The Goods: Ovolo Woven Baby Wraps

The Reviewers: Kileah, Micah, and Amy

Editor’s note: we like to use products for a long time before posting our reviews because we feel a week or even a month’s use for something that could be an investment for a buyer isn’t enough time to really be able to review the product. That said, it took us AGES to get this review posted, much to our embarrassment. In that time though we got to learn that not only does Ovolo make quality wraps, they also maintain quality service, support, and interactions.

Left- Lark Glacier, size 6. Right- Fletching Wagtail, size 4.

The Good

Kileah says…

I am pretty sure I squealed when our Ovolo wraps came in the mail! Down to the packaging…there was so much love and care put into sending it to us. We received the Fletching Wagtail in a size 4 (3.6 metres/11.81 ft.) and the Lark Glacier in a size 5 (4.2/13.78 ft.) both in their loom state.  They both are 100% cotton but both completely gorgeous and DIFFERENT in their feel and wrapping specifics. The wagtail was a bit of a “beast” to break in at first…but nothing that a good thorough washing/drying and a few wears couldn’t fix. It’s an amazingly squishy and supportive wrap that doesn’t dig in at the tension points, and practically oooozed of sleepydust. The pixie hobbit and the baby hobbit both absolutely love getting wrapped up in it. The design of the fletching has a bit of personal meaning to our family as Micah’s grandfather’s name was Fletcher…the middle name we picked out for the sweet baby that we lost several years ago. Holding, wearing, using this warm, sturdy wrap has been a small source of healing in my heart.

And then Ovolo sent me and my littlest squish a NINJA and a HANDMADE Bandana in December. They did it JUST BECAUSE. Because they love their people and care about creating pieces that last. Pieces that are a part of your family…even for generations to come. THAT is the kind of heart and company I want to support. The kind that values my family and will do whatever it takes to help and support us in our journey of loving and learning with each other. Thank you, Ovolo. Thank you for working so hard to love on us in such a busy time of the year!

Baby hobbit in a double hammock carry using the Fletching Wagtail.

Micah says…

While I’ve been baby wearing since our oldest hobbit was born 6 years ago, this was my first experience wrapping with anything other than a Moby. I have to say that I was a bit skeptical at first- mostly because my experience using the Moby wasn’t that great- it was too long, and stretched out too easily for me. I did my best to put preconceived ideas aside and went to work learning to wrap with the Ovolos we received. I’m pretty big on the way things look, so for starters I can tell you that I was absolutely thrilled with the wraps Ovolo had sent as they were both patterns and colors that I liked. What I was not prepared for, however, was just how comfortable they would be once I got a few wrapping techniques down. The support that I felt I had as I carried a child in both was fantastic, and the knots stayed tied well.

Pixie Hobbit in a ruck carry with a tibetan tie-off using the Lark Glacier.

Amy says…

We reviewed the Heartwood Onyx in a size 6. (100% cotton, 257gsm if you’re into wrap stats.)
I’m saying this, but really, it’s my husband who’s giving the feedback for the review! This wrap is his daily driver. In fact, it’s probably in use for at least an hour each day, if not more! This is our son’s legacy wrap, hands-down, from both a quality perspective and for the emotional attachment we all have to it. My husband is not a wrapper. He wore our daughter in a “crotch-dangler” buckle carrier six years ago, so the first time he wrapped our newborn son in this Ovolo wrap was literally the first time he had ever wrapped a baby.

It’s beginner friendly. At first, we both scoffed at the included instruction photos (“Isn’t this a bit much? LOL.”) Answer: no! It’s not a bit much. Literally as soon as he had the wrap tied, he was praising the instruction sheet for how easy it was to do something that, at first blush, looked complicated. Since then, he’s tried a variety of videos and tutorials to guide him through other carries. (Spoiler alert: none have really worked, he’s ended up frustrated, and gone back to the tried-and-true FWCC. Front Wrap Cross Carry, for those who don’t speak wrap-ease.) It showed up soft and has broken in to buttah. It’s lovely. M y husband does things to this wrap that I’d never dream of! It gets tossed wherever he’s taking it off (floor, couch, bed, on top of the laundry heap in our room…). He’s not gentle with it. Our son has barfed stinky chunks of curdled breastmilk on to it more times than we can count. He sucks, teethes, and chews on the rails. I couldn’t tell you what the care instructions say; all I can tell you is that the hubs tossed it straight into the washer on ‘delicate’ with cloth-diaper safe detergent, and then we line-dried it. In the winter, it went into the dryer on ‘delicate’. I don’t think it’s shrunk much since we first washed and dried it to set the weave and prep it.

Real dad. Real newborn. Real beginner wrap job!

It’s forgiving as all get-out. It’s been in action for 10 months here and over that time, my husband has gotten MUCH better at wrapping (always the FWCC). He needed a mirror for the first month or so, and now he could probably do it with his eyes closed. He still doesn’t care much for getting the prettiest, or the neatest, or the best wrap job. He knows how to make sure the baby is in a deep seat and to spread the passes over his bum. Beyond that, all bets are off. Our guy isn’t small, either, he’s 25 pounds or so. This wrap forgives the sometimes sloppy passes and stays tight; it keeps him high and feeling light, despite his baby-heft. Even when our (strong like a horse!) baby is arching his back and trying to nose-dive out of it (for instance, when he’s about to be handed off to me to nurse), the passes stay tight and hold him.

If I had to get rid of all my wraps except one, this would be the one we kept. It has taken abuse, forgives sloppy wrapping, and my husband and son don’t go a day without it. It also helps that Ovolo knocked it out of the park with the design; it’s masculine and earthy and aesthetically simple yet beautiful. We love it.

Ovolo Heartwood Onyx. Our legacy wrap.

The Bad

Kileah says…

As I mentioned before: the Fletching is what I’d call more of an experienced babywearer’s wrap…it’s a DREAM to wrap with when the wrap is broken in…but it takes some good washing/drying and some good beating/wearing around to break in. Absolutely worth the effort because it speaks STRONG and SOFT when it’s in its ideal state. The Lark, simply due to its more “lightweightedness,” was easier to re-adjust to breastfeed my youngest two in.

Micah says…

A few things come to mind here. First, the Fletching Wagtail, which is the wrap that I absolutely loved, is too short to be a versatile wrap for me. At 5’10” and 245 lbs. I need a wrap that’s at least a 6 to be able to feel secure using it in a back carry- I wasn’t able to use this wrap for anything more than a simple hip carry. This could definitely be a downside for dads since we tend to be bigger framed than moms! Also, the Fletching Wagtail is such a heavy woven fabric that it really isn’t ideal for use in warmer weather.

Pixie Hobbit in a hip cross carry using the Lark Glacier. This was on a Costco that she was less than thrilled to be a part of!

Amy says…

I think it’s faded a bit after a ton of use and several times drying in the sun. Black is a tough color as fading goes, but that’s really the only potentially bad thing I can say. We don’t mind it the slight fade. I probably should’ve hung it in the evening when it wouldn’t be in direct sunlight. Maybe the other “bad” is that my husband commandeered this thing and I think I’ve gotten to use it maybe one time! Ha!

To Micah’s point, I’ll mention that my husband is 5’7″ and a medium build, and a 6 is just fitting him to wrap our 10 month-old in a FWCC. If you’re buying for a dad (and this is the epitome of a dad wrap!), look at the longer sizes.

The Ugly

Kileah says… 

The ugly for me? Don’t know if I have anything bad to say…I’m in love 🙂

Micah says…

The ugly for me is simply that wraps just aren’t as quick and easy to use as most soft structured carriers. I wish they were, because they are pretty cool and extremely comfortable as long as you wear them correctly.

Amy says…

We did have a hem on one rail succumb to some razor-sharp baby teeth. Fixing that is on my to-do list, but it’s been like that for a couple months, and it hasn’t impacted wrapping at all. (And again, my husband is not gentle when he’s using this thing, so consider that the hems were put under a good deal of stress every time he’s used it.) Did I mention this thing takes a beating?

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While no product is absolutely perfect for everyone, our reviewers all agreed that the Ovolo wraps come close. So we’re excited to share the love with you in an Ovolo Wrap giveaway for one lucky Leaky and excited that 3 additional wraps are going to babywearing lending libraries!

Ovolo Ombre Lupine

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Ovolo is giving away one of their brand new wraps, the Ombre Lupine in a Size 6 ($325 value) for one lucky Leaky!

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Meet Ombre Lupine, a gorgeous combination of blues, purples, and greys with a navy blue weft. Lupine is the first in our series of wraps called Ombre. Ovolo Ombre wraps are uniquely woven on a small dobby loom in plain weave and in very limited batches, less than 20 per color. Ombre wraps are woven with 8/2 cotton for both warp and weft. Ombre is truly the wrap for everyone. It carries very much like your favorite handwoven, with lots of stretch, amazing drape, and very gentle on shoulders. Woven and finished in the USA.

Size 4: 4.6 meters

Width: 76cm
Rails: Selvedge
Ends: Blunt Hemmed
Middle Marker: Tactile

100% 8/2 cotton | 275 gsm

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Good luck to everyone!  Please use the widget below to be entered.  The giveaway is open from March 16, 2015 through March 23, 2015.  A big thanks to Ovolo for their support of TLB and all breastfeeding women; please be sure to visit their Facebook page and thank them for their support of TLB and this giveaway opportunity.  Check out their Etsy shop too!

This giveaway is restricted to US entries only. 

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