Review: Ethos Babywearing Toile Bleu

Have you heard of Ethos Babywearing ? They’ve been around for a couple of years and have some innovative blends for their wraps! They also have a pretty cool convertible soft structured carrier. Today, I’m going to tell you about my time with this beauty–Toile Bleu.

When I first grabbed this budget BreatheBlend wrap out of the bag, I was shocked by how thin but dense it felt! It is a whopping 325 GSM. Toile Bleu needed some work and I was up to the challenge! Maxine (~40 lbs) and Minerva (~20lbs) both had plenty of time up in this beauty.  This wrap breathes so well and I really enjoyed it on our humid days especially. It was very grippy which helped me keep my seat popping queen (Minerva) in place once I tied off a carry.

This wrap was in my base size, so I got to try all my favorite base carries! I double hammocked almost every day that this wrap visited. Toile Bleu is ideal for me with double hammock because though it was super grippy, the passes moved easily for me and stuck in place once I moved onto the next step. I also enjoyed this with front wrap cross carry with the passes spread. I rarely do FWCC with spread passes, but this wrap made it a need for me! This wrap had some amazing shoulder pleats as well. It was flat and comfortable on my shoulders.

I recommend this wrap to more experienced wearers and also to those with heavy kiddos! Also, if you love grip you will LOVE Ethos Toile Bleu! This budget wrap is $145 for a size 9 which is great compared to size 9’s elsewhere.

Be sure to check out Ethos on Facebook and Instagram. Also, check out their Facebook group, Wear Ethos! 

Extra special THANK YOU to Ethos for your generous donation of this wrap to the Babywearing International of Hampton Roads lending library! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Review: Kokoskaa Hope (Black Weft)

 Kokoskaa’s budget wrap line has blown me away again. First with Brave, and now with Brave’s little sister Hope.

Hope is a gradient rainbow wrap. Kokoskaa offers it in white and black weft and I have enjoyed using the black weft for about five weeks now. This has been one of my go to wraps while it has been here and thanks to the fun colors, Maxine (30ish lbs, 2T/3T Clothing) has been picking this one for uppies all the time.

When I received the wrap, it had been washed once and I immediately noticed the difference between this and Brave. Hope is thinner, softer, and easier to manipulate than Brave. The first carry I did was a ruck. The first picture in this post was actually the first time I wore the wrap and I was so pleased! The wrap feels flat on the shoulders with no cush, but it was still comfortable. I enjoy flat wraps, especially when they are not diggy and Hope is not diggy at all. I also did about a dozen semi front wrap cross carries with this wrap. Since the wrap I tested was a base -2 for me, I had to do my favorite carry! It pleated so nicely on my shoulder. It held the slipknot like a rock star as well.

There is little stretch to this wrap and basically zero bounce. It glides very easily and there is not much texture to it. Very smooth. In a double hammock, the chest pass basically spread itself which seems to be the case with all of the Kokoskaa wraps I have tried. What magic is that?!  Even wrapping over a jacket was pretty easy with Hope.

  

 Hope would be great for wrappers of all skill levels and would be suitable for newborn up through toddlers. If you like thinner (but not too thin), solid, and easy to break in wraps, this wrap is for you!

The Kokoskaa budget line is all under $99. 

Be sure to follow Kokoskaa on Facebook and Instagram! Also join their Facebook chatter group!

Review: Bijou Wear!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me screaming BIJOU TENCEL IS MY JAM more than a couple of times. Finalllllllly, I am going to tell you why you and everyone you know needs to try it.

Jaime Gassmann is the mastermind behind Bijou Wear.  The company is named after her husband’s nickname for their baby. The love Jaime has for this company is so clear. She makes sure everything is perfect before she releases it. The wraps that I recently tried are Windmills Field of Dreams and Blast Lilac.

When I first saw Windmills Field of Dreams, I fell in love with the color. Green always looks great in a wrap. I questioned the windmills for about two seconds. I like them. I like them a lot. Especially when one lands right on Maxine’s bottom. When I wrapped with this, I was shocked at how a wrap so soft could make my toddler feel not-so toddler-like. Maxine is around 28 pounds and I could easily carry her around in a double hammock for an hour no problem. I did not need to adjust too much once I got the carry in place.

Check out that candy cane chest belt!!

This was also great in a front carry! Front wrap cross carry is still one of my go-to carries with Max, especially when she wants to nurse. Windmills glides easily and the width helped make it even easier to make my carries better with this wrap. Windmills is great for newborns especially since it is so soft. It would be awesome for toddlers too in multi-layer carries. It rocked a slip knot, but my favorite way to finish a carry with this wrap was with sling rings. I would recommend this wrap for all wrappers.

Here is a short tutorial on how to do a front wrap cross carry with Windmills Field of Dreams!

 

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Blast lilac!! How I miss thee! This wrap was the same blend as Windmills, but it felt SO different! Magic! This design is my favorite out of all things Bijou Wear. Maxine loved this wrap as well and constantly asked for ups in this purple beauty. My favorite carry to do with this wrap was a ruck. It is flat with a little cush on the shoulders in my opinion. It pleated well on its own too.

Blast Lilac almost always put Maxine to sleep. There was no fighting this wrap. Denser than windmills, this was still pretty soft in hand. It was flatter than windmills. I would wear this out for a long trip in the summer no problem. This would be just fine in a single layer carry with a toddler, but multi-layer carries are where the magic happens! This rocked a double hammock like nobody’s business. The knots all stayed in place incredibly well! I was so impressed. It also was good with a ring finish. The width of this wrap easily handled all 35 inches of Maxine. I recommend this wrap to new wrappers up through wrapping pros. If you like medium/thin wraps that are smooth but just enough grip to keep those passes in place, this is the wrap for you!

Be sure to check out Bijou Wear on Facebook and Instagram!

 

 

 

Review: Nunamoochie

 These past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of testing out a wrap called “Year of the Horse” by Nunamoochie. I had never heard of this company before, but when Kiwi Baby Shop approached me about trying out the wrap, I couldn’t turn the opportunity down! I love trying out new wraps. This Year of the Horse design is based on the Chinese Zodiac and incorporates the phases of the moon. The colors are green, black, and purple.

When I first opened the wrap, I was surprised by how soft it was. I immediately wanted to snuggle up with the wrap and sleep on it. It is 100% organic cotton and a medium weight. It is great for new babies and feels like it will be great through toddler years. I loved that the wrap came washed and pressed. I quickly put Maxine up in a double hammock.

 Maxine is 22lbs and felt like a feather in this wrap. I immediately thought “Wow, this will be a great shorty!” Maxine fell asleep within being up for five minutes. I guess she thought it was super soft too.

I have a bad back and shoulder so it is important to me that the wrap feels supportive without digging in a front wrap cross carry and double hammock (my go-to carries). This wrap passed the test! It holds a knot and ring well and there is no constant adjusting once the carry is finished. It is not a super stretchy wrap. It glides easily and the passes stay where you put them. It feels the same thickness as Didymos Sun Tendrils, but way softer since of course, it’s not a hemp blend like that. It wraps very similar to Girasol Cosmic Rainbow.

Year of the Horse will be easy to break in. Just after two washes, it was super soft. I would not recommend this to new wrappers because it may be difficult to get the wrap sufficiently tightened. If you like wraps that are not too thick and super cushy on the shoulders, then this will be a great choice for you!

My husband said that is looked cool and that is HUGE because he doesn’t like any of my wraps. It still didn’t get him to wrap though! Each wrap comes with a key chain made from scraps. I enjoyed Year of the Horse so much, that I checked out what other wraps Nunamoochie had in stock and bought my own! Elephant Ears comes in such a fun pattern!

I was right, Nunamoochie 100% organic cotton is perfect for a shorty.