My Stash Monday: Andria's Stash

My stash... its almost embarrassing the number of wraps and carriers I have had pass through here in the last year.  I have wanted to try everything before my babywearing days are over.  

My first born was my intro to babywearing.  I started reading about woven wraps and wanted one so much.  But the only option at that time would be ordering from Europe and as a single mum the cost was prohibitive. I was discouraged and kept trying to get my bag sling (shriek) and Snugli (shudder) to work.  I did get a MEC framed carrier when she was 1;  I thought it would be great for back carries. I laugh at this thought now.  While they may be good for camping or for dad wanting to hike it wasn’t used often at all by me. Boy have we come a long way!

My second was born and I knew there was a better option than my ancient Snugli. We got a Bjorn as a gift.  but soon discovered how uncomfortable it was.  I was loaned a Moby Wrap and fell in love with wrapping but my big boy soon outgrew that. I found some great local shops and tried a few things out, coming home with a Babyhawk Mei Tai.  Logan lived in the mei tai, and it was babywearing love.  It wasn't  until he was almost 2 that I rediscovered woven wraps and how they were more attainable now.  

After trying a few wovens on loan, while pregnant with Helena,  I bought my first woven of my own; a Didymos Garnet Pfau, stripped a nice golden color.  This wrap is a serious beast- amazing for a toddler, and super duper cushy, but super thick and beastly.  We braided and slept on her, washed and ironed her. Wrapping a small 6lbs baby was not the purpose of this wrap, although it carried my toddler wonderfully.  

We also had a Beco Butterfly II for those times when we needed a SSC.  It wasn't until I got my second woven- a Girasol Aurora, that I started wrapping Helena regularly.  I learned to wrap this tiny bundle.  After wrapping a 95 percentile boy for months it was a learning curve all over again!.

Size 6 is my base size- so I can do most carries with a 6, and that's all I had tried up to that point.  Then I saw Ela in Wunderland in a 4, I couldn’t resist!  So out went the stripped garnet and in came Ela.  So began my churning relationship with woven wraps.   I want to try everything, but can’t keep them all!  I loved Ela, but it came with Its own issues of mastering the harder carries.

Then I discovered WCMTs and fell in love all over again! Soon I had 2, a Natibaby Lirio, and a Kokadi pink and orange stars.

It was at about this point we discovered our newest family member had a heart defect.  She was on the edge of congestive heart failure.  She wasn’t gaining weight well, and we finally learned why.  She needed to feed constantly and just eating would wear her out so much she rarely was awake.  With two other kiddos I had to rely on babywearing to get anything done as well as keep her close to keep an eye on her breathing and to keep her feeding.  We had at least 2 months of waiting (and wearing) before her surgery.

 

It was also about this time I started spending time browsing the swaps.  I was breastfeeding most of the day. and wearing during naps so it gave me something else to focus on, and kept my anxiety manageable. Over the next few months I bought a few wraps making a nice stash for Helena and I to use after her surgery.

Everything went very smoothly and she was home from the hospital 6 days after her open heart surgery!  For the first couple weeks after her surgery we could not pick her up under the arms, because of the healing ribcage.  This was much harder than you think!  So it was front carries and the WCMT for 6 weeks, then we worked on back carries with the new wraps!

Now Helena is 10 months old, sitting up, crawling, climbing, causing mayhem.  You wouldn’t guess she spend the first 6 months of her life in a wrap, carrier or mei tai, let alone the surgery.   Yet she still prefers napping in a wrap or carrier, whether it is with mom or dad.

Now we simply don’t have time to hear the story of each one, as I am expecting my 56th in the mail now!  Yes.... I have an addiction!  Here is my husband's summary. Firstly he said I should have written this post to the tune of “These are the Daves I know, I know. These are the Daves I know”  But using the lyrics ‘these are the wraps I’ve owned, I’ve owned”  

Husband quote “ We started getting these packages, and I didn’t know what they were, just knew they were costing us money.  Then I figured out they retained their value and I sighed with relief....  and now I use them too!”

Wraps became a hobby and escape for me during a very stressful- almost terrifying time for us.  Having a sick child is any parents worst nightmare.  On top of that I was/am dealing with my own health issues so they gave me something to focus on that was positive and actually helped me around the house too.

The wraps I have owned in order of first purchase (some I bought and sold months ago, then bought again months later, but I won’t re-list them)

Didy Garnet Pfau 6(sold) 
Gira Aruora 6 (sold, but re-bought a scrap for a bonnet and pillow) 
Kokadi Ela in Wunderland 4 (sold and re-bought still own) 

WCMT Natibaby Lirio (sold) 
WCMT Kokadi Pink and orange stars (sold) 
Natibaby purple bamboo dandelions 4 (sold) 
Didy Flamenco hemp Indio (Bought a 4 traded 7, sold, bought a 4* which I still Own) 
Natibaby green linen Eleves 6 (sold) 
Oscha Tree of life canton 6 (sold)
Oscha Starry Night midnight Bamboo 6 (sold)
Kokadi Kurma 5* (sold)
Natibaby Doodle 4 (sold)
OschaTree of Life astrea RS (sold)
Didy Black Hemp Pfau 7 (Chopped and sold)
Natibaby purple dinos 6 (sold)
Girasol Chakras 6 (sold)
Kokadi Merlin 6 (sold the 6 bought a 7 and chopped, sold)
Oscha Braids Pine RS* (sold)
Oscha Starry Night Aspen 4 (sold the 4 bought a 6 Still own)
Didy Natural Hemp India 7 (chopped sold the size 3 have the RS still)
Violet Hemp Indio 5 (sold)
Ellville Zara Sun 4 (sold)
Didy Purple Owls 7 (sold)
Lime Hemp Pfau 6* (still own!)
Natty Sunny flowerelli 4*(sold)
Didy Hemp india graduate dyed natural to purple 4 (still own) 
Didymos Lisca 6 (sold)
Didy Ruby Gold Indio linen 6 (sold)
Kokadi Hemp spring birds 6 (sold)
Kokadi Mother of nature 6 (sold)
Oscha Linen grad 6 (sold)
Uppymama Rainbow Sock Monkey 6 * (still have but traded for another uppy+other handwoven)
Rainbow Wraps- clear day 2, Helena handwoven custom 6* (still own)
Girasol Double rainbow 2 (still have)
Oscha Surya honey 6* (Sold)
Ocha Triskle Oban 5 (still own)
Oscha Shui Long Lunare 5 (still own)
Kokadi Lilly In Wunderland (sold)
Purple Linen Pfau 6 (still own)
Purple linen Indio 6 (still own)
Pax Peace for Jillian 7 (still own)
 
In the mail as we speak
Kokadi heart preorder
Kokadi Gluck (good luck) RS
Okinami Kai 7 
and a Standard canvas Tula

Which brings me to our SSC list, I have had, or have 
Beco Butterfly 2 
Two Mama Designs heart feet 
Manduca 
WC standard tula 
Canvas Tula seahorses 
Canvas toddler tula dinos
and Ella on the way.

Okay If you all made it through that here are some pictures of my current stash (yes some of these are sold).

The future-Well I have about a year left to buy and trade, but I have a few wraps that will be staying and never leaving now.  

I am sure something will be released that I must try! As well I have a growing love for buckle carriers, so 2 of my lovelies (Ela and Lunare) are off to be converted.