Nicole and Grace of Bailey Wrap

As an advocate of babywearing, it always warms my heart whenever I get to know other moms who feel the same way about wearing their babies. More than the wonderful feeling of being “one” with your precious bundle of joy, babywearing actually has numerous benefits.

Here are just a few of them, according to Dr. William Sears (though for the sake of being general, the term “sling babies” has been changed with “worn babies” for this article):

1.    Sling babies cry less.
2.    Sling babies learn more.
3.    Sling babies are more organized.
4.    Sling babies get “humanized” earlier.
5.    Sling babies are smarter.

For “sis-preneurs” (sister entrepreneurs) Nicole A. Olayres and Grace L. Agustin, the abovementioned are just some of the reasons why they decided to come up with the “Bailey Wrap,” the first locally-made baby wrap in the Philippines.

Nicole, as a first-time mom to Bailey (after whom the wrap was named), was searching for a baby carrier that was “just right” for her and her little girl. Her search led her to several baby carriers that were too uncomfortable either for her or Bailey.

Eventually, she discovered the Moby Wrap, which, being a U.S. brand, proved very costly to ship to the Philippines.

Thus, enterprisingly creative Nicole thought of making her own wrap and marketing it with the help of her elder sister Grace. With high quality material imported from Korea, the wrap is manufactured locally but is of export quality. According to Nicole, they even have an interested wholesale buyer from Australia.

The Bailey Wrap online shop is only 3 months old (at the time this article was written), but the sisters have already sold about 150 pieces, with buyers mostly based in Baguio, Davao and Cebu. Since their main target customers are from the “B” and “C” sectors of society, the sisters made sure that despite the wrap’s high quality, it is still affordable.

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I was able to receive a Bailey Wrap for review and here is my personal take on it (I already have two baby carriers – a ring sling and a pouch):

- Unlike my ring sling and pouch (which work beautifully for me and my 2 year old) the Bailey Wrap helps distribute my daughter’s weight on both my shoulders and back. Thus, it is ideal especially for people with back problems like scoliosis. Since there is also support at the waist, you can feel less of Baby’s weight. This is called the “3-point harness system.”

- Putting it on may seem challenging at first, but Nicole and Grace have provided instructional videos on their YouTube channel and Facebook page to help first-timers figure out how to use the Wrap properly. (To be honest, I am still trying to get the hang of it, of course, I’ve only been using it for a day as of this writing)

- It can be used by people of all shapes and sizes – good news for me personally because I have been blessed with a “beefy” husband – who sadly can’t use my ring sling and pouch because they don’t fit him. With the Bailey Wrap, he can enjoy wearing our little girl too (though I only wear her when we’re commuting to some place or other, since she can walk well on her own now).

- I have gotten used to just rolling up my baby pouch and stuffing it into my bag so I may need to adjust to carrying around the Bailey Wrap. Fortunately though, it’s not that bulky since it “transforms” into a portable baby when stored.

- The fabric is quite breathable and stretchy, so even with the multiple layers of cloth Baby has to be in, you can always adjust the cloth so that he or she won’t be too warm. (Of course, if you’re going to be wearing your baby, I would advise you not to dress him or her too warmly in the first place, especially with our weather.)

Besides the benefits of babywearing (the Bailey Wrap ladies list them down here), I love the fact that the Wrap is quite affordable. One piece costs less than P1,000, compared to other locally available varieties.

As of this writing, Nicole, who is the “creative think-tank” behind Bailey Wrap, says that they have another new, exciting product to be launched very soon. I am just as excited about this as I was with the Wrap, and I’m sure being a mother will continue to be a source of inspiration for Nicole (and Grace) to think up of other mommy- and baby-friendly products.


Disclaimer:
The author did not receive any financial compensation from the Bailey Wrap owners for this article. I received the Bailey Wrap from them exclusively for review.