Gypsy Mama / Wrapsody Bali Stretch Baby Wrap

When I bought my wrap about a year ago, the brand name was Gypsy Mama.  About 6 months back, I got notification that the name had changed to Wrapsody.  Don’t be confused at all, only the name changed.  They are still awesome wraps.

I have posted my story previously of how I found Gypsy Mama / Wrapsody wraps and how much they saved my sanity the first year of Alex’s life.  I wanted to provide actual details of the wrap itself, its ease of use and the wonderful patterns it comes in.  So here is my official review.

I was admittedly quite intimidated of a wrap.  I had tried the more commercially made and known wraps found at the big baby stores and the 5 or so that I had tried from there were not comfortable.  Not at all.  I ended up donating them or selling them on eBay to just get rid of them!  I was sceptical of babywearing all together and heard many times (pediatrician, friends, etc) that I was going to spoil my kids wrotten if I carried them everywhere (or at all).  Once I found Gypsy Mama / Wrapsody, I knew it would be for me and my baby.

First of all, what is a wrap?  For those who may be unfamiliar, it is a huge piece of fabric.  Yeah, that’s it.  But this one piece of fabric is so awesome.  Mine is 5.5 yards, but I have seen them come in as short as 4 yards and others as long as 6 yards.  I kind of wish mine was 6 yards, just so it would be easier to carry my now 17 month old.  However, I am not really small in any way (besides vertically), so those that are smaller framed would probably do more then ok with the 5.5 yard size.

The official description from the manufacturer is this: These are soft and silky — soft like your favorite T-shirt. The process of hand-dying and batiking removes much of the lengthwise stretch but leaves the width wise stretch, making these super supportive and comfy for a wide range of ages. Our testers suggested that it’s a sort of “hybrid” between stretchy and woven wraps.  It is totally right!  It does feel like a t-shirt and it is very, very comfortable.  In my previous post on this wrap, I mentioned wearing Alex 24/7 and I wasn’t lying.  I wore him for up to 20 hours in a 24 hour period, only to take him out to feed, change, or change my clothes and shower.  I never felt the wrap and his weight was set in a way that it just felt like I was pregnant, without the vomiting, swollen feet and back pain.  Don’t get me wrong, my back would ache occasionally, but that was after wearing him for that long for a few days in a row.  I would need to take a break, but a few hours of not wearing him would be all that I would need.  I know other moms who have worn their kids in a wrap while all day at Disneyland, etc with no problems.

The ends are tapered, which makes it easy to tie with much less bulk.  I received lots of comments on this from my other baby wearing mamas.  They LOVED the tapered ends and so do I.  Another nice feature is that the Gypsy Mama / Wrapsody label is located in the middle of the wrap, which is so important when wrapping!  Each wrap comes with a full color instructional manual for more tips and tricks and NOW they come with an instructional DVD!

The patters are undeniably pretty.  So many colors and so many patterns.  I have seen a lot of the patterns in person, not just web, and the photos don’t do them justice.  I only wish my clothes were that pretty!  I chose a rainbow pattern called Phoenix Sunset or Sunrise, can’t quite remember.  It has a big wide blue stripe on top, which helped me to know which side was top which helps when wrapping.  I love big bold colors and this pattern suited me (and my shirts too).  They even have manly looking ones for those babywearing papa’s out there!

I also think it is important to say a little bit about the Gypsy Mama company.  It was founded by a single mom who wanted to create a business to promote attachment parenting and still be able to support her children financially.  She got a loan from The Mamatoto Project and she was able to take her love of babywearing and attachment parenting and create a great business with it.  All of their wraps are hand-batiked by artists in Bali under good working conditions.

Last thing to discuss is the price.  I bought mine new for $67.00 + tax.  The price point is now $76.00, but they now include an instructional DVD.  Honestly, I was in shock over the price and almost didn’t buy it because I KNEW my husband would KILL ME for spending $70 on a baby carrier.  I got over the sticker shock quick when in the store I got Alex wrapped in it and he stopped crying…. for the first time since he was born.  Seriously.  It made it all worth it, every single stinkin penny.  I probably would have paid double that if it meant getting my baby to be quiet and sleep.  I found out later as I was searching for other mamas who wore thier babies that the price is actually really good.  In the babywearing world, it was comparable to other wraps and was cheaper then other types of carriers too (like Ergo and some Mie Tia’s).  BTW, my husband didn’t kill me.  He just said… “Ok?”.  <big grin>

Tags: baby carrier, baby wraps, guaze wrap, gypsy mama, The Mamatoto Project, water wrap, Wrapsody

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm and is filed under Babywearing, Gypsy Mama Baby Wraps. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.