Thanks to the nice folks at CSNstores.com I've been given the opportunity to review the sleepy wrap. Since our little one isn't due until July I am sharing it with my sister in the meantime. Little Rosie was still hooked up to too many monitors to easily position her in the wrap, but she's headed home, hopefully early next week and can really give the wrap a workout. More on that in a minute....I am an experienced sling user, but this was my first time with a wrap style baby carrier. It was intimidating at first to pull out that loooooong piece of fabric from the box. (Which by the way was shipped and on my doorstep within 72 hours of ordering. Thanks CSN Stores!!!!) Thankfully there's a wonderful instruction booklet (with photos!) that walks you through the steps. I was surprised by how many different ways you can hold your baby in the wrap as they grow! Bonus!
Once I arrived at the hospital I had Katie give it a try. There's a learning curve when it comes to how tight to pull the fabric, but the wrapping itself is easy peasy! Here's Katie in action.
1) line the logo up with your waist2) bring the rest of the fabric around to your back and up over your shoulders (crossing them in the back)
3) pull the fabric tight UNDER the part with the logo
4) wrap around your back and bring around to tie a knot in the front.
Next it's time to put the baby in...
5) grab the edge of the crossed fabric that is closest to your body and pull it out. That's where you slip your baby in - bottom & back first from my sling experience....
6) pull the opposite piece of fabric around their back for added support
7) pull up the outside piece as the finishing touch.Pros of the sleepy wrap: What makes this wrap so great is the stretchiness of the material. It has just the right amount of give so you can tuck your baby in and they feel like they are back in the womb.
Another bonus for people who have back trouble is the baby's weight is distributed evenly across both of your shoulders.
It comes with this handy little pouch for easy storage. I'll be able to keep it in my diaper bag and pull it out whenever I need it. It will stay clean and won't make a mess out of my diaper bag. **Tip** When first putting the wrap on it is LONG and will drag on the (germy) floor. To avoid this I pool the material on top of my diaper bag so nothing that touches my babe will be in contact with the floor. I've heard other moms who use wrap style carriers talk about tying the wrap on at home to avoid having to mess with it on the go. Another great option!
For a preemie like Rosie it is going to be very important that she is protected from curious people who can't help but reach out and touch newborns. (you know what I'm talking about right?) This is where the sleepy wrap will come in very handy for Katie. See how safe and cuddled in the 'baby' is in the super soft sleepy wrap? Nobody is going to mess with this new mamabear!(Click here to see a couple of older infants in action.)
There's also the general babywearing pros of being hands free, calming baby, and bonding with your baby...and the bonus? The price for all these babywearing benefits is only $39.95! This is on the low end of babywearing items from my research.
The cons:
...the learning curve for how tight to make the wrap - thankfully this is something that won't be an issue after the first few times
...having a July baby I'm worried about the amount of fabric that is wrapped around me and the babe. BUT since we're often in the air conditioning, I have a feeling we'll be OK for the most part. We don't do long walks in the summer heat anyway.
....defect in the carrying bag. Mine arrived with a tiny hole in it. Bummer. If it had been in the wrap I would have used the CSN Store's easy return policy to get a new one, but since it was only in the bag I just put a few stitches in with needle and thread and it's as good as new.
Over all the Sleepy Wrap gets two thumbs up from me! Do YOU have any experience with this particular wrap? I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to share any tips you've picked up along the way! If it weren't for blogging about babywearing and learning from other blogging moms, I would have missed out on some of the sweetest babywearing snuggles! If you have any questions or something is unclear don't hesitate to ask - I'm happy to help!
Disclosure: I was given a $40 gift code to purchase this product from CSN Stores for the purposes of writing a review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. No other compensation was made.
I have a 2 month old and I use my sleepy wrap EVERY day! It is a life saver. We love love love it. I'm honestly not sure what I'd do without it. I have a beco, but don't like the infant insert, so we can't use that until he's 15 lbs (currently only 12). The key is definitely to get it tight enough (but not too tight), otherwise the baby starts sagging. However, I much prefer this stretchy fabric over some of the other wraps. Good pick on wraps! --Sarah
ReplyDeleteTotally not related to the wrap...but the curious people who touch babies...have you seen the signs on handsoffbaby.com??? We ordered one recently & I love it!
ReplyDeleteLOVE my Moby wrap. I got it for $5 at a garage sale ssshhhhh!
ReplyDeleteIt quickly replaced my gypsy mama wrap which I LOVE the colors on, but wasn't as stretchy as this one. This wrap is really easy to put on at home, and then it stretches out to size when you arrive and need to pop baby in. Also, it is the BEST for super tiny babies. Very very supportive.
So glad you got one!!! So glad you got it for free! (how do you sign up to review things?)
I have a Sleepy Wrap & I love LOVE it. I love that you tie it really tight so you know it's going to be a snug fit. I wore it every day for the first 8 weeks, and Harry loved it too. I don't use it as much any more, but did use it this weekend on a 1-hour walk in Atlanta. He's getting a bit too heavy for it now; going to move on to a woven wrap! But if we ever have another newborn, this will be the first baby carrier I pull out! You'll love it.
ReplyDeleteI just received a sleepy wrap myself, and so far I've only tried it out once with Miss Emma. But let me just say I love it so far. It's super comfortable unlike some of the slings that hurt your shoulders.
ReplyDelete