When choosing a stretchy wrap for your free hire there are several things to bear in mind.

All of these wraps are suitable from newborn, and are usually most suitable up to around 4-6 months. They can be used for much longer if your baby is still happy in them and you still find them comfortable, but they are designed to recreate the womb-like conditions that are so familiar to the baby and help to ease them through the 4^th trimester and into the world gently.

2 way stretch fabric

All of the wraps are 2 way stretchy wraps, which is easier to use than a 1 way stretchy wrap for most parents. Claims that some stretchy wraps are 4 way is misleading – the two additional directions are the diagonal directions which is known as the bias of the fabric. All fabrics have some give or stretch along the bias, even non-stretch fabrics. All stretch fabrics stretch along diagonal lines. The distinction between 1 way stretch – a fabric which stretches along the width or short edge of the wrap – and a 2 way stretch – one which stretches along the length as well as the width – is helpful. Stretching along the length makes it easier to use the stretch of the fabric to make space for the baby in the wrap, and the elasticity, or recoil, of the fabric then holds baby into your body.

The baby box wraps in the Scottish Baby Box scheme and the popular Moby wraps are 1-way stretch wraps. (If you want to count the diagonal stretch direction then all 1 way stretch wraps are 3 way stretch and all 2 way stretch wraps are 4 way stretch – this is, however, a marketing ploy – the idea is the more stretch directions, the better)

Cotton Jersey/French Terry

French terry is a looped towelling like fabric on one side and smooth T-shirt fabric like on the other side. Both Boba and the JPMBB Basic wrap are made of French Terry. The sides are visibly different so you can see whether or not you have twisted the fabric. French Terry is a thicker fabric than jersey and may be warmer than plain jersey fabric. Boba wraps are also available in a Bamboo French terry which is lighter and thinner than the cotton version.

Cotton Jersey is a simple knit stretchy T-Shirt fabric. The Lifft stretchy wrap and Sling School stretchy wrap are Cotton Jersey and are thin yet supportive. They are probably the coolest stretchy wraps offered in our Free Stretchy Wrap Scheme.

Length

If you prefer to tie your knot at the front, rather than behind your back, or if you are petite or under size 14, you may prefer a shorter version of a stretchy wrap. This means there is less fabric to work with, and that you don’t have such long tails of fabric after tying.

The Lifft Wraps have the option to buy a short size (4.1m), or standard length (5m). Boba wraps and Sling School wraps are 5m and JPMBB Basic are 4.6m long.

Colour palette

We want you to love the look of your stretchy wrap too.

JPMBB come in an urban palette of strong red, black, misty green, dark turquoise and Pearl Grey.

Lifft are jewel tones in Jade, Plum, Teal, Blue, Soft Grey, and Black

Boba come in bright solids

Sling School are bright and jewel tones in Orange, Blue, Teal, Black and Purple with bright rainbow start middle markers

Contrast Coloured Overlocked Edging

Contrast coloured overlocking around the edge that can help you find the edge of the wrap. This is helpful in moving the right part of the fabric when positioning your baby in the wrap. Lifft Stretchy Wraps have contrast coloured overlocked edging.

Plastic Free Packaging

Lifft, Sling School and Boba have plastic free packaging, coming in cardboard boxes only. JPMBB packaging is not plastic free.

We send out all orders in a plastic postage bag. We reuse these several times when they come back with our hired carriers, and we ask that, where possible, if returning your stretchy wrap at the end of your hire, you reuse the bag in which it arrived, or another suitable postage container to minimise waste.

Country of Manufacture

Lifft – Britain

JPMBB – made in Turkey

Boba – China

Sling School – Britain

Ready To Order?

You can head here now, or if you aren’t quite ready why not sign up for a reminder closer to the time!