Happy Christmas!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas!!!!

We had a lovely Christmas Eve walk today, using my beautiful Artipoppe Two Birds Akka, which was so lovely and warm in this cold and windy weather. I hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow wherever you are in the world! More wrap reviews coming after Christmas!

Three pictures...

I thought I'd share this row of three pictures, each of which was taken on 18th December in 2011, 2012 and 2013. I love pictures like this, as it truly shows what a difference a year makes! I look back at the 2011 picture, and I wish I knew then what I know now, but I also remember how thrilled I was to have my son wrapped close to me, after an overwhelming few weeks. 
I wonder what the picture will look like in 2014...

Review: Baie Slings Magma Ebony/Crimson

Brand: Baie Slings
Type: Magma Ebony/Crimson (tester wrap)
Blend: 100% combed cotton
Size: 4

I am really delighted to have had the opportunity to try out Baie Sling's beautiful Magma tester wrap. I have very quickly become a fan of this relatively new company, and have really fallen for the softness and cush that their combed cotton Trowen wraps have in abundance. Before it arrived, I understood that Magma was woven in a slightly different way to the Trowen wraps, and had a slightly tighter weave. I was intrigued to find out how the tighter weave would affect the wrapping qualities of Baie Sling's newest wrap.
On opening the package, I was thrilled to find that Magma had Baie Sling's characteristic blankety softness, and yet the tighter weave gives this wrap a slightly denser feel. Magma is a slightly thicker wrap, but due to its immediate softness and drape, this does not make it a challenge to wrap with. It has a lovely amount of diagonal stretch, making it mouldable and the thickness gives it a lovely cush. I feel that the tighter weave gives this wrap a bit of extra support with my heavy toddler, and when wrapped in place, it held Joey's weight perfectly.
The colour and design are beautiful. The red is a deep earthy red, and the black feels like a very warm black when combined with the crimson colour. The rails are each neatly hemmed in a different direction, meaning that there is no wrong side, and I have to agree that I really couldn't decide which side I loved best! The pattern flows across the wrap in this bold yet detailed pattern, and I really loved the look of the spirals when wrapped. Magma really is the perfect name for this design!
Magma has a fair amount of grip, meaning it doesn't just slide into place, but it also didn't feel particularly difficult to pull across either, and when in place it stayed put amazingly well even with my very wriggly toddler.
Overall, I have really enjoyed this wrap on the few days I've had to play with it. I love the feel of the Trowen wraps so much, that I wasn't sure what I would make of the tighter weave, but I can honestly say that it slightly improves the support offered when carrying a heavier child, without compromising on the softness and cush that I love. This wrap would be lovely with a newborn baby and yet it would also last you right through to toddlerhood. I'm really impressed with Magma, and will be saving my Christmas money ready to bring home my own Magma wrap when they are released in the new year.

Magma with the Trowens

Colour comparison (top to bottom):
Magma Ebony/Crimson
Nouveau Ember
Eden Copper Beech
Roses Aphrodite
Firespirals Pomegranate Spirals
Eden Caprica

Review: Lir Slings Realt Aodh

Brand: Lir Slings
Type: Realt Aodh
Blend: 50% Irish linen, 50% cotton.
Size: Ring sling, gathered shoulder.

I am always intrigued when I hear about a new wrap company, so when I read about this new Irish company and saw their debut design, I couldn't resist ordering a ring sling from Lir Slings, especially as its pretty snowflake design is perfect for using during the winter/festive season.
Lir Slings are designed and woven in Ireland, and are cut and stitched to order, so I had to wait a few weeks for my ring sing to arrive. It was totally worth the wait! The design is really beautiful and the gentle grey and white colours are perfect for the snowflakes, and in some lights there is almost a slight shimmer, giving the grey a silvery look. The weave on these wraps is very dense and has just a little bit of diagonal stretch. The linen blend needs a bit of breaking-in, but my ring sling is already beginning to soften up. I wouldn't say Realt Aodh feels particularly thick, but with the dense weave and use of linen, it is incredibly supportive. The seams and ring sling conversion have been neatly stitched, and the whole things feels like a luxurious, quality item.
The only thing that I would change about this beautiful ring sling, is that the taper is incredibly steep, meaning that even though the long taper measures just over 2 metres, the short taper is only 1.55m. Once the ring sling is adjusted and in place, the shorter taper is absolutely fine, but I'm finding it slightly more difficult to adjust the shorter rail, as there is less fabric to grab hold of and pull. A parent who is bigger built, and carrying a larger child may struggle a little with this. However, this does not particularly detract from how much I am enjoying this beautiful ring sling, and the steeper tapers would not be a problem on a wrap. 
Overall, I am very impressed with Lir Slings' debut design, and have already received compliments when out and about wearing Realt Aodh. Having seen pictures of a couple of the beautiful and unique designs they have in the works, I would say that Lir Slings is going to go from strength to strength.

My new venture: Sling Solutions

I am really excited this week, as I've just signed up to do the Babywearing Consultancy training course in February! I can't wait! I've been working on a business name and logo this week, and after a lot of thought I have decided I will be 'Sling Solutions'. I've got lots of ideas of what I would like to do when I've qualified, but for now I've been working on my logo and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/slingsolutions

Joey's 2nd birthday!

My little boy turned 2 last week! Its been a busy few days having a couple of family celebrations. I still can't believe Joey is 2 already - time has gone too quickly!

Even though he is gradually getting bigger and more independent, I'm hoping we still have lots of slingy cuddles to come, and I'm currently working on a couple of wrap reviews, plus I'm hoping to get the opportunity to try out a brand new tester wrap fairly soon - I can't wait!