Monthly Archives: September 2015

Daiesu Jigsaw Mustard review

Daiesu, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Daiesu

Design – Jigsaw

Colour – Mustard

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 260 gsm

Width of wrap – 70cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – 320 MYR (approximately £48)

Provided to me by – Daiesu

Website – Daiesu

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We recently hosted a Daiesu Jigsaw Mustard tester wrap for a short while. It is the first Daiesu wrap we’ve tried, although I’ve admired their jigsaw design for quite some time due to the simplicity but effectiveness of the design. I would think this design would appeal to many different people and of either gender, and with 8 different colours available at the time of writing there’s bound to be one to suit most tastes.

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The wrap had already been travelling for a while before arriving with us, and was lovely and soft and floppy on arrival. We tested it out with both front and back carries for walks and shopping trips, trying a front wrap cross carry, a ruck finished knotless tibetan and a double hammock with freshwater finish. I found it really nice to wrap with, it moulded round Reu (19 months at time of testing), and I really comfortably and was easy to tie. The passes for the double hammock spread easily and slid over each other without too much friction. And the knotless finish held well for our walk to the park, without any slipping. It was perfectly supportive for toddler Reu but would also be suitable for younger babies too, and with a width of 70cm there’s plenty of room for bigger children too.

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Overall, we enjoyed Jigsaw’s short holiday here, and have since ordered a dyed Sandbox wrap from Daiesu which I’m looking forward to trying out too. This is a great quality all round wrap, especially when you consider how reasonably they are priced.

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Yaro La Vita custom dyed by All the Small Things review

All the Small Things, Other reviews, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews, Yaro

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Manufacturer – Yaro slings

Design – La Vita

Colour – White initially, dyed by All the Small Things

Blend – 40% linen 60% cotton

Weight – 230 gsm

Size tested – 7

Retail price of tested design and size – £77 plus dying costs

Provided to me by – Pour La Bebe and All the Small Things

Website – Pour La Bebe and All the Small Things

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A quick review on the Yaro La Vita linen blend that briefly visited us recently as part of a giveaway (now ended but check out the page  for more), on Sling Sally in conjunction with Pour La Bebe who stock a range of baby carriers and accessories, and All the Small things who expertly dyed the wrap.

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Despite being a brand new linen blend wrap which could have made it a little stiff to use I actually found the wrap really nice to wrap with. It was nice and sturdy but still flexible for use and was plenty supportive enough for toddler Reu. It’s not a thick wrap so would be nice to use any time of the year. I don’t think it would take much use at all to be fully broken in.

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As for the dye job, it was quite simply beautiful. Lindsay at All the Small Things is a true master of her craft, and had created a stunning design with wrap width rainbows at each end and a lovely lotus design marking the centre point of the wrap. I have got some of Lindsay’s other tie dye work and can vouch that it’s all to a very high standard. She offers a custom service including dying both stretchy and woven wraps as well as many other items.

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We loved this wraps brief visit with us, both for its wrapping qualities and the beauty of the dye design.

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TigerPig hip bag review

Other reviews, Reviews, TigerPig

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Manufacturer – Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig

Design – Prototype hip bag

Colour – Made from Natibaby foxes wrap scrap

Retail price of tested design and size – Prices starting from £25 – speak to TigerPig for further details

Provided to me by – Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig

Website – Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig

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For the last couple of weeks I’ve had this prototype design hip bag here for testing from Wrap Scrap Goodies by TigerPig. If you haven’t heard of TigerPig before, she’s an up and coming work at home mum, wrap scrap seamstress and makes some really stunning and unusual items to a very high standard, and with excellent customer service so you get a truly bespoke experience on a custom order.

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I’m not someone who likes to carry a big bag and we always travel light, so I’d been looking for a solution for a little while (having bought a very ‘cool’ bumbag from eBay), so when Hilary from TigerPig asked me to test her new design hip bag I jumped at the chance.

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My first impressions were with the high quality of the design and production, you can really tell that Hilary has a keen eye for detail. The stitching is perfect (as with other items I’ve seen of hers), and she has matched the lining fabric and zip colours beautifully. It has a wide band to go around you with two small sling rings to fasten, just like on a ring sling. The bag section has two smaller pockets within and the front is cleverly pleated to allow more space without being bulky when that extra space isn’t in use. Although it is called a hip bag, you could wear it anywhere around your waist, on the front, back or side, whatever is most comfortable for you. I’m a size 14 UK and had approximately 6 inches of spare waist band after fastening through the rings, so people of different sizes may wish to adjust the waist band length according to their size and how much tail they were happy with (TigerPig are very good with bespoke orders so just discuss the length required when you contact her).I felt this was just the right length for me as the tail wasn’t too long but there was space for any future expansions!

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Over the two weeks that I tested the bag out I used it almost daily and found it really comfortable throughout (much better than the eBay purchase!). I took Reu to a busy Tumble Tots class with lots of getting up and down and never felt it was in the way. We went to a local science discovery centre for the afternoon and again, it was comfortable throughout. We also went on walks, to Reu’s swimming class and to shops, as well as wearing it around the house. The ring finish was really secure; it was easy to put on and adjust but never loosened by itself, and I think it looks much nicer than a buckle. I also used it while carrying 19 month old Reu in the sling, both with front and back carries, and I found it ideal for this as I could still easily access the bag but there were no straps over Reu and I, or the wrap, so it didn’t impact at all on my wrap job at all.

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I generally carried my phone (medium smartphone size), purse and house and car keys in the bag, and there was plenty of room to spare. I also popped a size 4 disposable nappy in there with the other items and with a little planning I could have fitted much more in thanks to the front pleating. I found it easy to get to the stuff in the bag (something I’d struggled with with the eBay purchase), and the extra pockets within were handy for loose items such as change.

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Overall this is a great bag when used with or without a sling. It’s surprisingly spacious and very comfortable. I’ve enjoyed it so much I’m ordering one for myself! And the lovely thing about TigerPig is that with such a personal service, if you were to order one for yourself, you could choose your own wrap scrap from her large supplies (or provide your own if you had something particularly special), and have a lovely custom bag to meet your needs and tastes.

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ISARA wrap conversion carrier review

Buckled carrier Reviews, ISARA, Reviews

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Manufacturer – ISARA

Design – Toddler wrap conversion

Colour – Raspberry

Retail price of tested design and size – 559 Lei (approx £93 GBP)

Provided to me by – ISARA

Website – ISARA

ISARA baby sized in Turquoise available to rent from here

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Initial thoughts on design, colour and feel

The ISARA arrived in a lovely box with a handle, which make it really easy to store and transport. The carrier I have received for review is a wrap conversion (there are a variety of options on their website with prices starting from the equivalent of about £63), and the woven wrap fabric is lovely and soft and flexible, so it forms a lovely snug fit around Reu and I.

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One of the first things I noticed was how generously padded the shoulder straps are and that the padded area is longer than many other buckled carriers I’ve seen and used. The shoulder straps can be used either straight down with the chest strap, or crossed over, depending on what you find most comfortable. The waist band is also well padded and is quite wide, with one continuous padded section which on me (UK size 14) comes approximately two thirds of the way around me. Someone a bit smaller could have a padded waist all the way round. The buckles are all sturdy, with elastic safety loops on the shoulder strap buckles, and there are elastic loops at the end of the webbing to neaten up trailing ends, which is a nice extra touch which you don’t get with all buckled carriers.

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On further inspection, I found all the lovely features that make this carrier so adjustable. Having been created by a babywearing consultant you can tell that first hand babywearing experience has gone into the design. The panel size can be adjusted both width and height wise, allowing you to tailor the carrier for your child’s size to carry them in the desired ‘M’ position. Where the panel attaches to the waist band there are hidden velcro strips which allow you to decrease the width of the panel and secure it in place. This way you can provide knee to knee support for a range of different aged children. ISARA state the carrier can be used from around 10 months and 8kg, although I easily cinched the waist small enough for a 3 month sized demo doll. And with the panel at it’s full width, 19 month old Reu still has space to grow so I’m sure this carrier would provide several years worth of use to a family, especially one with differently aged children to carry. I measured the panel width at 8 inches at the smallest and 17 inches at the widest, showing just how versatile this carrier can be. The height of the panel can also be adjusted using the clips at the top of the panel, with a variance of about 3 inches, so you can make it smaller for smaller children or if your older children want to have their arms out. The panel also has lovely seat darts which make it really easy to get a good seat and get the child into a comfortable position to be carried in.

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Front carry thoughts

I have found the ISARA really comfortable to use. The wide padded waist band fits snuggly around me, and thanks to the lovely seat darts on the main panel, the waist band wasn’t pulled away from me as I have experienced on some other carriers, so there was no digging in of the webbing or buckles with ISARA. The seat darts make a lovely comfortable seat really easily, and Reu has enjoyed all our testing walks and sessions. At 19 months old, Reu still had some space to grow with the fully extended panel, and I also tried it out with Dory the (scary looking!) demo doll. Dory is 3 months old sized and with the panel at its smallest size, fitted really well. I tried the shoulder straps both straight down with the chest strap and also crossed over, and for me I preferred the straps crossed but this really is a personal preference and both were comfortable. The generous shoulder strap padding was lovely and there was no digging or pulling at all. The wrap fabric molded itself round Reu and I in a lovely snug carry, and it was easy to adjust the tightness of the straps to our individual needs.

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Back carry thoughts

Reu and I also tested the ISARA in back carries on several occasions and again it spread the weight really easily and was very comfortable to use. The carrier wrapped around us really nicely again and we played horsey (I pretend to be a horse while carrying Reu), while feeling nice and secure. I even popped Reu on my back while I was climbing on chairs to clean out the kitchen cupboards.The padding on the waistband and shoulder straps were again, very comfortable, with no pulling or digging.

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Overall thoughts

Overall, we’ve really enjoyed using the ISARA and I’m very impressed with the adjustability features, meaning it really can grow with your child, or be used for children of varying ages. The wrap conversion was lovely to use and of the buckled carriers I’ve tried so far, it’s the closest to using a woven wrap for comfort and the way it moulds around yours and your child’s body. The only thing that ISARA doesn’t have that most buckled carriers do have is a sleep hood, and although this didn’t bother us at all, it’s worth mentioning as if you’re used to one you may miss it. I mostly wrap so am used to not having a sleep hood so in a way it makes sense that their wrap conversion doesn’t have one. This carrier would also be a great addition to a sling library due to its versatility for different ages. My husband aslo had a go with it and also found it comfortable and commented it was more comfortable than the other buckled carriers he has tried.

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