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: Natibaby Pearl (wool)

Natibaby Pearl is one of the original Natibaby designs. Marsupial Mamas  did an exclusive  recently and wow wow wow!  This is a wool blend (30%) so I was hesitant to try it at first because I am sensitive to most wool items. I tried it anyway because I am a sucker for natty wraps. It did not bug my skin at all. That blew my mind because usually my arms start to burn when I wear wool.

Pearl was a size 6, so base -2 for me. Over the few weeks it was here, I used it with both Maxine (age 3 & 35ish+ lbs) and Minerva (13lbs) frequently. This was medium-thin in hand and actually was pretty supportive! It was super moldable and made a good chestpass which is something I love in a wrap. It had nice stretch–the kind where you can get things like you want but it won’t sag on you after a little while with a heavy kid. It had great glide. I wouldn’t call this wrap grippy at all.

I used this wrap mostly in double layer carries because that is what I prefer to use with both girls in a base -2 wrap. I did do rucks with the big girl in this wrap. I found the wrap to be very comfortable on my shoulders, especially when sandwiched in the ruck. This wrap rocks a torso carry. I mostly did double hammock torso with my rose finish. I did not have to do much adjusting once I got the wrap in place. The slipknot stayed in place once I tightened it very well. Since the wrap glides so well, if you don’t lock  it in place the slipknot may slip some. Pearl was the perfect kangaroo carry wrap too.

I recommend this wrap to babywearers of all types with all ages of kids. If you are nervous about washing wool wraps, click here for an easy tutorial on how to do it from the Marsupial Mamas blog.

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Review: Ankalia Mako Laguna

Recently I had the pleasure of hosting Ankalia Mako Laguna. Just from looking at the wrap I imagined it to be everything I wanted in a wrap because I really was digging the colors! That always  is the first thing I notice when I open the package.

Me teaching with Laguna! Thank you Paul Chin, Jr for this great picture!

Mako was a size 4 which is base -4 for me. I tested this wrap out with Minerva AND Maxine. Minerva is three months old and 11 pounds. Maxine is three years old and 35 pounds. What a difference, right?! This 100% fine cotton beauty was comfy for both of my girls! My go to carry with Minerva was a kangaroo carry  and with Maxine, I stayed at a ruck with candy cane chest belt.

Kangaroo carry at the bus stop

This wrap was solid! Solid wraps are perfect for shorty carries in my opinion. I used a sling ring for a couple of carries and the wrap stayed in place through the ring very well. With the short front cross carry, Laguna’s grip made the carry shine. This wrap also rocked a slipknot. This wrap is on the thicker side of medium and that helped make traditional sling carry super comfortable on my shoulder with my three year old as well as the little one. This wrap was solid on my shoulders and definitely is a great ruck candy cane chest belt wrap.

short front cross carry

The wrap did not glide easily so pulling it through the ring was a little tough in short front cross carry. The grip made it a little difficult to kangaroo carry in, but once I got it in place, the kangaroo carry went NOWHERE. This wrap was wide enough for my toddler but not so overwhelming that my infant disappeared.

I absolutely loved the colors!

This wrap is a great toddler wrap! Once broken in it will be amazing with little babies as well. The wrap that I borrowed was well on its way to being broken in. I recommend this wrap to caregivers with children in the bowling ball stage and beyond. This may be a little overwhelming for a newborn. I also would suggest this to a caregiver who is familiar with woven wraps.

Napping big girl

Be sure to check out Ankalia on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

cheese!!

Review: Oscha Roses Atlanta

Oscha Slings is a company that I have not tried much. I have only tried two or three others besides this one and each time it was a different blend. This time is no different. Oscha Roses Atlanta is a blend of 47% Ice Cotton, 37% Organic Cotton, and 16% Organic Linen. I’d never heard of ice cotton until this wrap was previewed in July so I was very interested in trying it.

Atlanta Roses is a thin wrap and was very easy to wrap with. It was so thin that I was able to tie off a front wrap cross carry in a base -2! I was pretty impressed. The ice cotton made the wrap feel cooler and since there is linen also, I feel that this is the ultimate summer wrap. As I’ve been using the wrap it has been breaking in quite nicely. I mostly have been using it with Minerva (8 weeks, approx 8 lbs) in front carries. We mostly front wrap cross carry (fwcc), but we have also been doing FWCC torso carry.

Atlanta Roses has been super comfortable on my shoulders. It is flat and not cushy in my opinion. The wrap glided easily and has just enough grip to make sure everything stays in place.

One special thing I appreciated about this wrap was its writing along the side to commemorate the 2016 International Babywearing Conference in Atlanta, which is why the wrap is called Atlanta Roses. That is a wonderful touch.

Roses was comfortable even with my 34 pound toddler. Maxine was very comfortable in a multilayer back carry. We did a lot of double hammock with her.  I found it surprisingly supportive and I would not hesitate to have her wrapped for very long periods of time.

I feel that Atlanta Roses would be a great wrap for all babywearers. This wrap is also good for infants, and for toddlers too in multilayer carries. If you get a chance to try this wrap, I highly recommend it!!

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