UppyMama Deep Waters Fuchsia weft 4.2m



When I first learned about wrapping, Uppymama was the epitome of luxury at the time. I drooled over these beautiful handwoven wraps, and was so excited when I won a ring sling by this amazing Canadian company (see: Uppymama Linen RS).

I stalked, and entered draws, and watched prices, and agonized... and finally I pulled the trigger and bought an UppyMama wrap in my base size from a swap page. This wrap is Deep Waters, which was a custom colourway for a small group of parents, and only five of these wraps were woven. Of those, mine is the only one that has a fuchsia weft, so all of the others are pre-dominantly blue, whereas mine has more of a purple hue to it.



My Uppy "stash" when Deep Waters (top) arrived, frosted rainbow cake (bottom)



At the time it arrived I was primarily wrapping my son, who was about 18 months old. We mostly did front carries with this wrap for bedtime walks and snuggles, as he was not much of a fan of back carries at the time. I did not find any digginess with this wrap at all, despite it being relatively thin. For back carries, I often used it in a ruck tied knotless, and found it comfortable for relatively long periods of time.

When Little Miss arrived on the scene, this wrap was immediately a favourite. It is soft and was immensely comfortable for front carries at the ittybitty stage. It is the perfect colour and length for us, even at over a year old now. We still use it nearly daily for fwcc and double hammock tied at the shoulder with a candy cane chestbelt (our fave!).

Squishy, tiny, Little Miss... oh my ovaries.

This is an older Uppy, and they are known to be slightly heavier weight than newer Uppys. This wrap is strong, thin, and resilient. It has the perfect amount of grip, glide, and cush. I do not worry about wearing it on any occasion, as it is easy to wash and comfortable for any period of time, with any size of child. It has comfortably rucked my now three year old son in parking lots, and dragged its tails along wilderness paths. We will keep this wrap until our wearing days are done, and at that time might even keep it as a cherished momento of all of the snuggles it gave us.


Prices have significantly declined and rare unicorn Uppys such as this one pop up all the time at insane prices, under retail most times. If you see an old cotton uppy and are on the hunt for a versatile wrap that can take anything you throw at it, then I strongly encourage you to buy it!


Little Miss is all smiles in our fave carry



The verdict:

Pros: Beautiful, comfortable, classic, and fun

Cons: None, now that prices have dropped

Recommended for: Everyone. Seriously. Buy the old Uppys.

 

Cloth of Kin - Doula Love 4.2m

A local mama offered a contest for her business to submit a wrap design based on doulas, which would then be mocked up and created through a Cloth of Kin custom slot she had. Though my submission didn't win, I did end up purchasing a semi-custom of the winning entry, which was called Doula Love.

The colours of this wrap were so vibrant. I had a hard time deciding what weft to pick for it. I ended up choosing a cotolin weft in peacock (turquoise), as I wanted something supportive and colourful for my chunky monkey. I chose a yellow stripe middle marker, for contrast.

The weaver kept us updated with photos throughout the weaving process, and it was completed near the timelines promised. The anticipation of owning a wrap that I had so much input into was so exciting, the wait felt so much longer than it was!

The first thing I noticed when I received my wrap was how incredibly soft it was right out of the package. It didn't feel like linen blend to me at all, and wrapped nicely, without the hardness I have come to expect from linen. It measured slightly longer than the 4.2m I had asked for, which isn't a bad thing in my books. I sent it to SewFunky to be hemmed when it arrived, as the 'lengths of fabric' from Cloth of Kin all arrive unhemmed. 

I used this wrap in the heat of the summer with my young toddler, and enjoyed the support it gave, while also appreciating how thin it was. I would compare it to UppyMama in thickness, possibly a touch heavier in weight than the UppyMama linen I have tried. 

I always received comments on the beauty of this wrap, and felt great wearing it in any condition, because it was so easy to launder. I only moved this wrap along to another home when I received a wrap in very similar colours in the same length and appreciated the wrapping qualities of the new one better (review to come on that one... my very first full length UppyMama!).

The Verdict:

Pros: Canadian handwoven, affordable, custom slots are attainable!, great communication, great design, fabulous wrapping qualities (for linen especially!).

Cons: I have none for this wrap and CoK experience. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this wrap to anyone looking for a well-priced Canadian handwoven. The linen blend was comfortable and supportive, without the 'dig' I usually experience in linen.

Oscha Strato Aequus Lambswool Blend Size 5

I have been in love with Oscha's Strato pattern for the longest time, and have been a lover of wool also. I was ISO Aequus for a long while, and managed to find one while perusing the Canadian Swap one day for an amazing deal. 

When it arrived, I could tell it wasn't very broken in, it was much more scratchy and thick than the Didy wools I have grown used to, so I worked on it a bit with some steam and love. I don't think it helped that I received this beauty in the summer, when it is definitely a cooler-weather wrap.

I wrapped my toddler with is a few times for short outings, he was not wanting to be up long at the time, and it was quite a warm wrap. I found it very supportive, but a bit hard on my shoulders. I don't usually mind itchy wool, but this was even a bit itchy for my tastes. I ended up selling it very quickly, as I still couldn't find the Oscha love, even after lusting over this beauty for so long.

Blurry park ruck

The pattern is just so lovely though, I wish I could have liked it better. I thought it would have been more of a blue colour, but it was very purple, which I tend to be drawn to.

Stock photo to show beauty

The Verdict:
Pros: Beautiful pattern, beautiful colour, great warmth for a cold weather wrap, super sturdy.
Cons: Itchy and beastly new, not enough give and bounce for my taste.
Recommendations: If you don't mind itchy wool, and are looking for something to keep you and bubs warm during long winter walks, this beast is up to the task. This is not a light wrap by any means, and not my recommendation for new wrappers or summer heat.

Didymos Indio Bordeaux Hemp Blend (Extra wide - Size 5)

I had wanted to try a Didymos Indio for a long time after hearing such great things from Indio devotees about the wrapping qualities of these beautiful patterned wraps. Didymos has a great little blurb on how these wraps are woven on their website :(http://www.didymos.de/en/Babywearing/DIDYSling/Indio/) "The INDIO fabrics are woven on a dobby loom. The dobby weaving technique is related to the Jacquard technique and it regularly alternates different weaves to create a particularly fine and graphic pattern. It is very similar on both sides, though one side being the negative of the other one. Our INDIO fabrics are particularly soft, fluffy to the touch and have good diagonal stretch."

I saw that Didymos released an extra wide Indio, called Bordeaux, and decided to try it out, as I love width in wraps with Mr. Seat Popper. When I received it brand new in the box it was incredibly stiff, which I have heard is common with a new hemp blend. I washed and dryed it per instructions and it came out of the wash ready to be worn. The difference with that one wash and dry was fantastic!

I wore this wrap for both front and back carries with my son who was approx. 27lb at the time. It was incredibly bouncy and comfortable, I found the blend very cushy for how thin the wrap was. It felt a bit like shock absorbers on the shoulders because of the really nice bounce. There was no sag whatsoever to this wrap either. The width was a little bit too much, even for me. I think I measured it to be about 32 inches wide, which sometimes was a bit overwhelming if not wrapped carefully. 

I never had an uncomfortable trip in this wrap, and I wore it often over the hot summer months without feeling like the hemp was too hot or heavy. On Canada Day, my three year old 40lb son and I watched the fireworks late that night, and I rucked him home in this wrap in comfort when he was too tired to walk back. I ended up selling this wrap to be able to try more things, but I would buy another hemp indio in the future with no hesitation, as it was super comfortable.

The Verdict:

Pros: Hemp is bouncy and easy to care for, the pattern is neutral, the colours available for hemp indios are beautiful. 

Cons: The extra width of this wrap was a bit much for me, only truly appreciated when wrapping a very tall three year old.

Recommendation: I think everyone should try a hemp indio at some point in their churning life, this was a super comfortable and versatile wrap. It was lovely in single and multi-pass carries, for both front and back wearing. 

Natibaby Colorado (Size 6)

The wrap so nice, I've bought it twice!

Natibaby Colorado is an all cotton colour block wrap. It was a little stiff out of the box, but softened nicely after a wash and being hung to dry. The colours are so vibrant, a bright red, orange and hint of yellow that make me think of sunshine and summer.

This wrap is a great all-purpose wrap. I have owned it in a size 6 and a size 5. I have trekked through field and forest, cooked spaghetti, and caught fish while wearing this wrap. It has never had a pull, and doesn't show stains or wear easily. It was soft and cushy enough for a tiny babe, and was supportive enough in a double hammock tied at the shoulder for my 40lb three year old.

I first sold this wrap when I caught the churning bug and the urge to #BuyAllTheWraps hit. Since selling, I have tried nearly 100 wraps. I recently boomeranged this wrap and am even more in love with it now that I have the experience to know better. The cotton is so sturdy, the width is nice and wide, this one will live here as a beater wrap until the end of our wrapping days.

Catching some minnows

The Verdict:
Pros: Affordable, obtainable, soft, wide, colourful
Cons: Seriously, this wrap is the bee's knees
Recommendation: Whether this is your first wrap, your only wrap, or your beloved beater wrap, this is such a cozy and versatile addition to any stash.

Kokadi Forest Birds

The first of many impulse purchases that I made was for a Kokadi Forest Birds wrap in teal colour. I bought this wrap in a size 6 from Tadpoles and Butterflies.

My first impression was that this wrap was incredibly soft, right out of the box. The pattern was so cute, the birds look whimsical and fun, as most Kokadi patterns do.

This wrap was very sturdy, it did not have much diagonal stretch at all, but felt very secure when wrapped. The wrap was a bit smooth for me, and did not have enough grip to keep passes in place very easily.

I ended up selling this wrap, as the grip and lack of stretch was just not right for us. 

A sloppy FWCC, wrong side out.

The Verdict:

Pros: Beautiful, adorable, soft

Cons: Too rigid, too slippy

Recommendation: If you are looking for a rock solid all cotton wrap that is both affordable and adorable, this would be it. If you like stretch and grip, this is not the wrap for you.