Why I Wear

As we close International Babywearing Week, I thought it would be a great time to reflect on my first year of wrapping.  I've worn each of my three children, but didn't really "get it" til my second was about 8 months old.  Since then I've truly embraced the wearing lifestyle and LOVE it!  There are many facets to my babywearing addiction and I would love to share them with you!

I originally started wearing as a convenience.  I have some physical limitations that make carrying a child in my arms very tiring and my children aren't even that big!  Thanks to the local La Leche League and my friend, I found the wearing love with a ring sling and Ergo soft structured carrier.  They were both wonderful options at the time, but just not quite what I was looking for as my needs changed.  I'm so grateful they were available to start our obsession!

I remember my first experience with a woven, before I even had children.  A neighbor used one to back carry her youngest while we made  goat cheese.  I didn't think anything of it until several years later when I started wrapping my our children.  Oh how I wish I had remembered and asked her for help when I had my first!  She gifted me a homemade stretchy wrap at my shower and I was an epic failure with it as there were no instructions.  Following some Moby wrap tutorials resulted in me feeling like it wasn't safe at all (cradle hold...) and I was overwhelmed by all the fabric.  Ironically, it was only the length of a size 4...  Oh how things change! 

My first time wearing our oldest

When E was about 8 months old, I realised I needed something different.  She didn't fit well in the Ergo due to her tiny size as a failure to thrive child and it was so difficult to look around her wiggly self while cooking.  My friend Kristin often posted pictures of her woven wraps and I knew that was what I needed!  I placed an order through her coop for a Little Frog wrap and was having such a hard time waiting.  So I convinced DH to buy me a more immediate option!  We looked and looked for the PERFECT wrap.  We finally settled on KoKaDi Erna im Wunderland and not so patiently waited for it to arrive from Canada.  

It was LOVE!!!  Cuddly soft, easy to wrap with, I still hold my gold standard to how it made me feel.  I've tried different blends, different weaves, different amounts of texture and grip... But whenever I try a new carry, I bring good old Erna out.  We quickly mastered back carries and that opened a whole new world of adventure!

Our first back carry!

Wearing (particularly in a woven wrap) allows me to care for my children more easily.  I can wear a needy toddler or nurse the baby while I cook dinner!  Let the baby nap while I play with the older children and take them for walks.  It's easier for me to take them shopping without worrying my runner is going to take off in the parking lot.  It keeps them calm when they're overtired or anxious.  If they're sick, I can keep them close and comforted!

Wraps keep us happy during testing at the children's hospital (yay, no cystic fibrosis!)

There are so many different carries to learn, I feel like you're never done learning when it comes to wrapping.  I made it an effort to learn as many different carries as I could during my third pregnancy.  It was so fun to compare the differences and similarities of various carries and I found a lot of great new options!  It helped me understand the different wrapping qualities of various brands and blends. I want to try them all!!!

Part of my obsession with woven wraps is my love of textiles.  I love to feel them, rub them between my fingers, test the stretch in various directions, feel the changes after a first wash.  Cotton alone can feel so different depending on the weave, if it's mercerized or unmercerized, if it's dyed... So far I've tried unmercerized and mercerized cotton, combed cotton and Egyptian cotton, wild silk, hemp, linen, baby camel, Repreve, wool, and more.  The varying dynamics in how the fibers play together is fascinating!  My goal is to try as much as I can and I am looking forward to the many years of wearing I still have!

Our first and latest stash shots

Ethos Babywearing Tester Review

When a local mama starting a woven wrap business asked me to be a tester, I jumped at the chance!  I love trying new wraps and seeing what's new in the wrapping world.  This has been a fabulous experience and I'm so grateful for Ethos Babywearing to have offered me this honor!  I am VERY excited to see this company grow!

Ethos Babywearing was started by a babywearing mama that heard the community's wish for affordable, quality woven wraps.  Babywearing should be accessible to all price ranges!  One of the most common complaints is that woven wraps are too expensive or that the more economical options are not as soft or supportive as the higher end brands.  Ethos Babywearing also feels it's important to give back and will be donating 10% of their profits from every release to a charitable cause.  The woven wraps will be fully tested and CPSC approved for the new compliancy  laws coming into effect October 1, 2014.

My girls and I were over at a friend's house for a play date when the Ethos Dusky Argyle testers arrived, the lovely W dropped was so excited to share them with us and we couldn't wait either!  It was like a bunch of kids at Christmas, ripping open the cellophane packages in the street.  My first impressions were WOW!  This is soft!!!  And so thin (I like thin wraps).  It's so difficult to get a thin all cotton wrap to have the support I need for toddlerwearing, but Dusky Argyle is a dense 254 gsm and fits the bill easily.

I grabbed E and threw her up in our go to carry lately, Pirate Carry.  Dusky Argyle needs no breaking in! It came prewashed and ready to wear!  At first touch you notice the silky texture and softness that makes it a truly snuggly wrap.  The passes glide easily, but I wouldn't call it slick or slippery.  It has enough texture to hold your carry without being difficult to make passes or tie easily.  One of my concerns was the thinness causing pressure points or digging at the shoulders, but I found it very comfortable!  Not cushy like marshmallows, but it had just the right amount for my taste.  It even came with sleepy dust as E fell right asleep.  I was able to carry her sag free for the "nap test" while we chatted and the other children played.  My only complaint is the thinness cause some digging at the knots on my chest while in a candy cane chest belt.  These test wraps have some nubbiness that will be resolved before release, however it does not effect function and I actually think it enhances the design. 

When I get a new wrap, I like to really focus on it and use exclusively for a while.  Dusky Argyle made this easy!  You really wouldn't realise it's a budget wrap if you weren't told.  It doesn't compare at all to the Little Frog wraps I've tried.  I've loved it in every single or multi layer carry I've tried!  The combination of amazing diagonal stretch and thinness really make it moldable, perfect for squish wrapping. 

Ethos Babywearing Dusky Argyle is planned to release next month with the projected prices: 3.6m $90, 4.2m $100, 4.6m $110, and 5.2m $120

Photos courtesy of Shelby Marie Photography