Didymos Time Traveler from Birdies Room
When Julia approached me about the chance to review a woven wrap from Birdie’s Room – I was excited and nervous. I hated wrapping with the stretchy wrap and always felt confused and trapped. However, being an adventurous babywearer – I gave it a go. I am so glad that I did because the wrap I received opened my eyes to a whole new world and another opportunity to bond with my children.
My very first woven wrap – has quickly turned into a new hobby bordering on a cloth diaper addiction. I now stalk the Babywearing Swap Group on Facebook, but I am definitely not selling, trading or converting my 50/50 Hemp Cotton Didy Time Travel. I spend time chatting in TheBabyWearer forums and on YouTube looking for a new hold to try out and my Instagram account has been blown up with wrapping successes daily. I have become acquainted with words like churning, beater wrap, squish or toddler worthy and through it all Time Travel remains permastash.
Straight out of the box, this wrap is beastly – that means it is stiff and thick and presents itself as a task to wrap with. Being completely new to wrapping the first time, I definitely did not get a good hold. The wrap was loose and he wasn’t in the best position but I was determined. The more I used the wrap the easier it became to use and the tighter the rails ( top and bottom edge of wrap) would be. I learned that this is called “breaking a wrap in” and that there are many ways to do this.
Weave and Blend
The feel of the hemp/cotton blend is thin but supportive. The textured weave in the wrap makes it a great wrap for learning passes. Yes I did have some trouble with the grippy-ness at first but because it was quick to begin breaking in and once I understood how to readjust passes, this became a wonderful learning tool. During my first few weeks of wrapping I would make sure I had a helper – usually my husband. He would help to guide my passes and tails while I kept my hands on our baby. As I improved and my confidence was built by the grip of the weave and the tricks I learned on tutorials about holding one tail between your knees and passing the other – I was able to achieve these carries on my own.
Color and Pattern
I really love the color of this wrap. It is a purple and natural blend and I think it is suitable as a gender neutral wrap. The color has looked good on me and on any of the other women or men I’ve seen wearing it. I used this wrap for most of the New England fall season and it was a great contrast to my wardrobe and the colors of the season. I have two little boys and didn’t think twice about wrapping white side out. I liked to have the purple side towards me because it is a little softer and I felt that the grip of the white side was easier to work with facing out for layered holds.
The patterns that Didymos chose to include in this wrap are Labyrinth, Geckos, Ninos, Lillies and Ellipses which are separated by alternating rows of 1975 Old Standard and Indio Patterns. The release dates of each of these patterns is woven into the rails of the wraps – a nice bit of Didymos history.
Drawbacks
The only draw back would be just how addicting wrapping is. This wrap is really lovely and the hemp/cotton blend is breathable and still supportive. It does take some coordination because unlike stretchy wraps – you cannot pre-tie a woven. You can set up some of the passes but basically you need to work with one hand on the baby and one hand on the wrap. Having a spotter and checking and adjusting your wrap is a must for all babywearering activities. It is also important to know your size. Most people begin with a 5 or a 6 when learning to wrap and then size up or down depending on their situation. Cost can be a factor that deters some people from wovens but you can get good deals from retailers and you can swap your old for something else on babywearing swap boards.
I received a discounted wrap for purposes of this review from Birdie’s Room. Birdie’s Room offers natural parenting, home and babywearing supplies. You can read more about Birdie’s Room at my blog, The Artful Mama.
Birdie’s Room is offering Free Shipping for our readers. This is a great deal and they run regular sales. Enter code “BWSHIP” at checkout for free shipping.
About the Author: Shannon writes at The Artful Mama and is the mother of two little boys. She is a wife, high school teacher, doula, babywearing and cloth diapering instructor and some time artist. You can join Shannon on Facebook and Twitter.
