Manufacturer – Joy and Joe
Design – Shiver me Paisleys
Colour – Cosmic Rainbow
Blend – 100% cotton
Weight – 255 gsm
Width of wrap – 60cm
Size tested – 6
Retail price of tested design and size – £149
Provided to me by – Joy and Joe
Website – Joy and Joe baby
Initial thoughts on design, colour and feel
Joy and Joy have several colourways of the popular shiver me paisleys design (a fun and decorative skulls design). with both cosmic rainbow and its predecessor midnight rainbow having graduated rainbow colours. Cosmic rainbow has a light cream weft while Midnight has a darker weft, giving these similar wraps different looks that would appeal to different people. I really like the skulls design (do check out all the other beautiful colours available in this design!), and while it feels a little bit edgy, thanks to the decorative elements it’s not a hard or confrontational feeling design at all. The light weft colour gives the rainbow a lovely gentle and almost pastel feel, and you can use it ‘wrong’ side out for an even more subtle effect. The weave of cosmic rainbow has a really sturdy and slightly textured feel, which I like in a wrap, so that when you put it somewhere it stays there, but without being stiff. It has also softened in the time I’ve been using this wrap for review. The graduated design also makes this an ideal teaching and learning wrap as you can easily see which rail is which when you are demonstrating, learning and tightening.
Carrying thoughts
Reu and I (21 months at the time of this review), have been using Cosmic Rainbow for several months now and have used it with a variety of front and back carries, as well as using it for demonstrations when teaching friends and at sling library sessions. It started off easy to use while still being sturdy, and has softened further with use without losing any of the supportive nature. It moulds itself nicely around Reu and I, but I don’t find that it sags even when I’m rushing, as it doesn’t have much stretch to worry about tightening away. The weave design adds a nice level of texture which helps the wrap to grip in place, and when doing knotless finishes such as a ruck finished knotless tibetan this texture helps it to grip really well, so that there is no slipping in the finish. With front carries I have also found Cosmic Rainbow to be lovely to wrap with and really supportive and comfortable, as well as beautiful! It’s very much supportive enough for toddler Reu, and would also be supportive enough for bigger children, as well as good to use for even the smallest of babies.
Overall thoughts
I’ve enjoyed using Cosmic Rainbow, and as with some of the other Joy and Joe wraps I’ve used (Luceo non Uro and King of the Birds), I really like the sturdiness of this wrap. I always find when I use these wraps that I get a lovely tight and secure carry, and when back carrying in a ruck I’m always pleased with how comfortably high I manage to get Reu. Wraps with more stretch and floppiness to them have other benefits, but I always find myself pleased with my wrap job when using a sturdier wrap, such as Cosmic Rainbow. This could also be of benefit to someone new to wrapping, who may not yet be proficient in tightening strand by strand. It’s also proved to be a great teaching and learning wrap thanks to the variable stripe colours, making it easier to distinguish rails and to be able to follow a stripe around the carry to tighten and remove slack, or to be able to notice if you’ve accidentally gone wrong somewhere. Overall, Cosmic Rainbow is a great all round wrap.
