small so I dont have a huge bulky sling to put in the diaper bag (or more likely my purse!) Also couldnt get it adjusted enough for where it worked for me.

lightly Padded vs unpadded shoulder is not a big issue for me. I have broad shoulders so I found that a good wide shoulder works better for me.

[jgale]

have a lightly padded sling from Ella Roo (they have a similar one at Kangaroo korner). I like the padding on my shoulder, but it is thin enough that I can pull the padding in the rail though the rings so it can be really snug. When I had babysat for kids in the past with the big poochy padded slings, I could never get the sling on tight enough.

[*solsticemama*]

I have both--an OTSBH and a Maya--and I like them both for different reasons. The maya is great for nursing--no padding means I can cinch ds up as close as I need to for it to be comfy for me. But the OTSBH padded rails are wonderfully soft on his chubby little legs, no red marks for hip and kangaroo carry. The padded shoulder I could take or leave.

[melaniewb]

I don't care for the added bulk of padded slings. Plus, I found my padded sling to be more difficult to adjust.

[Mizelenius]

Like jgale, I also have the EllaRoo lightly padded sling. I only own two ring slings . . .the ER and a Maya, and I highly prefer the ER. I could never get the shoulder to fit well on the Maya. But, I don't know if it's:
(a) user error or
(b) maybe the Maya is just a bad fit for me or
(c) I like a bit of padding.

I say, stick with what works. If you're comfortable and have an easy time with a particular sling, there's no reason to "have" to change.