Wrapsody Stretch-Hybrid Review

The following review was written by guest blogger Jennifer Marple. 

I recently tried out the Wrapsody Stretch-Hybrid: Chronos from my local babywearing group’s lending library. I own a Breeze (gauze) wrap from the same manufacturer, and have tried other traditional stretchy wraps and wovens, and was interested in how the hybrid stretch would compare. I was looking to evaluate how it worked with a slightly older baby (about 6 months old and 15 lbs), and in particular how it faired with back carries, which I’ve become comfortable with just in the last few months.

Stretchy wraps in general are designed to be very soft and comfortable, with no diggy fabric or buckles, straps or buttons. The Wrapsody Stretch-Hybrid specifically is intended to be used up to 35 lbs on front hip or back. This is one of the key differentiators between this and more traditional stretchy wraps, which are intended for front carries only. My understanding is that any back carry with more than one pass across the baby is safe with this carrier, so I was able to use my growing woven wrap repertoire in my experiments.

The fabric seemed a bit thinner than other stretchy wraps I’d tried, but stretches less freely, which is what allows it to be more supportive at higher weights. This is a one size fits all wrap, and the tails are tapered in a way that makes it not bulky when tying the ends around after wrapping baby.

I found the Wrapsody Stretch-Hybrid to be supportive and comfortable for my daughter, in front and back carries. It was no warmer to wear than my favorite heavy-ish cotton woven wrap, and almost as supportive. It was not “diggy” in the least on my shoulders, as most wovens can be if you’re not very precise with your wrapping job.

Overall, I was pleased at how the Wrapsody Stretch-Hybrid performed for us. If a friend was having a baby and interested in babywearing, I would definitely recommend it over other stretchy wraps, due to the versatility of being able to use it for hip and back carries, and get better support at higher weights. For me, I’m already too far down the woven rabbit hole, and we will not be having any more squishy newborns in our house – but I would really enjoy helping a friend learn how to carry their little one in this wrap, knowing that it could last them the full duration of their babywearing time.


Pros:
Easy to care for the fabric
Several color and pattern choices to suit different styles (mostly patterns, not solids)
Can pre-tie before leaving the house keeps the wrap out of parking lot puddles
Can also be used with hip or back carries
Comfortable for wearer and baby
No complicated sizing
No rings, buckles or straps to dig like a soft-structured carrier or ring sling
More affordable than a woven wrap
No significant bounce, even with a larger infant

Cons:
Thicker than a gauze wrap, can be warm in summer
No sizing can mean excess fabric for some wearers, depending on carries chosen (but tapered tails help with this)
More expensive than a traditional stretchy wrap



NOTE:   Wrapsody donated the Wrapsody Stretch Hybrid Carrier to our local babywearing lending library in exchange for this review.    The views expressed in this review are Jennifer's own and were not influenced by this donation.   Our community whole-heartedly thanks Wrapsody for their very generous donation.   

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Boba Wrap Review

The following review was written by guest blogger and fellow "Attached Mama" Jennifer Marple.  

 I recently tried out the Boba Wrap (orange) from my local babywearing group’s lending library. I’d previously used a Moby and a Sleepy Wrap in exactly the same color, which I learned was the former name of Boba Wrap, as well as more recently some woven wraps.  It had been some time since I last used the Sleepy Wrap, having passed it along to another mama before my daughter was born, so I was looking to evaluate how it worked with a slightly older baby (about 6 months old and 15 lbs).

Stretchy wraps in general are designed to be very soft and comfortable, with no diggy fabric or buckles, straps or buttons. The Boba Wrap specifically is intended to be used with newborns up until 18 months for weights 7-35 lbs. The Boba Wrap’s fabric is different from Moby, having more of a jersey knit type texture – there’s a definite right and wrong side. To me, the fabric seems to make the difference in being able to use this wrap with a larger-than-infant size baby. Having experience with both this style of wrap and woven wraps, I did not experience much difficulty in getting the Boba Wrap on and baby into it. I did have to tighten it up the first time, as I’d forgotten just how much stretch there was and to not leave slack. My daughter seemed very comfortable and cozy in it, and enjoyed several wrap naps during my borrowing period.

When I tested the Boba Wrap, it was the hottest time of the year where I live, and I was taking frequent walks while babywearing, at a pace intended for exercise.  So, it was hot, and the thick fabric isn’t exactly breathable and cooling, but it wasn’t any hotter than my favorite cotton woven wrap, and was more comfortable than my slightly cooler gauze wrap. I was walking at a pretty good speed when testing this wrap, and I found that my daughter “bounced” in the Boba more than I was accustomed to. Not quite to a level where I was concerned of any danger, but much more than I experience on a day to day basis with a woven wrap. She is heavier than I’d ever used a stretchy wrap with in the past, but still 20 lbs below the top end of the recommended weight range the manufacturer listed. She didn’t seem bothered by it, but I did find it distracting and impacting on my personal gait/balance. When walking at a more leisurely stroll I did not experience the bounce. I also know that this was not an issue with my son when he was a newborn using this same wrap under the old branding.

Overall, I was surprised at how well the Boba Wrap did with my 6 month old, as I’d never considered using a stretchy wrap past 2-3 months of age. It’s a great option for a comfortable, affordable babywearing solution from birth on – though I still do not think I’d recommend it much beyond perhaps 8 months, not into toddlerhood as Boba’s site states is feasible.


Pros:
Easy to care for the fabric
Easy to store (comes with a storage bag)
Several color choices to meet each person’s preference (mostly solids, a few prints)
Pre-tie before leaving the house keeps the wrap out of parking lot puddles
Comfortable for wearer and baby
No complicated sizing
Simple instructions, less learning curve than woven wraps
No rings, buckles or straps to dig like a soft-structured carrier or ring sling
Affordable

Cons:
Thick, heavy, can be warm in summer
No sizing means lots of excess fabric for most wearers
Not as supportive for larger babies (allows a lot of sag or bounce past the infant stage)









NOTE:   Boba donated the Boba Wrap Carrier to our local babywearing lending library in exchange for this review.    The views expressed in this review are Jennifer's own and were not influenced by this donation.   Our community whole-heartedly thanks Boba for their very generous donation.  

Boba Carrier 4G Review

The following review was written by guest blogger and fellow"Attached Mama" Kate Burgener.   You can check out Kate's website at www.kateburgener.com

When an opportunity to review a soft structured carrier (SSC) came along, I was pretty excited. At that point, my husband and I had only used a Moby, a ring sling, and a borrowed mei tai with our son Henry.   We loved wearing him, but we were interested in something that would come together a little faster. Having zero experience with a SSC, I envisioned clipping the carrier around my waist, popping Henry into the seat, and away we'd go. I expected the straps to be kind of "set it and forget it," which appealed to me. The ring sling required all kinds of minute adjustments, and I didn't always feel as if I had him seated just right.  What could be easier than a SSC?

I got the Boba 4G model to review because I had a 3 month old. The Boba 4G comes with a nifty infant insert that I was eager to try. A leader from our local babywearing group patiently walked me through the finer points of the carrier.  We clipped the waist belt on me, and she showed off the neat elastic loops for rolling excess straps up and getting them out of the way.  Next came the infant insert.  The infant insert had a moon-shaped little spot for a baby bottom to rest allowing the legs to be supported. After snapping it in and testing Henry in it, however, it became apparent that my long, skinny, cloth-diapered kid was already WAY too tall for it.   You are supposed to have the baby's head within "kissing distance"--however Henry was withing teeth-bashing distance!  So, my local babywearing group leader suggested we try the carrier without the infant insert.

The Boba 4G Carrier Infant Insert:  Instructions for a newborn hold can be found here.

What surprised me most was that after getting into the carrier and arranging Henry, I'd be adjusting the shoulder straps each time. Not what I was expecting from a SSC! (Not a drawback, just not what I had pictured.) A few more tips from my local babywearing group leader, and we were on our way with our brand-spanking-new carrier to test out!

Carrier Adjusted From Front

The first thing I should say about the Boba 4G (and I have no previous models to compare it too, please remember), is that I was surprised at how soft it was. Again, I hadn't explored any other SSC, but I kept expecting them to be kind of like backpack canvas.  The Boba 4G carrier material was downright cozy.  The fabric turned out to be a magnet for cat hair, but a good lint-rolling from time to time would keep you presentable if you cared about that sort of thing.

The second feature I noticed (which ended up being my favorite part and is now non-negotiable for future SSC purchases) was the napping hood. Henry desires to be in arms at all times. (I mean, a little less now, but still isn't happy with more than 15 minutes of alone time.) This started to get super difficult after the various grandparents and relatives were back home and my husband and I were left to the task of figuring out how to get the kid to sleep during the day. Carrier naps became our go-to for mid-day naps, if only to give our arms a break. Plus, let's face it, snugly napping is awesome, even if that means the wearer doesn't get a chance to take a nap themselves. However, as Henry got more aware of the world, it became harder and harder for him to relax and nap in a carrier. The napping hood allowed him to still peek out if he needed to, but provided a much darker and less stimulating environment for him to drift off in. Because he was in front-carries only, his little head was usually leaning against our chests, so the hood was less about support for us. We made sure we could peek in and keep an eye for an open airway, even when the hood was up.

Henry Naps Happily on Dad

Another thing that we loved about the carrier was that Henry just felt super secure in it. When he wriggled in the ring sling, I would get nervous that he'd give an especially mighty kick and knock the seat out. With straps and buckles, I felt confident that he wasn't going anywhere. I picked a little basil from our garden while wearing Henry and I felt much better about bending down to reach things than I do with the sling. My husband and I also both found it faster to use, even with the strap adjusting, and would have made it a go-to style for quick trips if we were keeping it. The way the weight distributed on our shoulders was also great, wearing our son for a few hours was easy, with the padded waist belt providing extra support. 

Baby Henry Helps Mama in the Garden

My husband and I did find a few drawbacks to how the Boba 4G fit, at least for us. We're both pretty tall people, so this could entirely be a torso-length thing, but the backpack-style straps ended up cutting right under our arms from the back. We adjusted and adjusted, moving the chest strap around and the waist belt up and down, and neither of us could get it quite comfortable on our bodies. When I was in a tank top, this was especially irritating, because it meant that one or more buckles was rubbing against my bare arm as I was wearing him. Not ideal. (For what it's worth, knowing that style isn't great for us was super helpful because now we're focused on SSCs with straps that can cross in the back and have since purchased two that work a lot better for us. Again, it's just how it hits your body, I think, because I've read that some people love the Boba 4G and how it fits.) The other problem that I continually had was in adjusting the straps every time I put the carrier on, I found it very easy to accidentally over-tighten the straps. While it didn't seem to make a difference in how Henry fit in the carrier, it would eventually make my shoulders ache from being pulled a bit forward. I usually didn't notice until after 20 minutes of wearing, by which time my kid would be asleep and I'd be reluctant to mess with the straps for fear of jostling him awake. I got more mindful of it, but it was still not second-nature after a few weeks.

Carrier Adjusted From Front

Carrier Adjusted From Back

Overall, we liked our experience testing out the Boba 4G. It was the carrier my husband would grab first, always, and Henry always felt supported well on our bodies. We liked trying a SSC to see how it'd compare to our stretchy-wrap, ring sling and mei tai options. While there were definitely positive things about what was clearly a very well-made carrier, I'm so glad we had a chance to test it out for awhile, because carriers fit each body differently and babies definitely have their own ideas about what they prefer and what's comfortable for them.

NOTE:   Boba donated the Boba 4G Carrier to our local babywearing lending library in exchange for this review.    The views expressed in this review are Kate's own and were not influenced by this donation.   Our community whole-heartedly thanks Boba for their very generous donation.