Wraparound Slings Reviews / Advice Please

Ok .. thanks for the info in last thread ladies.

Have looked at the Hug A Bub/Mai Tai style ones and they are mainly uprighty type ones which I do want, but I can only bfeed my baby in a cross cradle position for numerous reasons and these style ones seem to only cater for tiny newborn bfeeding in this position.

So, have looked at the wraparound ones on youtube etc and love the versatility of them - albeit they do look like they take some getting used to.

My favourite one was some German name I now can't remember (which you think I would coming from a German background LOL) but it was like $150 for a length of material!!! HAve people gone insane! So was wondering a couple of things:

* Does anybody have feedback from using these style wraps?
* Is there anywhere you can buy a reasonable priced wrap, or anyone know of any WAHM's that sell them?
* I assume I could just make one. If so, what material, how long and wide should it be and do I need to hem or zig zag the edges? (Sorry for that one, the only info I could find was American and in yards, I don't know what a yard is, they had well and truly stopped teaching that when I was in high school)

Really hope you can help. Hubby is getting annoyed at how long I have spent trying to find wraps on google, I just keep getting the same slings coming up :doh: Sorry to bug people.

I have a didymos and a storch leo (probably the one you are talking about) and they are SO SO wonderful! Get one, you wont regret it! But you can buy on the babywearing down under google group and it will probably be cheaper for you.

I have a Moby Wrap which I absolutely adore but have recently started "making" them for friends. The difference is that I bought a 12m roll of fabric on sale for $15 which will make at least six wrap carriers & a few slings compared with $150 ish for the Moby.

The recommendations are:
* 4.5m length (but you can cut it shorter if you're small)
* 50cm width (usually the fabric you buy will be 1.5m width so you cut it in thirds & have three ;))
* jersey is recommended (like t-shirt material), when it's cut it curls a little & then you don't have to edge it
* if you get jersey, make sure it stretches only one way
* woven cotton materials are also ok, but you have the edge them with an overlocker or hem
* buy your fabric in one length, sewing two pieces gives you a weight bearing seam
* it's recommended to have fabric that doesn't have a "wrong" side, but I have used a gorgeous striped fabric with a wrong side & you son't notice it
* try to get 100% cotton fabrics because they breath better.

If you need anymore help let me know ;)

Thanks Mel & Sarah,

Love the storchenwiele's but yeah, the downunder store is still $150 :o

Thanks for the info Sarah, I think I will head to spotlight this arvo and check it out. Am not sure I want jersey though as I have scoliosis/kyphosis in my back and want the least stretch possible and read they are more of the stretchier type material?? Or is jersey not stretchy so will be more like the woven wraps rather than the stretch ones?

Cotton is good as my mum has sewing machine so can use it to hem, or con her into doing it for me. Looks like there are sooo many different types of cotton out there, is there a specific weight/weave I need to use whether it be cotton / Cotton blend?? I'll ask the ladies at spotlight too, but these days not all of them have knowledge like they used to on sewing, just any old sales assistant. Thanks!

Jersey isn't too stretchy, but you might be better with a woven material if you have back issues. Everything I have read says that it shouldn't be too tight a weave, so you can still see through it if you hold it up to the light. Does that make sense?

The thing with the expense of woven wraps (like storches, didymos, girasols etc) is that they are purpose woven for babywearing. Some use organic cottons, which adds to the expense, and because they are not manufactured in massive quantities like general purpose fabrics, the unit cost is higher.

A woven wrap will be much more supportive in the long term than a jersey/stretch wrap as it has less 'bounce' or give in the fabric (jersey is a stretch fabric as it is a knit rather than a weave), and will be a lot more comfortable than a wrap made from a general purpose fabric because there is less rigidity in the weave and in the fibre.

If you are interested in woven wraps, check out thebabywearer - with the way the US dollar is at the moment really good bargains can be found on their FSOT board (for sale or trade), but it is also a great source of information on types of wraps and what fabrics are good for DIYs.

i 'made' two HABs. bought 4m of cotton jersey from the local fabric store, cut it in two up the middle, and followed wearing instructions from - i think - this site, and the HAB site. it curled nicely at the edges and was fantastic to wear. yes the fabric does stretch a bit but as you tie it again each time you wear it, you can compensate by making it tighter. it was super comfy with my newborn and got a little less so as she got older and heavier. but it was easily the best $12 i ever spent! the only thing is that the knot is bulky. it could be reduced by narrowing the fabric at the ends of the wrap. it would also have been good to sew on a pocket or something to make it easier to find the middle bit, since that's what you need to get hold of first when you put the wrap on.

i hope that makes sense; i didn't get much sleep last night and my brain isn't working too well today :rolleyes:

MGM, the easiest way to find the middle is to put an iron on patch there ;)

oh woven wraps are much much better than jersy stretchy fabrics. I made a home made wrap out of cotton duck once and it was good as a in between until I got my wraps :)
Honestly since the resale is good it's worth buying one.

Ta. Phew, spent an hour in spotlight, I did not realize there were so many different types of cotton! I ended up buying some 100% Indian Cotton Material that is strong as most of the standard cotton materials were basic under/over weaves like gingham which I read weren't the best for babywearing, plus mostly only printed on one side. The spotlight lady I bought it off said that she has a lady who buys that material in bulk and makes slings to sell from it, so hopefully is the right stuff, though she warned me it fades, eh. I held it up to the light and you could still see through it, though not as clearly as through the really light gingham type cotton.

So was under $5 a metre in the end, so will hem a couple of wraps from it and try it out. That way once I get used to the different techniques, if I really like it I can buy one of the more expensive ones without worrying about wasting money if I really suck at it and don't end up using it. I hear you on the softness side, the thread counts in standard cotton materials just aren't high enough to be really silky and soft.

I know this is an old thread but AWESOME.
I bought fabric today.. yet to try out my amateur Moby Wrap. :)