January | 2016 | Sling Sally

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Manufacturer – Nova Baby Carriers

Design – Buckled Onbu

Colour – Blue and grey floral design

Size tested – Standard size

Retail price of tested design and size – £52.99

Provided to me by – Nova Baby Carriers

Website – Nova Baby Carriers

Nova buckled onbu available to rent from here

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Nova Baby Carriers are a UK based family run business, who have been making baby carriers since 2011 (originally under the name SnugiWraps, which is now their stretchy wrap brand). They currently make buckled carriers, Mei Tai’s and Onbus, which are all fully customisable to your own individual tastes. They sent me one of their very popular buckled Onbus for testing and giveaway (on the Sling Sally Facebook page).

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I’ve previously used a wrap strap onbu (see the review here), but this was my first go with a buckled onbu. My first impressions were how neat and small it was, if you want a carrier that will fit in a tiny space this is definitely for you! Onbu’s don’t have waist straps so are worn (on front or back), rucksack style with the child’s legs coming out the side so that the panel goes down their back, under their bottom and curls back up between you and them to form the seat. This makes them ideal for pregnant women as there is no strap over their bump, or just for people who find slings more comfortable without a waistband. Ideally the child’s arms are out over the top of the panel, but Reu is very much an arms in sort of child no matter how many times I coax them out! The shoulder straps have a light amount of padding, very similar in level to the Connecta, and there are tightening systems both where the buckles attach at the base ot the panel, as well as perfect fit adjusters on the straps at the top of the panel. The onbu I received has a lovely floral design, but there are over 1000 different fabrics to choose from, as well as customisable strap colours and hood options.

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I found the Nova buckled onbu really easy to use, and personally found the easiest way to get nearly two year old Reu onto my back was to stand him in the carrier in front of me so the seat was already formed, and then superman him onto my back as I would with a wrap, but you could use any normal method. The webbing tightening straps were then easy to reach to tighten to a comfortable level for us. I found the padding level in the straps very comfortable, there’s enough that nothing is digging, but not so much that the straps stick out of their own accord, which I find can make straps difficult to get on and get to conform to your arms.

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We went on a long hilly country walk while testing the Nova onbu and it was really comfortable throughout. Despite slippy terrain and going over lots of stiles and hills, the carrier stayed in place and Reu was comfy enough to sleep through most of the walk. We also tested it out on a swing (which Reu very much enjoyed!), and despite all the movement the sling stayed put, holding Reu against me very securely. Through the rest of our testing I continued to be impressed by the ease of use and comfort of this carrier, and it’s very handy how small it packs away when not in use.

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I think the Nova buckled onbu is a really good carrier, very well designed, easy to use and comfortable for both adult and child. The compactness is a definite bonus and it would easily fold up into a changing bag or smaller. Nova add new in stock carriers to their website each week, but it’s a lovely option to be able to choose your own fabric and other details so you can have a truly individual carrier at a very reasonable price.

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Manufacturer – Luna Baby Carriers

Design – Tara

Colour – Carpo

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 230gsm

Width of wrap – 75cm

Size tested – Ring Sling

Retail price of tested design and size – £43.95

Provided to me by – Carry my Baby

Website – Luna Baby Carriers

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Luna Baby Carriers are based in Romania and have been in business since 2008, and are now available in the UK from Carry me Baby, who sent me this Tara Carpo ring sling to test and giveaway (see Sling Sally’s Facebook page for more slingy giveaways). The Tara ring sling comes in ten different colour options, six are striped like the Carpo, and four are solid colours. (Woven wraps are also available). The herringbone weave of Tara adds a good level of grip to the sling. The shoulder is pleated but very widely, so it almost has the appearance of a gathered shoulder.

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When Tara Carpo first arrived, my first impressions were that it felt quite thick (it feels thicker than you would expect from the gsm), and that this could be a good supportive ring sling for nearly two year old Reu. I really like the colours, the different coloured stripes work well together and while still being cheerful are also not too bright and in your face (and there are plenty of subtler or brighter options available for different people’s tastes). I instantly liked the look of the pleated shoulder – I usually prefer a gathered shoulder but this is so widely pleated that it brings the benefits of both pleated and gathered.

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It arrived feeling quite soft and cushy. After a wash it stiffened up a little but it didn’t take much use to get it back to its pre-wash state, and it’s continued to soften further with more use (running it back and forth through the rings should speed this up significantly with minimal effort). The thickness doesn’t feel heavy during use and adds to the cushioning of the sling. The texture to the weave that aids with this means that it’s not the softest sling I’ve used, but it holds beautifully in the rings with no slipping at all, which can be a problem with a smoother weave. The first time we used Carpo was to go and watch a local Christmas Motorbike event. We walked about fifteen minutes each way and stood and watched the bikes for over an hour. Even with carrying toddler Reu for all this time, Carpo was really supportive and comfortable throughout. The lovely widely pleated shoulder was a great middle ground between gathered and a narrower pleated shoulder. It spread the weight well over my shoulder but without going so far down my shoulder so as to restrict movement. The 2m length left a long enough tail to look nice, or wrap round the ring and make a nice cushion for a sleeping Reu, but wasn’t so long as to get in the way of my legs. Tara Carpo continued to support both Reu and I really well through the rest of our testing. It tightens well through the rings, and then holds very well indeed. The sling conformed around our bodies well, and wasn’t diggy in any way, and it would also work just as well for a younger baby.

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Overall, I enjoyed our time with Tara Carpo. I’m starting to find as Reu is getting bigger that some one shoulder slings or carrys tend to pull and are not as comfortable as they once were (this is individual for each person and some people may find that one shoulder carries are most comfortable for them with any age child). Tara Carpo reversed this trend for me and was just as comfortable to carry nearly two year old Reu in, as others were when he was a year or more younger. I particularly like the shoulder, and the thickness of the sling. These slings are well made and good value for money at £43.95, and would be a great addition to any sling stash or library, and I hope to add one to my library in the future.