**ncbelle**

habsoilers

Sorry to keep bugging you about wraps but I just had another question.

I'm looking at the Vatanai wraps and I really like some of the prints (specifically kipawa and maruyama). I'm not as keen on the Didymos prints (or prices! yikes!). So, in your expert opinion, will a Vatanai wrap be supportive enough for me to use with the back carry on a 25 lb. 13 month old? I think the Vatanai is the one I want to order but I won't if I won't be able to use it long term.

Thanks again for your help!

ncbelle

I love Vats but I will say they aren't quite as supportive as some other brands.  I think it depends on the carry you want to do and how long you carry at a time.  I do mostly rucksack carries which are single layer - I don't grab my Vats for those now that kiddo is closer to 19 pounds.  But they are great in multi-layer carries even for bigger babies.

I've actually seen both Kipawa and Maruyama on FSOT at thebabywearer.com for well under retail - might be a way to try it out to see what you think.  I can't remember if I mentioned them to you before or not but BB Slen is another very affordable brand (cheaper than Vats in fact) - they are also quite supportive.  They are also quite a bit wider than Vats which makes them easier to use with bigger babies, especially in a back carry.

Another plus for Vats is that I found them very easy to learn to wrap with.  Kipawa was my first woven - it's soft right away, slides easily and yet isn't slippery so that you have trouble getting the carry to stick right.  I've found my Turkish Delight BB Slen to have similar qualities - it's my one of my favorite long term back carry wraps right now.

Hope that helps!

habsoilers

Very helpful - thank you so much!

So.....um.....what size should I get?

ncbelle

Well, that depends on what carries you want to do.  Most people start with their "base size" which is the size you could do a front wrap cross carry with (the standard moby carry).  That length will let you do any carry - if you decide you like carries that require less fabric, you can always hem or get a new wrap ;-).

The "average" base size is a size 6 wrap (around 4.7 meters).  If you are smaller, you can go with a 4.2; if you are larger, you might find it easier to start with a 5.2.  I think the moby is close to 4.7 meters so you could use that to judge.

My favorite lengths are 3.7 meter and 2.7 meter wraps - I do mostly rucksack back carries with those.  

What do you think you'll get??

habsoilers

Well, after hours and hours, I think I've finally decided on a Vatanai Kipawa 4 metres. I find my Moby just a little too long so I think I want something just a touch shorter. At least, this is what I'm thinking right now. I'll look around a little more on my days off and hopefully I'll actually order something then!

Thanks again for all of your help!

ncbelle

Sounds good!  I can actually do all carries with my Vat 4 meter.  I found the moby too long as well.  Vats also wrap "long" because they have long tapers - so you can do carries with shorter wraps than some other brands (that makes more sense if you've tried different brands - I promise!).

Hope you like it!