Ready to Wear Baby Slings - Oscha Soft Touch Finishing

Ready to Wear & Breaking In Your Oscha Sling
Discover the secret to our ready-to-wear slings and find out more about breaking in a new sling.

You might have heard people talking about having to wash their woven wraps before using them and thought, "What? A brand new sling and I have to wash it before I can enjoy those new wrap snuggles?" Well, don't panic. Oscha slings actually come ready to wear straight out of the bag.

Do I really not need to wash my sling?

No! All fabric undergoes a finishing process before it can be sewn and used. While some conventional processes rely on synthetic chemical finishes to speed this up, here at Oscha we use water and air to finish our fabrics.

After weaving, our fabrics are carefully washed and dried using a dedicated mechanical process, not only to ensure any residue from weaving is removed, but also to start the breaking-in process. Our special Soft Touch finishing technique, unique to Oscha fabrics, results in a super soft and mouldable fabric that arrives at your door ready to use.

This Soft Touch process means our fabrics are free from harsh chemical finishes, allowing you to snuggle up with your new sling as soon as it arrives.

What is breaking in a woven baby sling?

Woven fabrics are generally made using natural fibres. Traditionally, woven slings need breaking in before reaching their softest, most pliable state.

Breaking in refers to the process where babywearers use various gentle methods to soften their slings and make them easier to adjust, such as knotting, twisting, rubbing, or simply using them repeatedly. Think of it like breaking in a new pair of quality denim jeans.

Do I need to break in an Oscha baby sling?

Because all our fabrics go through our unique Soft Touch finishing technique, which starts the process of breaking in your new sling for you, you do not need to break in an Oscha in the same way as other woven slings. Our Soft Touch technique allows you to skip the first few rounds of washing and wearing, taking you straight to a lovely, mouldable carrier. Oscha slings arrive ready to wear and pre-softened for comfort and ease of use.

However, depending on the fabric used to make your carrier, it might benefit from a little love before it is as soft as it can possibly be. There are a few natural yarns, such as hemp or thick linen, which you will see softened even further as you use your carrier more and more. Fabrics which will benefit from a little breaking in will be marked as ‘needing a little love’ on the listings.

If you have a fabric which needs a little love, there are a few simple things you can do to speed up the process of getting your sling to its softest state. However, if you would prefer not to do any of these, your sling will soon become fully broken in simply through everyday wear.

Discover our Favourite Techniques for Breaking In a Woven Wrap

Washing

While Oscha slings do not need to be washed initially, washing and tumble drying (if suggested on the care instructions) can be a good way to get your sling to its final resting length in order to begin the breaking-in process.
We cut our slings a little longer than their true length to allow for natural yarn shrinkage. It is normal to see your sling contract a little after washing. A warm iron on fabrics such as hemp and linen can also help relax the yarns and bring the sling to its true size, while with other yarns, simply wearing the sling is enough.

Washing can also help woven fabric to ‘bloom’, where you will see an increase in the texture and definition of the pattern.