BBSlen Woven Wrap Review
Using a ‘woven wrap‘ to carry babies and toddlers is becoming increasingly popular here in the UK. They may take a little getting used to, learning to tie a woven wrap can seem daunting to begin with but parents soon get the hang of it! Babies can be carried in a wrap from birth, and the woven fabric offers great support and and the most ergonomic way of carrying for both baby and the wearer.
We’ve just started stocking the Babylonia BBSlen here at Babi Pur, we love the ethics behind the brand and we just couldn’t resist the lovely bright colours and designs! We asked Charlize who’s been wearing her baby for nearly a year to try out the BBSlen and let us know what she thought if it. Read Charlize’s review below…
I’m always excited to try something new, especially when it involves babywearing. So when Peter asked me to be a wrap tester for Babipur, I was delighted. Peter didn’t disclose which wrap they were sending out so I looked forward to a surprise. I eagerly awaited it’s arrival, keen to begin putting it through it’s paces.
The following day a large box arrived. I hadn’t expected it so soon but that didn’t delay the speed at which I opened it. Yes! A BBSlen. I knew they had a great reputation amongst the babywearing community and I was excited to finally try one. The Babylonia BBSlen is made in fair trade conditions, from 100% organic cotton. They come in a vast array of beautiful colours, all produced with non-toxic dyes. This all sounded excellent to me. It was with high expectations that I set about unboxing.
The colour grabbed my attention first. I love turquoise and the design gave the wrap a sophisticated look. This colourway is called Lotus blue. I’m not usually a fan of stripes but the contrast of the bright turquoise against the grey looked striking. It’s very dad-friendly too! BBSlens come in four sizes: 2.6, 4.6, 4.9 and 5.6 metres. My box was marked 4.9 metres which is longer than my base size but still manageable for me. For those unfamiliar with wrapping terms, your base size is the shortest length you need to do a front wrap cross carry and is the ideal size to begin wrapping with.
The BBSlen comes with a wonderful manual. There are detailed picture guides to a wide range of front, back and hip carries, as well as a great FAQ section. It is by far the best wrapping manual I’ve come across and I would have loved something similar when I bought my first woven.
My own babywearing journey began almost a year ago, soon after the birth of my son, Amorey. Like many new mums I’d spent hours shopping for the perfect pushchair. I remember my happiness and pride when the new pram arrived. I envisioned long, peaceful walks with a content, sleepy baby. My son was going to love it, wasn’t he?
From day one Amorey would only sleep in my arms. He was the only baby on our hospital ward who slept in his mum’s bed. Amorey showed the same dislike to his carseat as he did to his crib. Our swanky new pushchair was soon rejected too. My son seemed to need body-to-body contact every minute of the day and night. At the time I felt unlucky but looking back I feel grateful. I may never have discovered babywearing, had Amorey accepted those inanimate objects in place of my loving arms.
I now consider babywearing to be my greatest passion, a wonderful hobby that has grown from my desire not to let my son cry. I tried lots of different carriers but my love for babywearing didn’t really come about until I purchased my first woven wrap. I loved the endless possibilities it offered and my son would often fall asleep before I’d even finished wrapping him.
Over a year has passed and I still carry my son daily. There’s nowhere he prefers to nap more than in the comfort of a woven. The first carry we tried was a simple front wrap cross carry. The wrap draped nicely over my shoulders without feeling too heavy. The BBSlen is nice and grippy and I found it easy to tighten strand-by-strand. The only thing I disliked was the length. I would recommend asking for advice if you are at all unsure of which size to buy. You don’t want to be tripping up over your wrap when you’re just getting started. Otherwise the BBSlen did great and I was curious as to how it would change with use.
I wouldn’t describe it as a ‘beastly’ wrap out of the box but the wrapping qualities definitely improved over time. I didn’t do anything special to soften it up; a few weeks of daily wear did the job. I tried several different carries but the BBSlen shone most for me in a ruck tied tibetan. On one occasion we were out for over three hours and our ruck was still solid at the end of it. Despite often finding ruck straps uncomfortable, on this day my shoulders weren’t aching and I could have carried my son for longer if I’d needed to.
The width of the BBSlen was perfect for carrying my 2.5 year old neice. It’s definitely one of the wider wraps I’ve tried but I don’t think the width would be overwhelming with a young baby. This wrap really is ideal for wrapping newborns and toddlers alike, and perfect for beginners too. My first woven wrap was a thick hemp blend and I struggled with it for months before switching to something lighter. I’d have had a much more enjoyable start to babywearing with a 100% cotton wrap such as the BBSlen. If you want just one wrap to see you through your babywearing days this is the one. Your only struggle may be choosing just one out of all the lovely designs on offer. Charlize
You can download a user manual and get lots more information about the BBSlen woven wrap over on the Babi Pur website.
We have one BBSlen wrap to give away.. you can enter our competition below!
