Woven Wrap wears - Any Advice for a novice please

[greenbeanie]

I love my stretchy wrap but the time has come to move on as dd is 16lb and beginning to feel a lot less supported in it. I would love to try a woven wrap but need a wrap that I can put on and then put the baby in, is this possible in a woven wrap?? Or should I be thinking of a semi-structured carrier like an Ergo?

Also I have seen on the internet the Ellaroo wraps and the Didymos, both look great but why such a huge difference in price? I really want something that will last what would you go for?

Would really appreciate any thoughts or opinions.

I had a didymos with ds1 and loved it, but got an ellaroo with ds2 as he was born in may andi thought the didymos might be a little too warm in the summer.

You put them on and then put the baby in, except for some of the holds, like a rucksack hold.

Lots of secondhand ones for sale, and my ellaroo was 2nd hand - was excellent condition but cheaper.

Thanks for the tips, it just seems like such a minefield with all the different types of wraps, fabrics and makes, it's hard to know where to begin really.

I use two different front carries with my woven wrap, one of which is completey pre-tied.

With the first I do as Loopymumsy says and with the other it's pretty much the same procedure except that when I'm finished the crossed bit is on the inside rather than the outside. (I'm not very visual so it's hard for me to describe. There's some good videos on YouTube...)

Rucksack carries have to be tied around the baby.

I think the Ellaroo is good place to begin. Its a mid-weight, mid-price wrap which is good all year round. I love my Didymos Indio but I do find it a bit heavy in the summer. The Calin Bleu gauze wraps are good in hot temperatures but less supportive for bigger babies.

I have an Ergo too which DD's dad and our au pair both love. I just don't like it as much as the woven wraps and don't tend to use it although I'd recommend it to other people.

I've got all my woven wraps second hand, mainly through the Yahoo slings and wraps group.

I can back up what Loopymumsy and Togarama said!

All the wraps have their strengths, which is why people end up getting excited about them and collecting a few! Although that isn't necessary - I had an Ellaroo wrap last time round, which I found to be quite lightweight compared to some others and therefore good all year round and easy to learn with. And much more supportive than a stretchy wrap.

As DD got bigger I bought a second-hand Beco structured carrier.
In preparation for number 2, I've got myself a Girasol wrap (more mid-weight, so more supportive than the Ellaroo) and a Storchenwiege (heavier weave, like a Didymos).

I also always buy second-hand, through Natural Mamas and the Yahoo group UKBabywearingSWAP, and occasionally through TheBabywearer.com which is an American-based site. Both forums are really useful for resources and for chatting with other babywearers for advice.

Check out www.slingmeet.co.uk/ to find a meeting near you, where you can talk to other parents about carriers and try some different ones out to see which ones you might prefer - even if it's just to get a feel for how the fabrics differ.

HTH!

Unfortunately no sling meet anywhere near me. I have now got a Storchenwiege Ulli which is great, just need to stop getting in such a tangle now and get a bit more practice!

Thanks for this thread - it's precisely what I was about to post myself! Am on my first wrap sling - Karri Me - and ready to try a woven now. And I wondered what on earth it is about Didymoses/Didymi? that makes them so expensive. Not sure if it is just the designer cachet? Anyway, I'm going to try and get hold of a 2nd hand Ellaroo now it's getting warmer and maybe try a Didymos later in the year.

Can't get to my local Slingmeet for second month running due to both DSs being ill.

Have you considered a Mei Tai? I've just started putting 5 mo DD2 into a home made one, though still using the Kari Me a bit.