need helping choosing woven wrap

[luckygreen713]

Oh wise babywearing mamas, I need some help

So, my dd2 is 26mo and she's big. She tall with a really long torso. And she weighs about 32 lbs. I am a small woman, at 5'3" and 115ish. I have been searching for a carrier that is tall enough to cover her back. It must be a 2-shouldered carry for me. I just got a Boba, which is ok, but still not as high on her as I'd like. So, now I'm thinking about wraps. I wore her in a Moby from birth til 4mo at which point she needed more support, but I LOVED wrapping. I know it's easy to wrap in a Moby compared to woven, but I'm pretty sure I'm up for the challenge.

So, what I'm looking for is a woven wrap that will hold my tall dd closely to my back (or front sometimes), that hopefully isn't too hot for the summer, and that isn't too expensive. What's the cheapest quality woven wrap? I was thinking maybe Ellaroo? Or would any of Gypsy Mama's (didn't she just change the name of those) work for my big girl?

Any advice would be so greatly appreciated! My girl is going through an extra-clingy-afraid-of-a-lot-of-stuff phase and I'm really feeling the need to wear her comfortably. My older dd went through that too, but the Ergo worked for her, as she is smaller and shorter. TIA!!!

[luckygreen713]

Just checked out Wrapsody wraps on quirkybaby.com and they look nice. They are in my price range and they would be cooler for the summer. But they say they'll hold a child up to 35lbs. Would it be silly to get one of those for my 32lb dd?

[Lauren710]

BBSlen wraps are thin, super wide, supportive enough for toddlers, and pretty reasonably priced. I know pieceofcloth.com carries them, I'm sure other vendors do too but not sure which ones. Wrapsody Bali Breeze is supposed to be great for summer, but I've never personally tried one so I don't know how comfortable they are for carrying bigger kids.

[ElaynesMom]

I haven't tried Ellaroo or GypsyMama, but I have heard many experienced wrappers say they are generally too thin and not the most comfortable wraps for toddlers, though they are supposed to be cool.

Honestly, wearing a toddler on you, with fabric wrapped around you, in hot weather, is going to be hot. For a 32 lb toddler I'd probably go with a german style woven (Storchenwiege, Didymos, BB Slen, etc). BB Slens are suppoised to be thinner while still being supportive, but make sure to get one that really appeals to you looks wise, not just one that is supposedly thin, because that way you'll actually want to use it as wraps do have a bit of a learning curve to them. I'd also try and figure out some single layer carries that would work for you instead of multi layer carries, as that will help in the heat.

[ears73]

I have had a GMBBB (the gauze one, as opposed to stretchy) and an Ellaroo - both are thin and -tho Ijust have a 4 month old - I would agree w/pp about not as comfy for toddlers. You also have to be careful wrapping so as not to get pressure points. If you are trying to keep your wrap from breaking the bank but want something substantial, I'd suggest watching fsot on thebabywearer.com. Sometimes good deals come up. Also, I have not used it, but Walter's Never Fail wrap is less expensive and people use it for heavier babies. I think there is one on fsot on Diaper Swappers now.
Good luck mama & Happy Babywearing!!

[jazzharmony]

Definitely a german woven wrap. I wore my heavy and tall daughter for years in a Storchenwiege. My Ellaroo was not as comfortable when she got to be your daughter's size.

[akayerich]

Originally Posted by ElaynesMom

I haven't tried Ellaroo or GypsyMama, but I have heard many experienced wrappers say they are generally too thin and not the most comfortable wraps for toddlers, though they are supposed to be cool.

Honestly, wearing a toddler on you, with fabric wrapped around you, in hot weather, is going to be hot. For a 32 lb toddler I'd probably go with a german style woven (Storchenwiege, Didymos, BB Slen, etc). BB Slens are suppoised to be thinner while still being supportive, but make sure to get one that really appeals to you looks wise, not just one that is supposedly thin, because that way you'll actually want to use it as wraps do have a bit of a learning curve to them. I'd also try and figure out some single layer carries that would work for you instead of multi layer carries, as that will help in the heat.

I agree with this and the other PP's who said that the Ellaroo's and other thinner wraps probably aren't as comfortable or supportive for bigger kids. I have an Ellaroo and a Storchenweige and I love them both. But DS and I are both more comfortable in the Storchenweige now, especially for back carries. And DS isn't nearly as big as your LO (22ish lbs, 15 months). The Storch is wider, so it's much easier to keep the wrap high enough on his back. However, it's true that the Storch isn't nearly as cool as the Ellaroo, so I do expect I'll still use the Ellaroo some this summer for front carries.

I was also thinking, like Elaynesmom, that you should look into single layer carries, to help with the heat. I can't pull off a single layer back carry anymore with the Ellaroo, so while the wrap is thinner, there are more layers, so it ends up being as thick as a thicker wrap wrapped singly. (I hope that sentence makes sense.)

This may be a little more info than you're looking for right now, but:
A rucksack carry would keep the wrap from being wrapped around you a whole lot, and only a single layer over most of your LO. http://wrapyourbaby.com/rucksack.htm
This is my favorite back carry, though. It's not single layer, but super comfy and supportive http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-QqZms9Qw

[texmati]

subbing as I'm in the same spot. DS seems to heavy for the moby, and I really want a two shouldered carry. the ring sling is just not cutting it. And we live in texas where it's going to get hot hot hot!

[MsVyky]

I have a Natibaby woven which will be AWESOME for summer. its quite thin, and straight out of the package it was beautifully soft and floppy. But it's still very very supportive.

$0.02