Bluebirds and Bluefische

My search for the ideal woven wrap continued...


Didymos caribe (Linen/cotton)

Every time I asked for recommendations of a good wrap for a heavy baby, this would be raved about. Sadly, we just never got on in reality. The texture of the cotton/linen fabric feels dry and chalky to me, its too thick and too bright a turquoise. I love the fishes and the black weft, and maybe it was just a case of it being over hyoed for me, but its just not our wrap. I even tried again months later with a shorter version, but poor Caribe suffered the same fate again.

Natibaby swallows (Linen/Cotton)

 
At the time I bought these everyone seemed to be selling their swallows, slating them saying they were too thick, like wrapping with a curtain, etc. I almost dreaded them arriving. But it was love at first sight. Velvety, satiny, with a beautiful sheen and perfect pattern, and still the most comfy and supportive things I have ever carried A in. I owned them in both blue/black and olive/black, and then sold them in a moment of madness recently. I still miss them and consider buying them back. It's a sickness!

Dipping my toe into wrappy waters

Around 8 months A started to get really heavy and I found the Connecta a little diggy on my shoulders during longer walks. I'd been reading about woven wraps on forums and wanted to see what all the hype was about.

So I picked myself up a 2nd hand Storchenweige Inka off eBay. In all honesty, I was a little underwhelmed. The fabric felt thick and heavy. The colours looked dull in real life. Back carries reduced us to a sweaty, stroppy heap.

However, I persisted with a basic front carry (FWCC/Front Wrap Cross Carry) and pretty soon I started to notice how comfortable it was, and how even in the worst teething bouts, the feeling of being swaddled tightly to my chest while we paced the streets would calm her down. Slowly, slowly, I was converted.

Feeling that it was too weighty for summer temperatures, I then bought a bamboo/cotton blend wrap from polish brand Lenny Lamb. Much thinner, cooler and easier to wrap with, it really got us going but again, the colours just didn't live up to the photos.

It was around this time I discovered Facebook buy/sell/trade groups and watching them the realisation that I could try new things for little or no loss dawned. As a result the slings came thick and fast, my poor postie probably deserved a raise, so I'll keep my future descriptions brief!

Connecta Love

Right, so where were we?

Around 6 months A got too big for the snugbaby mei tai. I took the plunge and ordered my first 'proper' carrier, a brand new Connecta Integra buckle carrier, from www.babycalm.co.uk. Once I'd made the decision the wait for it to arrive was agonizing. And I wasn't disappointed!

Essentially a mei tai with buckle/clip fastenings instead of ties, these are still my favourite 'off the peg' buckle carriers. I could bang on all day about why I love them, but don't worry... I've tried to reduce it to a nifty list:

• Lightweight. I've tried heavily padded carriers, and for me, more padding does not equal more comfort. It chafes where it shouldn't, it restricts my movement, and it makes it bulky to transport. This is the opposite.
• Fast. I can still get her loaded and ready to go in a Connecta faster than probably any other sling
• Secure. My girl is and always has been a leaner. Ring slings could not contain her, and a lot of buckle carriers are too short in the body to hold her properly. She's going no-where in this.
• Convenient. Not only does it roll up to about the size of a bag of sugar but the buckles mean no long trailing straps on rainy days...essential when you live in a swamp like we do. Easy to chuck in the machine when dirty and quick to dry to boot.
• Sleep hood. Essential, in my opinion, especially if your baby likes to loll their head around while napping, as mine does.
• Pretty. They come in a range of delightful prints, I chose Birds of Norway which got many many compliments.You can see the full current range at Connecta's website.
• Affordable - can be found preloved for £40-60, definitely one of the more affordable buckle carriers out there.

We loved our baby size Connecta we now own a toddler size one. We use it every day. If the zombie apocalypse was upon us, its what I'd grab. And that's saying something :)