Please note: GypsyMama is on family vacation this week! Orders placed between Aug. 22 through Aug. 29 will be shipped beginning on Monday, Aug. 30, and will receive free US shipping. If you need your wrap sooner, please order through our retailers.
Wraparound carriers, or carrying cloths, offer both the greatest simplicity and greatest versatility of any baby carrier. They can be tied in more than a hundred variations, yet you only need to know one carry to get maximum use from your wrap.
I receive many emails from customers asking me to compare our various products. Let me begin by saying, a wrap is a wrap. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses when compared with others, but all work the same way.
The Water Wrap (tm) is different in that it is designed for a specific application – use in water. We do have many customers who use this carrier as an “everywhere” wrap (on the front only), but once your baby hits 20-25 pounds, most find it too narrow and stretchy to continue comfortably carrying a child on land. If you are submerged in water, such as in a shallow pool, this is still suitable for carrying even preschool children while keeping your hands free, but this won't be comfortable out of the water. In summary, for showering and swimming, the water wrap is a wonderful carrier. For a stylish out-of-water carrier that folds up compactly, the Water Wrap (tm) is suitable until babies reach 20-25 pounds. In fact, the high-tech sports-knit may help keep you and your baby cool and dry on sweaty days. For brief, 15-minute bursts of babywearing on land, you may be able to use the Water Wrap (tm) up until approximately 30 – 35 pounds, but you will find many more suitable carriers for this purpose.
Our Wool Wraps (tm) are made from soft, lightweight wool jersey. Wool is a great insulator, so they make wonderful 3-season carriers. Some customers find them comfortable in summer as well – personally, I don't like anything fuzzy on my skin when I am sweating. This is the Gypsy Mama's favorite wrap for carrying 2 children at once in the same carrier. It is also a favorite “cuddly” wrap for many customers – it's what we grab on cold, wet days or on the days when a sick child needs to be embraced. This carrier is not suitable for adults or children with wool sensitivities. The fabric memory this wool has makes this a perfect carrier for both newborns and preschoolers up to 30-35 pounds. As your child gets bigger, you may need to tighten it ever 30-60 minutes – simply undo the knot and snug it up while bouncing a bit to lift your child.
Our Bali Baby Breeze wraps are reported by our customers to be the lightest weight wrap carriers available. They are made from bottomweight cotton gauze, heavier than the gauze used to make broomstick skirts. The gauze is not “stretchy” but it has the diagonal give that is necessary to make any wraparound carrier comfortable. Each has a storage pocket sewn into the end that can either old the wrap itself while not in use or can be used to store a wallet, car keys, or other lightweight items while carrying baby.
Many customers find the Bali Baby Breeze wraps to be fabulous beginner carriers because the fabric is lightweight and easy to maneuver. People love them in hot weather. Because they are so light and airy, they require more precise wrapping to achieve optimum comfort. Some customers find that this helps them master the art of wrapping more quickly, but other customers find it a drawback and prefer a wrap that's a bit more forgiving of sloppy wrap jobs. Petite mamas also sometimes prefer this wrap because it comes in sizes. Although the Gypsy Mama has comfortably carried even very large children in this wrap, if you are carrying for more than 30 minutes at a time you will find it most useful until your child reaches about 35 pounds. With children heavier than this, it can still be used to carry for periods greater than 30 minutes but requires more frequent adjusting for optimum comfort.
Gypsy Mama says: It's our favorite for hot weather, for sturdy front carries, for hip carries, and for carrying two children in two different carriers.
Bali Baby Stretch wraps are silky and soft right out of the package like a t-shirt. Many of our customers prefer stretch wraps for newborns – there's something about putting newborns in stretchy clothes and blankets that just feels right to us. Although these wraps are heavier than the Breeze wraps, they are still very lightweight and comfortable even in hot weather. The tapered ends cause the fabric to seem to “melt away” when you are wrapping the ends around your waist.
Some beginners prefer Bali Baby Stretch wraps because their stretch makes them so forgiving of sloppy wrap jobs. The Bali Baby Stretch wraps are also nice when performing reaching tasks because of the way the wrap moves with the body like a t-shirt. Stretch wraps may seem more comforting to a sick child because of the way the fabric “hugs” the body (although Breeze wraps do dry more quickly if the illness is one that requires frequent washing). The Gypsy Mama grabs our Stretch wraps for long-term carrying of children over 35 pounds (only carry large children if you are both comfortable with it – as with any other lifting task, your muscles need to be up for the job to avoid injury). It's also our first choice wrap for back carrying around here – personal preference. As with the Wool Wrap (tm), the Stretch wrap is comfortable when carrying two children in the same wrap, as the stretch allows both children to move comfortably without having the wrap pull and dig.
Still can't decide after reading all this? All of our products are wonderful (just ask us!) -- choose the colorway that you will be happiest wearing and let that guide you. Or, buy one of each! You certainly won't regret having a second carrier when the first is in the wash.
If none of our products meet your needs, or if you simply want to learn more about babywearing and the other carrying options available, visit thebabywearer.com for information about other styles of carrier that will help you stay comfortable while connecting with your baby.
Prefer a ring-sling but love our patterns? Visit sleepingbaby.net – Jan is a wonderful slingmaker local to me who offers the service of converting your baby wrap into a ring-sling. Email us both and we can work together to get you a ring-sling in the print you love without the back-and-forth shipping cost – I can just drop it off to her while I run errands. :)
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