Babylonia continue to put not only their customers but their workers first. Making their carriers in a Fair Trade project in India, meaning they are paid a fair wage and have suitable working conditions, they in turn provide their customers with the highest quality products.
What do you get?
Inside the box you receive the BB-SLEN itself and an instruction manual
Price
The RRP for the BB-SLEN is between £35 and £75 depending on which size you buy
Colours
We received the Babylonia BB-SLEN in Fruit Cocktail but this wrap is available in another 15 different colours.
Babylonia BB-SLEN Material
The BB-SLEN is created from a woven cotton wrap just like the BB-Tai and the BB-Sling. As I said at the beginning, it is made in a Fair Trade project in India. What I love is that the wrap’s material is created using non toxic dyes, so there is no need to worry if your little one decides to put the wrap in their mouth to chew on. The wide range of materials available mean that it can be kept gender neutral or specifically boy or girl coloured, depending on your preference.
The way that the material is woven makes it strong and supportive for your both you and your child, yet it remains soft to the touch. You can make out all of the separate colours used in making the wrap, the detail in the weaving is wonderful and the edges of the wrap are hemmed with a stitching that blends in with the rest of the material. You can see just how much effort goes into making it.
The BB-SLEN, like the rest of the Babylonia products, is machine washable, it can be washed at 40 degrees and is recommended that you hang it up to dry, no tumble drying - however you can iron it once dry.
Babylonia BB-SLEN Features
The BB-SLEN doesn't have any added accessories. I like the simplicity of it. It amazes me how one long piece of material can provide you with the means to carry your baby in so many different positions.
I think its best feature is that you can use it from birth, even for premature babies, meaning it is perfect for allowing you to have skin to skin contact with your baby, keeping your little one safe and secure whilst allowing you to get on with day to day tasks.
Babylonia BB-SLEN - The Fit
The Babylonia BB-SLEN can be used with babies and toddlers that weigh from as little as 2kg right up until around 20kg. It is what is commonly known as a wrap.
I have to say that my favourite thing about all of the Babylonia carriers is the instruction booklet. It provides not only visual and written instructions on how to achieve certain carries, it also provides answers to some questions that a lot of parents will have about the idea of baby wearing and the affects it will have on both the child and the parent.
The booklet provides you with 15 different positions for you to try and carry your child in, this includes a couple of positions for twin carries. That’s right if you were to have twins, you would be able to carry them both at the same time!
There are carries for the front, the hip and the back, depending on the age of your child and what you feel comfortable doing yourself. Each one providing ample support for both the person carrying and the baby too, as the weight will always be evenly distributed. Babylonia even show you how to tie a tight and secure knot.
I personally love using a wrap but it does take practice. I always recommend going to your sling meets or libraries to get help and instruction if you can't work it out yourself.
The BB-SLEN comes in 4 sizes: 2.6m, 4.6m, 4.9m and 5.6m. If both parents are planning to share the carrying duties then it is recommended that you go for one of the larger sizes as any extra material can be simply tied around the waist an extra time or folding in the knot itself.
Babylonia BB-SLEN Conclusion
I know I've said it before but I'll say it again, baby wearing is a case of trial and error so if you've never used a wrap before, I would say go and try before you buy but I don't think you'll be disappointed. For anyone that has used a wrap before, the BB-SLEN is a great one to have in your collection, a high quality wrap that is extremely good value for money and ready to use straight out of the box.
This wrap provides closeness and comfort whilst leaving your hands free to do the housework, hold and older siblings hand etc. It will last you from birth right up to toddler years and beyond.
I struggle to find negative things to say. The fact that it can be purchased in different sizes isn't necessarily a bad thing, you can always have the wrap converted to a small size at a later date if you wanted to.
Overall it does the job it is supposed to do and with practice putting it on, it will become one of those baby accessories you wish you had bought sooner
We give the Babylonia BB-SLEN 4.5 out of 5 stars
