by April Kinney, VBE

Two of the most popular brands of soft-structured carriers (SSCs) that fit larger babies and toddlers are Kinderpack and Tula. If you're in the market, you may be wondering which you should get. Here are some thoughts from our VBE April Kinney!

Wearing and the heat
A lot of people ask if the Kinderpack with the coolknit mesh panel or the Tula is better. I have both Kinderpack (KP) standard size and Tula canvas toddler size to give my experience on. While I think the KP mesh makes a small difference and it is a bit more breathable...you will still be hot. My Tula panel fabric is thinner than the fabric area of my KP, my KP panel is definitely thicker and bulkier. So Tula is thinner, KP has the panel to breathe. Kinda balances out, in my opinion. Let's face it, I'm wearing another person who radiates heat! The sweating action is going on between the 2 of us (my back and her belly or my chest and her belly) not her back and the carrier. After 2hrs of wearing on the boardwalk in 90+ sun my shirt was soaked and her front damp but her back wasn't sweaty at all. I do feel like the KP allows some air flow but it's nothing magical...the mesh is actual a pretty thick material. So choose which carrier you like, I promise it's not enough to make a difference. You can also use items like Frogg Togg cooling towels between the two of you to cut down on heat.

Standard vs Toddler vs Preschool sizing (note - only KP comes in Preschool size)
Madeline just barely begins to fit in this toddler, its right at her knee. She's approx 32", 23lb and 22m. It was harder to get her in the seat right because the panel is still pretty big and she floats around in it. She would sometimes sit on the excess fabric in the panel bc it would bunch up under her. We much rather prefer our standard size KP but it's out on loan. There's a misconception that toddler size SSC = toddler age. "Most" toddlers are perfectly fine in standard size for a while. Also, knee-to-knee does not mean once the knee past the panel you need to size up! Many carriers that are not quite knee-to-knee can still support the legs in the M position. Our standard KP panel does not extend to her knees - in fact it's about 2 or 3 fingers short of that. But her legs are still supported properly and we are both comfortable in it.

KPs' panels are a bit wider and taller. I find them more comfy too. They both have seat darts which make for deep pockets, but something about the waistband and the KP makes it so I also get a better deeper seat in that. there are things I like better about each. The Tula has more padding that goes farther down the straps, but I Iike the two way sliding on the straps on the KP. The waist band is firmer on the KP to me, I prefer the Tula waist. Overall, I personally reach for the KP more often!

The one downfall of Indios is that the weave is very open, making them prone to snags and pulled threads.  These pulls can usually be fixed quite easily and do not affect the safety of the wrap but may be an issue for some if you particularly dislike being hunched over a wrap, going cross-eyed pulling a single thread through the length of the wrap with a pin.  Because of this they aren’t the best pick for conversions.  Although I have seen many Indio ring slings and even some Indio WCMTs, many converters specifically state that they do not convert Indios because they can be so difficult to work with and often produce messy seams.  

Didymos wraps are sold in Germany, but can be purchased a few places domestically including Woven Wraps and Caribou Baby.  Birdie’s Room is a Canadian retailer but always has a great selection of Didymos Indios and ships to the US (shipping is free for orders over $150).  

My ratings according to Jennah’s arbitrary breakdown . . . (note these ratings are for Monti, the library Indio, wrapping qualities may vary for other Indios depending on the fabric blend)
Cush: 4/5
Grip: 4/5
Softness after breaking in: 4/5
Newborn suitability: 4/5
Baby (6+ mos) to toddler suitability: 4/5
Suitable for wrap conversion (RS, MT, or Buckle): 1/5
Value: 4/5
Cost (in this or other colors): $115 to $200+ depending on size, color, blend

Review by Kristi Wiegman, VBE

Babylonia BB-Slens are designed by a Belgium company but handwoven by a Fair Trade project in India.  They are 100% cotton and come in a wide variety of bold colors and stripes that are apparently all named after fruits/ spices (Blueberry/ Fruit Cocktail/ Green Paprika/ Pink Pepper, etc.).  Kitschy names aside, the color combos are striking and there is a lot of variety so most anyone can find a combination that speaks to them.  The BWI of Southern Maryland library has a size 4 wrap and ring sling that were chopped from a larger wrap in the Papaya colorway which is red with pink and orange contrasting stripes on one rail.  This is super helpful for learning carries when you are new to wrapping but also for veterans when you need to flip one rail, such as in Half Jordan’s Back Carry or Kangaroo. 

BB-Slens are a thin wrap which means it is lightweight and particularly good for warm climates/ summertime wrapping.  However, the diagonal weave makes it very strong and supportive so it and can be used with heavier children without getting diggy or sagging.  Its thinness makes wrapping easy but it is also is decently grippy, a great combination so that passes are easy to spread but also likely to stay put.  One major benefit of BB-Slens is that they are very wide, at 80 cm they are known to be the widest commercial wrap on the market.  This means lots of fabric for making a super deep seat and also for back support for taller children.  The width also adds to extra cush on the shoulders, making back carries in particular more comfortable for a longer amount of time than other wraps of a similar weight.   I used the library wrap in a HJBC carry with my 14 month old while doing laps around the field during my son’s baseball game and we were still comfortable after an hour of wearing and walking.  This is definitely a great choice if you are looking for a one-for-all wrap to live with you from infancy to toddlerhood.

I have a soft spot for the BB-Slen Papaya ring sling because it was the one I had checked out from the library when ring slings finally clicked for me.  I credit the stripes to helping me keep the sling from getting crossed or the tail from getting tangled/ folded over and helping me figure out where to tighten and adjust.  BB-Slens make great wrap conversion ring slings because the wrap is easy to adjust through the rings, but stays put and doesn’t sag or pull on the shoulder too much.   I wore my daughter in the library ring sling at a work holiday party last year and she stayed cozy and snug the whole evening. 

Need more convincing?  Here is Kate Hudson wearing her son in a BB-Slen Pineapple Ring Sling.  So obviously they make you look like a celebrity.  Nuff said.

One quirk of BB-Slens is that they only come in a few sizes – 2.6 meters, 4.6 or 4.9 meters and 5.6 meters, which roughly equate to a short size 2, size 6 / long 6 & size 8.  In order to get any other size (like our library 4) you would need to buy a larger wrap and have it chopped, but that’s okay because the best feature of BB-Slens is that they are an amazing value.  They are one of the less expensive wraps on the market which is amazing considering all that they offer.  Although international in origin, they are sold by a number of US based companies including Granola Babies, Heavenly Hold and PaxBaby.  And the User Manual that comes along with new wraps is incredible; I would recommend it to anyone interested in wrapping no matter what brand woven wrap they are using.  It is available for free here - http://www.babylonia.be/graphics/cms_docs/bb_slen_en.pdf

My ratings according to Jennah’s arbitrary breakdown . . .
Cush: 3/5
Grip: 3.5/5
Softness after breaking in: 4/5
Newborn suitability: 5/5
Baby (6+ mos) to toddler suitability: 4/5
Suitable for wrap conversion (RS, MT, or Buckle): 5/5
Value: 5/5
Cost (in this or other colors): $60 to  $140 depending on size/ retailer. 

UPDATE 7/15/2014 - We now own another BBslen wrap! This size 2 BBslen Strawberry Stripes is also amazingly soft, wide, and supportive.

Review by Jennah Watters, ABE
Believe it or not, this wrap is a Hoppediz Osaka...it just was purchased with a funky green dye job! This wrap was my introduction to a size 2. It is SO SO SO SOFT! 100% cotton, so very easy to care for. Because of that, I used it to wrap my toddler (then about 1.5 and 25 lbs) at the beach! She was much too heavy for a true water wrap at the point, so I wanted something easy to wrap with in windy conditions, easy to care for/wash, and comfy to wear a heavy toddler in. This fit the bill perfectly! It's wide, so forgiving while wrapping in the wind. You can see how deep a seat I was able to get in the pic above...and it's still up very high on her back and she's a tallll toddler! Not thick, but a dense weave that is very supportive for heavy kiddos (similarish to a Storch stripes, but I think softer and a bit thinner). We did not wrap IN the water, but it was perfect for oceanside walks with a quick trip in the washing machine every couple days. It was also compact enough that it would be easy to toss in the beach bag if you were not wearing to walk out to the beach and back.

It was also my first time wrapping with fringe and blunt ends. Because the wrap is fairly thin and moldable, the fringe was actually really fun and cute to me (seemed "beachy!"). I had no trouble wrapping with it and really like the Hopp fringe - it's short, basic, and not fussy to care for. I put my daughter up in a quick Ruck Tied Under Bum for walks out to the beach with 2 free hands for beach bags, and for longer walks during nap time I had enough length (even with a toddler!) to do Shepherd's or Reinforced Ruck with a Candy Cane Chest belt (I prefer Shepherd's, for the record). Both so comfy! So comfy, in fact, that I got two of the very very very few wrap naps my kid has EVER taken!! (I'm sure walking beside the ocean waves didn't hurt, either.) Such a good wrap nap one day that I was even able to transfer her to a beach towel and she continued to nap. That is unheard of for my kid!

Because it's thin and moldable, you do give up some cush. I, personally, prefer moldable over cush, but it's all personal preference. This makes a great shorty, but bc it's not thick and overwhelming would be great in any size. Definitely recommend Hoppediz carriers as a great "I only want to buy one wrap ever" carrier, because they can easily take you from baby to toddler, and are affordable, easy to find, and easy to care for. Win all around!

Give this carrier a check out if you want to try a Hopp or try your skillz with a size 2.

My arbitrary rating breakdown...
Cush: 2/5
Grip: 3/5
Softness after breaking in" 5/5
Newborn suitability: 5/5
Baby (6+ mos) to toddler suitability: 4/5
Suitable for wrap conversion (RS, MT, or Buckle): 5/5
Value: 5/5
Cost (in this and other colors): roughly $80-$110, depending on color and size

NOTE: If you ever need to wash a lending library wrap, be sure to always wash them with NO FABRIC SOFTENER OR DRYER SHEETS. These add a coating of wax to the wraps that is difficult to get off and can make them harder to wrap with (slippery) and shorten their lifespan. If you ever have any questions about washing a carrier (the library's or your own), check with us :)

UPDATE 7/15/2014 - We now own another Hoppediz wrap! This one is a Hopp Delhi size 2. It has no fringe, but it does have a cool pocket on one tail. It's not quite as broken in as the Osaka yet, but it's well on its way and is very supportive!

Review by Jennah Watters
Inda Jani wraps, sold in the US primarily by 5 Minute Recess, are handwoven (yes, handwoven!) by artisans in Oxaca, Mexico. There are several different weaves and weights – the taffeta weave is a much thinner weave, while the tilli (herringbone) and fular (diamond weave) are both thicker. They are great budget wraps, especially considering that they are handwoven. All currently available Inda Jani wraps are 100% cotton.

Below comments refer to the herringbone weave wraps, but the diamond weave is very similar in wrapping qualities. These will wrap short as they have almost blunt ends (no taper to speak of). If you are planning on buying for wrapping, I would encourage you to buy one size up because of that. Be sure to wash the wrap when you first get it, as it arrives in “loom state” and will need to be washed and dried to minimize thread shifting. I would not consider them “crunchy” at all, but they do get even softer with use. These wraps are very cushy on the shoulders because they are thick – but the weave is also very open and airy, so they are not especially hot during the summer. Because they are thicker, they will make a larger knot when used as a wrap. Be aware that the weave can pull fairly easily because it is so open and airy, but it’s also pretty easy to work the pulls back in.

As wraps, these are fairly grippy (similar to a Girasol diamond weave). They are great if you think you have “picky shoulders” because they are very supportive and cushy cushy cushy, and will teach you to strand-by-strand tighten well. Because of the thickness, I would not consider them the best wrap to initially learn on – especially for back carries (I tend to like wraps that are a little thinner for that, just because they are easy to manage), but this is a wonderful baby to toddler wrap once you’ve got the hang of the basics of wrapping.

I own a pre-made (from 5 Minute Recess, with a gathered shoulder) herringbone ring sling, and it is by far my favorite ring sling to use with my toddler. It’s so supportive in a single layer ring sling carry, even with my 20 lb 2 year old! I highly recommend these as ring sling wrap conversions - they are even great for newborns as wrap conversions, as you don't have to worry about big knots and dealing with thick material in conversion pieces.

Cush: 4/5
Grip: 4/5
Newborn suitability: 2/5
Baby (6+ mos) to toddler suitability: 5/5
Suitable for wrap conversion (RS, MT, or Buckle): 4/5 (pulls may be a deterrent)
Measures: approximately 73 cm wide
Thickness: 270g/m2
Value: 5/5
Cost: $90 (3.2 meter/size 3) - $110 (5.2 meter/size 7)

Want to check one out in the lending library? We own a herringbone ring sling (orange tie dyed), a semi-wrap conversion mei tai (from Zanytoes – orange tie dyed), and a size 6 orange herringbone wrap (to-be converted into a RS soon!). We also own a size 7 orange wrap with fringe (this one is the thinner, taffeta weave and will be reviewed later).