vatanai maruyama
I’ve always wanted to get into wraps for baby-wearing. I guess it’s just been the ultimate convenience, a way to carry your baby that’s traditional, simple, easy to care for, no rings, buckles, snaps, velcro, etc. Unfortunately, it’s also the way with the steepest learning curve, as figuring out to secure them safely while staying comfortable is a little tricky. I recently splurged on a short (3.5m) Vatanai wrap in Maruyama and have been totally in love with it since it arrived. But a little backstory first…
My first wrap was a brown Moby wrap. Simple and cheap, I still remember the complete feeling of joy I had two weeks after Spice was born when I managed to wander around the house eating a bowl of watermelon with both hands free while she slept snuggled against my chest. I was hooked on baby wearing. Unfortunately, the heavy jersey was hot and heavy in our California summers and I put it aside for cooler weather. I bought a Gypsy Mama gauze wrap, but returned it as soon as it arrived because it was also thick. I was also disappointed with the length and the dragging-ends-on-the-ground issue. A few visits to thebabywearer.com and the now missing ~elly rebozo page had me set on a rebozo, or rebozo-length non-stretchy wrap, but I put it off out for expense, disappointment in the Gypsy Mama wrap, and my fear of no being able to master the various carries comfortably enough. Added to this was that, come winter and cooler weather, Spice was too heavy for our stretchy Moby wrap and I started to write off wraps in favor of the Ergo I was using while eyeing other soft-structured carriers.
Still, in an effort to give it one final try, I hit up thebabywearer.com forums again and found a few references to warm weather wraps. The best recommendation for someone using a Vatanai wrap was from a mother in Australia. I mean, Australia’s pretty warm, right? :-) $100 was a little steep for a wrap, but from looking at the FSOT listings, I could see it had a pretty good resale value in case I didn’t like it, so I jumped.
I can’t imagine parting with it now. Sometimes, I put it for wash and toy with the idea of getting another one to use when I put it for wash, or at least, that’s the excuse I tell myself. It’s so soft and sturdy and it has the perfect “grippiness” to hold my 20lbs. of sweetness right where I tie her without budging an inch. The fabric isn’t thin, but it’s not heavy or heating. It seems to conform to my body temp pretty well, which is awesome here in California, but will be downright essential when we go to Malaysia in the summer. I have a front kangaroo carry down pat, and a pretty good back kangaroo carry, too. I’ve even figured out how to tie it loosely on for the easiest pop-ability, and have made it as pop-able as the Angelpack buckle tai. I imagine when Spice is standing/walking, I’ll get the back carry just as easy. If you’re in doubt about carries, it also came with several charts of step-by-step pictures for several carries that had us successful in an hour.
Of course, one of the things I love best about a non-woven stretchy wrap is it’s versatility. I love having something that doubles as a blanket, a nursing cover, a sun shade, a towel and more and that cleans up as easily as tossing in the washer & dryer with the clothes. (As you can see from the pic, it also worked as an impromptu baby-belt to keep Spice safely and comfortably seated in one of our patio chairs.) It folds/packs down to virtually nothing and the colors on the Maruyama are just perfect – pink, but muted and sweet. I’ve become a wrap addict and it’s all thanks to elegant Vatanai wrap.
