Wrap Conversion FTW!

Last year I bought a Girasol wrap after discovering how soft they are. I found it to be the comfiest wrap I had tried.

Unfortunately I was impulsive and ended up getting a wrap 1 metre too short for my needs. I could only do a rucksack carry and when using the wrap that way my favourite colours (the green and purples) ended up hidden and my least favourite section of oranges and yellows were most prominent. It ended up becoming my least used sling.

 

A friend of mine introduced me to Hipababy mei tais. She had one on loan and had spent hours wearing her baby on her front in a wrap and her 4 year old on her back in the mei tai, with no discomfort! I gave it a go and it was instant love. In particular, I liked the waist strap which was padded. I remember saying to my partner "it feels like your lower back is getting an osteo treatment while you're babywearing!" But having just spent money on a wrap we weren't using I was in no position to be planning a mei tai ;)

I started following Hipababy on Facebook and discovered that Debbie, who is Hipababy, makes absolutely stunning wrap conversions. She takes wraps and turns them into ring slings and mei tais. Now I could have my wrap and use it too! Debbie and I negotiated styles of straps, hoods, an applique design, colour and type of fabric for the lining, over email. Best of all she promised to minimise the orange for me and maximise the green and purple. The end result is our family's all time favourite sling:

 

Of the 4 mei tais, 3 ring slings, 5 wraps, 2 pouches and 3 soft structured carriers our family has owned in the past five years, this wrap conversion wins: 

• most comfy, 
• easiest to use, 
• cutest, 
• softest and 
• best hood/sleeing-baby-head-support (it can be adjusted so there are no gaps for the head to slide out of while you're running around with a sleeping babe on your back)

My 3.6 metre Girasol number 6 (old rainbow) has gone from being our least used, biggest-buyers'-remorse sling, to being our all time favourite sling and the rest of the stash is feeling neglected.

In use at Melbourne Museum, front carrying 19 month old

I am so grateful to Debbie for rescuing this wrap for me. But her awesomeness doesn't stop there. She also donated a collection of books to my doula library that she no longer needed. After years of dreaming of my own copy of Adventures in Tandem Nursing, I now have it (and it's already out on loan), along with some other pearlers:

Thank-you so much, again, Debbie!

I'm leaving you with a few photos of our favourite mei tai in use. And I should also mention that this blog post was not sponsored. This is an unpaid glowing recommendation of Hipababy. Debbie is a seamstress genius and also very patient and helpful throughout the whole planning process.

Hipababy's website
Hipababy on Facebook
Photo album of other custom mei tais Debbie has made
Her price list for wrap conversions