Newborn Babies
For a newborn baby and a new parent, the first few months of care are crucial. This is the time the baby also stays with parents and especially the mom the longest. Just after the baby is born, it enters a new domain where it’s outside the mom’s body and has to experience the separation. This can be tough on new babies, and they want to be as close to the mother as possible. That’s why in this article we share with you the best baby wrap options.
Options: Wrap, Sling, or a Baby Carrier
There are a few options available for the parents to choose from. They can be a baby sling, a baby carrier, or a baby wrap. A baby carrier may be out of bounds for the first few weeks or months and then can be gradually introduced as the baby becomes used to be in a sling.
New babies love being as close to the mom as possible and her cuddles. But keeping babies close and giving them all the attention they need all day long can be difficult for the mom. So it’s a nice idea to tie the babies in a snug fit cloth around the mom so that they can be close and the mom can get important work done during the day. This has been a time-tested way of handling new babies since ages of creating an artificial pouch-shaped space to hold the baby.
Benefits of the Baby Wrap
Both baby wrap and baby sling are available in one size to fit all. While baby wrap and baby sling are both made out of a single piece of long fabric, the baby sling is very basic (and less flexible) of the two because it can be worn in only one fashion.
The baby sling is worn across the mother’s torso and over her shoulder. Slings provide the cradle position, which naturally supports the baby’s neck. Baby wraps, on the other hand, can be fashioned to be worn in several different ways. Though they feel slightly complicated, they offer the benefit of multiple positions, and they also grow with the baby.
They also let you adjust and distribute the baby’s weight so that it’s easier on both the mother and the baby. Using a wrap, you can cover the baby in several different ways, allowing flexibility and freedom of movement for both, and it does not seem monotonous like the sling. Wraps need to be soft, comforting, hold in place, stretchable, and usually 100% cotton.
Best Baby Wrap Options
Having discussed the benefits of a wrap, let’s go check out some of the best baby wraps available in the market.
Solly Baby Wrap
This wrap comes in a soft and thin fabric that feels great for both mother and child. The super-breathable fabric makes it ideal for almost every season, especially in summers when you don’t want a fabric that will make you sweat all over.
The certified Lenzing modal fabric is made from the pulp of Austrian beechwood trees, dyes that are environment and are therefore lightweight, washable, and also sustainable for those who are environmentally conscious.
It creates a nice womb-like environment that’s snug, and also effectively distributes the baby’s weight, and is certified hip-healthy. The wrap enables the baby to be carried in a front upright and carrying in the facing-in position. Since it’s thin and soft, it can easily roll up into a very small pouch that comes attached at the one end of the wrap. So packing it and carrying it is extremely easy and will usually go unnoticed.
Dimensions and Price
It can take up the weight of a newborn to an upper limit of 25 pounds. Easy-to-use and easy to maintain, you can machine wash it just like other clothes with cold delicate, tumble dry settings on low heat. The wrap is 24-26 inches wide, and the length is around 5.5 yards. It retails for $65, and we found it to be a great buy.
Pros
- Extremely lightweight
- Environment friendly
- Very thin cloth fabric yet strong to hold
- Comfortable
Cons
- Expensive
Moby Classic Wrap
This is an extremely long piece of wrap that will wrap the mother and the baby together. You can wrap the baby in a front-facing in and hip carries position with this wrap.
Dimensions and Fabric
Long at almost 18 feet, it gives a lot of room for different designs, and you can try a few unique ones yourself. There is a lot of material, and this wrap is made using 100% cotton fabric, which is natural and good for the environment-conscious and the baby.
Practicality and Weight Range
Since the fabric is too long-wearing and removing it or sometimes carrying it can feel a bit clumsy. You do not want to be doing and undoing this long piece of fabric in public and also without help as it can get tedious to manage. Being a thick, soft cotton material, it feels extremely comfortable like a thick tee but can get a little uncomfortable in warm and hot climates.
Because it’s so long, it can easily fit mothers of all sizes. It can carry a weight range from 8 – 35 pounds and can be used from newborn babies up to age 3. It’s easily machine washable with cold delicate, tumble dry settings on low heat.
Pros
- Relatively inexpensive.
- Comfortable
- Environment-friendly 100% natural cotton fabric
- Can fit mothers of all sizes easily
- Can fit in smaller newborns
Cons
- Too long and can be difficult to carry or work with
- Heavy because of size and length.
- Not comfortable in hot weathers
Boba Wrap Classic Baby Carrier
This wrap is made from a French terry material, and the key difference between this and the others is that this one has 95% cotton and 5% spandex. Most mothers realize that a little flexibility in the wrap goes a long way in making both the mother and the baby comfortable.
Flexibility
Though the baby wants to snug close to the mother and in a tight fashion, they both still need a little bit of flexibility else the fit will seem too rigid. This is the exact reason for introducing a 5% spandex in this wrap, which gives it that much-needed flexibility without compromising the wrap’s fit.
Weight Range and Pricing
There is one front-facing in position possible with this wrap and can carry up to 35 pounds of weight. This wrap’s recommended age range is 0-18 months and is easy to maintain with an easy machine wash. Like other cotton-based wraps, this one can also increase the heat factor in warmer climates and may not be comfortable. It retails for around $40 and is a good value for money.
Pros
- Cheapest
- Comfortable and flexible
- Environment-friendly 95% natural cotton fabric
- Can fit mothers of all sizes easily
Cons
- The length can be long and difficult to carry or work with
- Heavy because of size and length.
- Not comfortable in hot weathers
Baby K’Tan Original Baby Wrap Carrier
All parents and mothers agree that a wrap is the best way to take care of newborns and keep them close and comfortable. But they also agree that it’s not an easy process to wear the wrap, and taking it off can be a real task, especially if the mother is alone. The origami-style process involved is not for everyone and can test the patience of babies, forget adults.
The Baby K’Tan is specifically designed to solve this very problem. Not just is wearing this wrap easy, it also offers the best-in-class a full five front and back ergonomic carrying positions for the baby. There are no buckles or Velcro to fix any two ends together or tie them together. This product comes as only a single unit which is supposed to be work as a top or tee shirt.
Adjustment
Since there are no adjusting or tying mechanisms, wearing it and placing the baby in it and adjusting for different positions can be a bit tricky. Also, the wrap can only fit a few sizes, and so if your baby grows big, you will need to buy a larger size.
Design, Material, and Pricing
This product is made from a 100% cotton jersey which is soft as well as very comfortable. The product’s double-loop design loops beautifully around the baby to give the necessary head, neck, back support and also good body positioning for healthy hip development. It sports a one-way stretch which means the baby will be fit snug in place securely.
The wrap comes with its pouch, which can also double up as back support. It can carry a baby weight from 8 – 35 pounds, which takes care of the entire growth curve when it needs wrapping. It’s the perfect wrap to use daily and carry when out traveling. It’s available in 5 sizes Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large sizes. It retails for around $50, and as usual, it’s easily machine washable and is also dryer safe.
The only downside to it is that it’s not flexible to fit every parent, and so you will need a different one for the mother and the father, and anyone else involved in baby care.
Pros
- Best value for the price
- Comfortable and easy to use
- Five ergonomic baby positions
- Environment-friendly 100% natural cotton fabric
- Can fit parents of all sizes easily
- Lightest yet strongest
Cons
- Baby can outgrow the size, and then a larger wrap needs to be purchased
- Both parents may need different sizes and hence different wraps.
Many Options, Still a Personal Choice
There are a whole lot of baby wrap products in the market to review and compare, but the basics remain the same. You can have either of the ageless, timeless cotton wraps, which is extremely long but does the job. Or you can settle for partly synthetic but equally comfortable fabric. Finally, have the option of a pre-stitched wrap that can be worn and taken off without much effort.
Parenting is fun and more enjoyable if the tasks and products involved do not tax you a lot. In the end, choosing the right one is all about personal preferences, which can vary and also change from baby to baby. I hope the review helped you understand the basics of baby wrap products and will help you make a good choice.
