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Linuschka Hamburg: Tester with japanese silk, seacell, supima and bio cotton

We were invited to participate in a test round for a yet unreleased beauty by Linuschka Hamburg. The tester was a size 6 wrap with an exciting blend of 40% bio cotton, 30% Japanese silk, 15% seacell and 15% supima. I was looking forward to the week with this wrap a lot since I had not had a chance to test Japanese silk yet but had big hopes it would not fail with a toddler. We were about to go for a countryside holiday involving no strollers and 8 + 7 hour train trips with multiple transfers so I knew we'd get to wear the tester a lot.

As we collected and opened the tester parcel, I was surprised by how the folded package was much thinner than I expected. However, a closer look to the wrap revealed already the lovely fluff and nubby towel-like texture it had. The tester is clearly a member of Linuschka's Avant-garde wrap family with its geometrical and abstract pattern and reminds to some extent Unovis Acapulco which was released just a few weeks before this tester arrived at our place. In the tester, white/ecru and pink colors are rather light when looking from further but more intensive from closer and also in stronger light. Overall, the first impression reminded me a lot of Artipoppe's Pink Towel especially from the appearance and touch, even though the blends of the two wraps are totally different.

Our wrappee is 18 months old toddler with good 12,5kg. We wore the tester mainly in double hammock tied under bum (with freshwater finish), simple rucksack, and front wrap cross carry tied under bum. Normally I hate tub finishes and avoid them wherever possible because I feel they easily pop back and the wrap job needs to be re-done. Thanks to the grippiness and texture of the tester, this wrap however held our toddler wonderfully even with just a simple knot under bum.

Fwcc tub with reverse side of the wrap out.

The wrap has a nice bounce which together with the grip makes the wearing a comfortable experience for both the babywearer and the wrappee, and our toddler enjoyed several wrapnaps while being carried in the tester. Against my expectations the wrap was easy to work with and it was not at all difficult to get the second layer of fabric on its place in double hammock. The wrap also basically pleated itself on shoulders!

When receiving the wrap after it had been to a couple of hosts already I thought it was pretty nicely broken in already. Still, it definitely got softer and floppier in the use and the surface felt less rough after our testing week. As our wrappee is in the on/off age, I also got to wear the size 6 tester on neck. Despite the no wool content it has something wool-like to it and served as a warming accessory during the sunny yet chilly day. The color of the wrap is subtle and not too strong and even my husband complimented it. Another plus in this wrap is certainly that, despite the exclusive blend, it did not feel too glamorous and you would not be afraid to wear it outdoors.

This wrap is definitely a toddler or heavier baby wrap for slightly more experienced users in my opinion because of the heavy weight and structure. I think it would be too much texture for small babies and beginners but works wonderfully when you know what to expect from grippy yet mouldable wraps.

Thank you for the opportunity to test this wrap! I have more action shots on my Instagram account and further photos and reviews by the hosts are available in the Linuschka wraps group. For more Linuschka beauties, please check their business page!

Lovaloom: Unreleased woolen Petalon

We were happy to test for a week a yet to be released Lovaloom Petalon with pima cotton, bourette silk, cashmere and babycamel. Being a wool lover and part of team thick I was eager to see, feel and experience this 400gsm beauty live, and it surely met the expectations. We wore the wrap in different carries for several hours over the test period, both indoors and outdoors, awake and alert as well as for peaceful wrapnaps.

The wrap has beautiful natural creamy and light brown colors. It feels soft but blankety, densely woven but not overly warm. Thanks to the amazing blend, the weave has a nice texture making the pattern beautifully three-dimensional on a closer look. I am not sensitive to wool and could feel only very light itching on the neck in the beginning, which eases as the wrap breaks in.

As the gsm and blend suggest, this is definitely a wrap with excellent wrapping qualities for heavier babies, toddlers and bigger kids. Both single-layer carries such as FWCC or rucksack and multi-layer carries like DH or FCC feel heavenly with a 1yo/13kg this wrap - no digging on the shoulders but also no sweating since both cashmere and babycamel are breathable. Wrapping with this was of course a bit of exercise especially when working layers on their place or getting tails through shoulder passes, but I can imagine it gets smoother as the wrap breaks in. Because of the grippiness and thickness of the wrap I wouldn't recommend it for the very beginners in babywearing, also the wrap is somewhat too beastly for newborns and smaller babies. With a toddler, however, any carry we tried stayed nicely on their place and the wrap was forgiving for quicker wrap-jobs, too.

If I were to compare this Petalon with some other toddler worthy wool wraps I've come across, in my opinion this is denser and fluffier than for instance Solnce's Genesis Khal (cotton, tussah, babycamel) and grippier, crunchier and more texturised than for instance Petalon Sage (high merino blend), Artipoppe's Argus Tart (high cashmere, Egyptian cotton, merino and silk) or Linuschka's Owls with wool that I've had. I can imagine this Petalon makes a wonderful companion for any toddlerwearing wool lover and with the subtle classic colors it is a true all year-rounder.

Woolen Petalon accompanied by my gorgeous Petalon Corallo.

Thank you to Christina at Lovaloom for the opportunity to be part of this tester round!

Kapualove: Mr. Bowie

We were excited to have Mr. Bowie (100% cotton) by an Austrian/German weaving company Kapualove visit us for a week. Since we don't use strollers and thus carry a lot in general, Mr. Bowie got quite an intensive period with us and we wore the wrap for some ten hours in total within the few days.

As we move around by foot a lot, Mr. Bowie accompanied us when we walked to the city to meet friends and visit post office (to collect some fluffy mail, of course), when we took our doggie out, and our child also napped in the wrap several times. Mr. Bowie also made an entry in our local sling meet and was greeted by a lovely mama who already owned a Mr. Bowie in past. 

With our wrappee having reached almost 13kg, an all cotton wrap is normally a no-go for us, but I was eager to see if Mr. Bowie would make an exception. And it definitely did! We still mostly wear one-layer carries and I was pleased to notice Mr. Bowie didn't feel at all diggy and it continued being supportive even after three hours in a front wrap cross carry.

The wrap is lovely in a double hammock, too, even though the wrapping qualities of Mr. Bowie somewhat surprised me and my wrap job sagged in the dh after a while. Namely, this wrap has an amazing diagonal stretch which I loved. It gives your carries a nice bounce and definitely smoothens the shoulder experience when wearing a heavier wrappee. Mr. Bowie also stayed surprisingly well on outdoor clothes even if we wore it on the top of my softshell coat.

Monochrome/b&w colors or strong graphic prints are not something I would normally go for, so I enjoyed getting to wear a wrap having both these looks for a change. Personally, I would feel the amount of light colors in any wrap be too sensitive to wear but it surely helps a lot Mr. Bowie is washable at 60°! It is an easy-care wrap which you will not be afraid to go out with, no matter whether it is sunny or rainy. 

We were happy to have the chance to be part of the Kapualove TryMe Team 2.0 and I was impressed by how thoughtfully everything was organised, from the piece of fabric arriving via mail in advance to little greet notes and washing liquid that accompanied Mr. Bowie in the parcel. Thank you to Kapualove and Stephanie & Daniel for this opportunity!