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By Contributor Allison Baltzersen

Whether you are a full-time babywearer or you occasionally need your hands free while out with baby, a good wrap is essential. But if you’ve ever shopped for one, you’ll know that the baby wrap market is HUGE. There are slings and wraps for carrying baby on your front, back or hip. There are carriers with snaps, buckles and flaps. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Frankly, shopping for just the right wrap is overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.

In the end, it makes sense to invest in one high quality wrap that can be tied in a variety of ways to safely carry baby from newborn to gangly toddler. Poe Wovens baby wraps deliver. They are made from high quality natural fibers like wool, alpaca and cotton. They are neutral in color so can be wrapped by moms or dads, and the fabric is intentionally designed to safely and comfortably carry babies of all sizes and weights, based on various carrying styles. Poe Wovens wraps are 100% made in the USA, including the textiles which are loomed in North Carolina and New England. Watch this neat YouTube video on the traditional method used to loom the Poe Wovens “Norwich” baby wrap. I love that Poe Wovens is keeping this tradition very much alive.

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Besides being entirely homegrown and loomed, the textiles chosen for each of the Poe Wovens wraps are gorgeous. They really are. I had a difficult time choosing just one to order. I finally settled on the Herringbone Merlot because it’s an all-around good fit for our family’s needs. It’s a neutral enough color my husband wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear out and durable enough to carry our toddler for at least another year.

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Now let’s talk sizing. Sizing a baby wrap is a little tricky, and I admit that I screwed it up. I’m a small-framed person, so thought the smallest size would be right for me when I placed my order. HOWEVER, what I failed to take into consideration was my intent to use a multi-wrap carrying method which requires a longer wrap. I should have either asked the Poe Wovens friendly customer service or looked at their sizing page BEFORE placing my order. DOH! When my XS wrap arrived, I discovered I couldn’t successfully double wrap my baby because the wrap was too short. SO… I sheepishly called Poe Wovens’ customer service to inform them that I goofed on my order sizing. To my delight, they immediately sent a larger sized wrap and a shipping label for returning my smaller one. Thumbs up for excellent customer service.

When my new larger wrap arrived a few days later, I discovered it was generously longer so I could try out all sorts of carry methods (Youtube the term “baby wrap instructions” for a zillion instructional videos) to see which one was best for my baby and I. In the end, we both felt the comfiest using the basic front-carry wrapping instructions from the Poe Wovens website. But with the extra length, we can experiment with other carrying methods as she gets bigger.

If you are in the market for a baby wrap that is high quality, gorgeous and durable enough to carry baby from newborn to preschool, then I highly recommend Poe Wovens wraps. You can see and feel the quality in the fabric. And it feels good supporting a company dedicated to keeping jobs and traditions in the USA. And if all of that is not reason enough to choose a Poe Wovens baby wrap over the competition, consider this: with every wrap ordered, you receive a little hemp tote for the wrap and a handful of extremely delicious pure Vermont maple candies.

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Disclosure: I received a sample of a product to facilitate my review. All views and opinions stated on this post are 100% my own. Special thanks to Rachel Florio-Urso,  Celebrity Baby Trend Expert for providing the product sample! 

Allison Baltzersen is a mother of two baby girls and blogs about her bumblings through green parenting over at Funny Shade of Green.