# Woven help please - total beginner confuzzled



## Kess

I'm after a woven wrap after various people have advised it might be more comfy than my mei tai for my toddler. But I've been looking on Natural Mamas and CNT and am just completely confused by the acronyms and abbreviations and a lot seem to be referred to by colourways only. I feel out of my depth. Can anyone suggest a good woven for me, and tell me what it'd be called in the lingo please?

I am only petite, want it for a back carry mostly atm (though I love front carries so if that turns out to be comfy with a woven I'll go back to FC sometimes), and I need to use it several times a day. I'm also a beginner, so something easy to get to grips with. LO is tall and lean so I guess nothing too narrow - I don't even know if they come in different widths!


----------



## Rachel_C

The first thing to do would be to decide what size you want, then you can just search NMs for that. It narrows it down a lot! There's a guide to the sizes here - https://www.didymos.de/en/DIDYMagazine/Baby-Carriers/Groessen/

As you can see, it varies by your size and what carries you want to do. I have a size 6, I'm a UK size 12-ish (was probably a 14 when I got it) and it's been fine for everything I've tried. However, I've found myself only doing carries which don't need such a long wrap - that's ok, I just wrap one end around my waist and extra time before tying, but if you only wanted to do carries like that from the start, it might be a bit long. 

I have a Didymos Tramonto Waves wrap which is 100% cotton and was really nice and soft when I got it new. If you want to buy new I would maybe look into a soft wrap cos some are harder and need to be broken in. It was by luck I got a soft one as my first wrap!


----------



## LittleOnes

It is so confusing at first! Beware - after it stops being confusing, it is ADDICTING. 

This little guide is/was extremely handy for me: Becoming Mamas wrap guide. It gives explanations of each "type" (eg Stretchy, Woven) then within the types goes into blurbs about the brands. 

In my personal experience:
-Gypsymama Bali Breeze is great for hot weather but is gauze so not as supportive as other wovens
-Didymos 100% cotton is very supportive but the one I have (Mauvein colorway, Geckos pattern) is a bit thicker than others so I find it harder to wrap with
-Girasol diamond weave (snow rainbow colorway) is my go-to wrap - it feels lightish weight in warmer weather but it is still supportive. I use it for back carries quite often. 

Hope that helps a little bit!


----------



## maybethisit

We caught the wrap addiction bug and have had about 30 so far! :blush: (not all at the same time, but that's only because I couldn't afford to keep them all!!)

If you would like a fairly cheap good starter wrap, Lenny Lamb make some nice soft bamboo/cotton blends that are inexpensive. Hoppediz wraps are also pretty cheap and lovely too. Girasols are cotton, usually slightly more expensive (but not much) but lovely with a huge range, and then there's Didymos, Oscha, Ellevill, Natibaby, Kokadi and others where the wraps tend to be a little bit (or a lot, depending on the fabric blend) pricier. Then there's Diva Milano which are really quite pricey but pretty! Preloved Oschas also cost a lot at the moment cos they're only made in very limited amounts and everybody loves them! 

It's worth paying the extra for one of these 'german-style' woven wraps in my opinion over something like an Ellaroo which don't have the special diagonal weave of these others and so can start to feel a bit 'diggy' and uncomfortable as your baby gets bigger, although for a small baby in summer heat they can be nice and cool cos they're thin. ETA sorry just realised you said you had a toddler anyway!

Cotton wraps are easy to care for and to break in (soften up quickly so are nice to wrap with); for toddlers upwards you might prefer something with some linen in it for extra supportiveness, although linen wraps usually take longer to break in. Wool blend wraps need a bit of extra care with washing - they have a bit of 'bounce' to them when wrapping which I personally love but isn't everyone's cup of tea. Silk blends are lovely but pricier. Bamboo is squashy, soft and delicious :D

Erm...hope this isn't too much waffle! Any of those brands above make lovely wraps, and if you buy preloved and look after it you should mostly be able to sell on at about the same price. I spent time on the NM's FSOT board when we started out just clicking on the threads and picking out things I liked to get an idea of what was about! There's also a facebook group called Slings and Things FSOT and Advice and there are lots of friendly knowledgeable people on there as well as loads of preloved slings for sale :)


----------



## Tulip

I would also recommend a Lenny Lamb to new wrappers - they're really good value so you can try wrapping without splashing out. I have a pre-loved cotton/bamboo one for my 22 month old and it is SO comfy. Just got a pre-loved Didymos Indio Glut (red/gold cotton/linen mix) and it is even more amazing.

I use a double hammock carry if he's going to be up for a while as the pass across the chest takes some weight off the shoulders. But most people seem to be very happy with 100% cotton too, even for toddlers - my other size 6 is a cotton Zara Blueberry :) Id suggest a 6 for you also (4.6m long) because its so versatile - multi-layer carries are a must for long periods carrying toddlers and older children.

Basically, stalk NMs and find a colour or pattern you like that's within your budget and give it a go! If you buy it pre-loved you can sell it on and try something different without losing any or much money :thumbup:


----------



## Casey3

I'm a new wrapper, and after lots of research and asking a million questions at our local babywearing group I went with a Didymos Petrol Hemp.. I wanted either linen or help as our baby is big and I wanted it to last while he was a toddler too and those two fabrics are more supportive than the 100% cotton. I was told 6 is the most versatile size as it can do everything, but if you're more petite you could prob just use a 5 as I am an average pant size 6/8 and even the 6 is a wee bit long for me.. but I guess it's better to have extra! haha. I LOVE our Didy, I paid more for it, but I think it's worth it in the end...


----------



## Kess

Thank you all. I think then that I'm after a size 5 or 6, linen or hemp blend, German-style woven.

Oh, and what does "ISO" stand for on classified sites - maybe "In Search Of" I'm guessing?

ETA: I just bought two wraps on NM. A Didymos Latimeria Fish and a Natibaby Swallows grey/white linen, both size 6. Very excited now!


----------



## Tulip

Oh lovely wraps! Pics please when they arrive! And yes, ISO is In Search Of :)


----------

