You can't beat Bamboo viscose on softness. It's just such a strokeably soft material, and a perfect choice for a baby carrier designed for newborns. So I was delighted to test the new Boba Bamboo wrap.
The first thing that struck me was that the Bamboo wrap shares all the stuff I love about the standard (cotton) wrap:
- Beautiful 2 way stretch which makes it very easy to tie
- Different textured sides - smooth on one side and french terry toweling on the other side meaning that its easy to tell if you've twisted the wrap
- Perfect width and fairly long length so one size fits pretty much everyone
But adds on top of this all the advantages of Bamboo;
- Supreme softness
- Thermo-regulation, which means that it feels light and cool in the summer but will still keep you warm in the winter.
- Natural UV filter
- Anti-microbial properties, which is always helpful in something that will get a certain level of baby possits and even the odd poo-plosion!
All of which makes the Boba Bamboo wrap a wonderful choice for an expectant parent or newborn. It's not the absolute lightest material, I would say its more of a medium weight wrap rather than light weight, but the bamboo means you wouldn't get overly hot at anytime of year.
Where this wrap shines is definitely for the newborn period, its so soft and easy to tie, perfect for someone who hasn't ever used a wrap before etc. But I wouldn't recommend it for an older baby.
This wrap is very stretchy, and its this stretch that makes it so easy to use. Its so stretchy that its almost impossible to tie too tightly. But it is possible to tie it too loose!! For a new baby where they don't stretch the wrap out too much it has a very wide window of tolerance in terms of how tightly or loosely you tie it ... which is exactly why it is so easy to learn. But as baby grows, they become more wiggly and their weight increases (i.e. from about 4-6 months onward) this wrap becomes less supportive as it becomes increasingly difficult to tie tightly enough to be as supportive.
However, as most parents feel ready to move on from a stretchy wrap around 4 months anyway, I wouldn't really consider this a huge disadvantage. Yes, it didn't work well for Rachel at 15 months but I wouldn't usually carry her in a stretchy wrap at this age anyway. This wrap is absolutely perfect for the newborn to 4-6 month period. But if I was expecting a high birth weight baby or was wanting to continue using a stretchy wrap for longer, then I'd choose something with a little less stretch that would be more supportive of an older baby. More about how this wrap compares to others can be seen in our comparison article.
All in all, the Boba Bamboo wrap is perfect for anyone looking for a supersoft, easy to use newborn suitable wrap that will work year round. They retail for around £42-48 and usually the best prices can be found on Amazon.
-Madeleine
Help! I can't decide between the Hana bamboo, the boba bamboo or the ergo aura baby wraps. I live in Zimbabwe and am buying online so can't change my mind. I'm looking for a wrap for a newborn (I prefer the carriers when they get older and I have a couple) and even though it will be a winter baby, our winters are very mild so I am looking for something lightweight. I have read your reviews but still can't decide...which would you go for if you could only have one and couldn't return it? Price wise they are much of a muchness so that doesn't help me 🙁
Thank you!
Hi!
Great Question! They are all great wraps so its understandable for you to be torn between the three. I would say not the Boba, as its a piece thicker (and thus warmer) than the other two so probably wouldn't be top of my list if I lived in Zimbabwe. Between the Hana and the Aura its quite a toughie.
I think as you have carriers that you will use later then longevity is less of an issue for you. The biggest selling points on the Aura over the Hana is that it is stronger and more supportive. And that it is thinner and cooler. I think if you were having a summer baby and/or wanted to use this for longer, or were expecting a bigger baby then I would vote Aura. However, if you not expecting a bigger baby and are anticipating that you will move onto a carrier by 6 months if not before, then I might vote Hana as the additional stretch is lovely and makes it super easy to tie. Another consideration is of course heat... which is a bit of a personal preference and I guess depends if you are someone who is susceptible to overheating or not. Having just googled average temps in Zimbabwe in the winter - I don't think you'll be too hot in the Hana at all. And as Bamboo is a thermoregulator it will have the benefit of feeling warmer in the cooler mornings and evenings but not feeling too hot in the middle of the day. However, if you are very susceptable to over heating or likely to use in temps over 30 degrees then I'd vote the Aura for being that bit cooler.
I really hope that helps! Please do ask if you have more questions! 😀
PS - If you are ordering from a UK company I have a 5% discount code you can use with Wear My Baby on either the Aura or Hana (just shoot me a message through the Contact page and I'll send you the code :D)
Thanks so much for your advice!! Hana it is. Amazon have a very good price of 29.99 at the moment so I'm going to go for that. Thanks again for taking the time to advise!
You are welcome! I am glad to hear it was helpful!