The world of woven wraps can appear
huge and over-whelming when you are looking to purchase your first
wrap. I've written this guide in an attempt to make it seem more
straightforward, and help you choose the correct wrap for you and
your child.
Size
The first thing to decide on is what
size wrap you would like. Most wraps are roughly the same width, and
it is the length that varies. The length you need depends on two
things – what carries you are hoping to do, and your size/build.
For a beginner who wants to do a basic
front carry with a young child, I would recommend a size 6 for
average build, and a size 7 for people of a bigger build. However, its always
worth trying out a couple of wraps at a local sling library to see
what length you prefer using.
Average length for each size (although this can vary between brands):
Size 2 - 2.7mSize 3 - 3.2m
Size 4 - 3.7m
Size 5 - 4.2m
Size 6 - 4.7m
Size 7 - 5.2m
Size 8 - 5.7m
Budget
There is a woven wrap out there to suit
every budget, from £30 up to hundreds of pounds. For a decent woven
wrap, which should be suitable from birth through to toddler-wearing,
expect to pay about £50 to £100 depending on size and blend.
However, lower priced wraps are available, and are still lovely to
use, and can be great for when your child is small, but may not be as
supportive as your child gets bigger.
Blend
As with any fabric product (e.g. clothes, curtains etc), wraps come in a variety of different blends. Different
fabric blends will wrap in different ways, and which blend you choose
is entirely up to you. I've listed a few typical pros and cons of
common wrap blends here:
100% Cotton
Cotton is a
fantastic place to start. Easy to wash and care for, softens up
quickly, and very supportive for a younger child. Some people find a
cotton wrap less supportive as their child gets bigger, but this
really depends on the individual wrap, how the wrap has been woven,
and the density of the weave. If you buy a good quality cotton wrap,
you can't go far wrong!
Bamboo/Cotton
A bamboo blend is
also a lovely blend for a first wrap, and the bamboo makes the wrap
easy to use. Bamboo makes the wrap very soft from new, and allows it
glide easily into place. Needs a little extra care when washing, but
is generally very sturdy.
Linen/Cotton
A linen blend is
often favoured by people wrapping a slightly bigger child, as it can
offer a bit of extra support. It is very easy to wash and care for,
but is likely to be slightly 'crispy' if bought new, and may require
a little bit of breaking-in.
Hemp/Cotton
Similar to linen,
a hemp blend will give a lot of extra support when wrapping a bigger
child. It also requires breaking-in when new, but when softened it is
amazing to wrap with. Easy to care for and wash.
Silk/Cotton
A silk blend wrap
can be lovely to wrap with, as the silk allows the fabric to glide
into place, and they are often quite soft from new. Although
silk requires a little bit of extra care when washing, I would still
say that it would make a lovely first wrap. However, a silk blend
wrap is often slightly more expensive compared to other blends.
Wool/Cotton
A wool blend wrap
can be very comfortable and snuggly, especially when wrapping in the
winter. The wool can feel lovely and soft on your shoulders, making
it very comfortable. However, wool blend wraps need to be washed with
extra care, as they can be 'felted' if incorrectly washed, which
would unfortunately mean that the wrap is no longer safe to use. Wool
blends can sometimes feel itchy when new (but this really varies).
Breaking-in
I have mentioned the term 'breaking-in'
various times, and this simply refers to the fact that some wraps,
when new, will arrive feeling quite stiff and crispy and will need a
bit of work to soften then up. This may be as simple as giving them a
wash, steam iron and a bit of use. Similar to a new pair of jeans,
wraps will become softer and more comfortable with a bit of use.
Thickness and Density
One of the other things that may affect
your choice of wrap is how thick it is, and how densely it is woven.
Thicker, denser wraps can be wonderful with bigger toddlers, but can
be more difficult to learn to wrap with. By trying a variety of
wraps, you may find that you prefer a certain thickness, but again
this may change as your child grows. Many companies give the weight
of their wraps in grams per square metre, and others will simply give
a description e.g. medium thickness.
To give a rough guide to weights:
Under 180g/m2 would be a particularly
thin wrap.
Around 220g/m2 to 260g/m2 would be an
average, medium weight wrap.
Over 300g/m2 would be considered
particularly thick.
There are hundreds of different brands out there, with new ones emerging all the time. If unsure, ask questions, get to a sling meet to try out different wraps, and above all, have fun wrapping your baby!
