Babywearing part 4: Why Woven Wraps?

Wow it's been 2 months! Here's a short post to catch things up. But before we continue,

IHappy International Babywearing Week! =D

Sole Occidente drying on the rack

I often get The Look when I mention that I have more than one wrap, and even more than 3. People wonder why anyone would need more than 1 baby carrier, never mind 9 and counting!

Nino Rose, Lisca Natur, Stroop and ETHI after an
ironing of session. session of ironing. (I was tired!)

It really does boil down to It's None Of Your Business, but I'll explain a bit here. I see these as my love collection. And a lot of people have a collection of something they love.

No one bats an eye when someone amasses 40 video games of which they only really play 3. No one questions a personal library of 300 books. There's nothing wrong with a pile of stuffed animals displayed in pristine collection, or posters plastered around a room, or whatever it may be that people collect! But baby carriers?!

Maybe it's because it's okay to collect frivolous things instead of collect useful things. Just typing that felt weird. Why should it be Not Okay to collect useful things?

Sole Occidente, then Rose Silk Indo 9I 

I didn't intend on getting all these wraps, but I love colours and I am fascinated by the different wrap qualities due to the fabric blend or the pattern or the thickness/thinness. There are a number of factors which bring personality to a wrap and it's lovely, to me, to experience that personality. It's like playing different guitars or admiring the paint job of figurines - I mean, action figures.

Which brings us to, Why Woven Wraps? Why not soft-structured carriers (SSC) or Mei Tais (MT) or any other carrier?

I personally love the versatility of wraps. I can use them on any of my children because they are that strong. I can carry in the front, on my hip or on my back. I can do "poppable" carries which means I don't have to unwrap and rewrap to get my child in and out of the carry.

Kurbis, 1

I also love how wraps bring me closer to my children. The older two do so more for fun but it's so delicious to have them snuggle against my back. My baby is so relaxed when being worn on me and I can see how he is doing pretty much all the time.

I actually love the high learning curve. It's a challenge! The fabric length is overwhelming! But the more I practice, the better I get, and this is the kind of challenge I like: tactile, spatial, helps with parenting... okay, maybe the same can be said of chores but it doesn't appeal to me in the same way. I just love the challenge wrapping brings! Maybe because I love the rewards it gives in snuggles and bonding. I connect with that more.

Shades of Blue 5, ETHI 3

Along with all the above, I can use them as blankets to snuggle with, a hammock to rest in, covers for pretend tents, capes for my kids, all of which have been done save the hammock.

So that's me and wraps. I love them. I have loved some less and they have been shipped off to the arms of another mama who will use it with her beautiful child. As it stands, this is my woven wrap history:

Storch Leo Turquoise 6 - first woven in, now sold
Didymos Sole Occidente cotton 6 - still here!
Didy Emerald Turquoise hemp/cotton 3 - still here!
Didy Nino Rose cotton 7 - still here!
Didy Stroppwafel hemp/cotton 2 - still here!
Didy KinderWinter wool/cotton 8 - still here and waiting for winter!
Didy Aurora cotton 2 - sold
Didy Rose Silk Indio 1 - sold
Didy Lisca Natur cotton 5 - still here!
Didy Shadoes of Blue Indio, hemp/linen/cotton 5 - still here and never leaving!
Didy Kurbis wool/cotton 1 - still here! Used more as a blanket
Didy Teviot v2 wool/cotton 4 - still here! Waiting for winter and back carries
Didy Jade hemp/linen/cotton 4 - sold. I'd like a size 6 in the future if I can
Didy Teviot v1 wool/cotton 5 - on it's way!
Didy Latte Indio wool/cotton 7 - on layaway!

 Yes, this isn't a cheap hobby, but I think I spent as much on my cd collection, which I am not selling off anytime soon. But I have sold off other items to afford the above, and have stopped buying other things - id est I saved - to fund these. It's Still None Of Your Business but I'm sure half those out there, if not most, if not all, are counting the dollars I must have spent. Strange that people do that with wraps but I never saw that in the eyes of people admiring someone's hockey card collection. Hockey cards. Which don't do a practical dime of anything. And I'm not knocking hockey cards, as I used to collect those too, but are you starting to get my point here?

People collect things. My "thing" happens to be wraps, and I get to use them every day to spend time with my children. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

Teviot v2, 4

Jade Triblend, 4

Lisca Natur, 5

Sole Occidente, 6

Lisca natur, 5

So why not other carriers? Firstly, as you can see I only stick to one line. Helps keep the wallet-thinning at bay. That means there isn't much variance to carriers other than prints, and I'd much rather spend my budget on practical differences. For others that's their kick, to have 10 different Tulas or what-have-you, and that's perfectly fine. =)

For more info on woven wraps themselves, take a look at the links below!


http://babywearing102.tumblr.com/post/56148580856/the-economics-of-babywearing

http://www.kokorotextiles.com/blog/2015/2/27/the-life-of-fabric

http://www.sabcollective.com/?p=3144