Category Archives: Reviews

All the Small Things custom dyed Pops, Firespiral Slings Cirrus review

All the Small Things, Firespiral Slings, Other reviews, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – All the Small Things with Firespiral Slings

Design – Base wrap is Cirrus

Colour – Dyed in the Pops design

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 250gsm

Width of wrap – 65cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – £201

Provided to me by – All the Small Things

Website – All the Small Things and Firespiral Slings

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Lindsay from All the Small Things is an amazing dye artist, specialising in tie and ice dye. I’ve got several of her creations myself, and have also been lucky enough to try one of her dyed wraps previously – see my review of the Yaro La Vita dyed by All the Small Things here. So when I heard that Firespiral Slings (who are well known for being incredibly soft and lovely to wrap with), had woven some special plain wraps just for her to dye to her customers specifications I was very interested. The plain base wrap is called Cirrus and the specific dyed wrap that’s currently travelling around the country (along with it’s own little passport!), has been named Pops for the distinctive dye style which is one of Lindsay’s specialities (she’s very versatile so check out her page for other designs and inspiration). Pops took 10 hours to tie before dying, so there really is a lot of love and effort that goes into these wraps. When you order, the wraps are cut specifically to your requirements as well as being custom dyed to your specifications, giving you a truly personalised wrap and service. Prices start at £106 for a custom ice dyed size 2, and if you’re dreaming of one of these beauties but can’t afford it right now, payment plans can be arranged (contact All the Small Things for their terms and conditions on payment plans).

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So with all this in mind, I was really looking forward to Pops’ holiday with us. We were third in line for the travelling wrap itinerary and therefore Pops was pretty new when it arrived with us. This wrap is beautifully soft, so smooth and floppy and I can only imagine how dreamy it is by now with even more use. These really are soft out of the bag and practically wrap themselves, perfectly moulding to the contours of yours and your child’s bodies. Something I particularly liked with the weave structure of Cirrus is that it maintains the softness and floppiness that Firespiral are so well known for, but because the weave is a tighter structure and is uniform throughout (the designs being dyed on, rather than woven in which would lead to some longer threads to form the design), the fabric didn’t feel like it would pull very easily, if at all. I’ve got a couple of Firespirals in my personal stash and while I love them and they are wonderful to use, I have had to fix a few pulls from the more open weave structure. I feel the Cirrus weave gives you all the benefits which Firespiral are known for without the downsides.

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I enjoyed wrapping with Pops so much that it was the only wrap I used during its week holiday with us. We took it to a local Natural History Museum, to a local sling meet (where everyone who tried it loved it), shopping in town, to a consultation workshop (one of the attendees has subsequently ordered one for herself!), to Reu’s Hartbeeps class and used it for a lovely slingy nap while working at home. So we definitely put it to the test! It provided a lovely level of support for 2 year old Reu and I, and felt really soft and cushioned on my shoulders especially. The weave is lovely and supportive and I got some of the most supportive carries I can remember with it. At 250gsm it’s a medium weight wrap, making it a good all rounder. I also cannot praise enough the beauty and the complexity of the dye work. I’ve tried to show this in my photos but it really is a piece of art and the colours work beautifully together. This is definitely on my shopping list when funds allow!

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So if you’re looking for a super soft yet really supportive wrap which is a joy to use, Cirrus could answer your desires. I personally adore the pops design (and have ordered something very exciting featuring it), but if it’s not your cup of tea, you can pretty much let your imagination run wild and get your dream wrap design, with the wonderful Cirrus as the base wrap. And when your babywearing days are over (let’s pretend this won’t ever happen), your personal design could become a meaningful keepsake to remind you of that lovely close time carrying your little one.

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Daiesu Octagram Night Sky review

Daiesu, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Daiesu

Design – Octagram

Colour – Night Sky

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 260gsm

Width of wrap – 70cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – £61.95

Provided to me by – Koala Slings 

Website – Daiesu

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We had Daiesu Octogram night sky stay with us over Christmas, and the design felt really appropriate for the festive season. It’s also a lovely thickness so felt like wrapping with a lovely soft and cuddly blanket. The design is lots of diamond shapes running top to running along the wrap width, and interlinking with each other. Every other row contains a flower design inspired by traditional Malaysian and Indonesian handweaving techniques (this is a machine woven wrap), known as the flower of eight-pointed stars. It is this flower design that made it feel festive to me, as in the depths of winter they reminded me of beautiful snowflakes. As with Daiesu’s other designs, Octagram is available in a variety of different colours so you’ll likely find one to suit your tastes.

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We’ve tried other Daiesu wraps in the past (read the reviews for Sakura Spring here and Jigsaw Mustard here) and have always been impressed with them and found them very comfortable to use. Octagram lived up to previous experiences and was a very welcome visitor. Although the GSM (grams per square metre – the weight of the wrap), was very close to the other Daiesu’s I’d tried, Octagram felt thicker and more cushioned on my shoulders than the others. It is impressively soft and floppy, and was very easy to wrap with. I wrapped over a wooly cardigan on one day which with some wraps could have caused too much friction and made wrapping harder, but Octagram wrapped over it with very little catching on my clothes, but still has enough grippiness to hold a knotless finish securely. It felt very supportive with 2 year old Reu and is certainly a toddler worthy weave, while also being squish worthy soft and floppy. Reu clearly approved as he fell so soundly asleep in it on one walk that I managed a now rare sleeping wrap transfer to the sofa!

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Overall I enjoyed using Octagram, especially on our cold wintery walks. As with all the Daiesu wraps I’ve tried I’ve been impressed with the level of support and comfort it provided, and how soft they are from new. It’s nice to see that Koala Slings are now selling these in the UK, making them easier for European buyers to get hold of and raising the profile of this lovely wrap brand.

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TwinGo Carrier review

Buckled carrier Reviews, Reviews, TwinGo

IMG_20160101_131720802_HDRManufacturer – TwinGo Carrier

Retail price of tested design and size – £179.95

Provided to me by – Koala Slings

Website – TwinGo Carrier

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We had a twingo carrier come and visit for a few weeks recently and I loved it, both as a twin carrier, but also as a tandem carrier for differently aged/sized babies and children. There has very clearly been a lot of thought gone into the design of the TwinGo to make it work in different ways and in different situations.

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The Twingo can be used either as one carrier that carries two babies, one on front and one on the back (if there is a weight difference of 3lbs or more the heavier baby goes on the back), or as two separate carriers used on either the front or back, so that two parents/caregivers could share the carrying, or easily swap back to one carrying both babies as needed. The Twingo comes as two carriers, the base and attachment carriers, and both pack down neatly into their own integral storage bags. These are also colour coded both on the bags and the sleep hoods for easy recognition. When in use as carriers, these bags provide handy and spacious storage compartments for nappies, muslins etc. The waist band is well padded and structured without being overly rigid, and when both carriers are in use together, this support extended the whole way around my size 14 waist. The shoulder straps have a generous level of padding to help comfortably spread the weight of two babies/children. There are also safety elastic loops on the buckles for extra security.

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I was very impressed with how easy such a versatile carrier was to use. As individual carriers the base carrier is ready to go just like other buckled carrier options. The attachment carrier has straps to buckle on the make it work as a stand alone carrier, but these fit in the integral storage bag with plenty of space, so you don’t need to carry them around separately or remember to pack them for a trip out. Using the Twingo to tandem carry front and back was impressively easy to set up – you just buckle the waist bands to each other so you have the base carrier on the back and the attachment carrier on the front (without the additional straps for solo carrier use). Put one baby on your back by whichever method you prefer (a hip scoot is a great method to start with), adjust the shoulder straps to be comfortable and fasten the chest strap. Then the second baby goes on the front, with the use of the safety strap, and the panel clips directly onto the shoulder straps from the base carrier. By having both carriers attaching to one set of shoulder straps this is much easier for the wearer to use and get comfortable, as you can easily move this one strap to your comfortable carrying position, and much easier than would be possible if you were using two separate buckled carriers and therefore had four shoulder straps to contend with. The shared waist band also makes for a much more comfortable carrying experience than two separate waist bands and buckles would if you were using two separate buckled carriers.

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During the Twingo’s visit with us it attended some sling library meets as well as being tested by myself. Everyone who tried it was impressed with how easy it was to use and how comfortable they found it – I believe one lovely lady with twins even got one for Christmas. As I’ve mentioned above I was very impressed with the design and thought that’s gone into the Twingo, along with how easy it was to use as a tandem carrier or two solo carriers. I found the waistband to provide a nice level of support and it was nice to have this support extending the whole way round when tandem carrying. The shoulder straps were lovely and padded and I can see them remaining comfortable even with two larger children in the carrier.

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Overall, I think the Twingo is an excellent carrier and by far the best buckled tandem carrier that I’ve seen. Some people may be put off by the price, but if you think of it as two separate ergonomic buckled carriers (which if you wanted to tandem carry in buckles you would need anyway), then it’s actually pretty averagely priced, and it’s well worth the money with all the thought and design features that have gone into the Twingo.

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Almitra Tattva Aruna review

Almitra Tattva, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Almitra Tattva

Design – Tattva collection

Colour – Aruna

Blend – 100% cotton

Width of wrap – 69cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – 80 USD (approx £55 at time of writing)

Provided to me by – Almitra Tattva

Website – Almitra Tattva

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Initial thoughts on design, colour and feel

Aruna arrived from India in a lovely matching bag, made from the same wrap material, which is a lovely touch and a great way to safely store and transport your wrap. There are several different colourways of the Tattva collection and Aruna is a lovely deep red and black. The design is beautifully delicate and I can see ferns and flowers interlaced with swirls, separated into columns by widthwise bars. The most striking thing for me when I first handled the wrap was how soft it was, straight out of the bag, and it is one of the softest new wraps I’ve used. It lost a little of this softness after its first wash but regained it quickly after a couple of uses. It’s also a very thin and lightweight wrap so is very floppy and flexible, and is so thin that when you hold it up to the light you can see the light shining through it. This would make it a great warm weather option, for holidays or hotter climates than a UK winter (I popped a coat over the both of us when walking outside as we tested in December and January). It is a blunt ended wrap (no tapers), but thanks to the flexibility of the wrap there was no issue tying knots. The edges are selvedges like many handwoven wraps, rather than hemmed as with most machine woven wraps, although Aruna is Jacquard machine woven, so this adds a nice individual touch to the brand.

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Carrying thoughts

Aruna is a very thin wrap and is very flexible, so it it wraps well around the wearer and child’s body, moulding to fit their individual shapes. The downside to this thinness is that if you don’t take care when forming your carry then I found it could be a little diggy in places. When testing I always try a ruck with just bunching the shoulder passes as this is where I find pressure points can occur if they are going to. Aruna did cause some pressure with bunched shoulder straps, however as with other thinner wraps this was easily rectified by sandwiching the shoulders to provide a wider spread and more even weight distribution. I have not found this to be uncommon with lighter weight wraps,, and you get benefits from the thinness so it just something to take into account. Personally I found Aruna was more suited to multi layer back carries such as a double hammock as this distributes the child’s weight over a greater amount of the wearer’s body. It is also worth mentioning that I put Aruna to the test with two year old Reu, so with a younger baby you may not find the need to take extra care in this way when wrapping. So, I can say this wrap is toddler worthy with a few extra little tweaks to wrapping technique. I also carried toddler Reu in a front wrap cross carry, and found it most comfortable to really spread the back passes for extra support. The open nature of the weave did result in a pull while I was testing it, but the openness also made it the easiest pull to fix I’ve ever done (if you’re worried about fixing pulls there are videos on YouTube and once you’ve learnt they really aren’t much of a problem to fix at all).

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Overall thoughts

Overall, I think Aruna is a beautiful design, and the colours available are all lovely. The price makes this a more affordable option than many other wrap brands (although be aware you may have a customs charge to pay). The softness would be lovely against even newborn skin, and with a little attention this wrap could see you through to your toddler wearing days. This would be a brilliant wrap for hotter weather, to keep both you and your little one cooler than you would be in most other wraps, but is not restricted to hot weather use. Having had a look through Almitra Tattva’s website I was impressed with the variety of options from a relatively new company, and especially impressed by the look and price of their wrap conversion Mei Tais (sale prices start at 64 USD – about £45).

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Nova buckled onbu review

Buckled carrier Reviews, Mei Tai's, Podaegi and Onbuhimo reviews, Nova Baby Carriers, Reviews

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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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Luna Tara Carpo ring sling review

Luna Baby Carriers, Reviews, Ring Slings

IMG-20151231-WA0010Manufacturer – 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.

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Nona Imagine Blue Ice review

Nona, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Nona

Design – Imagine

Colour – Blue Ice

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 246gsm

Width of wrap – 68cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – £59

Website – Nona woven wraps

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We recently had a Nona Imagine Blue Ice wrap visit us for testing. Nona are a new Dutch woven wrap brand started by two mothers who share a love of babywearing. They aim to provide stylish and dependable wrap designs for every budget. They have several designs currently released or coming soon and I think they all meet their aim for stylish designs, in fact they remind me of a much more expensive wrap company, with the simplicity and beauty of their designs. At £59 for a size 6, they are also more in budget for most people than many of the other companies available. 

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The first thing I noticed about this wrap was quite how long the tapers are! I measured them at 70cm, and having compared to several other brands, that is over twice the length of most in my collection, and three times the length of some. Taper length is a matter of personal choice, but when using the wrap I actually didn’t notice much of a difference from other wraps, although with a size 6 I didn’t do any carries that involved tying into the tapers. As far as wrapping with Imagine goes, I found it a really sturdy wrap and was plenty strong enough for 21 month old Reu, and would easily support a much larger child. It’s not the softest wrap I’ve ever used, although I would expect it to soften further with more use, but it wasn’t stiff, so it was nice and easy to wrap with and held both front and back carries very securely. The texture to the wrap helps it hold knotless finishes well with no slipping.

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Overall, I think this a beautifully designed and good all round wrap. You could use it with any age child and it will certainly be supportive enough for several years worth of carrying as your child grows. It would be nice if it were a bit softer but with a little bit more use it could be lovely, as this wrap was nearly new when it came to stay so it’s hard to judge. I think these are some of the most classically beautiful of the more affordable wraps that I have seen, they have the appearance of a high end wrap without the price tag and I look forward to seeing what other designs Nona comes up with and how their company develops.

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Diva Milano – Diva Essenza Lago review

Diva Milano, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Diva Milano

Design – Diva Essenza

Colour – Lago

Blend – 100% cotton

Weight – 250gsm

Width of wrap – 67cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – 99 Euros

Provided to me by – Diva Milano

Website – Diva Milano

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A little while ago we had a Diva Essenza Lago wrap here for testing (which was then given away on the Sling Sally Facebook page). Diva Essenza is a sub brand of Diva Milano, with Essenza being of a lower price range than the standard Milano range. As you can probably tell from the company name, Diva Milano is an Italian company, and I feel that comes through in their designs as they tend to have a very classic and sophisticated look. Lago is one of the 34 different colour and blend options available in this design, with linen and bamboo blends available as well as 100% cotton. The design element has a textured raised nature to it, so and the opposite is true on the reverse to there is an obvious difference in feeling between each side. The wrap arrived in a nice box with pictures of different carries and a little viewing window so you could easily see the colour of the wrap within.

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Over the time that we had Lago here we tested it with various front and back carries, and for various different occasions. It was the natural wrap of choice for a fancy event we attended to celebrate my aunt and uncle’s 60th wedding anniversary, as it’s such a beautiful and subtle design, and the colour matched my dress perfectly. It was also the obvious choice when teaching a French/Italian friend to wrap! Straight from new it was easy to use and within a short time had become lovely and soft and floppy, while still being nice and supportive for toddler Reu (about 19 months at the time of testing). It’s certainly soft enough for a newborn and is a good middle ground weight to be thin enough to easily wrap round a small baby, while still having the thickness and strength to comfortably carry an active toddler. The grippiness provided by the textured ‘back’ side and design held knotless finishes well, although did provide a little more friction than I’d have liked when tying knots. It didn’t however impede me when I was carrying out a double hammock with saltwater finish, which involves several spread and bunched passes close together, so the grippiness is not too much.

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Overall, I really liked Lago. The design would go with any outfit or occasion, and with the amount of colours on offer there’s bound to be at least one you like. If you can only have one wrap but want something that would work just as well on the school run as at a wedding, and that can take you from newborn to toddler, then this could be the wrap for you.

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Daiesu Sakura Spring review

Daiesu, Reviews, Woven wrap reviews

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Manufacturer – Daiesu

Design – Sakura

Colour – Spring

Blend – 75% cotton, 25% linen

Weight – 270gsm

Width of wrap – 66cm

Size tested – 6

Retail price of tested design and size – 385 MYR (approx £58 at time of review)

Provided to me by – Daiesu

Website – Daiesu

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Daiesu Sakura Spring (there is a Sakura colourway for each season), stayed with us for a couple of weeks testing recently. Spring is a really lovely bright pink and orange design, and certainly brought some cheer to our days. The tester wrap had been travelling for a while before visiting us and arrived (in a lovely sturdy Daiesu tote bag), feeling really soft and floppy. I didn’t realise it was a linen blend until I researched the wrap, as it was so soft and easy to wrap with. I can’t say if it required much breaking in as I’m not sure how many people it visited before me, but I can say that with some use it becomes beautifully soft, as was the other Daiesu wrap I’ve tried – Jigsaw Mustard which you can read the review for here.

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During our time with Sakura spring we tried it out in a few different front and back carries. As mentioned earlier, it was really nice to wrap with as there was no stiffness to it at all. It wrapped around 21 month old Reu and I really well and supported his weight easily, but would be equally nice to wrap a smaller baby with thanks to the softness and the way in which it moulds around so well. In one of the carries (a ruck), the shoulders felt a little diggy but that was rectified by sandwiching the shoulder straps, which is not an unusual requirement for me when carrying a toddler. At 66cm wide, Sakura is roughly in the middle of common wrap widths and I found it a good width to wrap with, as there was enough to form a good seat without having a lot of fabric bunched up.

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Overall, we enjoyed our time testing Sakura Spring. It’s a really nice design and the colours are very vibrant and cheerful. The wrap was lovely and soft and really easy to use, and Daiesu are also very good value for money wraps with a variety of eye catching designs. Since reviewing Jigsaw a couple of months ago, I’ve bought myself one of their Sandbox wraps which had been dyed for a charity auction. If you fancy your own custom dyed Sandbox wrap, All the Small Things are working with Daiesu and have a supply ready and waiting to be dyed in whatever way you can imagine! Prices start from £55, click here to visit their website and here for my review of one of their other dyed wraps.

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Cookiie ring sling review

Cookiie Slings, Reviews, Ring Slings

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Manufacturer – Cookiie Slings

Design – Premium cotton Cookiie ring sling

Colour – Sea Farer polka – sea green (reversible)

Blend – 100% cotton

Size tested – Ring sling

Retail price of tested design and size – 1,850 INR (approx £18.40 at time of review)

Provided to me by – Cookiie Slings

Website – Cookiie Slings

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Initial thoughts on design, colour and feel

The Cookiie ring sling is made from a double layer of cotton material, rather than the more frequently used woven wrap fabric. The material is therefore thinner than other ring slings I have used so I wasn’t sure how supportive it would be when carrying my 21 month old toddler. I like the design and it’s nice that the fabric used means that each side of the reversible design is truly different. One side is a plain sea green, while the other is white with pale green polka dots. The stitching is nice and neat and the rings used are nice and sturdy (some other affordable ring slings can have thinner, less sturdy looking rings).

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Carrying thoughts

My concerns over supportiveness were unfounded and the Cookiie ring sling took Reu’s weight well. I found it slightly less supportive over my shoulder than i do with other ring slings, but I managed to rectify this somewhat by positioning more carefully to ensure the weight was spread as comfortably as possible. When preparing the sling for use the fabric moved through the rings quite easily, however once Reu’s weight was added it became harder to pull through to tighten. I found that as far as tightening went it was similar to a muslin or 100% linen ring sling, in that you had to tighten it more incrementally along the width of the sling than you would with a typical woven wrap fabric. Once I had tightened it, it held very well with no slipping or sagging at all. The sling being made of a thinner fabric did make it nice and cool and I can see this being really nice and breathable in hotter weather (I reviewed in UK October and November so no hot weather use here!). We used it for several walks and shopping trips and after the initial tweaks to fitting technique found it just as supportive and comfortable as other ring slings.

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Overall thoughts

Cookiie ring slings are a very affordable option (do allow for shipping and customs costs), and are significantly cheaper than many other ring slings available. They do require a bit of extra attention when fitting and tightening, but as with other non woven wrap fabric slings (such as muslin ring slings), this can be adapted to for the benefits of affordability, coolness and aesthetics. It could also make a really nice holiday sling due to the coolness, and the thinner fabric means it packs down smaller than other ring slings. Overall I was happily surprised that the Cookiie ring sling was as supportive as it was, and it certainly has some benefits over some other ring slings. Cookiie slings have lots of other slings including a nice looking soft structured carrier, and accessories on their website so if you do decide to order it may be worth ordering with friends to share the shipping and customs costs.

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