Didymos Brown Cashmere India Ring Sling

As you can tell, I really like Didymos wraps. I've tried most of their blends and styles, in a variety of lengths and types of carriers. One blend I really wanted to try last year was cashmere. I am a lover of wool in general, and cashmere seemed to me at the time to be the epitome of luxury for a wool lover. I read many amazing reviews of cashmere india, but as I don't tend to gravitate towards thicker wraps, I was intimidated by the specs of this beautiful beast.

Luckily, a local mama ended up selling her ring sling made from Brown Cashmere India right around the time I was ISO. I literally posted this on her post, I was so excited....

Thanks Nemo.

This sling was in pretty well brand new condition when I received it, and was still a bit itchy to the touch. It softened up very nicely with a bit of gentle breaking in at home. It was very supportive with my toddler, rock solid, but with a bit of cush on the shoulder. There was not very much bounce to it at all though, which I generally prefer in a carrier.

Beautiful bronze rings

We enjoyed this sling for a short while, but the support just ended being more than we needed. If you are a lover of thick wraps. this would probably be right up your alley. I wish I had liked the qualities of this wrap better, as I love the India pattern so much, and the colours of this sling were just right for me.

The Verdict:

Pros: Beautiful, understated, elegant, supportive

Cons: Itchy and somewhat beastly brand new

Recommendation: If you love cashmere and India print, you will love this. If you are looking for a rock-solid beast of a wrap that you can tame into a cuddly soft, yet supportive workhorse, this is for you. If you like bounce and right-out-of-the-box wrapability, maybe this isn't for you.

Didymos Sambia Size 8 --> Long size 4 and ring sling

As part of the wonderful mystery box I received from Birdie's Room, I owned a size 8 Didymos Sambia. This wrap felt a lot like Orient fresh out of the box, and I believe it was a prototype using the same weaving techniques used to create Orient. The colours were much more earthy than those of Orient, so it was more understated. I really liked the colour on the "right" side, but wasn't too fond of how the "wrong" side of the wrap didn't show a reverse pattern, as was seen in Orient. 

As size 8 is clearly too much wrap for me, I sent it off to be chopped into a long size 4 and size medium gathered ring sling by the ever-talented Tanja at SewFunky.

My lovely trio of mystery box wraps.

This lovely stock photo shows the "right" and "wrong" sides of the wrap better.

I wrapped with the wrap portion of Sambia only once, but found it to wrap nearly exactly like my Orient, which I already owned in a size 5. Since they were so near in size, I decided to sell the wrap and keep the ring sling.

Sambia made an AWESOME ring sling. I paired it with bronze rings and had a gathered shoulder. I took it on trips to the beach and around town. It didn't seem to pull quite as easily as Orient did, which was nice. I found the material supportive enough for my 27lb toddler, but thin and light enough to be a great summer-time option for wearing at the beach. The colours were also perfectly beachy. 

Sharing an ice cream

The Verdict:

Pros: Light, airy weave, easily washable, beautiful colours

Cons: "Wrong" side doesn't have full pattern

Recommendation: If you like Orient, you will like Sambia! It is a great, all around, light-medium weight cotton wrap, with nearly the identical wrapping qualities of Orient. I really enjoyed this sling while it lived with us.

Girasol Northern Lights Ring Sling

I bought a used Girasol Northern Lights ring sling off of a mama on our local BST page when I was looking for something small to put in the diaper bag. It was my first Gira experience, and I was pleasantly surprised. The wrap was a very beautiful mix of colours, and the pleated shoulder done by SewFunky was very comfortable, even with my 20lb chunker of a baby.

The wrap was fairly thin, but I still found it nicely supportive for the quick trips we used this carrier for. The only issue I had with this wrap was that it was prone to pulls. The nature of the wrap made them easy to fix, but this drove me a bit nuts. I ended up selling this sling to fund something else, but we really enjoyed it while we owned it.

The Verdict:
Pros: Thin, supportive, beautiful, affordable
Cons: Pull prone
Recommendation: This is a great ring sling (as are most giras), and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something small to put in their diaper bag etc. or for on the go.

UppyMama Frosted Rainbow Cake Ring Sling

When I first found out about the world of wrapping, the mythical wrap of legend that was sought after by nearly every wrapper was the UppyMama handwoven. Woven in Alberta, Canada, these wraps are handwoven by a small group of artists who have dedicated their passion to educating families about the benefits of babywearing to both the parents and baby.

At my very first babywearing meet-up through our local group, a mama brought her UppyMama wrap that she had been lucky to win a draw to purchase through UppyMama at retail. That's right, these things were (and are) so popular that they cannot keep up with demand and you must enter for a chance to buy one. Though the market value has come down substantially due to the introduction of a whole slew of amazing new weavers to the handwoven scene, these still often sell at or above retail price on the swaps. At the time I received my first UppyMama these beauties were selling second hand for nearly double the retail price.

I was fortunate to win my first UppyMama in a Dip (a whole other topic - basically a raffle). I was so excited, and drove to pick it up the same day the Dip closed. I won a UppyMama Frosted Rainbow Cake 20% linen blend ring sling with an original UppyMama floating shoulder. This ring sling was made from un-dyed cotton and linen, with a rainbow of pinstripes added on the tail only.

Us so excited for our Dip win - excuse the sloppy wrap job

When I picked it up, I could not believe how soft this piece of cloth was. As I've mentioned several times, I don't generally like linen. This linen was like nothing I had ever felt, you could not even tell there was linen in the blend by touching it. I wore my 24lb son in it right away, and could not believe how supportive and comfortable this was. The floating shoulder kept the fabric nicely spread, and the linen added the perfect support to this amazingly soft and thin fabric. 

We began using this as our main ring sling, wearing it through Church services and while shopping with baby happily napping for up to an hour at a time in nothing but comfort. This ring sling remains in my collection to this day, and it still the most comfortable ring sling I have ever tried.

My terrible photos do not do these beautiful pinstripes justice

The Verdict:
Pros: Soft, supportive, beautiful, Canadian
Cons: Expensive (though prices have come down substantially), some colourways are hard to find.
Recommendation: If you are looking for a luxurious, Canadian, handwoven masterpiece (and money is no object) that you can wear your baby in, this is your ring sling. 

SewFunky Handwoven Ring Sling

When I first became interested in handwoven carriers, I was trying to reign myself in by only purchasing budget options. One of the first handwoven carriers I ever purchased was a SewFunky handwoven ring sling with a pleated shoulder in a rainbow colour pattern. I bought it directly from SewFunky, and Tanja allowed me to choose my ring colour preference.

Shipping was lightning fast (I think she has an in with Canada Post), and I was so excited to receive this beauty. My first impression was how beautiful the colours were together. The rainbow was bright and vibrant. The material was a bit stiff, so I washed it first thing. It came out substantially softer, but had to be worn often for a week or so before I found it anywhere near soft.

The weaving was a bit thicker than other budget handwoven brands such as Girasol, but this led to a great texture for a ring sling, as it tightened and stayed put easily.

I found this sling plenty supportive for my then six month old, and perfectly comfortable for short trips with my two year old as well.
Overall, I thought this ring sling was amazing for the price, and only moved it along when the collection got out of control.

Action shot with my giant two year old

The Verdict:

Pros: Affordable, Canadian converter and seller, beautiful, handwoven

Cons: Took a bit to break it in

Recommendation: I would recommend this ring sling to anyone who is looking for an affordable and beautiful ring sling and doesn't mind taking the time to break it in.

Maya Ring Sling - Original Padded Shoulder

I spent hours of time researching ring slings when I was pregnant with my oldest son. I ended up purchasing a padded shoulder Maya Ring Sling in olive green colour. I wore him as an infant in this to many places including on hikes, and to my sister's graduation ceremony. I always found it comfortable when I wore him in the tummy-to-tummy position with his legs froggied as a newborn. 

As he got bigger, I used this for hip carries and going in and out of the car for errands. I had never tried a different shoulder at the time, and loved the padding of this shoulder. I comfortably carried my son for short distances in this until he was around two years old.

When my second son was born, he would not keep a seat in a ring sling, so I could not use this with him as a newborn (the beginning signs of leg-straighten-eritis). I have used it as my car carrier with him since around six months old, for short trips. I have had a chance to try many shoulder styles now, and I still like the padding. 

Verdict:

Pros: Affordable and available widely. Many colours to choose from. 

Cons: The padding will sometimes creep its way up to your neck if you aren't careful about adjusting. The fabric of mine is thicker and sometimes is difficult to keep straight in the rings. This might be easier with fabrics that have different colour rails.

Recommendation: I would recommend this as a starter ring sling to anyone for short trips for larger babies and as a great starter carrier for newborns.

Gateway to Wrapping

I am hoping to start a blog to review all of the carriers I have tried, and to share some geekery with like-minded mamas. Below, please see a guest post I wrote for the Ottawa Babywearing Group, the lovely local group where I am privileged to be an admin. This post explains my journey down the rabbit hole to woven wraps. I hope to help people out with my honest reviews, and hope you enjoy reading them!

My babywearing journey (ok, obsession) began when I was pregnant with my oldest son, Walker, in 2011. A friend of mine passed along several carriers for me to try with my new baby, and I had no idea what they were or how to use them. These first three carriers were a Maman Kangarou stretchy wrap, a flower patterned pouch carrier, and a very old Snugli. 

Luckily, the Bringing Home Baby class that my husband and I attended included a babywearing demonstration by one of the lovely women from Milkface, who was so tactful when explaining to me why that old Snugli was not her carrier of preference. I cringe now and wonder what she was actually thinking when she saw it. Trying all of those carriers with the life-like baby dolls in the classroom made me so excited to have a baby of my own to carry. Her demonstration also convinced me to order my first new carrier - an olive green Maya ring sling. 

The old Snugli survived half a trip to the hardware store before it was donated, and the ill-fitting pouch carrier didn't last much longer. The Maman Kangarou wrap was worn around the house until we outgrew it, and the ringsling went everywhere else with us those first few months. I loved holding my little guy snuggled with me in the tummy-to-tummy position. 

A long hike with my sister-in-law where she comfortably carried my niece in an Ergo while my son and I were sweating in the ringsling made me decide to also purchase a Galaxy Grey Ergo. I have no action shots of my firstborn in that carrier, though we used it nearly every day for over a year! The Ergo, and the Boba Air that we later bought as a car carrier, allowed us to bring our little man to graduation ceremonies, forests, farms, and markets where our stroller never would have allowed us to explore. 

When we discovered I was pregnant with our second son, I treated myself to a light blue Boba Wrap from Chiquita Baby. This wrap was a lifesaver as I learned to parent two children. All through our first summer as a family of four, little Freddie slept happily in the Boba on our daily adventures to the park and on our trip to Newfoundland for a family reunion. The combination of that carrier and the waves crashing on the shore lulled him to sleep several days in a row on that vacation. 

 

The heat of the summer convinced me to try my first 'real' wrap, and I purchased a Calin Bleu gauze wrap from Belly Laughs. This little blue wrap made me fall head-over-heels down the rabbit hole into the land of wrapping, though it has now gone to be used by a new family. The only carry I mastered for the longest time was the FWCC, but that didn't stop me from adding several new wraps to our collection - Kokadi Blue Birds (5), Natibaby Colorado (6), and Natibaby Nature of America (5). I rotated through these wraps on our daily outings with the boys, where they were also used as blankets when needed. When my husband asked me what I would like for our anniversary, a Didymos Orient (6) was also added to our collection. The Nature of America turned out to be too beastly   for me to tame and went to live with another family. 

Around this time, I found the OBG page on Facebook, after hearing about it from a friend. I attended a meet up and enjoyed chatting with the women and seeing other mothers who also carried their babies. This led me to begin hosting an informal OBG meet-up in Barrhaven, which was held outdoors in the Summer, and has since moved to my basement in the colder months. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the women in this group, and love that our shared passion for mothering and holding our babies close has allowed us to become friends. 

A Carry of the Week post on the OBG Facebook page led me to try my first mei tai from the Canadian Swap. I enjoyed it and I felt more comfortable using a MT for back carries rather than my wraps at the time. That first MT led me to add a Silver Waves Didytai and a semi-custom Topatop WCMT to the stash. Since then, I have also added three more wraps - a Heartiness Ethno (7), wool-blend Natibaby Sweetplace (6), and Oscha Sea Breeze (3) in 100% linen. After my first foray into linen, I swore I wouldn't go back, but the bounce and smoosh of this Oscha makes me glad I returned! I finally have mastered a ruck and a passable BWCC, though I still prefer the WCMTs or our Tula for longer back carries. 

I have been very excited to be working with a lovely weaver, Alison Addicks of Weave and Lace, to design and create my first handwoven wrap. It should be arriving this Spring, and I cannot wait to try it. I truly do not know how I would parent my two boys (and stay sane!) without babywearing as a tool, and am thankful I have had the opportunity to try so many beautiful carriers along the way.

 

A list of carriers we have had in our stash:

Snugli (Gone)
Maman Kangarou (Gone)
Pouch Sling (Gone)
Maya Ring Sling
Babywearing Shirt (Gone)
Galaxy Grey Ergo
Black Boba Air (Gone)
Calin Bleu gauze wrap (Gone)
Blue Boba wrap
Didymos Orient (6)
Natibaby Colorado (6)
Natibaby Nature of America (5) (Gone)
Kindercarry Mei Tai (Gone)
DidyTai Silver Waves
Kokadi Blue Birds (5) (Gone)
Topatop WCMT
Heartiness Ethno (7)
Natibaby Sweetplace (6)
Oscha Sea Breeze (3)
Tula The Wave
Weave and Lace Custom Handwoven 4.5m (Winter Sunset) - (OTW)