Product reviews

I'd agree that the Didymos sling is expensive but a marvel of textile engineering. I got one of the basic (cheapest) thinner weaves which is soft as you like out of the box. Asymmetrical designs are pretty handy as you can tell the top edge from the bottom edge which is essential when adjusting and trying to avoid twisting the edges.

I bought one after using an Ellaroo ring sling to destruction and getting shoulder ache when kid got above 10kg. For heavier kids the double cross front carry works really well and I don't feel the weight at all - he's now 14kg. The same carry works for the 4 month old baby sister.

Length is an important issue when choosing slings. This really depends on what type of carry you plan to use which is a bit of a bummer if you've never tried one. The two shoulder carries use more material; shorter lengths effectively preclude use of some of the double carries. I would advise getting the longest length recommended as really the two shoulder carries are what makes this sling so comfy. The trouble with this is that if you have a long sling, the one shoulder carrys are impracticable as you end up with a bolt of spare material over your shoulder which looks and feels clunky.

To those new to slinging, I'd use a (cheaper) ring sling for little babies and for speed (eg. feeding or house stuff) and save a more expensive sling like didymos for bigger heavier kids and longer trips.

The REAL reason I'm posting this though, is to mention how wraparound slings perform in hot weather:

KEYWORDS: sling, climate, hot weather, temperature, sweaty

This was a big issue with me when considering splashing out on Didymos. Especially when you see the pictures of the carries which do, as they name suggests wrap right around. I've used the sling in Hong Kong, Singapore, London Tubes in hot weather, and they're absolutely fine. You (and the kid) do sweat a bit, but to be honest, they'd do this in a pram, and you'd do it pushing it.

I am very very petite - height 5'2", weight 90 to 92 lbs max generally. I can just about fit into a UK size 6 only if its from Topshop, but most of the time I can't find adult clothes that fit me.

Commercially-available shaped baby carriers swamp me - they were made for standard size women. So what do I do? I get a wrap sling, like the Didymos. It will fit anybody, because its just a long length of fabric which you tie to your body, so its very adjustable no matter what your size.

I've owned my Didymos Indio in natural cotton and hemp for about 5 years now. There are a few things you need to bear in mind about the Didymos slings before you buy one. Firstly, Didymos slings are not all the same in terms of fabric texture and thickness. The Didymos Indio patterns tend to be stiffer, more blanket-y, and have more grip in them - due to the way in which they are woven. If you get a Didymos Indio pattern, you'll find it gets easier to use/tie only after its been really "broken in" by multiple use and multiple washes. In the beginning however, it was always a bit of a struggle for me whilst using it, because the fabric wasn't broken in and was still quite stiff and hard to tie tightly (unless you have strong hands, but I don't, given how thin and small I am). It was never a problem for my husband to tie it from the start though!

If stiffness is an issue for you, you'd be better off getting softer Didymos slings like the Nino patterns, and the rhombus-patterned Didymos slings like the Julian, Elise, Jakob, Paul. They are more finely-woven jacquard fabrics than the Didymos Indio and the Didymos Wave patterns, so they feel soft right from the first time you use it. They do also get much softer and flanelly the more you use them and wash them. It can be said that in general, the thinner the wrap fabric, the more skilled you have to be at tying them up because there isn't much room for error. If you don't tie well, softer thinner wraps will start digging into your shoulders and waist when you are carrying a heavier baby or toddler - this is not so much a problem if you're just carrying newborns or very young, light babies.

However there is much more room for error if you get a stiffer sling fabrics like the Didymos Indio patterns for instance, because they are thicker, they offer much more support and "padding" naturally, and you find you don't have to be that good at tying up.

Learning to tie wrap slings is also another significant issue to consider before purchasing a sling like this. If you don't consider yourself a dextrous person at all, you'll find it a hassle/ struggle tying up the sling every time you use it. It takes time and practice - lots of practice - to get the tying right. That's one of the key issues that put people off using wrap slings like the Didymos.

Another key issue with the Didymos is the price. It really doesn't come cheap - I don't know why it says here on the review page that the Didymos costs £33.80 or something like that. No it certainly doesn't! A brand new Didymos sling (which you can order off a sling retailer or from the official Didymos website itself at www.didymos.de) will set you back at least £70 a piece. Second-hand Didymos slings are obviously going to be cheaper than buying brand new, but second-hand Didymos slings are very hard to come by in England. This is perhaps because babywearing with wrap slings is not a trend that has taken off very well here - people still prefer to use strollers and prams as the main source of transport for their babies.

It doesn't hurt for you to try and do a search on Ebay.co.uk or any other auction site for second hand Didymos slings, but chances are you won't find many on offer, and you'd actually be lucky to find even one!

Didymos comes in a huge range of colourways and patterns and they are very pretty indeed. I love them, and wish I was rich enough to collect lots of them, LOL! Germans have a good reputation for producing good quality woven wrap slings, and Didymos is not the only wrap sling manufacturer from Germany. You can also buy Storchenwiege wrap slings, which are just as good quality as the Didymos, although their fabrics feel different from the Didymos (due to differences in weaving techniques).

The Didymos is the rolls-royce of wrap slings however, and for the expensive price, you do get a sling that is strong and durable to last you for a lifetime no matter how much you wash or use it, and no matter how heavy your child is when you carry him/her in the sling. The quality is excellent, and if you have decided that wrap slings are what you will use for a long time to come, you cannot go very wrong with purchasing a Didymos - just make sure you purchase a Didymos fabric that is to your needs (i.e. decide first whether you want a stiffer fabric that offers more support and more room for error in tying, or if you want a softer fabric that is pliable and easier to learn to use right from the start). Perhaps you'll be like many other sling wearers - purchasing more than one Didymos or more than one different brand of wrap sling because you love them all and you want a variety of looks!

One thing's for sure is that once you master how to wrap the sling well, it is far more comfortable and easy to use compared to any other type of sling on the market. Not to mention, very young babies just love to be snuggled up close to mummy always, and a fabric wrap sling like the Didymos puts your baby close to you like no other commercially-available shaped sling can. In my experience, my babies all go blissfully content and "asleep" and they never cry or fuss whenever they were in the sling. And the myriad of ways in which to tie the baby to you makes the wrap sling the most versatile sling you can ever buy.

You'll also find wearing wrap slings to carry your baby a head-turner on the streets (in England anyway!) I remember that from the first time I used my Didymos (to carry my newborn on me while I walk my 5 year old daughter to school), I've gotten many requests from female strangers on the road daily asking if they could take a peek at my newborn baby who's wrapped snugly in the sling!

I got my Didymos when my baby was 10 weeks old and wish I had got it earlier as the cradle carry position would have been great for breastfeeding a newborn. I love the Didymos and my DD laughs when she sees it as she knows she is going to be snuggled up close to her mama. She is now 17lbs heavy and I don't have any problems going for an uphill walk carrying her in the Didy. It really distributes the weight so comfortably. Yes it was confusing at first to get the hang of tying, but worth persevering with. I have tried the rucksack carry twice when on longer hikes. Even with the instruction booklet with me I still would not attempt the rucksack carry without the help of someone else. It feels a bit scary positioning the baby on your back before it is tied up tight.

I love my didymos and would buy one for a friend straight away. It comfy and supportive. You can wrap it in many different ways making it very useful. You can also breastfeed in it.

It seems like a lot of money for a length of fabric, but it really is well designed with stretch in the places you need it and none where you don't want it. It also looks daunting but it's much easier than I thought to learn to use (easier than a ring sling) and it distributes the weight of the baby across your back really well. It looks great and I've had lots of admiring comments. You can also hide your flabby bits with the layers of cloth!