Hug-a-Bub Review (stretchy wrap around baby carrier)

The Hug-a-Bub stretchy wrap around carrier is 100% cotton and Australian made. It comes in a handful of different sizes, however their "hugable" (or regular) size will fit almost anyone (including my partner and I who have used the hug-a-bub at 170cms height and weighing both above and below 100kgs). The hugable size is 5 meters long which gives parents plenty of wrap to work with. The length left over after finding just the right position and tightness can be wrapped around the parent's body as many times as necessary and tied in a knot.

Hug-a-Bubs come with a pocket at the centre of one side of the fabric in a contrasting colour to the rest of the wrap. This makes it incredibly easy to find the centre, which is the first step of putting the wrap on. It is also convenient for storing a spare nappy, or other small items.

Hug-a-Bub send an instructional DVD with their wrap which makes learning how to use a wrap around carrier easy! It was thanks to the Hug-a-Bub DVD that my partner and I were able to figure out how to use our ellaroo woven wrap too! The Hug-a-Bub company is one well worth supporting. It is run by two mothers who practice attachment parenting and see the production and sale of their babywearing product as one small part of gentle parenting more generally. For these mothers the hug-a-bub is not about making money, it's about fostering close bonds between parents and children and therefore enabling healthy childhood development. Hug-a-Bub invited Indigenous Australian artist Tex Skuthorpe to create a pattern for one of the carrier's colour schemes and donated a percentage of the sale of these wraps to a cause of his choice. Tex chose The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

Furthermore when our Hug-a-Bub developed a stress tear on account of our poor care for the wrap (not washing it often enough) the women and Hug-a-Bub were more than happy to replace the wrap for us. That is how we came to own two Hug-a-Bubs - our red wrap with a small hole which has not effected it's useability and a pocketless sage wrap in perfect condition. When we received our second wrap we were also given a second instructional DVD and a card with a kind hand written message. While the sage wrap is without a pocket, the Hug-a-Bub logo is still conveniently located in the centre of the fabric so it is still easy to find the centre.

The stretchy fabric makes getting your baby in and out, readjusting and repositioning the wrap easy. While it is entirely possible to feed your baby while wearing him or her in the Hug-a-Bub I took my baby out of the wrap to feed her. I could still keep the wrap on though, and just lift it and my shirt up over a breast to feed. When finished I would readjust the wrap and pop her back in with ease.

In the early months of mothering this stretchy wrap was the only carrier I felt completely comfortable using in public. This is because I found it easy to adjust without having to take it off and start from the start again - which I struggled with using the woven wrap.

I was reluctant to buy a Hug-a-Bub at first because I had heard many parents say that once their child hit 6 months of age they were too heavy for the stretchy wrap. The stretch in the wrap gave-way too easily and the heavier baby would sink down too low making it uncomfortable for the parents. However, after struggling to use my woven wrap in the first couple of weeks of motherhood I bought a Hug-a-Bub. The Hug-a-Bub got my family off to a successful babywearing beginning, and I was able to learn how to use the woven wrap from there. At seven months I began to find it difficult to wear my baby in the Hug-a-Bub. I found that because my child was heavier I had to be very precise about how tight I had the wrap and where exactly it was positioned on my body, because if it was slightly wrong I would really feel it, particularly on my hips. At this point I stopped using my Hug-a-Bub as much.

Having said that my partner loved the Hug-a-Bub and continued to have no problems wearing our older baby in it, and a friend of ours wore her son in the stretchy wrap for over a year. Even though I didn't use our Hug-a-Bub as much after seven months I would still highly recommend it to other parents with young babies. For the first seven months of our child's life we used the Hug-a-Bub every single day for extensive periods of time, so we still beleive it was money well spent.

The Sling Station says this about Stretchy Wraps:

The most comfortable; The most versatile; the best support for baby; Ergonomic support for both baby and the caregiver Studies show that wraps support the spine and hips better than any other carrier – especially for newborns. Many people who have back trouble report that the wrap is the only carrier they can comfortably use for long periods. Cons:Lots of fabric. Can get hot. Somewhat steep learning curve (most people can learn at least one tying method in 15-20 minutes of practice)...stretchy wraps are easy for beginners – only one tying method. Nice and cuddly for newborns. Ideal for newborns - our favorite baby shower gift. Easy in/out. Cons: Better for smaller babies and front carries. Back carries are not usually recommended with stretchy wraps. Newborns can be held reclining, upright, facing in, facing out, or side sitting.

Helpful Links:

Colour Schemes Available

Sizing Explained

Positions

How to Tie Instructions from the Hug-a-Bub Website

This youtube video is also helpful:

Purchase From:

Mothers Direct

Mothers Direct (pocketless - cheaper)

Instictive Parenting

Other Stretchy Wraps Available at:

Karri Tree Lane (Moby)

Karri Tree Lane (Gypsy Mama)

Sling Station (Moby)