Monthly Archives: June 2015

Lawilde Latreille Aveta

Lawilde, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Lawilde

Design – Latreille

Colour – Aveta

Blend – 39% Egyptian cotton, 35% Merino, 26% Linen

Weight – 270gsm

Size tested – 4

Retail price of tested design and size – £205

Provided to me by – Holiday from a friend

Website – Lawilde

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A brief review from me of the lovely Aveta, as I only got to try her briefly before the beautiful butterflies had to fly on to their next holiday home.

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The Latreille design is stunning, a simple repetition of butterflies which alternate which way up they are (so you don’t have to worry about having the wrap the ‘right’ way up for the design), but very effective as a design. I was definitely sad to see this beauty leave at the end of our holiday.

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This wrap feels quite thin but so very strong, and it was really nice to wrap with. Passes glided over each other and stayed where they were put. The wrap is very smooth, although not as soft as other wraps I’ve used, and almost silky to the touch. When you wrap with it, you can really feel how strong the blend is (cotton, merino, linen). I used Aveta in hot weather and at no point felt hot and bothered while carrying Reu, again thanks to the blend. I only got the chance to try two carries, a front wrap cross carry tied under bum, and a simple ruck tied at waist. Both were comfortable and stayed in place well, although I could have done with sandwiching the ruck straps if we’d gone for a longer walk.

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Overall, I enjoyed our short holiday with Aveta, and would definitely welcome the butterflies into our stash if the opportunity arose. A classic beauty, with a strong backbone to support you and your child of any age.

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Hoppediz Bondolino review

Hoppediz, Mei Tai's, Podaegi and Onbuhimo reviews, Reviews

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Manufacturer – Hoppediz

Design – Bondolino

Colour – Black and sand

Retail price of tested design – 99 Euros

Provided to me by – Hoppediz

Website – Hoppediz

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Initial thoughts on design, colour and feel

I initially thought the Bondolino would be similar to other soft structured carriers I’ve tried, but when I opened the box I was blown away by all the thought that had gone into the features of this carrier. There are so many features I’ve added an extra section to my normal review format! You can tell that the people at Hoppediz have really tried to make a carrier that will suit any member of the family carrying, as well as be suitable for a really wide age and size range of baby/child (by using the built in adjustments). I must admit I was like a child in a toy shop, and had a good going over all the features straight away, even though Reu was asleep in bed.

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The Bondolino is basically a mei tai, but with added benefits. It has a wide velcro waist and tie straps so there are no buckles. The velcro waist is nicely padded and the width is good to spread the weight without any pinch points. The advantage to the velcro fastening waist that I instantly thought of was that it’s very easy to swap between users of different sizes without having to make adjustments, as you would have to with a buckled carrier. The velcro felt completely secure and has a different coloured section to show the minimum overlap required for safety (you can also buy waist belt extenders if required, without these the waist extends to about 110cm/44inches). A friend did point out that the only downside she could see with the velcro would be if you were trying to silently remove it with a sleeping baby, velcro is not known for its stealth qualities. The panel has nice sized seat darts so there’s plenty of room for your baby’s bottom. The shoulder straps are also well padded, but still nice and flexible so you won’t be flailing around behind your back trying to grab that strap that’s decided to stick straight out behind you! I received a black and sand coloured design which would easily suit anyone, and in fact Hoppediz marketing emphasises that this carrier is very suitable for men as well as women. The Bondolino comes in a wide variety of different colours and designs, including a light version for warmer weather and one made with Swarovski elements! And if your little one wants to be like Mummy or Daddy, they make a mini version for dolls too.

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Special features

The bondolino comes with it’s own cinch belt (which doubles up as the chest strap), and the panel has a little loop for the cinch belt to thread through so that it stays in the right place. This allows you to make the panel width narrower so that you can provide knee to knee support for even newborn babies. As your baby grows, you remove the cinch belt so that the carrier continues to fit appropriately. Then, as you baby continues to grow (or you swap from carrying a baby to an older child), the Bondolino has integral seat extenders. When not in use they fold into their own little pockets and then when you need them, you just fold them out and fasten using two buttons each side.

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The height of the panel can also easily be adjusted, so that you can appropriately carry a wide age range of children. When you need a taller panel you simply use the loops and toggles to fasten the sleep hood higher, forming a panel extension but still leaving you with a half sized sleep hood.

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The sleep hood itself it attached by velcro so you can easily adjust it according to your own individual requirements, and Hoppediz even provide little velcro covers to protect the attachments during washing. These can be found in the handy little pocket attached to the side of the panel. This pocket is big enough for keys but wouldn’t fit my phone or purse in.

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When you have your baby on your back and they fall asleep, you can sometimes find yourself trying desperately to reach the straps on the sleep hood to pull it up over your baby’s head, but the Bondolino has a solution for this too. Before popping your baby on your back, attach the toggle from the shoulder strap to the loop on the sleep hood. Then when you need the hood up, just pull the other end of the toggle strap (this will be on your shoulder so easy to get to), and it should pull the sleep hood up. I tried this while out on a walk and unfortunately the velcro had stuck so I couldn’t pull it up, but I would simply attach the provided velcro covers in future and this shouldn’t be a problem.

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With the chest strap there are four loops on either shoulder strap to attach to, allowing for people of different shapes and sizes to all have a comfortable fit. I also chose to criss cross the strap through two of the loops and I found this to be really comfortable and a good way to spread the weight.

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You also get a bag with the Bondolino so you can easily carry it about and keep it clean when not in use. Another nice touch is a special plastic square that helps you to achieve a comfortable cross on your back when you are carrying, especially if you are not familiar with using a mei tai. There is also a very comprehensive manual with lots of clear pictures and instructions.

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Front carry thoughts

We’ve been for a few walks using the Bondolino for a front carry and it was really easy to use and very comfortable. I have used mei tais before but they are very simple to learn to use so anyone who hadn’t before could learn very quickly. There was no pulling or digging anywhere, and the padding on the waistband and shoulder straps provided a very comfortable level of support. Reu was obviously very comfortable as he settled very quickly every time we used it.

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Back carry thoughts

Again, we went for walks to test out the Bondolino with a back carry. It was very comfortable and well supported with padding in all the right places. The chest strap was easy to use and I found criss crossing it through two of the loops helped to spread the weight even better, and there was enough length left that you could weave it through more if this was more comfortable for you. Reu was once again, very settled and happy to watch the world go by from his vantage point on my back.

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Overall thoughts

I am really impressed with the level of thought that’s been put into the Bondolino, and the ways that it can be adapted to suit babies from newborn right up to older toddlers (the weight limit is 20kgs). It was really comfortable and easy to use, both for front and back carries, thanks to the design and well placed padding. This carrier could be a family’s only carrier, suiting parents of varying builds and sizes, as well as differently aged children, by making some quick and easy adjustments. I also like that all the adjustable parts are integral so there’s no risk you’ll leave the house without the seat or panel extenders. Overall, this is a great carrier suitable for a really wide range of uses, and I hope to see more in the UK soon.

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Pure Baby Love grey review

Pure Baby Love, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Pure Baby Love

Design – Pure baby

Colour – Grey

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 225gsm

Width of wrap – 70cm

Size tested – 7

Retail price of tested design and size – 75 Euros (foreign currency fee is extra)

Provided to me by – Pure Baby Love

Website – Pure Baby Love

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Initial thoughts on design, colour and feel

I can’t get over how soft this wrap is, right out of the box! I received a brand new wrap and it feels really lovely and floppy straight away, and quite light too. Currently Pure Baby Love wraps come in three colours, pink, blue and grey, but more colours are in the pipeline. The grey wrap that I received is a lovely soft and subtle shade of grey. I was a little worried that it would seem harsh or industrial but it’s not at all and is actually a really nice colour for a wrap, maybe for those who don’t want to be wearing a bright rainbow wrap! Being grey, it’s also a great unisex colour for babies and wearers alike. When I went to wash the wrap before use I initially thought it didn’t have a washing instructions label, but then I realised they were on the middle marker. I like this touch as there’s just the one label, so less chance of it sticking out of your finished carry. It also came nicely packaged and with a lovely little wooden plaque that says ‘Enjoy the little things’, a nice extra touch and great advice.

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Front carry thoughts

I tried the Pure Baby Love wrap out a few times in a front wrap cross carry, both with bunched and spread passes. It remained lovely and soft after it’s wash and just as floppy, which made it really easy to wrap with. Reu and I went for a walk as he was grumpy from teething and being overtired, but he settled quickly in the wrap and went on to have a nap in it, remaining asleep even after we got home and I sat down (usually a bit of a gamble on my part as to if he’ll wake up when I stop moving). I found that the wrap was well cushioned on my shoulders, so was suitable for 16 month old Reu’s weight. The slight stretch was enough to make it easy to use without it making tightening harder. Clare, who co-runs a local sling library also had a go and commented on the softness of the wrap and that it had a nice amount of give to it.

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Back carry thoughts

I put the Pure Baby Love wrap to the test with three different back carries, a ruck finished knotless tibetan, a double hammock with saltwater finish, and Christina’s ruckless. I found it really easy to use due to the floppiness of the wrap. It was easy to make the passes for the carries and threading the tibetan passes through the ruck straps was no bother at all as there was no stiffness or friction catching. Again, I was impressed by the softness of the wrap, and it felt well cushioned on my shoulders in the ruck carry, even with gathered ruck straps (if I find a wrap digs in on my shoulders then I tend to sandwich rather than gather the shoulders to make the carry more comfortable). The double hammock with saltwater finish was very supportive, and the ease of use of this wrap made it simple to make the passes required for this carry. We went for a half hour walk with Reu wrapped in the double hammock carry and it remained comfortable throughout, and Reu settled happily while we admired the local horses. On all three back carries the wrap stayed where I had put it well, with minimal movement or sagging. I had never tried a Christina’s ruckless before this time, and Reu was not himself either, so it wasn’t a great wrap job! However that was purely down to Reu and I rather than the wrap, and the ease of use of this wrap meant I did at least manage the carry; with a stiffer wrap I don’t think I would have managed it quick enough for Reu’s mood.

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Knotless finish thoughts

As the tester wrap was a size seven, I ended up loosely tying the tails behind me on the knotless tibetan finish ruck, but without applying pressure to the knotless point, so that I could still assess how well it held. It was easy to pass the tails through the ruck straps as the softness of the wrap means there is very minimal friction. Despite this lack of friction the knotless finish still held well for our walk.

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Overall thoughts

I have been really impressed with this wrap, especially the softness and the price. It’s been really easy to use straight from new and I’ve not come across many wraps that are as soft and floppy as this from brand new. While it is perfectly suited to experienced wrappers, I think it would make an ideal wrap for someone new to wrapping as they won’t have to worry about breaking it in. It’s so soft it would be lovely for a newborn, but was also plenty strong enough for me to comfortably carry my toddler around in. I look forward to seeing the future colours and designs that they come up with (purple and royal blue are now available for pre-order). Lovely wrap and at a great price.

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