I don’t talk much about my pre-motherhood career. Aside from the eclipsing of pre-parenthood life by your new ‘mummy’ job title, let’s face it, it’s the ultimate conversation killer. Nobody wants to talk about children coming to harm or dying... but here’s the thing, we do need to talk about SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or ‘cot death’ is the sudden, unexpected & unexplained death of a baby*. As you’d expect with deaths that are unexplained, no precise cause of SIDS is known but it’s believed to be caused by a combination of factors. Certainly, there are a number of things you can do to make things safer for your baby and reduce the likelihood of it happening, although sometimes parents do absolutely everything right and still experience the tragic loss of a much loved little one.

I remember hoping, as I sat with that mother, that my baby bump wasn’t distinguishable from one caused by excessive cake consumption. I couldn’t bear the thought of causing her any more pain than she was already enduring. I also remember being terrified. In the UK, more than 200 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year* yet as a fraction of those born it’s rare. For me, as a result of my work, it was uncomfortably real. My first pregnancy ended in miscarriage and my anxiety about losing this new baby at any point was a constant weight. When he, much to our joy and relief, crashed into the world, the SIDS prevention guidelines were etched at the forefront of my mind. 

We’d done our research and bought a beautiful ‘pod’ that attached to our bed with a screen between us to keep him safe from duvets, stray arms and other safety hazards. We knew he’d be in our room with us for the first year anyway - I couldn’t imagine him being any further away when he was so little - so that box was also ticked. His pod was free of cot bumpers, soft toys and comforters, and we used those special baby sleeping bags so there was no risk from blankets. We’d created a little night-time safe haven...

There was just one little (rather noisy) problem. Our beautiful new red-headed bundle of joy wouldn’t even entertain the idea of sleeping in his perfect pod, or anywhere else for that matter that wasn’t me. It didn’t matter how deeply asleep he seemed to be in my arms, the second he came into contact with that safe, clean, carefully thought out pod he woke screaming. 

If you’re not already familiar with ‘The 4th Trimester’ I really recommend having a quick read about it. Essentially my newborn baby knew nothing of the new world he’d been rather rudely dragged into and only had me as a familiar frame of reference. He wanted, needed and jolly well expected to be in contact with me at all times and no amount of snazzy sleep pods or well-researched safety advice was going to change his mind. 

Babywearing got us through the days and helped me transition from a panicked, exhausted new parent to, well, to one that occasionally got to eat and go to the loo. More than that, the wraps that he spent most of his early life in were instrumental in forging a bond and an understanding between us. Through carrying his little body against mine I learned to know when he was hungry or uncomfortable from the slightest wiggle or shift in position. I could feed him before he needed to cry for it and knew when his nappy needed changing before leakages or smells. We were as in tune as was possible in the haze of those exhausting, overwhelming, wonderful days... but it all went pear-shaped at night. 

The SIDS prevention advice was clear - “do not sleep on a bed, sofa or armchair with your baby” - so we persevered with seemingly endless, completely sleepless nights that flew in the face of all my motherly instincts. Our little man couldn’t understand why I wanted to put him down at night and, unsurprisingly, attempts to reason with him and explain that I was in fact only a short distance away on the other side of the pod screen did nothing to change his mind. When I reached the point  of forgetting my own name, we realised that bed-sharing was going to happen whether I liked it or not. I just needed to ensure it happened as safely as possible. If you’re not familiar with the terminology, Wikipedia states that “co-sleeping is a a practice in which babies and young children sleep close to one or both parents, as opposed to in a separate room”. It’s often used to refer to ‘bed-sharing’, which specifically relates to sleeping in the same bed as your little one.

I knew from my work that some factors seemed more common than others in cases of SIDS, but it was hard to find hard data showing the impact of variables like recreational drug or alcohol use, smoking or falling asleep on couches, on the SIDS statistics. I felt too guilty to ask my midwife or health visitor for advice on safer co-sleeping & ‘bed-sharing’ as all they’d ever said was “don’t do it”, so I was forced to do my own research.

I knew that premature or small babies are more vulnerable to SIDS and so sharing a bed with them is far more dangerous. Luckily for me, at 10lb 8.5oz and over 42 weeks gestation we certainly didn’t fall into those categories! Neither my husband nor I smoke, take medication that might affect our sleep, or use recreational drugs so we were good on that front, and I breastfed, which also reduces the risk of SIDS. 

Over time we perfected the ‘art’ of co-sleeping and found ways to make it work better. For us this meant things like investing in thermal pyjamas for the grownups so we didn’t freeze without the duvet, or finding a nightlight that was just bright enough to see by, but not to convince our nocturnal little sleep-stealer it was daytime. Daddy was issued with a futon for those nights when either he required more than 10% of his mental capacity for the working day ahead, or for when snoring was an unwelcome serenade in the early hours!

Co-sleeping in the form of bed-sharing was certainly not a perfect solution to our sleep issues but it did mean that we all actually slept at points throughout the night which was a game changer in those early days. Crucially, I felt I was meeting my new baby’s needs in a way that keeping us separated at night had prevented.

To be absolutely clear, I’m not saying you should co-sleep or bed-share and I’m certainly not suggesting you disregard the SIDS awareness recommendations. My message is this: if you (or as in our case your little one!) decide that bed-sharing is right and necessary for your family, you should be fully informed and empowered to do it as safely as possible.

When we moved to the West Country and had our second son I was heartened to find that the midwives in our new area provided advice on safer co-sleeping, but know that this isn’t consistently the case nationwide. If you find yourself without the information you need, there are some useful links to the Unicef, NHS and Lullaby Trust pages at the bottom of this article along with a copied & pasted list of the safer co-sleeping guidelines. In the meantime, I wish you all a safe and settled night’s sleep however it works for you  ... I think that’s my youngest waking now... 

If you’ve been affected by SIDS, The Lullaby Trust provides advice and support for bereaved families.

Co-Sleeping Guidance from The Lullaby Trust:

Our co-sleeping advice

Babies should be slept in a clear sleep space, which is easy to create in a cot or Moses basket. We know however that families also bed share, and so recommend making your bed a safer place for baby whether you doze off accidentally, or choose to bed share. Our advice on co-sleeping with your baby will tell you how. For safer co-sleeping:

•Keep pillows, sheets, blankets away from your baby or any other items that could obstruct your baby’s breathing or cause them to overheat. A high proportion of infants who die as a result of SIDS are found with their head covered by loose bedding.

•Follow all of our other safer sleep advice to reduce the risk of SIDS such as sleeping baby on their back

•Avoid letting pets or other children in the bed

•Make sure baby won’t fall out of bed or get trapped between the mattress and the wall

When not to co-sleep

It is important for you to know that there are some circumstances in which co-sleeping with your baby can be very dangerous:

•Either you or your partner smokes (even if you do not smoke in the bedroom)

•Either you or your partner has drunk alcohol or taken drugs (including medications that may make you drowsy)

•You are extremely tired

•Your baby was born premature (37 weeks or less)

•Your baby was born at a low weight (2.5kg or 5½ lbs or less)

•Never sleep on a sofa or armchair with your baby, this can increase the risk of SIDS by 50 times

You should never sleep together with your baby if any of the above points apply to you or your partner.

Resources:

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/baby-friendly-resources/sleep-and-night-time-resources/co-sleeping-and-sids/

 https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/co-sleeping/

*https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids

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]]>SIDS Awareness & Safer Co-SleepingReviewMay BThu, 18 Oct 2018 12:35:11 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/10/3/loved-garms-babywearing-fleece57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5bb53d760d92974e794fa547

The Loved Garms Babywearing Fleece

The nights are drawing in, there’s a chill in the air, the leaves are falling, and I’ve started to find secret conkers stashed in little clothes pockets. It’s my favourite time of year and babywearing means that we can enjoy fireworks displays, bonfires, festive light displays and seasonal markets without scared, over-tired or over-stimulated children. It can however be a challenge to keep us all warm when out & about babywearing. 

Over the summer, the Loved Garms babywearing fleece popped up in my newsfeed and, even in the middle of a heatwave, I couldn’t stop lusting after one! It’s so difficult to find clothing that’s both beautiful and practical when babywearing, and I was thrilled when the nights started drawing in and I finally got the chance to snuggle up in one. As you may have gathered from my blog & Instagram I adore beautiful wraps and carriers and enjoy dressing my boys in fun & funky bright clothes. I however am guilty of wearing black leggings & dark tops almost as if they were uniform. I wanted clothes that expressed my personality and were a joy to wear, and the Loved Garms babywearing fleece really fitted the bill. 

The fleece fabric is incredibly soft and snuggly warm without being bulky. It folds / rolls up neatly to be stashed in a bag when not in use. You can choose from a range of beautiful colours, and between a normal or utterly fabulous twisty fairy hood (as pictured). It has a handy kangaroo pouch to stash keys or a phone, or keep your hands toasty warm, and lovely long sleeves that come down over your hands in the way that only the most comforting jumpers do. Hannah, the dressmaking ninja behind Loved Garms is a babywearer herself and has carefully thought through of every aspect of the design. The fleece  fits beautifully over my toddler and me, keeping us snug and warm. Hannah makes them in sizes to fit vitually anyone. Their generous cut ensures that there’s plenty of fabric to fit even a larger child in without a squeeze, and enough length to cover little legs and feet. I had my toddler’s wellies poking out of the bottom because I didn’t want to get mud inside the fleece, but it’s plenty long enough to cover little feet to keep them toasty if you so choose.

At one stage I had a generic babywearing fleece that had a little hole for baby’s head and a small baby hood attached to the front. It was immediately obvious that the designers had never carried a baby in their lives. The hole was never in the right place, which created a safety risk as the fabric would get in my little boy’s face. The baby hood was just a joke. If it stayed up at all, it completely obscured his vision and again created a suffocation risk every time he turned his head. I ended up ignoring the ‘head hole’ and using the fleece unzipped at the top, before giving up on it totally. The Loved Garms babywearing fleece is a brilliant, simple design that totally dispenses with all of these problems and makes for an eminently practical yet quirky and stylish piece of clothing. Also, although you obviously have a bit of extra fabric at the front when not carrying a tiny person, it looks way better than walking around with oddly vacant head hole & mini-me hood on your chest! Furthermore, if you prefer to back carry, Loved Garms also make a fleece for that, with an opening at the back instead of the hood.

Coastal Path Creations Babywearing & Teething Jewellery  

The Loved Garms babywearing fleece is one of those things that you’ll end up wearing every day when an extra layer is needed and, if you’re anything like me, snuggling up in it on the sofa as well. Of course, when you find something as awesome as the Loved Garms Babywearing fleece you need fabulous accessories to match! I just recently discovered Coastal Path Creations through a friend and have no idea how I’d missed out on this wonderful local business for so long. 

Coastal Path Creations make baby friendly jewellery for parents and caregivers that’s designed with nursing and babywearing in mind. My eldest used to pinch my skin and pull my hair when nursing and being carried. My youngest isn’t so restrained and enjoys a range of activities from shoving his fingers up my nose to poking my eyes out and, bizarrely, trying to push his fingernails under mine. As you might imagine, anything that might distract his attention and hands from these delightful pursuits would be extremely welcome! Coastal Path Creations jewellery is designed to do exactly this and my goodness does it do it well!

Their jewellery looks awesome and they can even make custom pieces to match your favourite carrier or piece of clothing. They’re designed to be worn by adults and to keep busy little hands, well, busy doing things other than pinching and poking you when you’re nursing or babywearing. The ‘chewy’ range also aids teething and are perfect for painful little gums.

Coastal Path Creations use a range of cotton covered crochet, untreated wooden, juniper wood and silicone beads to make their jewellery. I was lucky enough to be sent two necklaces to try. ‘Saturn’ combines a wooden ring, a textured crochet bead and squashy silicone beads to create a variety of textures and shapes sure to capture the attention of babies and toddlers alike. ‘Florida’ is a simple design featuring a row of squidgy silicone beads that are perfect for gnawing on. My toddler can’t get enough if it and I swear he’s started coming for more cuddles so he can fiddle with it!

Summary 

The Loved Garms babywearing fleece and Coastal Path Creations babywearing & teething jewellery are perfect for anyone feeding or carrying a baby or toddler. Both combine brilliantly designed functionality with aesthetic loveliness and make absolutely ideal gifts for any babywearing mummy.

If you’d like your own fleece and jewellery set (& frankly who, other than perhaps Piers Morgan, wouldn’t!), make sure you’re following The Wrapping Years’ Facebook Page for a really exciting double giveaway soon! I can’t wait!

Follow Loved Garms on Facebook for news of her in-stock items, available fabrics & new designs. You can buy or request a custom order from the Loved Garms Etsy shop.

The Coastal Path Creations Facebook Page is definitely another one to follow for inspiration, fun and news of promotions & offers. The beautiful Coastal Path Creations website is jam packed full of beautiful gift ideas and tempting loveliness.

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]]>Loved Garms Babywearing Fleece & Coastal Creations JewelleryReviewMay BWed, 03 Oct 2018 11:24:09 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/9/29/absolute-bobbins-babywearing-bag57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5bafe5fdf9619a594d009eb4

It’s not news to any parent that children come with stuff, shed loads of it in fact. Along with the shock of just how long it could take to walk out of the front door, the sheer volume of paraphernalia I now had to cart around was the greatest logistical surprise of parenthood. This ever evolving luggage burden poses even more of a challenge to babywearers. Without a pushchair basket to use in place of a forklift truck, you have two options; cross your fingers and ‘wing it’, or find a bag that’s both large enough to contain A LOT and can be used while carrying children on your back or front. 

Let’s just say that I’m not exactly known for travelling light. If ever I did try to ‘wing it’, nappy explosions, injuries, sudden dire thirst, extreme weather conditions or imminent starvation are sure to follow. For the last three and a half years I’ve therefore been on a quest for a supremely functional, yet attractive bag that I could use while carrying my boys. The holy grail of babywearing bags has however been illusive. Your standard Yummy Mummy style changing bag simply slides off your shoulder (after digging in for a bit) and is way too small to accommodate your sling when your wrappee doesn’t require its services. A rucksack might work when you’re front carrying, but doesn’t exactly work when you’re back carrying, and can have a look more reminiscent of a teenage foreign exchange student expecting to be mugged than one might like. 

I saw the gorgeous Absolute Bobbins  babywearing bags some time ago & have been wanting one ever since. Alison, the very talented lady behind Absolute Bobbins, makes them to order as well as having a selection in stock on her website (if you’re quick enough to nab one!). She’ll make them out of any suitable fabric you like but many people have them made from woven wrap fabric. I mean, if you have a stunning woven wrap or carrier, why not have a bag that’s equally beautiful right? There is however also a practical benefit from using lovely mouldable, cushy wrap fabric.

Alison’s babywearing bag design has been perfected following extensive testing & feedback from babywearers. It’s large enough to carry all the usual ‘child stuff’ and has a zip at the top to prevent said stuff spilling all over the floor at inopportune moments. It has internal pockets to house phones, keys or cards so they don’t get lost in amongst the rest of the rubbish you cart around, a large flat section at the front perfect for a magazine or muslin, and even has a strap across the base that’s perfect for stuffing a child’s jumper or jacket (or even a lightweight shorty wrap) for easy access. The real magic in the design is in the wrap style strap though. Wide and comfortable, it moulds over your shoulder and around your little one whether they’re on your front or back. This spreads the weight of the bag and, when made from a cushy woolly wrap like my Firespiral Grape Twilight Fractals, really cushions your shoulder. The length of the strap is fully adjustable thanks to the sling ring fastening, and it has no buckles to dig into you or your little one. When babywearing it looks and feels like a little extra wrap pass around the two of you.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably wondering whether one of these beautiful bags is actually going to be practical... they look fairly compact and nowhere near as humongous as the multi-compartment backpack my husband carts around, so I confess I feared it simply wouldn’t be big enough. I was wrong. The bag measures roughly 35cm wide, 30cm tall and 15cm deep although these dimensions stretch when the bag is stuffed.

So you get a real idea of the size however, i’ll detail exactly what it was holding when these photos were taken:

A size 4 medium weight woven wrap, two reusable nappies (I was feeling slightly cavalier as the day’s poo quota had already been met), a wet bag & reusable wipes, two fleece hat & mitten sets (because if I don’t carry them the immediate onset of the next ice age is guaranteed), two sun hats (because if I don’t have them instant heatwave is certain - gotta love the British weather), a 750 ml water bottle, my wallet, phone case, sunglasses & keys, the GP registration forms I’ve been carrying around for months in the vain hope I may remember to hand them in, and the ingeniously named Penguin the penguin. Like I said, I don’t travel light, but there was room for all this with space remaining in the top of the bag. I swear there’s some Mary Poppins bag magic going on!

I had my bag made from one of my all-time favourite wraps. It started out as a long size 7 and came back as a long 3 after the bag had been made from the rest, so I still have a lovely shorty to use. Alison guided me through the whole process giving advice on what kind of fabric might be best, which sling rings & zip would be used, and which fabric I wanted for the lining. She patiently suggested different options until she found the field mouse print I fell in love with. If you’re thinking of converting a much loved wrap, or shortening a long one, Absolute Bobbins provide a personalised service that’s guaranteed to result in a bag that’s perfect for you. Despite the name, these bags aren’t only for babywearing either. Unlike a standard changing bag, an Absolute Bobbins bag will go on to be extremely useful & beautiful long after your wrapping years. I absolutely adore mine. It’s the perfect combination of well thought out babywearing functionality and relaxed beauty. Handmade to your specifications, an Absolute Bobbins babywearing bag is a perfect way to ensure your favourite wrap stays with you forever.

Follow Absolute Bobbins on Facebook for her latest news and stock alerts. You can view her available in stock bags on the Absolute Bobbins website. 

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]]>Absolute Bobbins Babywearing BagReviewMay BMon, 04 Jun 2018 13:20:49 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/5/28/didymos-didyklick-chili57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5b0be2d6758d461b37f81acbThe Basics

The DidyKlick from Didymos is a half-buckle Meh Dai carrier with a buckle waist and wide, spreadable shoulder straps. The body and straps of the carrier are made from organic cotton Didymos Chili wrap fabric. The DidyKlick is fully adjustable and suitable for babies / toddlers from 3kg - 20kg.

The Brand

Didymos have been making baby wraps since 1972 and are widely considered to be the 'grandmother' of the modern babywearing brands. They’re a German company, experienced in selling & shipping worldwide, and their website is available in several languages including English. Didymos's experience, and focus on the safety and well-being of children, with attention to social and ecological ethics, has resulted in a brand that babywearers around the world have come to trust for affordable quality.

When I first started looking into baby wraps, Didymos was one of the names that my babywearing friends immediately suggested I try. Sure enough, one of my very first wraps was a 'Didy', and my first Meh Dai a 'DidyTai' so I'm always really excited to be offered the opportunity to test and review their products.

The DidyKlick

By now, you’ve probably cottoned on to the fact that I have a fondness for woven baby wraps! The Wrapping Years was founded on my love of (borderline obsession with!) those wonderous pieces of fabric & there’s not much that gets me more excited than a wrap arriving in the post... but when the lovely people at Didymos asked me whether I’d like to test and review their new half-buckle DidyKlick I couldn’t wait for the postman to arrive! It’s always lovely to try something new and I was intrigued to see how the half-buckle DidyKlick performed in comparison to my beloved wraps.

Of course, the fact that it’s made from gorgeous Didymos wrap fabric was an auspicious start! There’s a range of DidyKlick’s available so you can choose the one that appeals to you most. The qualities of the fabric are just as much present in the DidyKlick as they are in wrap form. In the case of Chili, vibrant chilli red and white threads alternate in a plain criss-cross weave creating a sturdy, fine textured fabric. There’s a depth of colour that’s tricky to capture but at a distance the colours merge to create an attractive salmon pink. Chili had a slightly stiff finish at first but softened up very quickly.

Anyone enjoying the company of a small person who loves to demonstrate the efficiently of their wrap seat popping - usually at the most inconvenient moment possible - will immediately see the appeal of a buckle waisted carrier. The attempts of even the most accomplished escapee will be foiled! The speed and ease of clicking a clip waist into place is also a major benefit for anyone short on time or available hands (i.e. all parents and carers!).

So how does the DidyKlick measure up? It has a fairly firm but slim (about 8.5cm tall and 1.3cm thick) padded waist belt that’s highly adjustable and will fit most adults. Didymos say it’s suitable from UK size 6 - 24 and I believe them. I’m a size 16-18 and had oodles of unused belt, yet at its smallest it will fit the most petite of people. The extra length can be neatly tucked away so there’s no issue there. As the belt is only adjustable from one end, you only have one belt ‘tail’ and the buckle always rests to one side against the padded waist. This prevents the buckle digging in and also looks much neater. It has no impact on the ease of fastening. You secure the waist belt before picking up your little one and can therefore rotate the carrier to whichever position suits you.

The body panel (excluding the hood and waist band) measures roughly 41cm wide by 36cm tall and has light padding at the edges of the seat ensuring a comfortable ride for your little one. The DidyKlick seat can be easily cinched in by pulling a drawstring and toggle, making it suitable from newborn. At 15 months, my long legged little boy was perfectly knee-to-knee with the panel at its widest.

The DidyKlick can be used for front carries from birth and for hip or back carries from 4 months, or as soon as your baby can hold their head up. A collection of handy tutorials can be found here. The carrier has an integrated headrest that can be adjusted by draw strings and fastened through loops on the shoulder straps by poppers (snap fastenings) to act as either a head support or moulded sleep hood.

The DidyKlick has wide, fabric straps that spread the weight across your shoulders and, in conjunction with the support of the structured waist, make for an extremely comfortable carry. I experienced none of the pulling or digging I often get over time with a full buckle carrier’s straps and the wide fabric DidyKlick straps can be tied off pretty much however you want. Fancy wrap-style finishes are easy, look awesome and avoid the less than flattering look that full buckle carriers can give, when back carrying, to ladies like myself blessed with ample frontage!

We’ve been enjoying some hot, humid weather while testing the DidyKlick and have found it extremely comfortable and airy, even when carrying for long periods of time. Dare I say it, in these temperatures, my little boy seems to prefer it to more enclosed wraps. The DidyKlick would be an ideal choice for holidays or for festivals where you’d rather avoid wraps trailing in the mud. It is in fact a fantastic, supremely practical and comfortable option that just happens to look really lovely too.

Summary

I’m seriously impressed and rather in love with the DidyKlick! It’s an extremely comfortable and well designed carrier that combines the ease and security of a structured, buckle fastened waist with the comfort, versatility and beauty of wide wrap fabric straps. Perfect from newborn to toddlerhood, it’s a fantastic option for new and ‘battle-hardened’ parents alike.

The range of DidyKlick’s available to buy, including Chili, can be found on the Didymos website. You can also follow Didymos on Facebook & Instagram to get the heads up about their news and new releases.

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]]>Didymos DidyKlick ChiliReviewMay BSun, 27 May 2018 21:08:25 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/5/22/didymos-didyklick-prima-aurora57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5b0430b02b6a286827a2068dThe Basics

The DidyKlick from Didymos is a half-buckle Meh Dai carrier with a buckle waist and wide, spreadable shoulder straps. The body and straps of the carrier are made from organic cotton Didymos Prima Aurora wrap fabric. The DidyKlick is fully adjustable and suitable for babies / toddlers from 3kg - 20kg.

The Brand

Didymos have been making baby wraps since 1972 and are widely considered to be the 'grandmother' of the modern babywearing brands. They’re a German company, experienced in selling & shipping worldwide, and their website is available in several languages including English. Didymos's experience, and focus on the safety and well-being of children, with attention to social and ecological ethics, has resulted in a brand that babywearers around the world have come to trust for affordable quality.

When I first started looking into baby wraps, Didymos was one of the names that my babywearing friends immediately suggested I try. Sure enough, one of my very first wraps was a 'Didy', and my first Meh Dai a 'DidyTai' so I'm always really excited to be offered the opportunity to test and review their products.

The DidyKlick 

By now, you’ve probably cottoned on to the fact that I have a fondness for woven baby wraps! The Wrapping Years was founded on my love of (borderline obsession with!) those wonderous pieces of fabric & there’s not much that gets me more excited than a wrap arriving in the post... but when the lovely people at Didymos asked me whether I’d like to test and review their new half-buckle DidyKlick I couldn’t wait for the postman to arrive! It’s always lovely to try something new and I was intrigued to see how the half-buckle DidyKlick performed in comparison to my beloved wraps. 

Of course, the fact that it’s made from gorgeous Didymos wrap fabric was an auspicious start! There’s a range of DidyKlick’s available so you can choose the one that appeals to you most. The qualities of the fabric are just as much present in the DidyKlick as they are in wrap form. In the case of the lovely Prima Aurora, you have wonderful soft, floppy, breathable, mouldable fabric with an intricate design that provides a fine, grippy texture. The colours on the 100% pure organic cotton weft fade from aqua through hot pink, taupe and charcoal grey against a natural white warp. The effect is quite beautiful and ideal for warmer weather and summer outings.

Anyone enjoying the company of a small person who loves to demonstrate the efficiently of their wrap seat popping - usually at the most inconvenient moment possible - will immediately see the appeal of a buckle waisted carrier. The attempts of even the most accomplished escapee will be foiled! The speed and ease of clicking a clip waist into place is also a major benefit for anyone short on time or available hands (i.e. all parents and carers!).

So how does the DidyKlick measure up? It has a fairly firm but slim (about 8.5cm tall and 1.3cm thick) padded waist belt that’s highly adjustable and will fit most adults. Didymos say it’s suitable from UK size 6 - 24 and I believe them. I’m a size 16-18 and had oodles of unused belt, yet at its smallest it will fit the most petite of people. The extra length can be neatly tucked away so there’s no issue there. As the belt is only adjustable from one end, you only have one belt ‘tail’ and the buckle always rests to one side against the padded waist. This prevents the buckle digging in and also looks much neater. It has no impact on the ease of fastening. You secure the waist belt before picking up your little one and can therefore rotate the carrier to whichever position suits you. 

The body panel (excluding the hood and waist band) measures roughly 41cm wide by 36cm tall and has light padding at the edges of the seat ensuring a comfortable ride for your little one. The DidyKlick seat can be easily cinched in by pulling a drawstring and toggle, making it suitable from newborn. At 15 months, my long legged little boy was perfectly knee-to-knee with the panel at its widest.

The DidyKlick can be used for front carries from birth and for hip or back carries from 4 months, or as soon as your baby can hold their head up. A collection of handy tutorials can be found here. The carrier has an integrated headrest that can be adjusted by draw strings and fastened through loops on the shoulder straps by poppers (snap fastenings) to act as either a head support or moulded sleep hood. 

The DidyKlick has wide, fabric straps that spread the weight across your shoulders and, in conjunction with the support of the structured waist, make for an extremely comfortable carry. I experienced none of the pulling or digging I often get over time with a full buckle carrier’s straps and the wide fabric DidyKlick straps can be tied off pretty much however you want. Fancy wrap-style finishes are easy, look awesome and avoid the less than flattering look that full buckle carriers can give, when back carrying, to ladies like myself blessed with ample frontage!

We’ve been enjoying some hot, humid weather while testing the DidyKlick and have found it extremely comfortable and airy, even when carrying for long periods of time. Dare I say it, in these temperatures, my little boy seems to prefer it to more enclosed wraps. The DidyKlick would be an ideal choice for holidays or for festivals where you’d rather avoid wraps trailing in the mud. It is in fact a fantastic, supremely practical and comfortable option that just happens to look really lovely too. 

Summary

I’m seriously impressed and rather in love with the DidyKlick! It’s an extremely comfortable and well designed carrier that combines the ease and security of a structured, buckle fastened waist with the comfort, versatility and beauty of wide wrap fabric straps. Perfect from newborn to toddlerhood, it’s a fantastic option for new and ‘battle-hardened’ parents alike. 

The range of DidyKlick’s available to buy, including Prima Aurora, can be found on the Didymos website. You can also follow Didymos on Facebook & Instagram to get the heads up about their news and new releases.

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]]>Didymos DidyKlick Prima AuroraReviewMay BThu, 10 May 2018 07:35:35 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/5/6/didymos-lisca-arles-nizza57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5aeeeb6d6d2a732e28d92efaThe Basics

Lisca Arles and Lisca Nizza from Didymos are 100% organic cotton. They’re 210 and 200 GSM respectively, which makes them thinner wraps. With the similar blend, weight and weave they have identical wrapping qualities.

The Brand

Didymos have been making baby wraps since 1972 and are widely considered to be the 'grandmother' of the modern babywearing brands. They’re a German company, experienced in selling & shipping worldwide, and their website is available in several languages including English. Didymos's experience, and focus on the safety and well-being of children, with attention to social and ecological ethics, has resulted in a brand that babywearers around the world have come to trust for affordable quality.

When I first started looking into baby wraps, Didymos was one of the names that my babywearing friends immediately suggested I try. Sure enough, one of my very first wraps was a 'Didy', and my first Mei Tai a 'Didytai' so I'm always really excited to be offered the opportunity to test and review their wraps.

The Looks

The classic Didymos Lisca design is a ‘herringbone’ or ‘broken twill weave’. The wrap geeks amongst us will be interested to know that the earliest known examples of herringbone weave fabric date back to around 400BC and were found in what is now Italy. It’s thought that the design is based on the arrangement of paving stones in the roads of the ancient Roman Empire. There’s a reason the weave’s popularity has lasted all this time. It creates an attractive, distinctive fabric that’s typically hard wearing and strong but has a good drape.

Lisca Arles is named for the French city which, appropriately for herringbone, used to be a provincial capital of Ancient Rome. Van Gogh rented some rooms in a house there in 1888 and it was the subject of his painting ‘The Yellow House’. I suspect that his colour palette inspired the name of this pretty, cheerful wrap. Lisca Arles incorporates sunshine-yellow, pale grey and ecru threads which create a colour scheme that’s perfect for spring and summer.

In German, the French city of Nice is known as Nizza, and I suspect this is the inspiration behind the name of the second of these lovely Lisca wraps. Certainly, I can imagine the colours of the Côte d'Azur when I look at the turquoise threads alternating with deep reddish brown against the ecru warp. 

The Wrapping Qualities

Didymos’s Lisca wraps are known for their out-of-the-box softness. Certainly, Arles & Nizza require no breaking in and feel as cuddlesome and soft as a well loved baby blanket from the first wash. In hand the wraps feel light, breathable and floaty, with a fine ribbed texture.

Arles and Nizza glide into place when wrapping and are extremely mouldable with considerable diagonal stretch. The ribbed herringbone texture provides a good amount of grip so everything holds in place.

The softness, mouldability and stretch make Arles & Nizza perfect wraps for a newborn or small baby. Sadly, it’s some time since my boys could be called either of these! My youngest is now 14 months old and my eldest a very big for his age 3 year old. With two rapidly growing boys, I tend to look for wraps that are a little bit sturdier and thicker than Arles and Nizza so I was apprehensive about how supportive they’d be. I was testing Arles in a size 6 and Nizza in a ring sling and I was a little nervous as we set out on the climb up to the cliff top castle of Tintagel with my 14 month old in Arles in a double hammock. I was however very pleasantly surprised.

Arles didn’t sag and was comfortable for both of us. That wasn’t the end of the surprises Arles had in store either. Our three year old started to feel poorly and upset in the wind and sea mist at the top of the cliff and wanted to be wrapped. I put him up in Arles in a quick double hammock and ended up carrying him all the way home. I definitely felt his (considerable!) weight, but Arles was sufficiently supportive in a multi-layer carry to ensure we got back safely and comfortably after a walk of well over an hour. 

Lisca Nizza worked well as a ring sling with my 14 month old and was perfect for trips to the beach and quick ups. It’s very compact when folded and makes an ideal sling to have in your bag for those ‘just in case’ moments. The ring sling was very easy to tighten, but the herringbone grip stops the fabric from sliding back through the rings.

Lisca Nizza and Arles would work well in base -2 for a baby or toddler, or in a short wrap for quick ups. I recommend getting a longer wrap for secure carries with multiple passes if you intend to carry a very large wrappee (like my preschooler), or are carrying a toddler for longer periods of time.

Lisca Arles and Nizza are extremely easy care and can be machine washed at 60 degrees and tumble dried. They come out of the drier with minimal creasing and require little ironing.

Summary

Lisca Arles and Nizza are super soft, mouldable and perfect for a new baby or novice wrapper. I can’t imagine a better baby shower gift but Arles and Nizza will last you well beyond the early days. With the right size and carry, these versatile wraps will serve you through toddlerhood and beyond.

Lisca Arles and Nizza will be available to buy from the Didymos website very soon. You can also follow Didymos on Facebook & Instagram to get the heads up about their news and new releases. 

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]]>Didymos Lisca Arles & NizzaReviewMay BThu, 03 May 2018 21:32:49 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/5/1/firespiral-bifrost-obsidian-charters-moss57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5ae8446a70a6ad3043e03d72The Basics

Bifrost Obsidian Charters Moss from Firespiral Slings is 100% combed cotton and 255 GSM, making it a medium weight wrap. It’s woven using Firespiral’s Alchemy Weave, which is slightly looser and makes for lovely soft & mouldable wraps.

The Brand

Firespiral is one of the biggest wrap brands in the UK, with a reputation for producing super soft wraps that are easy to use and suitable from birth to toddlerhood and beyond. Founded by two babywearing mothers, they design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house, inspired by nature, science and their own imaginations. Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers of quality yarns and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production.

Firespiral offer free shipping to the UK, and international shipping is just £8 per order. Each wrap comes with a tote bag and pin badge, along with instructions for safe use.

The Looks

Accirding to Norse mythology Bifröst (pronounced something like ‘BEEF-roast’ with a Scandinavian accent) is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard, the realm of the Aesir gods. When Firespiral asked their fans to name this stunning weft, it was the first thing that sprang to my, and a number of other people’s, minds. The colours of Bifröst, which fade from hot pink through peachy orange, yellow, mint green, bright blue and purple along the length of the wrap, are vivid and positively glow against the black Obsidian warp. The blocks of colour break into stripes as they meet the next shade, creating a beautiful merging effect.

The Charters Moss design is inspired by the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, and named for the atmospheric location of an ancient settlement in the north of England. The wrap features Eldar Futhark runes along the bottom rail and an almost elemental triangular design along the top. These look awesome and help you differentiate the rails so it’s a great design for beginners... or those people trying to wrap with one eye on their three year old who’s standing at the top of a steep hill & is convinced he should be able to fly. 

Charters Moss features swirls and twinkling stars in the uppermost part of the design, while the bottom is filled with a beautifully textured, stylised tree line. Bifröst has mirrored hems so you can wear either the Obsidian or the rainbow face out. I can’t decide which I like best and would definitely wear both. Bifröst’s appearance changes significantly depending on where the colours fall in your carry, with the colour sequence repeating every 1.3 metres.

I had the privilege of testing and reviewing the first Charters Moss prototype and loved the design from the outset. Even then, I envisaged a colourway that captured the fluctuating rainbow of the Aurora Borealis against the night sky. Bifröst does exactly that and was well worth the wait.

The Wrapping Qualities

In hand, Bifröst feels true to its weight, blankety soft, and cuddlesome. The design creates a fine texture that’s most concentrated in the tree line in the bottom section of the wrap. The Charters Moss design provides a perfect balance of grip and glide. Bifröst is easy to wrap with but stays exactly where you put it.

I don’t want to sound like a stuck record but, just in case you missed my other reviews of Firespiral’s Alchemy Weave cotton, it’s fabulous! In a medium weight like Bifröst it’s cushy, and comfortable, mouldable and soft from the outset. I chose to wrap my youngest in one (Glacial Sand Seafoam) when he was a day or so old and I still carry his 98th centile 3 year old brother in that and our other medium weight Firespiral wraps of the same blend & weave (Autumn Dendron Harvest and Pomegranate Twilight Fractals). In short, they make a fantastic ‘birth to potty’ all rounder. 

With Bifröst, like these other wraps, if I plan to carry my giganta-toddler [eek, is he technically a ‘preschooler’ now? I’m totally not ready to admit that!] for long periods, I prefer to use a base size wrap with a solid multi-layer carry. However, as he now tends to demand “down” quicker than Heimdall could spot an intruder, a shorter wrap works just fine. I’ve tried him at home in Bifröst in a Shepherd’s and a Ruck Tied Tibetan for the 15-20 minutes a Bourbon and Alphablocks bought me, and it was perfectly comfortable & supportive. I carried my more average sized (50th centile) 14 month old in Bifröst for hours in a Double Hammock, and he felt as light as a valkyrie’s hand-luggage. A base -2/3, or even a short wrap in a ruck, would be lovely and comfortable with him even for long periods.

Bifröst is easy care and can be machine washed and tumble dried. I found it didn’t need much of an iron after washing and that crinkles from wrapping fell out quickly.

Summary

Bifröst is a stunning, easy care & wear wrap that’s great from birth to toddlerhood. Ideal for new and seasoned wrappers alike, it’s the first wrap that my boys have actually fought over and I can see why. The colours are captivating and, being Firespiral Alchemy cotton, it’s cuddle worthy soft from the start.

Bifröst Obsidian Charters Moss will be  released onto the Firespiral Slings website on 12th May as a limited one-off release. I recommend following them on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases.

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]]>Firespiral Bifrost Obsidian Charters MossArticleMay BWed, 25 Apr 2018 14:16:11 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/4/13/the-babywearing-wardrobe57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5ad09ebcaa4a99abb2e7fc1c

We weren’t far into our babywearing journey when I realised I needed to give a little bit of extra thought to the clothes my wrappee wore when being carried. His lovely little knitted booties had fallen (been wiggled / kicked) off at least 20 times within the space of 30 minutes until I finally didn’t spot one falling to the ground and it was lost forever. He spent the rest of that morning wearing one of my mittens on his foot, secured by a hairband. If you’re back carrying, you have no chance at all... hats, mittens, booties & socks will all be gleefully discarded without your knowledge, until that is, you get a disapproving look from A. N. Aplha Parent for ‘allowing’ your baby to have bare feet in the rain. 

Aside from easily removeable accessories, there are a few things to think about when choosing your little one’s clothes to ensure that they’re comfortable and safe when you’re carrying them. The good news is it’s not rocket science, and it doesn’t have to cost any more than you’d normally pay. The awesome news (for a children’s clothes addict like myself at least!) is that there are some truly gorgeous babywearing-friendly togs out there if you know where to look!

Going back to basics, whether you wrap or use a more structured carrier or sling, the ideal position for you little (or bigger!) one is the ‘M’ or ‘frog’ position with their knees spread apart and raised higher than their bum. This is a natural position for babies but is a bit tricky in inflexible or bulky clothing. Buttons, zips or firm waistbands can dig into little tummies, and stiffer fabrics can bunch up creating discomfort. If you use cloth nappies, these are usually chunkier than disposables and take up even more room in clothes.

An ideal fabric for both babywearing and cloth bumming is jersey cotton. It’s soft, flexible, breathable and has enough stretch to ensure free movement. Increase the layers as it gets cooler, adding fleece in colder weather instead of bulky snow suits that can be dangerous as well as uncomfortable (here’s a great article from Sheffield Sling Surgery about babywearing in cold weather). When it’s warmer, reduce the layers, remembering to factor in each layer of wrap / carrier going over your little one (and here’s a great article about babywearing in hot weather). 

I spent a good deal of time scouring the usual high street / supermarket purveyors of children’s clothes before realising that babywearing & cloth nappies don’t play a big part in their children’s wear design processes. T shirts and tops are pretty easy to find but often clothes from these retailers are made from stiffer, inflexible fabrics like denim, or canvas-like cotton, with the bums in trousers and shorts too slim fitting to accommodate a fluffier ‘cloth bum’ or to allow the free movement needed for comfortable babywearing. Luckily enough, there are a range of businesses offering absolutely beautiful clothes that are ‘cut for cloth’ (meaning they’re designed to accommodate cloth nappies) and designed for babywearing. If you like to support small or local businesses, there are some incredibly talented people making handmade baby and children’s clothes to order. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they’re comparable in price to the bigger names and often far superior in quality. Facebook is a great place to search.

When you’ve located your lovely soft, stretchy, breathable clothes, it’s worth thinking about the little gaps in clothing that appear when babywearing. Leg warmers, extra long socks or fold-down cuffs will ensure that ankles don’t get cold or sunburned, while snoods, tube scarves or sun hats with flaps are good ways to protect little necks. Choose hats that fasten, and that cover or protect little ears.

Quick Check List

• Can my baby / child move their legs freely into the ‘M’ position without restriction?

• Are the clothes free of buttons / zips etc. that may dig into them when being carried?

• Does the outfit protect against the cold, heat, rain or sun without being bulky or restrictive? 

• Is the fabric of the clothes soft, breathable and comfortable?

• Will the outfit stay on / in place when your little one is being carried (I.e. survive all attempts by your little one to remove it and throw it into impossible to reach places).

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]]>The Babywearing WardrobeReviewMay BFri, 09 Mar 2018 12:35:27 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/3/2/firespiral-cloudburst-moorland-seafoam57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5a99b5aae4966b6c0b9237b7The Basics

Cloudburst Moorland Seafoam from Firespiral Slings is a blend of 55% cotton, 30% linen and 15% viscose. It weighs 263 GSM making it a medium weight wrap. Cloudburst Moorland is woven using Firespiral's Alchemy Weave, which is slightly looser and makes for lovely soft & mouldable wraps.

The Brand

Firespiral is one of the biggest wrap brands in the UK, with a reputation for producing super soft wraps that are easy to use and suitable from birth to toddlerhood and beyond. Founded by two babywearing mothers, they design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house, inspired by nature, science and their own imaginations. Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers of quality yarns and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production.

Firespiral offer free shipping to the UK, and international shipping is just £8 per order. Each wrap comes with a tote bag and pin badge, along with instructions for safe use.

The Looks

Until recently I just didn’t get yellow, particularly mustard yellow, and this preference wasn’t restricted to snow! I naturally gravitated towards blues, teal, turquoise and purple... and then I saw Tarn Moorland Starmap. This beautiful wrap forced me to look at the variegated mustard Moorland wrap differently and I’m now a huge fan. My colour palette was long overdue an injection of something new and the Firespiral ladies nailed it with their sassy, classy, take on yellow. Having found my love of Moorland, I turned my eye back to earlier releases on the warp in case I unjustly overlooked anything, and found the enigmatic Cloudburst Moorland Seafoam. There wasn’t much spam of it about and it seemed to look a little different in every set of pictures I saw. I was desperate to see it in person and thrilled when Firespiral let me test and review it.

The Cloudburst weft is a beautiful, rich blue with amazing depth of colour. Sometimes the light catches it revealing an almost electric blue. In low light it takes on a moodier grey-blue colour. Teamed with Moorland it makes a classic, wearable colourway with the beautiful, organic Seafoam design providing two distinctly different faces. Moorland looks like gold leaf against the regal Cloudburst blue. 

The Wrapping Qualities

In hand, Cloudburst Moorland feels light, floppy and fairly thin. It has quite a bit of diagonal stretch and a fine texture on the blue, Cloudburst face. As you’d expect from Firespiral Alchemy, the cotton Moorland warp is silky soft, and the Seafoam design provides its usual texture at the lower portion of the wrap. Cloudburst Moorland wraps easily and ties a neat, secure knot. It wraps generously and I managed to eeek out base size carries in a base -1.

I’ve been lucky enough to try and review several of Firespiral’s cotton / viscose / linen blends including Cloudburst Cascade Seafoam and SETI Cascade Starmap. All are floppy, with a beautiful drape and soft from the outset. The 30% linen content adds the strength you might expect from the fibre, without making the wrap particularly prone to creasing or hard to break in. All in all, the blend makes for mouldable yet supportive wraps and Cloudburst Moorland is no exception. 

The differences in the wrapping qualities of these three tri-blend Alchemy weave wraps lies largely in their weight. At 305 GSM, SETI is the thickest of the three and tops the charts in terms of strength, support and cush. Cloudburst Cascade is 250 GSM and is the thinnest, most mouldable and squish-worthy wrap of the three. At 263 GSM, Cloudburst Moorland sits in between them and for many people will be the perfect Goldilocks Baby Bear wrap. It’s a versatile medium weight that can be used from newborn but has enough strength to carry a toddler. 

Like Cloudburst Cascade, Cloudburst Moorland has a fair amount of stretch so you’ll probably want something a little longer to facilitate multi-layer carries if you plan on lugging around a heavy wrappee for any distance. Having said that (afraid of slipping and falling backwards - there is precedent!), I carried my one year old comfortably on my front in a FWCC in the snow. We didn’t cover any distance, but his big brother took a good couple of hours to fully explore his first snow before wet mittens finally got the better of Scott of the Antarctic.

Cloudburst Moorland added a couple of welcome layers in the recent sub zero temperatures but it’s a beautifully cool, breathable wrap that’ll be ideal for spring and summer too. It’s machine washable and very easy care.

Summary

Cloudburst Moorland Seafoam is a stunning wrap and an ideal medium weight all-rounder for all seasons. It’s eminently squish worthy, yet most definitely has enough strength to carry your little one as they grow into toddlerhood.

Cloudburst Moorland Seafoam is available to buy from the Firespiral Slings website. I recommend following them on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases.

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]]>Firespiral Cloudburst Moorland SeafoamFlash Review!May BTue, 06 Feb 2018 15:30:13 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2018/2/6/firespiral-tarn-moorland-starmap57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5a79bc0008522976ead87092The Basics

Tarn Moorland Starmap from Firespiral Slings is 50% combed cotton & 50% Merino lambswool. It’s 330 GSM which puts it in the ‘very thick’ category, although it’s important to remember that this is actually a measurement of weight, rather than thickness. Tarn Moorland & it’s sister wrap Tarn Calliso (same blend, weight and design) are woven using Firespiral’s Elements Weave which is tighter, denser & makes for supportive wraps with good grip and a clearly defined pattern. Tarn is therefore a lot thinner than an Alchemy Weave wrap of the same weight would be.

The Brand

Firespiral is one of the biggest wrap brands in the UK, with a reputation for producing super soft wraps that are easy to use and suitable from birth to toddlerhood and beyond. Founded by two babywearing mothers, they design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house, inspired by nature, science and their own imaginations.Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers of quality yarns and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production.

Firespiral offer free shipping to the UK, and international shipping is just £8 per order. Each wrap comes with a tote bag and pin badge, along with instructions for safe use.

The Looks

I was instantly drawn to the subtle, moody colours of Tarn Moorland. So much so in fact that I emailed the lovely Firespiral ladies as soon as I saw the teaser pics, begging to test one! Anyone who knows me & my usual taste in colours may be surprised to hear this as I usually claim to dislike mustard yellow with a passion otherwise reserved only for Brussels sprouts! There’s something about the way that the variegated yellow Moorland warp interplays with the mid-blue Tarn weft though. It creates a stunningly beautiful understated foggy aqua colour precisely resembling mountain lakes I’ve dived in, which of course explains the name. The Moorland yellow shines through like golden sun reflecting on water. I wasn’t disappointed when it arrived and continue to gaze lovingly at it!

The colours look amazing on the stunning double-faced Starmap design, which is shown off crisply by the Elements weave.

The Wrapping Qualities

Frankly, had they said it was woven out of lead, I’d have still wanted to try Tarn. I was however more than a little nervous about the combination of the tighter Elements weave, the heavy 330 GSM weight and the 50% Merino wool blend. It had ‘beast’ written all over it and, having been spoiled by Firespiral Alchemy weave, I’ve become a bit lazy about wraps that need any real amount of breaking in!

I’ll be honest and say that when it arrived, my concerns deepened. The wrap had already been used by another tester but, had I not known better, I would’ve thought it was in loom state. The woolly Tarn face felt rough and quite unlike any Fispi I’ve felt before. There was quite a bit of wool itch too, and it was fairly stiff. There was no doubt that Tarn was going to need a bit of serious effort to get it softened up, but it wasn’t all bad news. There were also some clear indications of its future character. This was by no means a rigid piece of cloth, and a good amount of diagonal stretch was already evident. The cotton Moorland face also already had that silky softness you’d expect from a Fispi.

I bunged it straight in the machine on two consecutive wool cycles and left it to dry. This had a significant effect, with the wool already softening to the touch. I braided it, then spread it out over the seat of the sofa (insert climbing frame / wrestling ring / trampoline / car racetrack) for some toddler treatment. Tarn certainly got a bit more of that than I bargained for when said toddler threw up all over it, so it got another two machine washes to get that out, followed by an iron. I would’ve put it in the freezer to tackle that wool itch but there’s no room just now so I’ve put Hubs on notice to eat space in a drawer!

A couple of days of this training regime had Tarn sufficiently softened up for me to feel ready to start wrapping with it. Frankly, by this point Tarn needed to prove he had more to offer this relationship than looks alone! Oh my goodness did he not disappoint!

Tarn is beautifully strong, supportive and cushy. It’s a grade A ‘toddler & beyond’ wrap that you’d be able to hike up Ben Nevis with, carrying your heavy wrappee in absolute comfort. I was expecting a bit of a fight to get it wrapped, but it was actually really easy to throw either my giant almost 3 year old or my almost 1 year old into a secure ruck tied Tibetan. I was surprised in fact that I seemed to achieve a decent wrap job with less tightening & fiddling around than I usually do. Certainly, it’s very forgiving of a less than perfect wrap job, and is also an excellent weapon against leaners & squirmers of all ages! I chose a knotless finish however as Tarn was still putting up a bit of a fight where knots were concerned, and recommend sizing up as it wraps short due to the thickness (I was testing a 5 but it wrapped like a 4). Tarn’s fab in a base -2 and it’d also make a fabulous shorty, but may feel a little bit much in multi-layer base size carries. I think it has the potential to be a great ring sling too, although it’ll need more breaking in before you can get it through the rings without getting cramp in your hand! Tarn is snug, beautifully grippy and won’t slip or sag an inch.

Tarn is surprisingly easy care. It survived being used as a car racetrack and other toddler abuse without sustaining a pull, and is easy to machine wash on the cold wool cycle. It dried overnight and didn’t really need an iron before use (I did as part of the softening up process).

Summary

Tarn is never going to be an ideal squish wrap, but it’s most definitely going to be an utterly awesome, supportive stunner for a larger wrappee. It’s quite unlike any Firespiral I’ve ever tried before, so you need to adjust your expectations slightly in terms of breaking in requirements. It will need a few months of general use to soften it up but, from the progress it’s made in the short time it’s been here, I’m quite sure it’s going to be worth every minute! 

Tarn Moorland and Tarn Callisto Starmap will be released on 8th February and available to buy from the Firespiral Slings website. I recommend following them on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases.

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]]>Firespiral Tarn Moorland Starmap - FLASH REVIEW!ReviewMay BTue, 23 Jan 2018 20:50:11 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/12/22/integrated-carriers-from-its-a-sling-thing57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5a3d7264419202d4b1685fc5

Buckles Carriers at The Wrapping Years?!

It’s no secret that I’m a fully paid up member of the ‘Die Hard Wrapper Club’. I named my blog ‘The Wrapping Years’ and have written enthusiastically about ‘Why I’m a Wrapper’... but I have a confession. As much as I adore the comfort, flexibility and looks of those gorgeous pieces of fabric, I’ll admit that there are occasions when they’re not the quickest or most convenient option available. 

My husband was a relatively late convert to wrapping but now wouldn’t be without the wrap cuddles he enjoys with our boys. However, when he’s flying solo and enjoying the delights of herding a toddler & active 10 month old on an expedition, he says he “can’t be doing with faffing about with fabric” and uses a full buckle carrier. As my toddler gets older and my youngest more adventurous, I have to say that there have been times when I see his point.

Perhaps the first time I acknowledged my need to have a ‘buckles’ carrier in my stash was on the Longleat Express, a miniature train that, thanks to my budding train enthusiasts, I spend more time on than I do in bed. I found myself sat with one hand gripping my toddler to prevent premature disembarkment and the other stroking the baby all stuggled up on my front in his wrap... except he wasn’t snuggled up anymore. At the ripe old age of 6 months he’d decided he now needed to sit (or stand) on the carriage seat and objected most vehemently to being ‘imprisioned’ in the wrap. Taking this in my stride I loosened the wrap & freed my jumping, back-arching little gremlin for the rest of the journey, holding onto one child with each hand & desperately hoping neither made a committed effort to leap out of the moving carriage to stroke the reindeer. All was well until I realised I needed to wrap Little again in readiness for the always hurried & chaotic exit at the station. Sitting in the cramped miniature carriage, I tried & failed to re-wrap Little while he planked and his big brother made a break for the Thomas merchandise. I ended up chasing down the platform with a baby under one arm, dragging a trail of wrap fabric behind me, tripping up passers by, and decided that next time I’d ‘cheat’ and bring the SSC (soft structured carrier). 

When the new Integras were launched my magpie eyes were inevitably drawn to the pretty wrap collaborations. My brain thought that these neat, compact carriers may be an invaluable addition to our babywearing arsenal not only for my wriggling now-10-month-old Little, but for the increasingly rapid ups & downs (& ups & downs & ups...) of an impatient toddler who sometimes decides he wants to go down again even before I’ve managed to tie off my wrap job. I was therefore extremely excited when those lovely ladies at It’s a Sling Thing gave me the chance to test both a size 1 and a size 3 Integra Baby Carrier.

The Basics

Integras are soft structured ‘full buckle’ carriers. They come in the following three sizes (my 50th centile 10 month old was in a size 1 and my 95th centile 2yr, 10 month old in the size 3):

Size 1: Suitable from newborn (7.5lb) until around 2 years of age. Panel dimensions 14 inches wide and 20 inches high to create a seat up to 16 inches wide.

Size 2: Suitable from around 18 months until your child is around 3.5 years of age. Panel dimensions 16 inches wide and 22 inches high to create an 18 inch wide seat.

Size 3: Suitable from around 3 years until around 5 years of age. Panel dimensions 18 inches wide and 24 inches high to create a 20 inch wide seat. 

Integra Baby Carriers are designed by the longest practicing babywearing consultant in the UK. They come in a wide range of fabrics with varying prices from the bright ‘Essential’ colours to various patterns and even Harris Tweed. I was lucky enough to be testing two gorgeous Baie Slings wrap collaboration Integras made with panels of ‘Portobello’ and ‘Element Pixie’ baby wraps.

It’s a Sling Thing! 

‘It’s a Sling Thing’ is the UK’s biggest postal sling library with a reputation for excellent quality and customer service. They provide an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to try a baby carrier before investing in buying one, but doesn’t have a sling library accessible to them. Their hire service is as slick and easy to navigate as a late night Amazon order, with return postage bags and labels provided for those of us who’re too busy & sleep deprived to locate a pen, paper and sellotape at any one time. They have an extensive range of all types of sling and carrier so you can test what really works for you before spending your hard earned cash on your own.

It’s a Sling Thing isn’t just a hire company either. They have a ‘Try Before You Buy’ scheme for stretchy wraps, and you can often pick up a bargain ex-rental buy. Their well designed, informative and easy to navigate website also has a large retail section where you can shop for a broad range of wraps, carriers and accessories including, of course, a good selection of Integra Baby Carriers in all sizes.

Integra Baby Carriers

The Integra can be worn on your back or front, with the straps crossed or not depending on your preference. The waistband is secured by hanging the carrier upside down like an apron and tightening the waist straps. You then hold your little one and lift the panel up between their legs creating a nice seat with knee-to-knee support, seating them in a comfortable ‘M’ position (a frog-like natural sitting position with knees spread and raised). You then click the shoulder straps into place while supporting your little one until everything’s in place. The whole procedure takes seconds and is entirely possible to do on your own. Front carries are super easy from the outset. If carrying your little one on your back, you start with them on your hip or front and scoot them in the carrier seat around to the back before securing the shoulder straps. This little manoeuvre may take a little practice at home with a YouTube video before you feel completely confident in a car park but, taken as a whole, it takes a lot less practice than wrapping and you’ll be whipping them around like a ninja in no time!

When wearing a smaller baby on your back, you have to hoist the waistband up high (I’m talking right up under your boobs!) in order to get your wrappee at the right height. This feels a little bit odd at first, but it’s no big deal. As your little one gets taller, the waistband comes back down to waist height.

A lot of thought has gone into the design of the Integra. It’s packed full of little features that I didn’t appreciate the significance of until we started using the carriers. 

Unlike the Connecta, the Integra has dual adjust buckles which means you can tighten them by pulling forwards or back depending on which is easier for you. I confess I got a little bit confused the first time I used the carrier and ended up with the buckles uncomfortably located in my armpits. It doesn’t take long to get to grips with them though and I soon appreciated not having to dislocate my shoulders in order to tighten the straps by pulling backwards.

The unstructured waist provides a large degree of strap adjustability which means that the Integra will be comfortable for most adults up to about a size 22 UK dress size. Certainly my very slim husband found the carriers just as comfortable as I, with my ample, err, padding, did. They’re clearly very comfortable for the little ones too as not only Little, but his nap-refusing toddler brother fell asleep in them! Of course, even the most committed seat popper has zero chance of escape.

The flat ‘hood’ is a triumph of simple, effective design. You can have it fastened up as a sleep hood and head support, clipped as a neat neck support or simply laying flat out of the way against the back of the carrier. Each corner has a clip with an adjustable strap that you can lengthen or shorten as required. The clips on the hood are different to those on the Connecta and I found them less fiddly to operate. 

There’s a reinforced neck support on the top edge of the hood. It’s just a sturdy curved semi ellipse of fabric, but it works perfectly when the hood is clipped into the folded position on both the size 1 and size 3 carriers. The support also doubles up as a peak when the hood’s up to keep rain off little faces.

Each Integra comes with its own accessory strap. This may look like an unremarkable miniature luggage strap but it has more uses than a Swiss Army knife! You can use the accessory strap to cinch the seat of the carrier to fit smaller infants or as a chest strap when back carrying to prevent the straps from pulling back over your shoulders. It’s a handy way to keep the carrier folded up for storage and can be used to attach things like keys, small toys or dummies. There’s even a little loop to attach the accessory strap to so you don’t lose it. 

Perhaps my favourite feature of the Integra is its unstructured, unpadded waist. Frankly, after two children, my waist has plenty of its own padding! I’ve found that carriers with more structured, padded waists never sit properly atop my mum tum, and leave me looking something like the Michelin Man. The lack of padding doesn’t seem to impact on the comfort of the carrier, and means that it folds down neatly to a size that’ll fit into most changing bags. The compact size of the Integra is where its magic really lies, especially when toddlers or preschoolers are concerned. It doesn’t matter how fabulous your carrier is if it’s too bulky to fit inside a bag and be ready when needed. No crystal ball can predict when little legs will get tired, knees scraped or emotions overwhelmed so having a carrier that you can tuck into the bag in preparation for whenever ‘up’ is required is invaluable.

Summary

The Integra baby carrier is extremely accessible, handy, compact, and easy to use, with a range of well thought out design features. Any buckles carrier will struggle to replicate the shoulder comfort of a woven wrap, which distributes the weight of your wrappee across a much wider piece of fabric. However, the lightly padded straps of the Integra ensure that the carrier is still comfortable when carrying a smaller wrappee, and even a huge one for the amount of time that most toddlers and preschoolers want ‘up’. You simply can’t beat the Integra for convenience, and if that’s cheating, I’m cool with it! There’s definitely a place for one in even the most dedicated wrapper’s stash, and the beautiful wrap collaboration options are there to satisfy all those woven fabric urges! 

You can hire an Integra from the It’s a Sling Thing website here, or buy yourself a brand new one from them here. I recommend following the ‘It’s a Sling Thing’ Facebook page for all their news and special offers.

With special thanks to Simon & his glamorous assistant Rachel for their lovely photos.

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]]>Integra Carriers from ‘It’s a Sling Thing!’ReviewMay BThu, 04 Jan 2018 13:50:21 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/11/4/wrapahula_stanza_hourglass57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:59fe3df0c83025d8b0e74bf2The Basics

Stanza Hourglass from Wrapahula Wovens is a tri-blend of 65% combed cotton, 10% linen and 25% Merino lambswool. It weighs approximately 245 GSM, making it a medium weight wrap.

The Brand

Wrapahula Wovens are a UK based company producing wraps that are woven and sewn here in England. They focus on using the best quality yarns and their wraps are designed and produced exclusively for Wrapahula.

Despite seeing their lovely, striking wraps online I’ve never had the opportunity to try a Wrapahula so I was extremely excited when Sarah, the lovely lady behind the brand, offered me the opportunity to review one of her new Stanza designs. 

The Looks

The Stanza design is a bold, retro, geometric diamond pattern. As a general rule, I tend to be drawn to more organic designs, but the striking Stanza reminded me of my adventures in Mexico and captivated me from the outset. It looks great wrapped either side out, with the colours mirrored on the reverse. The hems are flipped so there’s no ‘wrong side’. Stanza Hourglass has a beautiful vivid turquoise warp and a deep purple weft, and positively glows even in low light, with its delicate sheen.

In case your GCSE English is becoming a distant memory (I’m pretty sure I did mine before the invention of the motor car... or was it the internet? I lose track in my advancing years!), a stanza is a group of lines in a poem or verse. Wrapahula decided to name each colourway in the Stanza collection after a song, and said the following about their inspiration:

“Did you know that listening to music releases a surge of dopamine? Even the anticipation of listening to music releases this crucial hormone.

Music influences the way we think, feel and behave. Music doesn't need lyrics to portray emotion or to impact our feelings. Music can create our coherent narrative. Each pattern of sound can be absorbed and interpreted by everyone of us regardless of language, gender, belief. 

Music helps us remember, music helps us move on, music soothes us, music brightens us.

Most of all, music unifies us; it brings together families, cultures and societies in ways that nothing else can.

Music is the language of the universe.

What's your song?”

Now it’s not every day that you get to name a wrap, so I was honoured when Sarah gave me the chance to name this colourway... and a little stumped! I spent a while googling songs & lyrics, but just couldn’t find anything that felt right. Then one day I found myself standing in my living room in my pyjamas, with my youngest wrapped and napping on my front and my toddler doing his spectacular bum-wiggle dance to some music, and I started thinking about how quickly they’re growing up. There must have been some wrap magic in the air, because a song started playing that perfectly captured those thoughts. A quick Spotify told me it was ‘Hourglass’ by Mindy Gledhill and just like that the wrap was named! Here are the lyrics that caused me to have a particular emotional mummy wobble:

“When you reach for the stars

Don’t forget who you are

And please don’t turn around and grow up way too fast

See the sand in my grasp

From the first to the last

Every grain becomes a memory of the past”

I imagine all parents feel that those precious years slip through their fingers, and this song seemed to encapsulate that sentiment perfectly. 

The Wrapping Qualities

So, let’s take a deep breath and talk about those all important wrapping qualities! In hand Hourglass feels quite thin, light and soft from the outset. When you run your hand over the fabric, you can feel the fine texture of the purple weft in the design, in contrast with the strokeably smooth turquoise warp.

Hourglass doesn’t feel particularly woolly, in fact you might even mistake it for a non-wool bend on touch alone. I can detect absolutely no ‘wool itch’ from it and it feels surprisingly cool in hand.

When wrapping, the passes glide easily into place and stay there. It’s very forgiving & it’s easy to get a beautifully tight, secure wrap job with minimal effort. It’s solid as a rock in the face of seat-poppers, wrigglers & other experienced escape artists! The geometric Stanza design makes for uniform wrapping qualities across the length and width of the fabric, and a nice amount of grip.

Hourglass’s weave is quite dense with little diagonal stretch, but the wrap is still sufficiently thin and soft to be mouldable. That dense weave makes for a beautifully supportive wrapping experience, especially for a wrap this light. I understand that Wrapahula decided to adopt a tighter weave in comparison to that used for their older wraps, and it works beautifully with this blend and weight. 

Hourglass is one of those wool blend wraps that could be worn in all seasons, well all British seasons anyway! The Merino makes the wrap snug in colder weather, particularly in multi-layer carries, but the light weight and the cotton / linen content have a big influence on the character of this tri-blend. It’ll be cool enough to be comfortable and thermo-regulating on pretty much all but the five ‘everyone in England becomes a radish’ days of the great British summer.

I’ve worn Hourglass for long periods with both my ten month old and huge nearly three year old. The wool and linen make for a solid, strong wrap with zero sag that’s surprisingly comfortable on the shoulders. If you’re planning on carrying a large wrappee over long distances you’d probably want a base size in multiple layers, but it’s perfectly up to the job of shorty for quick ups. Hourglass is also thin and soft enough for a small baby. Hourglass is easy to tie off and makes a neat knot. 

Hourglass is hand wash only, which may be offputting for some. However, I trust my machine and put it in on the hand-wash cycle, and it was absolutely fine. It’ll need to be air-dried and, like most wool-blend wraps, is not suitable for tumble-drying.  

Summary

Stanza Hourglass is perfectly pitched.   Light, soft and mouldable yet snug and supportive, it’s a versatile birth-to-toddler wrap that’ll suit beginners and experienced wrappers alike.

Wrapahula’s range of in-stock wraps, wrap conversion carriers and shawls can be bought from their website. I recommend following their Facebook page for news and new releases.

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]]>Wrapahula Stanza HourglassReviewMay BFri, 22 Dec 2017 15:04:20 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/12/9/firespiral-galena-callisto-seafoam57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5a2c5a5e652deadcd2727e96The Basics

Galena Callisto Seafoam from Firespiral Slings is 25% Merino lambswool, and 75% cotton. It’s 260 GSM making it a medium weight wrap. Galena is woven using Firespiral's Alchemy Weave which is slightly looser and makes for lovely soft & mouldable wraps.

The Brand

Firespiral is one of the biggest wrap brands in the UK, with a reputation for producing super soft wraps that are easy to use and suitable from birth to toddlerhood and beyond. Founded by two babywearing mothers, they design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house, inspired by nature, science and their own imaginations. Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers of quality yarns and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production. 

Firespiral offer free shipping to the UK, and international shipping is just £8 per order. Each wrap comes with a tote bag and pin badge, along with instructions for safe use. 

The Looks

A quick Google tells me that Galena is the natural mineral form of lead and an important source of silver, which explains the choice of name for this pretty, light silvery weft. If you didn’t have them next to each other, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Galena Callisto colourway is similar to the Calluna Callisto colourway used for the Birch Trees I reviewed recently. Of course, they share that stunning variegated rich purple Callisto warp, but the woolly Galena weft is a silvery white compared to Calluna’s heather pink. This makes for a cooler colourway that looks stunning on the Seafoam design. The pale silver contrasts clearly with the deep purple and shows off all those beautiful little details in the pattern.

I’ve had the pleasure of owning and reviewing a number of Firespiral’s Seafoam design wraps and it continues to be one of my favourites. It captures the natural life and movement of the ocean perfectly and is a natural choice for thalassophiles everywhere! As a family of four water signs - a full quota of Pisces, Cancer & Scorpio no less - we have to make regular pilgrimages to the sea and it’s no surprise at all that the first Firespiral I ever bought was a Seafoam. The design undulates and sloshes all around you, with no concerns about placement, although it’s always nice when a swirl, spiral or sea creature floats its way into a prominent position. The reverse side of the wrap shows the design with mirrored colours and you can wear it whichever way to choose.

The Wrapping Qualities  

In hand, the silky smooth cotton Callisto warp contrasts with the slightly rougher, textured Merino wool warp. Galena feels soft, snuggly and floppy from the outset. While there’s no mistaking the woolly texture in the silvery parts of the design, the wool content is low enough for the smooth soft texture of the cotton to have a big influence on the overall feel of the wrap. 

If I was forced to choose a favourite blend, 25% Merino, 75% cotton may well be it, especially in the cooler seasons. In many respects it’s the best of both worlds, the perfect balance of cushy, woolly bounce and the floppy softness of cotton. You may not have quite as much toddler-worthy blankety support as a thick 50% Merino like Calluna Callisto, but you gain a wrap that’s softer, cooler and more mouldable. In a medium weight like Galena, in Firespiral’s Alchemy weave, you get a wrap that’s suitable from birth to toddlerhood, and that’s accessible for even a novice wrapper.

Excitingly, the Galena Merino is the same weight and from the same supplier as Firespiral’s legendary Albus weft. Sadly, I’ve never got my hands on an Albus so I can’t compare them directly, but there is indeed an extra special soft, fine, snuggly quality to Galena that makes it a little different from other Firespiral woollies I’ve tried. If you’ve tried woollen wraps from other brands and found them itchy or scratchy, a wrap like Galena may well convert you. My skin has been irritated by woollies from other brands but I can honestly say that I can detect no ‘wool itch’ at all from Galena. It’s just a lovely comfortable, soft, cuddly wrapping experience.

Galena wraps true to size. Its medium weight means that it’s sufficiently thin and mouldable for a newborn, while still being eminently toddler worthy. Galena is cushy and comfortable on the shoulders without being bulky, and is still mouldable and easy to tie, making a neat knot. Galena can be washed in the machine on the wool cycle with a low spin.

The first wrap that my eldest son took an active interest in, and still requests over all others, was the 25% Merino blend Nightfall Frost Midwinter from Firespiral. He likes to snuggle up with it even when we’re not wrapping and I’m certain that its feel, and the comfort of being carried in it, are the main reasons for his preference. He still asks to go up in it at night when he’s having trouble getting to sleep and it’s like a soft, cushy hug for both of us. If you’re familiar with Nightfall Frost Midwinter, Galena is similar in terms of its wrapping qualities, but with some distinct improvements. The cotton Callisto warp is definitely softer, smoother and chunkier, and the Galena wool seems extra snuggly and soft somehow. Given that we considered Nightfall Frost pretty darn perfect, Galena is, well, awesome.

Summary

Galena Callisto hits the sweet spot in the balance between woolly cushiness and soft, mouldable, easy care cotton. It’s great for toddlers and tiny babies alike and is exactly the kind of wrap you’ll hold onto throughout your wrapping years and on to forever. If you’re a bit iffy about wool sensitivity, but tempted to try, you’ll struggle to find a softer, more delicate skin-friendly woolly than Galena. 

Galena will be released on 8th January and available to buy from the Firespiral Slings website. I recommend following them on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases. 

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]]>Firespiral Galena Callisto SeafoamReviewMay BTue, 05 Dec 2017 09:08:43 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/11/4/bebe-sachi-rebung-erinite57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:59fe3cbfe2c483f6d044aa22The Basics

Rebung Erinite is 100% cotton and weighs 244 GSM, making it a medium weight wrap. It’s handwoven using a very special jacquard weave with two layers of warp (the threads that run the length of the fabric).

The Brand

Bébé Sachi make handwoven (or handloomed) wraps in Bangladesh under fairtrade conditions. The company, which was established as a social enterprise in 2011, provides sustainable employment for weavers and an alternative to the migration of artisans to the cities of Bangladesh in search of employment. Buying from Bébé Sachi therefore helps to preserve ancient traditions of fine craftsmanship and a rich cultural heritage.

Bébé Sachi wraps come in a lovely and useful little bag cut from the same fabric as your wrap.

Despite oggling Bébé Sachi online we’d never had the opportunity to try one, so I was extremely excited to finally get to test the wrapping qualities for myself. 

The Looks

The triangular ‘Pucuk Rebung’ pattern that the Rebung weave is named after represents the sprouting bamboo shoot. It’s a traditional Malay motif that continues to influence design for things as diverse as skyscrapers, food and textiles.

The intricacy of the Rebung weave is fascinating. Being the self-confessed wrap geek I am, I like to look carefully at wraps to try to understand a little about the weave structure. It doesn’t matter how long I stare at Rebung though, I just can’t fathom how someone could create such a fine, complex pattern without the use of a machine! There’s no doubt it’s a work of art by extremely skilled craftspeople and the result is very beautiful.

Rebung has a variegated teal, cyan and aqua warp, and a cream warp, with a choice of weft. Rebung Chrysolite has a cream weft and Erinite (reviewed and photographed here) grey. These sister wraps share the same weight, fibre content and wrapping qualities.

Erinite and Chrysolite may be named for vivid geological gems, but to me Erinite conjures up images of the scales of magnificent sea serpents or dragons. The variegated warp and fine geometric pattern create an impression of thousands of shimmering scales reflecting the sea and sky. Erinite is both gorgeous and very practical and wearable as a colourway. 

A strip of the variegated blue / greens runs along one side, and the grey weft along the other, adding an attractive accent and making it easy to distinguish the rails when wrapping.

The Wrapping Qualities 

In hand, Rebung feels fairly light, cool and has a fine, grippy texture. I was expecting a bit of resistance when wrapping, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the passes still eased into place quite easily. One thing’s certain, when in place, your wrap job’s as solid as the Iron Throne (apologies, if you’re not a Game of Thrones fan, just ignore me...)! 

At about 71cm, Rebung is a little wider than some wraps I’ve tried. This extra fabric was useful when creating a seat for my toddler who’s over a metre tall with legs like a giraffe. Rebung has a fairly acute taper at each end, which makes tying knots a bit easier and gives a prettier finish. 

If the word ‘handwoven’ conjures up thoughts of fragility to you, think again! It may be beautiful but Rebung is sturdy and ready for action. The double warp makes for a really strong, supportive and comfortable wrap. This is achieved without without compromising mouldability and Rebung has a good amount of diagonal stretch, not too much or too little. Rebung is definitely toddler-worthy as well as being suitable for smaller babies. Should you forget to put your toddler’s wellies on for a very wet, puddle-abundant walk, resulting in him getting sopping wet & covered in mud, refusing to walk back to the car, & evicting his baby brother from the wrap, Rebung would be well up to the job... just saying...

Zero sag, and zero slippage even with my giganta-toddler, Rebung will hold better than The Wall (I can’t help it, the similes are just so apt!). It’s also very resistant to pulls when being put through its paces... and bristly undergrowth.

Rebung will need a little bit of wash and wear to soften up fully and reach its full potential. That’s not to say it’s in any way a ‘beast’ -  far from it. It’s just one of those wraps that gets better the more it’s loved. The knot’s a little bit bulkier than some, but this too will no doubt lessen as the wrap is fully broken in. 

Rebung can be machine washed on a cool delicates cycle but shouldn’t be tumble dried. I found that it air dried quickly however.

Summary

Beautiful yet strong, Rebung is The Mother of Dragons of the wrap world. Grippy, and very supportive, especially for a wrap this light, yet still mouldable and comfortable to wear, Rebung has the perfect amount of diagonal stretch. With a little bit of wash and wear, Rebung will relax, soften up to its full potential and be supple enough for even a newborn, while still being strong & supportive enough to carry a toddler. It could happily be the only wrap in your stash. I love Rebung in base-2 but it’s also thin enough to work well in your base size without swamping you in fabric, and strong enough to work as a shorty or ring sling too. 

Rebung Erinite and Chrysolite are available to buy from the Bébé Sachi website along with their other, stunning, in-stock woven products. It’s definitely worth signing up for their newsletter (you might even get 10% off your first order!), and following them on Facebook for news and new releases.

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]]>Bébé Sachi Rebung EriniteReviewMay BMon, 20 Nov 2017 20:53:52 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/11/4/firespiral-calluna-callisto-birch-trees57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:59fe3b09c83025d8b0e6fee9The Basics

Calluna Callisto Birch Trees from Firespiral Slings is a blend of 50% Merino lambswool & 50% combed cotton. It weighs in at 335 GSM, which makes it a thicker wrap. Calluna is woven using Firespiral's Alchemy Weave which is slightly looser and makes for lovely soft & mouldable wraps. 

The Brand

Firespiral is a British company, founded by two babywearing mothers who design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house. They are inspired by "the universal patterns in nature that stray into both science and myth; the magical way in which we are connected to the world and its rhythms". Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers wherever possible, and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production.

I saw my first Firespiral wrap at my local sling library and loved the feel, texture and design. Many Firespiral wraps have lived here since, all different but sharing common characteristics.

Firespiral wraps come with a handy cotton bag and a pin badge, as well as a guide for safe use.

The Looks

Callisto is the second largest moon of Jupiter and named for the beautiful protagonist of Greek legend who stirred Zeus’s ardour. It’s easy to imagine how the variegated pinstripe Callisto warp may have been inspired by either the rings of Jupiter or the beauty of Hellenic nymphs. Whichever the case, it’s stunning and as deep purple as Ritchie Blackmore. 

The Calluna weft is named for the flowering plant and is a pretty pink / lilac shade that perfectly complements the rich purple Callisto warp.

Purple is one of my favourite colours and one that hasn’t featured too frequently in Firespiral wraps. There’s certainly never been a purple warp... now I can almost hear the ‘Twilight’ murmerings but trust me, Twilight is indigo blue and very different! If you’ve been waiting for a proper purple fix, immerse yourself in Calluna and enjoy! It glows and will brighten even a black night.

The Birch Trees design is a Firespiral Slings classic and incredibly beautiful with interlocking branches, falling leaves and slender, tree trunks. There are two subtly different variations of the design and Calluna is the one with the falling leaves but no ferns at the bottom (my favourite!).

The Wrapping Qualities

From the moment you take Calluna out of its bag, there’s no mistaking it’s woolly, blanket-like qualities. Perfect for autumn and winter, it’s the kind of wrap that everyone wants to snuggle in. For those with wool sensitivities, there was a bit of ‘wool itch’ at first, but after a couple of washes and a week of wear, that has virtually disappeared.

Calluna feels cushy and fairly weighty, but not so thick that it feels bulky wrapping with it. That comforting woolly texture adds a fair amount of grip, but it’s not difficult to ease the passes into place. As you’d expect from Firespiral Alchemy Weave 50% merino, there’s a nice amount of diagonal stretch which is sufficient to make a fairly mouldable yet extremely supportive and comfortable wrap. 

There came a time when I realised that if I wanted to continue carrying my giganta-toddler comfortably, and not have aching shoulders after a hike, then wool was the way forward. Wool blends make up over half of my stash and it’s my go to when carrying my big little in the cooler months (we’re in England so you can count that as pretty much every day save a few in June and the week in August you’re on holiday elsewhere!). 

You simply can’t beat a thicker 50% wool blend for cushiness and Calluna is no exception. When we felt the call of the wild, Calluna made carrying even my extremely big toddler for prolonged wear a cushtastic delight. There’s all the bounce of spring lambs with zero slippage, despite said toddler vigorously attempting to hail aircraft, catch birds and hold onto passing branches!

The tester was base-1 for me with my toddler and base with my 9 month old. It was like a warm cocoon against the biting wind, and not too bulky so we didn’t feel swamped. I’d particularly recommend Calluna as a base-2 or a shorty though, as it’s cushy and supportive enough in a single layer to need no extra reinforcement. 

As you might expect with a thicker woolly, it took a bit of effort to tie knots in Calluna (although they definitely stayed put when they were there!), so wouldn’t be my first choice as a beginner wrap. It’d be a bit thick for a  teeny newborn too, although an experienced wrapper could make it work in a single layer.

I found that Calluna wraps a little bit short due to its thickness so I’d consider sizing up if you’re usually a bit short on tail. As always, you should get a bit more length as the wrap relaxes with wear.

Despite being 50% wool, Calluna is machine washable (30 degrees, delicates cycle).

Summary

Calluna Callisto Birch Trees is a cushy, wonderful woolly blanket of a wrap. It’s supportive enough for the heaviest wrappee but not too bulky for a smaller one, though perhaps not ideal for a novice wrapper or a newborn wrappee due to its thickness. Calluna is perfect for snuggling in as a shorter wrap, but won’t swamp you in base size. 

Calluna will be released on 8th December and available to buy from the Firespiral Slings website. I recommend following them on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases. 

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]]>Firespiral Calluna Callisto Birch TreesReviewMay BMon, 06 Nov 2017 08:51:17 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/10/13/oscha-nano57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:59dffa504c0dbf13ffe2db7a​The Basics

Nano Lavender from Oscha Slings is a prototype blend of 58% Tencel and 42% hemp. I calculate it to be in the region of 270 GSM, which nudges it into the ‘thicker’ category, however the wrap feels and wraps like a medium weight wrap.

The Brand

Oscha Slings was set up by a father and daughter team from a family - or "clan" - with a long history of babywearing. Based in Scotland, they were the first jacquard woven sling company in Great Britain. Oscha brought together their passions for art, design and babywearing to create wraps that became loved for their beauty, elegance and quality as much as their functionality. Their artistic focus played a significant part in the contemporary, artistically styled, fashion orientated wrap scene and led to Oscha being known fondly as 'The Wrap Artists'. Their stunning and often intricate designs were the first to catch my eye as a new babywearer, and were responsible for sending me hurtling down the woven wrap rabbit hole!

The Looks

Nano is a relatively new design from Oscha. Inspired by kaleidoscopes, Nano is stunningly intricate and looks amazing both close up and from a distance. The geometric detail of the design reminds me of Andaluz, one of my all-time favourite Oscha designs both in terms of its looks and wrapping qualities. It’s safe to say that Nano may just have knocked Andaluz off the top spot of my Oscha designs ranking! 

This colourway teams a delicate shimmering silver warp with a navy weft, giving a beautiful lavender effect. With its silk-like sheen and subtle colourway, Nano Lavender would look perfectly at home at a wedding or other special event, but is also very wearable for every day adventures.

The Wrapping Qualities  

Tencel is a brand name for Lyocell fibres and consists of cellulose fibre created from wood pulp. Although the ‘ingredients’ of Tencel are completely natural, the process of ‘regenerating’ the fibres, or creating the Tencel, means that it falls somewhere between the categories of ‘natural’ and ‘synthetic’ fibre. Tencel is considered to be an environmentally sustainable fabric as the wood pulp used in its creation comes from eucalyptus trees, which require less water and land than other natural fibres (like cotton), and very little pesticide, to grow. Almost all of the (non-toxic) chemicals used in the process of converting the wood pulp to Tencel fibres are recovered and reused, which means less wastage and a lower environmental impact. 

Tencel is often referred to as an alternative to cotton and I was keen to find out how its wrapping qualities compared. Nano Lavender is the first Tencel blend wrap I've tried and I admit to feeling a little bit nervous when I first felt it. In loom state it felt silky and luxurious but, frankly, as slippery as a well-oiled politician! Lenzing Fibres who manufacture Tencel celebrate the fact that Tencel fibres are much smoother than other fibres like cotton or wool, which makes it super kind to delicate baby (and mummy!) skin. The counter side of these benefits however is that the Tencel fibres themselves have less grip.

Never fear though, my concerns abated after that first wash! Oscha have cleverly teamed the Tencel with lovely grippy, textured hemp and woven it into a textured, high-grip design. A quick wash and tumble dry made a huge difference and brought out that texture, banishing the ‘slippery’ feeling in hand.

Nano Lavender feels soft and cool with a lovely floppy drape from that first wash. It wraps easily with the passes gliding into place, and makes a neat knot and slim CCCB. The weave is fairly tight, with only a small amount of diagonal stretch, which makes for a beautifully supportive and strong wrap.

Nano Lavender feels thinner than its weight would suggest, with no bulk, yet it felt comfortable on my shoulders even over prolonged periods of wear with my rapidly growing 8-month old. Nano Lavender is strong and supportive enough to carry a toddler too, and would make a great, compact ‘handbag shorty’ for quick ups and downs. In base size with multi-layer carries, Nano Lavender will happily carry a toddler for extended periods.

While the textured weave and hemp blend add grip to those smooth Tencel fibres, my wiggly, jumping, seat-popping little gremlin did manage to cause a little bit of slippage while trying to launch himself into the first solo baby flight! This slippage was minimal however, and a fair price to pay for the overall feel of the wrap.

Despite the relatively tight weave, Nano Lavender feels breathable and cool to wear. Apparently Tencel has high moisture absorption properties, which contribute to the comfort of the wrapping experience and make Tencel a great choice for warmer, humid climates.

Nano Lavender is extremely easy care. I found the Tencel blend to be far less prone to creasing than a cotton / hemp blend, or even a 100% cotton wrap might be. You can happily get away with not ironing it after a wash & tumble, and it seemed largely immune to creasing even during wear.  

Summary

Tencel provides an exciting, ethically sound and distinctly different alternative to cotton. Luxurious, cool and kind to delicate skin, with a stunning sheen, it lacks the grip of cotton but is comfortable to wear and extremely easy care. Teamed with naturally textured hemp, and woven into the beautiful, grippy Nano pattern, it creates a stunning wrap that’s soft and floppy enough for a newborn, yet strong and supportive enough to carry a much bigger wrappee.

Oscha wraps are available to buy from the Oscha Slings Website. I recommend following their Facebook Page for news of their upcoming releases, special offers and 'Secret Stash Friday'!

If you like the sound of this stunning wrap, follow The Wrapping Years on Facebook for an exciting giveaway very soon! 

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]]>Oscha Nano LavenderReviewMay BFri, 20 Oct 2017 09:06:41 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/10/13/firespiral-cloudburst-cascade-seafoam57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:59dff6de46c3c4f859b23873The Basics

Cloudburst Cascade Seafoam from Firespiral Slings is a blend of 59% cotton, 33% linen & 8% viscose. It's about 250 GSM making it a medium weight wrap. It's woven using Firespiral's Alchemy Weave which is slightly looser and makes for lovely soft & mouldable wraps.

The Brand

Firespiral is a British company, founded by two babywearing mothers who design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house. They are inspired by "the universal patterns in nature that stray into both science and myth; the magical way in which we are connected to the world and its rhythms". Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers wherever possible, and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production.

I saw my first Firespiral wrap at my local sling library and loved the feel, texture and design. Many Firespiral wraps have lived here since, all different but sharing common characteristics.

Firespiral wraps come with a handy cotton bag and a pin badge, as well as a guide for safe use.

The Looks

Cloudburst 

[kloud-burst]

noun

1. Sudden and very heavy rainfall

Well, the name's certainly apt with the weather we've been enjoying this week! Luckily the sun turning red didn't in fact herald the apocalypse, so we took the opportunity to take Cloudburst for some walks, breathe in the southern non-hurricane force winds and marvel at the Gods randomly emptying their bath water on us! Even in the 'end of days' light, Cloudburst glowed, saturated in rich, deep colour.

Cloudburst is the second wrap on the Cascade warp I've had the pleasure of testing, the first being SETI Cascade Starmap. The Cascade warp is a beautiful variegated deep turquoise and smokey grey (with a hint of purple) pinstripe, while the Cloudburst weft is made up of two different yarns creating an indigo blue. The blue adds depth to the Cascade colour and makes for a stunning, almost moody colour combination that's perfect for the Seafoam design. Cloudburst would make a great 'jeans wrap' but also looks very special if you have a more formal occasion coming up.

I've had the pleasure of owning or reviewing several of Firespiral's Seafoams and I love the way they look. The design captures the natural movement of the ocean and seashore more than any other design I've seen. It looks stunning wrapped and always gives two contrasting faces or sides.

The Wrapping Qualities

In hand, Cloudburst feels fairly light, and very floppy. When I took it out of the package, Cloudburst virtually flowed out, pooling on the floor in a puddle of delicious fabric. There's a contrast between the silky smooth soft Cascade warp face and the fine, slightly rougher, texture created by the two different threads in the weft. 

Cloudburst is very easy to wrap with being super mouldable with quite a lot of stretch. Fans of Firespiral's 'old school' thin linen blends (e.g. Gamma, Bronze, ETG...) will recognise the bandage like wrapping qualities, whilst enjoying a smidgen more thickness. 

It's fair to say that Cloudburst has all the qualities I love in a wrap for a smaller wrappee, but Cloudburst isn't only for the tiny ones. My littlest is getting less little by the minute (eight months old now - how did that happen?!), and has lead for bones like his brother! He's getting a bit heavy to carry on my front for our walks now, but I'm clinging onto the opportunities while I can! I can honestly say however that I was completely comfortable with him on my front in Cloudburst in a FWCC for over an hour of walking. While I'd choose the cushiness, strength and weight of SETI to carry my toddler, Cloudburst is a great wrap for those who prefer a lovely floppy, mouldable, medium weight.

I generally find the Seafoam design to be on the less grippy side, but the two yarns in Cloudburst's weft create a fine texture and sufficient grip to hold everything in place. There was no slippage despite me jogging down a hill to intercept my toddler who was enthusiastically heading for an electric fence!

Cloudburst is very easy care and can be washed and tumble dried. The beautiful Seafoam design can be prone to pulls, but they're easy to fix so not a cause for worry.

Summary

Cloudburst may share a warp and a similar blend with SETI, but they're very different wraps. Lighter and thinner than SETI, Cloudburst is soft and extremely mouldable with considerable diagonal stretch. Whereas SETI is a cushy toddler prison, Cloudburst wraps like a bandage, making it perfect for newborns and younger babies. Cloudburst isn't all about the teeny ones though. The linen adds a bit of oomph, making it strong enough to carry a heavier wrappee in multi-layer carries. Cloudburst would make an ideal wrap for a novice wrapper and a stunning all seasons addition to any stash.

Cloudburst Cascade Seafoam will be released on 28th October and available to buy from the Firespiral Slings website. I recommend following them on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases.

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]]>Firespiral Cloudburst Cascade SeafoamReviewMay BTue, 05 Sep 2017 10:30:28 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/8/20/firespiral-seti-cascade-starmap57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5999ad27b8a79bf7c826f3f2The Basics

SETI Cascade Starmap from Firespiral Slings is a blend of 57% cotton, 27% linen & 16% viscose. It's about 305 GSM making it a thick wrap. It's woven using Firespiral's Alchemy Weave which is slightly looser and makes for lovely soft & mouldable wraps. 

The Brand

Firespiral is a British company, founded by two babywearing mothers, who design their own jacquard woven wraps in-house. They are inspired by "the universal patterns in nature that stray into both science and myth; the magical way in which we are connected to the world and its rhythms". Firespiral use small, local producers and suppliers wherever possible, and have a strong focus on ecological and ethical production.

I saw my first Firespiral wrap at my local sling library and loved the feel, texture and design. Many Firespiral wraps have lived here since, all different but sharing common characteristics.

Firespiral wraps come with an attractive cotton bag and pin badge as well as a guide for safe use.

The Looks

SETI, is named for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, "an exploratory science that seeks evidence of life in the universe by looking for some signature of its technology". I can see how the variegated deep turquoise and smokey grey (with a hint of purple) Cascade warp would have inspired such a name, especially on the Starmap design. The effect is a mottled pinstripe that conjures up thoughts of radio pulses, TV signal interference and the rings of Jupiter.

The Starmap design is a Firespiral classic. A universe of blinking stars, comets and galaxies on a star chart, complete with astronomers tools along the rail, it looks beautiful wrapped. Starmap is a delicate, detailed design that gives two distinctly different sides in mirrored colours.

SETI has an ecru weft. The difference in the thickness of the linen and chunky viscose threads creates a textured striated effect which looks lovely as well as adding a bit of grip to the Starmap design. Compared to many Starmaps, the SETI Cascade colourway is fairly low contrast.

The Wrapping Qualities 

In hand SETI has a reassuringly heavy weight and beautiful floppy drape. The Cascade side is kitten belly soft while the paler weft side has a striated ribbed texture.

I recently learned that the cotton used for Firespiral's Burnish & Cascade warps is slightly thicker than that used for their previous warps, and it shows. Let's face it, they've always been lovely and soft, but Burnish and Cascade are like Twilight after a few extra doughnuts.

When wrapping, the passes glide into place. The Starmap design itself doesn't create much grip, but SETI's striated textured weft is grippy enough to ensure that everything stays where you put it.

SETI is surprisingly mouldable for a thick wrap with the viscose providing a nice little bit of stretch. I'm not sure how much use the tester had had, but experience tells me that even thick Firespiral Alchemy linen needs little breaking in. Suffice to say that this 'beast' was tamed to the point of purring and sitting at the dinner table. Despite the weight of SETI, it still ties a neat knot and doesn't feel bulky or wrap short.

I absolutely love Firespiral's thicker linen blends and the SETI tri-blend is no exception. SETI is lovely and strong and has uber amounts of blankety cush. It got a serious test of comfort when my poor toddler got his thumb squashed in a door while already suffering from a nasty bug, and needed up. His brother (also poorly) was already asleep on my front so I added my toddler in a basic ruck and stood gently swaying throughout the whole of Frozen and most of Toy Story 3... it was pretty much the end of the world as we know it but miraculously, my shoulders felt fine! SETI was pretty much as comfortable as it's possible to be when standing on the spot for several hours, needing a wee & carrying your two 'babies'.

Despite extended expeditions searching for intelligent life (bees!) SETI didn't slip or sag and rendered both of my wrappees as weightless as if we were bouncing-in-zero-gravity... well as close as is possible here on planet Earth anyway.

If you've been tempted by the soft, floppy, mouldable nature of viscose, but were concerned that it may be a little too stretchy for a heavier wrappee, SETI is the wrap to try. The substantial linen content and heavier weight make for a very strong and supportive wrap, while the viscose qualities make it soft and mouldable.

Suffice to say, SETI would make an amazing shorty or ring sling for a heavy toddler or preschooler but is still sufficiently soft, breathable and mouldable to work for a small baby and in multi-layer carries.

Being a cotton / linen / viscose blend it's super easy care and can be machine washed and tumble dried. Its weight and the floppiness of the viscose also mean that it's not as prone to creasing as linen blends often are. 

Summary

SETI Cascade may well be evidence of alien technology! It's extremely cushy, supportive and strong, while still being beautifully soft, floppy and mouldable. Perfect for heavier wrappees, but also lovely for smaller babies, it excels in single layer carries and is as protective as a force field in base size. If extra terrestrials turn out to be more 'Alien' than 'E.T,' SETI is the wrap you want on your side!

SETI Cascade Starmap will be released on 30th September and available to buy from the Firespiral Slings website. I recommend following them on Facebook for all their news and details of upcoming releases. 

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]]>Firespiral SETI Cascade StarmapReviewMay BFri, 18 Aug 2017 09:34:54 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/7/19/sjala-rowan-quartz57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:596fc2c759cc68572c92837eThe Basics

Rowan Quartz is 94% cotton and 6% wool. It's in the region if 270 GSM making it a slightly heavier than medium weight wrap. I was testing a 6 (base -1) with my toddler and five month old.

The Brand

Sjala is a Swedish company named for the Swedish word meaning 'to wrap'. They believe in secure attachments for children and parents, and also strive to be environmentally conscious in their production processes.

There are many benefits to babywearing friends. Companionship, like-minded conversation, temp. trades, wrap walks... the list goes on. My dear friend Terri really went the extra mile though when, knowing I'd wanted to try (& review, naturally!) one, traded a wrap for Quartz so I could finally get my Sjala fix (thank you again Terri)! 

The Looks

Having never even held a Sjala, it was the look of their wraps that first caught my eye. I absolutely love their nature-inspired designs and most particularly the lovely Rowan pattern. I have a bit of a thing for Rowan trees! You may have read my review of a Rowan design from another brand and remember my ramblings about the tree's long history in folklore and escoteric meaning. In Norse mythology, which is obviously of particular relevance given the Nordic origins of Sjala, it was the Rowan tree from which the first woman was created. Here in the British Isles, the Rowan tree has long been held to have protective qualities and used in various ways to keep people safe from harm. It's a perfect symbol to be associated with a baby wrap and Sjala's take on the theme is beautiful.

Quartz combines silver grey with a delicate blush pink, and both threads shimmer as if they were silk. It screams class and luxury.

Quartz has flipped hems and has no 'wrong' side. One side has pink leaves on a silver background and the other vice versa, with both sides being as beautiful as a ballerina.

The Wrapping Qualities

In hand, Quartz feels smooth and silky, with the design adding only a small amount of texture. It's a tight, dense weave and, although it's soft to the touch, it feels a little inflexible in hand.

Quartz was only released a few months ago, and I don't know how much use this one has had. Suffice to say however that she needs a bit of breaking in before she'll be truly squish worthy and reach her full potential. 

When wrapping, the passes glide into place easily. The low wool content provides a small amount of grip but I found that it did slip a bit when wearing my toddler. It's not particularly forgiving of a sloppy wrap job either so you need to really pin those passes and hold tight to prevent slippage and slack when wrapping. 

Quartz has very little stretch or bounce which makes it beautifully strong and supportive. It has a little bit of cush but my picky shoulders found it a little 'diggy' after wearing it for a while.

I've tested Quartz in a range of temperatures and varying humidities (ahh the fickle British summer!). The wrap is definitely better suited to cooler climes when it's snug tight weave adds warmth and insulation. I wouldn't recommend it for humid weather.

Quartz is hand-wash only and unfortunately those beautiful pale colours really do show up the mud. This wrap would look wonderful at a wedding or other special occasion, but it isn't really the kind of wrap you want your toddler pulling through the mud and trying to throw in the stream on a rainy afternoon (of course that totally never happened *coughs guiltily*!). 

Summary

Quartz is a Prima Ballerina of a wrap. It's a shimmering beauty but there's more to her than her pretty face. Solid and strong as the rock it's named after, yet thinner than it's weight would suggest, it will support toddlers and young babies alike as long as you don't skip her breaking-in warm-up. Oh, and like any ballerina, she's not really up for being dragged through the mud!

You can find Sjala's in stock wraps on their website.

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]]>Sjala Rowan QuartzReviewMay BMon, 07 Aug 2017 20:50:27 +0000http://thewrappingyears.com/home/2017/8/4/didymos-facett-morgentau-morning-dew-facett-mittagshimmel-midday-skies57eeb256e6f2e142dae0ca52:57eeb3efd1758e5ea8eedee7:5984c074914e6b93fcd6c320The Basics

Morgentau (Morning Dew) & Mittagshimmel (Midday Skies) are the latest colourways of Didymos's Facett design. Both are 100% cotton and 200 GSM, putting them in the thin category (along with Facett Morning Mood that'll also have similar wrapping qualities).

I was testing a size 6 (base -1) in each, with my toddler and five month old baby.  

The Brand

Didymos have been making baby wraps since 1972 and are widely considered to be the 'grandmother' of the modern babywearing brands. They are a German company, experienced in selling & shipping worldwide, and their website is available in several languages (including English for those of us whose grasp on other languages extends, embarrassingly, to ordering a glass of wine & requesting the bill!). Didymos's experience and focus on the safety and well-being of children, with attention to social and ecological ethics, has resulted in a brand that babywearers around the world have come to trust for affordable quality.

When I first started looking into baby wraps, Didymos was one of the names that my babywearing friends immediately suggested I try. Sure enough, one of my very first wraps was a 'Didy', and my first Mei Tai a 'Didytai' so I'm always really excited to be offered the opportunity to test and review one (or two!) of their wraps.

Your Didymos wrap will arrive in an iconic Didymos blue & white box with helpful leaflets detailing basic carries, safe useage & care instructions.

The Looks

Morning Dew has a beautiful graduated weft of fresh apple green, fading through rich emerald and aqua green, on an ecru warp. It makes for a subtle, gentle and very pretty wrap, which conjures up visions of apple pies at grassy picnics, with perhaps a wood sprite popping over to nab some cider!

Midday Skies has an equally pretty graduated weft of bright turquoise blue, deep royal blue and a pale sky blue with a hint of lilac, on an ecru warp. True to its name, it reminds me of gazing up at bright summer skies and spotting the odd cirrus cloud.

Unlike some 'grads', the colour change occurs along the length rather than across the width of the wraps. This means you get a slightly different look depending on where the colours fall, although the 'stripes' are sufficiently narrow for all to be on display.

Sometimes the simplest designs look the best when wrapped and this is definitely the case with Facett. The criss-cross diamond design works especially well with the graduated weft, blending in the colour transitions and creating a pretty, textured effect. Both Morning Dew & Midday Skies radiate bright and beautiful colours that can't fail to lift your spirits (even when The Great British Bake Off will never quite be the same again!), 

Handily, the two rails of each wrap are distinctly different, with one showing the ecru warp and the other the graduated weft. This makes it easier for new (& busy or distracted!) wrappers to wrap with them without getting twisted up like a Swiss Wurzelbrot.

The Wrapping Qualities

When they first arrived, Morning Dew & Midday Skies felt light, thin and a teeny bit crispy. Never fear though! They went straight in the washing machine and tumble drier and softened up nicely, making them squish worthy from the outset. Their inaugural wash also brought out the diamond pattern into a lovely three dimensional miniature waffle-like texture. 

In hand Morning Dew & Midday Skies feel very light and floaty with lots of diagonal stretch. They're easy to wrap with and extremely mouldable, which makes them ideal for newborns or smaller babies. That waffley texture also adds a lot of grip, and the passes stay exactly where you put them.

Morning Dew and Midday Skies were strong enough to carry my hefty toddler too, although I tend to prefer a little more 'cush' and a bit less stretch when carrying him for longer periods. If you're buying Morning Dew or Midday Skies for a heavier wrappee, I suggest buying your base size and using multi-layer carries.

Being thin and airy, these beauties are great for warm or humid weather and will keep you and your little one beautifully cool. They're super easy-care too, wash in the machine at 60 degrees and tumble dry. You can even get away with not ironing them post-wash.

Summary

Facett Morning Dew and Midday Skies are lightweight, airy, extremely mouldable and as summery as strawberries at Wimbledon. Perfect for newborns and smaller babies, yet strong enough to carry a toddler in multi-layer passes, they're ideal for warmer or humid climates, holidays and sandy beaches.

Facett Morning Dew & Midday Skies will be available to buy from the Didymos website soon.  You can also follow Didymos on Facebook & Instagram to get the heads up about their news and new releases.  

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]]>Didymos Facett Morgentau (Morning Dew) & Facett Mittagshimmel (Midday Skies)