Comparing Wrap Brands and their qualities:
Most of the differences between woven wrap brands are fairly subtle, especially for a new wrapper. You need not worry about these distinctions unless you suspect yourself of being sensitive to one particular feature. For example if you are easily over-heated. Or if you have sensitive shoulders and specifically want a thick and cushy wrap.
You can’t go wrong choosing any woven baby wrap from the wrap brands on my Easiest for Beginners list. But if you have fallen in love with a design from a different wrap brand you should probably go with the one you love because all of the wraps I sell are high quality and super comfy!
Woven Wrap Fiber Blends
You may be worried about which blend to choose for their wrap. Many babywearers love to rhapsodize on the virtues of their favorite blend. However, there are as many different opinions as blends. It is always good advice to go with 100% cotton. It has no major drawbacks. It is easy to use and care for. And it can be either light or heavy, depending on the brand and weave you choose.
Which blend is not as important as which wrap brand and weave. I advise you to put the blend out of your mind and choose from the below lists to fit your priorities regardless of blend.
Wrap Brands that are Easiest for beginners:
Wrapsody – light and airy woven wraps
Girasol – supportive, soft, beautiful woven wraps
Lenny Lamb Little Herringbone wraps – soft and lovely
Lenny Lamb Basic Line woven wraps
Best for newborns:
All the wraps I stock are perfect for newborns, but some of them arrive soft and cuddly while the Natibaby and Storchenwiege wraps are sometimes quite stiff until broken in and Wrapsody Breeze and EllaRoo wraps are easy to use, but not as soft to the touch until they’ve been broken in. You can break in your wrap by washing it, using it (LOTS), ironing it, and sitting on or playing with it. Order early so you have time to break it in before baby arrives.
Wraps that are softest brand new (these baby wraps are great choices for beginning wrappers or newborn wrapping because they are soft, supple and relatively thin):
Girasol – soft and floppy wraps that are easy to use
Lenny Lamb Little Herringbone wraps
Most supportive wraps for heavy babies and toddlers or pre-schoolers:
Storchenwiege
Natibaby
Lenny Lamb
Click here to browse Most Supportive Toddler Wraps
Most affordable woven wraps (but still high quality comfort):
Wrapsody
Lenny Lamb (basic line)
Storchenwiege
Click here to browse Wraps from $53 – $130
Absolute best wrap brand for staying cool in hot weather:
Wrapsody Breeze are lighter and cooler than any other woven wrap or stretchy wrap but still strong and supportive!
Click here to browse Light/Breathable Wraps for Summer Wrapping
Brief description of each wrap brand:
Girasol wraps are famous for their rainbows. These wraps are 100% cotton, hand woven in Guatemala. They are soft and comfortable wraps that are popular with first time wrappers.
EllaRoo and Wrapsody Breeze are two that are most popular with people in hot climates, or those looking for a Summer wrap. They are thinner and airier, resulting in a wrap job that is less warm and toasty:
The Wrapsody Breeze wraps (formerly called Bali Breeze or Gypsymama) are bottom-weight gauze that is sturdier than what you typically find in fabric stores, so it is thin, but not too thin to support baby comfortably. Hand batiked in Bali (under fair trade practices) Breeze wraps have a unique look among wraps with stamped designs and mottled shades. Gauze wraps, while not woven for baby carrying, are commonly categorized as woven wraps as they are used like wovens, rather than stretchy wraps. Breeze are best used in multi-layer carries, and are not available in shorter lengths that would be used in single layers.
EllaRoo wraps are a 100% cotton weave, handwoven in Guatemala and they come in beautiful stripes and solids with striking colors. Sturdier than the Bali Breeze, Ellaroo will do fine in short one-layer carries like a rucksack, and are great with newborn through pre-school aged child.
Ellevill wraps – NOW DISCONTINUED – are another cool option for Summer as their intricate weaves are airier and very light. These elegant designs are available in all cotton, bamboo, linen, and silk blends. Perfect for newborn through toddler, Ellvill is a great wrap that could serve all of your needs for many years, but with some fancier weaves and patterns. Their Zara weave is immensely popular, and there are collectors with large wrap collections almost exclusively consisting of Zara wraps, which are so beloved. They are not only very soft and comfortable, but extremely beautiful designs, available in a wide range of striking colors from soft and subtle, to bold contrasts. All Ellevill wraps are certified to be produced under humane working conditions.
Natibaby wraps are among the most popular wovens on the market due to the variety of colors, designs, and fiber content, all produced to meet their reputation for safety, comfort and beauty. Natibaby wraps are available in all cotton, linen blends, bamboo blends, wool blends and hemp blends, giving families a greater variety to choose from. Their all-cotton wraps are easy to use brand new while hemp or linen blends can be stiff (especially when woven with more than 2 colors) until broken in, but are very supportive, comfortable, and with some use will be just as soft and are super popular. Natibaby wraps are made in Poland.
Lenny Lamb wraps, are super popular with many families. Also from Poland, Lenny Lamb wraps are soft, supportive, and generally beloved to those who own them. These wraps are very soft and easy to use. They are mid-weight wraps, appropriate for all seasons, and fantastic for newborns or toddlers.
Easycare – NOW DISCONTINUED – makes thin, supportive striped wraps that are super nice to wrap and wear, and easy to care for, too, in 100% cotton. These wraps are supportive for even toddlers while being a nicely thin and light wrap for Summer that are easy to use. They are made in Austria.
Didymos wraps are the oldest and most well known of the European wrap brands, but remain popular by creating new designs all the time and offering their wraps in a variety of weaves and fiber blends. Waves is a thinner, cooler weave for hot weather. Liscas are the softest, most marshmallowy wraps around.
Storchenwiege wraps wraps have a reputation for being super sturdy and supportive with even the heaviest kiddos, and being durable and indestructible. This means easy care: you can machine wash and dry them. They make great hammocks and swings for the kids (tied around a tree branch or porch railing, or suspended under a top bunk). And they come in many colors and lengths for years of happy babywearing. The Storch stripes are a flat twill weave with almost a denim feel, that becomes floppy and moldable with use and washing and are known as very “toddler-worthy” wraps. They are somewhat stiff brand new out of package, but after a few washes and a week or two of use, you will find them softening up. The Leo weave is a famously soft and fluffy, or cushy, weave that is airier than the stripes, and beloved to many.
Colimacon et Cie wraps are a wonderfully affordable 100% organic wrap option that feels a little thinner than a new Storchenweige, and is floppier right out of the package, needing less breaking in. It is a flat, grippy weave, becomes soft and moldable after a little use and washing. It is in the same general category as a Storchenwiege being a strong, supportive workhorse of a wrap, and great for toddlers. The M&M wraps are available in a rainbow of rich colors and they are all solid colors, rather than stripes. Colimacon et Cie is usually shortened to C&C and their line of wraps that I carry are called Miel et Malice or M&M wraps 🙂
