How many carriers do you have?

[happyhats]

Right now I have a front carrier and a sling type carrier for newborns. I also bought a nursing shawl and thought that with some practice I may be able to use this, and I'm thinking of making my own pocket carrier.

I may move up to a larger sling or mei tei when dd gets older, if she enjoys being carried for large periods of time after she gets more mobile, otherwise I'll probably settle for one of those hip carriers just to help take strain off my back.

How many do you have in your babywearing closet? Have you made any of your own. If not, where did you buy them and over what period of time?

[zoebugsmom]

I have 2 ring slings, a fleece pouch and a mei tai. I use all of these, or will if this baby ever arrives. I also have a snugli and a padded ring sling that we never use sitting in our donation pile.

I'm thinking about trying to make a wrap for this babe. I have some cotton fabric that would work but don't know if I'll get around to it. All the carriers I have are ones I've bought or traded for.

[VOBetz]

Well, currently I have one MT (that I love) for my personal use. In the past, I've had 3 ring slings, a fleece pouch, 5 MTs and wrap. I made the ring slings and the wrap. And now I make MTs... so the MT I have now I made... but I had a Kozy and my first MT was a WAHM made MT.

[Devaskyla]

I have a horrible padded ring sling made by Jolly Jumper. I also have (somewhere) a home-made Maya style ring sling. I have a short Didy I want to get rid of (already got rid of the longer one). I have Gypsy Mama Morgaine gauze wrap, a baby bundler stretch wrap that's on loan to a friend who's due any day now. I have a Leo Storch & an Inka storch. I have a diy wrap a friend made for me. I have 2 MT's that I made for myself & 2 that I have that I want to sell. I would *love* to try a Didy waves, but it's way out of my budget (the storches I got wholesale, the didys I got on German ebay & the bundler I got on Canadian ebay). I'll probably make myself a new MT for the baby, I have fabric & padding for at least 3 more MT's, & the others I've made are very big. My friend may be making me a buckle carrier to try, too.

And for the record, I have a tiny stash compared to most people I know.

ETA I also have fabric for 1 or 2 stretchy wraps, but I'm seriously considering doing them for a MIN or 2 (if I have enough fabric for more than 1)

[ElaynesMom]

I have one ergo and one blue Merry Carry long wrap. I don't do well having a lot of things, I get so disorganized and overwhelmed. There certainly are some really nice carriers I'd like to have though.

[Arwyn]

One shouldered:

• ring sling with gathered shoulder I made (love it!)
• pouch for DP, given to us
• pouch for me, just bought, mostly for a wedding, now an emergency carrier in the car

Wraps:

• 5.3m Didymos, given to us at a baby shower (thanks Mom!)
• 5.0m Storchenwiege, acquired in a round about trade, basically free to us
• Gypsymama (now Wrapsody) Stretch, given to us, but on loan for the past year+ (need to get this back!)
• shorty we use mostly as a rebozo, bought when Naked Baby was a year or so
• Gypsymama (now Wrapsody) water wrap, bought when Naked Baby was almost 6 months old. I would have killed to have gotten this sooner!

Other:

• Sachi mei tai, given to us, now dead (RIP, beloved Sachi -- darn dog!)
• Maya Tie, a Christmas gift from my mom after the dog ate the Sachi
• Sutemi Pack soft structured carrier, bought while we were waiting for the Maya Tie after the dog ate the Sachi -- this is on its way out soon probably
• Silly Goose Baby mei tai, acquired by trade for a gift cert to Carter's (which itself was acquired by returning a buttload of clothes my fabulous but clueless SIL bought for us)
• podaegi/bei bei (MyBeiBei), given to us, hardly used -- just not comfortable for us, but too beautiful to sell!
• on the way is a Kanga X soft structured carrier - squee!

So that's... 13? (14) Well, 12 (13) -- can't really count the half-eaten Sachi. But really only 8 (plus one for when we go swimming) that we use on a regular basis. 4 we bought, 1 I made, the rest traded for or given to us.

Plus another scarf I usually wear as a belt, but have used as a rebozo in a pinch. And a towel I kinda like as a kanga (african torso carrier). And I can name at least half a dozen carriers off the top of my head I'd love to buy right now.

[cotopaxi]

I have 11 at the moment, though it's constantly revolving - I have three more on the way, but likely some others will leave when they get here.

Slings:
*I have an Oopa ring sling that I just got in a trade despite never having used one before (someone desperately wanted what I was selling so I agreed to the trade to try it out).
*I have a Hotsling pouch sling that is one size too big but I expect it to fit again postpartum after the next baby (or while I'm pg if I'm still wearing this one when I get pg)
*Then I have the pouch sling I use all the time, an Eesti sling - it's an Indio wrap that she sewed into a pouch - SUPER comfy; the best!

SSCs and buckle tais:
*A Calyx - but it's my DH's actually; it doesn't fit me
*An Olives & Applesauce - it is awesome but just a wee bit too big, so I'm getting a custom sized one (and then will sell this one)
*I have a Dream Carrier wrap conversion half buckle on the way, and I also just ordered a full buckle DC (non-wrap conversion) - hope I like them, lol! I will probably end up selling whichever I like least of these two, but it's possible I'd keep both - we're using buckle carriers more now that the baby is bigger and wants up and down constantly

MTs - my major weakness!! I find these most comfortable of all, so these are what I turn to if I'm going to wear for a long period:
*Tettitett
*2 Kindercarries
*2 Babyhawks - I don't like them anymore now that the baby is big, but I'm saving them to use with the next baby
*A BBO wrap conversion

No wraps! Technically I own a moby wrap but I lent it out over a year ago so I'm not confident I'll get it back - if I do I'll use it the next baby probably - love them for newborns.

ETA: oh yeah, you asked how the stash was acquired... no, I don't sew, sadly, so these were all bought
I bought many of them used on the FSOT at thebabywearer.com, but as I've gotten to know what I like, I've ordered more than a few custom orders direct from the vendor so I could have the exact pattern and features I wanted. I started buying them just before my dd was born, so about 18 months.

E(again)TA: no, I don't *need* this many! It's a bit of a hobby for me. At this stage I could make do with 1-3 I think - ideally a sling, a buckle carrier, and a MT. For the nb to 6 mo stage I'd need a stretchy wrap and a mei tai and a sling. The rest are just because I enjoy them.

[Shelsi]

Too many! I have 3 Olives & Applesauce carriers (1 of which I "pimped" by painting it), 2 4th generation becos, and 1 baby hawk.

In the past I have tried 2 different brands of wraps, 3 pouch carriers, a ring sling, yamo, nana's jetpak, ergo....um...I know I'm missing a few. I can't remember anymore lol.

[pixiepunk]

well, over the course of wearing 3 kids, i've had a lot of carriers in and out of my possession. i won't even *try* to remember all of them but here's what i've got atm:

ring slings:
DIY solarveil ring sling (use this in the shower a lot, and used it in the pool a lot over the summer)
SBP'd eggplant dyed didymos indio
DIY by somebody else, green dyed wool didymos indio (this is getting the most use right now since it's been chilly in the mornings when i drop DD1 off at school)
also got a DIY linen one out on loan, and recently gave a DIY purple batik one away on the spur of the moment when i met a mama with 4 small kids who's expecting twins (i always keep a spare DIY RS in the car for this reason)

MT's:
reversible custom babyhawk with black straps
black strap stony creek kozy

SSC's:
medley alpino mystic in blue
pimped by me black baby patapum
DIY SSC, brown twill with turquoise and brown green man celtic knot panel

pouches:
DIY red brocade that i made for a wedding a couple of years ago
DIY purple toned batik

and the only wrap i have at the moment is a DIY SPOC about 4 yds of cotton gauze

i have made quite a lot of my own carriers. mostly RS's(these are my favorite baby shower gift), though i've made a couple of pouches, several MT's all which have gone to moms in need, except one that i decided to tear apart and turn into my one and only DIY SSC, which is the most comfortable darn thing ever. it's really not too hard to make carriers if you know how to sew, though i have found it extremely helpful to have owned or at least tried on the kind of carrier i'm making before i make it so i have an idea of things like the angle of the straps or how it should feel on my shoulders before i embark on my own.

as for how long it's taken me to accumulate them... as i said, i've been babywearing for 5 years, now wearing my 3rd. but i only have one carrier now that i had with my first. i have enjoyed buying, selling and trading so i can try different types of carriers, and also i find i reach for different types of carriers depending on the age and size of my child and also what circumstances i'm in. so while i had 4 wraps when this baby was born, i only have that one DIY one now because i just don't use them anymore, preferring MT's and SSC's now that my 5 mo is 18 lbs

[MamaRabbit]

1 - Baby Bjorn - I don't even count it as a sling LOL. It was given to me and I rarely used it with my first 2.

1 - MeiTai - I made it for my DS and still use it. Love Mei Tais! Probably my favorite kind of carrier.

3 - Pouch slings (from Slinglings) - Two in my size and one in DH size. Twins loved the slings and DS still wants to ride in mine! Hard on my shoulder though.

That's 5 slings, and I'm considering making another Mei Tai.

[junipervt]

DH thinks I have enough, but who knows I may need another

Didymos Olaf size 6
2 Baby Hawks (one pretty one for me one for DH w/ skulls)
Zolo RS in natural colored cotton
Taylor blue mesh RS
sienna Moby Wrap
brown fleece Karma Baby Pouch
dark red New Native pouch
camel Ergo (that I have not used yet)
Ellaroo wide blanket Podagi
Beco butterfly II in Aav
they all have different uses. I did not buy all of these & of the ones that I did buy I only paid full price for 1 (DH's BH).

oh, & I also just bought a Kinder Coat so I can wear DD all winter

[Justmee]

An ergo, a MT, and a wrap. Enough for me

[lilylove]

I currently have:
3 wraps, a didy, a GypsyMama BBB and a moby.
1 hotsling pouch
4 ring slings, 2 wisewoman, a maya, and a TMT
1 Freehand MT

I've pared it down to that so far. I will probably get rid 3 of my ring slings and pouch and maybe get a new TMT. A few of these carriers are retired and waiting to be passed on to my sister.
I found that there's no point for me to have a ton of carriers. I've found what I like and prefer to keep it fairly simple. Collecting carriers doesn't have much of an appeal to me.
As for where I got them, most came from the Trading Post here or the FSOT board at TBW.

[BeccaSue1029]

I only have 1...the Ultimate Baby Wrap and I love it!

[mama in the forest]

I'm laughing at all these carriers!

From wearing six babies over the last twenty years I have only three carriers:

An old Nojo sling carrier

A mei tai (baby hawk) which I do not use much and never liked

An ergo that I LOVE!

[Materfamilias]

It really is an addiction, isn't it?
I have
--a Beco Butterfly that I'm just getting used to, not sure I like it yet but Odette is still pretty small for it
--a Storchenwiege that I love -- it's now very soft and is my fav; we use it for most longer carries and hiking, for sitting on, for covering us up-- it's crazy
--a Gypsymama BBB that I bought because the Storch was too hot in SC summertime
--a ring sling that a friend made which I use for short carries like quick store trips. It doesn't spread over the shoulder very well and starts to hurt pretty quick

I want a mei tai and will probably try to get one used on the babywearer...

[UmmIbrahim]

hahahhaa, oh man! I'm up there w/ Arwyn but have more...many many more. Infact I have some that I've put in the closet because Ibi has outgrown them but I cant part w/ becos they were hard to find/unique.

I dont know how moms can BW w/ in 1-3 carriers...I know it's done...all around the world...but stash making is such fun.

Ok, now I need to sit down and think about what I have...argh.

In my no longer used stash (great for newborns, young babies)
1) plaid Woori sling
2) 1 Check Japanese onbuhimo/daikkohimo hybrid w/ a support board
3) 1 Laotian Pandaus (like a Hmong)
4) 1 traditional Chinese Mei Tai (super narrow straps..ouch!)

In my currently used stash

Korean items:
1 iHosa print Chunei
1 Baby Comfort SHINE chunei in Pharos print
1 mesh summer podaegi
2 wide blanket podaegis...medium and long lengths
1 psuedo Korean, Ellaroo made wide blanket podaegi.

...and 1 velvet iHosa winter wrap.

Japanese Items
1 Organic Psling
1 denim carp Onbuhimo
1 sage colored heko-Obi
1 yellow stripe-y Hokkyoku Shirokumado RS

...and 1 traditional kamenoko panel for winter/fall over a Onbu or strap.

Chinese Items
2 BabyLand ringslings...1 is natural raime and 1 is yellow plaid

Misc:
1 Bara Barn tie shawl
1 Peruvian Manta
1 Chinado Mei Tai
1 Wise Woman sling
1 hotsling
and...
1 fleece PiP pouch

dangit...I think thats it.

I'm in shock at how much stuff I have!!!

Originally Posted by mama in the forest

I'm laughing at all these carriers!

From wearing six babies over the last twenty years I have only three carriers:

An old Nojo sling carrier

A mei tai (baby hawk) which I do not use much and never liked

An ergo that I LOVE!

[Arwyn]

Oh! Someone else reminded me of another -- updated my post.

[Autumn Breeze]

I have 1 hotsling that I haven't used in about a year now.

and 1 mei tai that I haven't used in a few months.

When we go to the zoo w/ the boy scouts I may take it so she can nap.

[Hazelnut]

I'm down to 12. 3 sscs, 3 mei tais, 3 ring slings, and a pouch and one rebozo and 1 water sling. I have bought them over a long time though!