Traveler and tester etiquette.

As you disappear down the rabbit hole, you may find yourself hearing more about traveling groups and testers. These are both excellent opportunities to try out wraps and carriers, refine your own preferences, interact with other enthusiastic babywearers, weavers and vendors, and to learn more about wrap qualities and how to put those qualities into review form. While these are great opportunities and a true privilege, there are a few responsibilities that come with the territory.

Do your research: if you are entering a tester search, or have been approached to test, look into the company/weaver you will potentially be testing for. Are their ethics in line with yours? Is their image one you are comfortable with?

Know the expectations: make sure you know exactly what is expected of you in a tester group or traveling group. A lot of the time, these groups are secret. If you are testing a wrap or carrier, keep in mind you are possibly testing an unreleased product and its creator is likely to either want to release it to the world themselves, or give you a time and place to share it. Never, ever share images of a wrap or carrier until you are sure its creator is ready for you to do so, let's liken it to the cousin who makes your birth announcement on Facebook before you get a chance to! Likewise, with a traveler group, be sure that the owners of wraps/carriers have given permission to take a wrap to meets/gatherings. This protects you as well as them and the wrap/carrier. You don't want to find yourself liable for lost/stolen/damaged wraps! Be certain that your traveler group is not secret before mentioning it to outsiders, and never add friends without checking with the rest of the group!

Know how to handle the wrap/carrier: The absolute first thing to do when you receive a wrap/carrier is inspect it. Pay attention to any flaws/stains etc. Do not wrap with it until you have done so. If required, measure it too. Feedback to the owner that you have received it and it is in good condition. If it is not in good condition, report back to the owner/organiser immediately and privately. Do not use it without further instruction from them. Reporting back immediately prevents you from becoming liable for any previous damages. Should anything, no matter how minor, happen to it whilst in your care, let the owner/organiser know immediately. Do not wash it without their instructions. Many wraps and carriers require special care. Detergent allergies are common, and washing with the wrong product can have serious consequences. Most visits have a deadline. Be precise with it. Food, animals, smoking, anything that could potentially mark or scent a wrap are not appropriate, even if they seem fine to you, they may well not be to the owner! If it is a tester, it may be on a tight schedule to get through an entire group before release. If you won't be able to meet the deadline, let the organiser know! Be clear with shipping. Does it need to be sent tracked? Couriered? Couriered with signature? Insured? Make sure you use the correct method to ship to protect yourself! Take photos of the package and forward tracking details to the person you are forwarding it to, and if required, to the owner/organiser.

To spam or not to spam? If its a tester, are you allowed to show it off immediately? If so, in what spaces? Many tester groups have a tester album for you to add photos to, as well as a space for reviews. Use them! If the organiser has been clear about where/when to share then share, share, share in those spaces. If not, ask!! Don't accidentally leak an unreleased wrap/carrier! Most people sending wraps into traveling groups like to see spam, to make sure their wrap/carrier is being loved and cared for, so by all means spam within the group. Ask permission to share outside of the group, and don't mention the traveler group unless you are absolutely certain its okay to do so! 

Reviews: be honest! Not brutal, but honest! Don't say anything untrue, don't say that a wrap is beautifully cushy if you find it thin and diggy, bring up its positives then raise any downsides later, constructive criticism helps both the creator and potential buyers. Being unnecessarily critical helps no one. If you don't feel knowledgeable enough to go into great detail about wrap qualities, don't! Tell people what you did enjoy about it instead of trying to talk a language you are still learning!

Final words: enjoy! Testing and traveling is a wonderful opportunity and a great privilege! Be courteous and respectful and enjoy this awesome adventure!!

Repreve Q & A

Quite some time ago a blend I had never seen before started popping up in babywearing circles. As someone who dyes frequently, this mystery blend that could be dyed without affecting a wrap's design had me intrigued. On investigating, and finding out that repreve was essentially recycled plastic, I was left with more questions not less. With the help of the babywearing community who I have quizzed and tormented for reviews, some research of my own, and some lovely mamas who have assisted me in sourcing repreve blends to explore, I have answered many of my questions!

What is repreve? Essentially, repreve is a fibre made from recycled plastic bottles. At this stage, the repreve blends I could find were all woven with a secondary fibre (all cotton as far as I could find). 

Why would I choose a plastic based blend when the bulk of wraps available are made of cotton/linen/hemp/wool/silk and other natural fibres? Repreve is unlike other blends. It retains a cool feel, with a slickness I have never found in a natural fibre. It wraps differently; it naturally pleats and sits beautifully. It doesn't crease and crumple the way natural fibres do either, so goodbye iron! Another upside would most definitely be the fact that it is a recycled blend. Whether or not the plastic bottles used to create this fibre would otherwise be landfill bound I am unsure, but surely encouraging the use of recycled materials has to be a positive thing. 

Can plastic be breathable? Will it sweat? Will my baby overheat? This was my first thought on finding it was a synthetic blend. Plastic doesn't breathe...we are familiar with the idea that plastic based fabrics (polar fleece, micro fleece etc) don't breathe and can cause babies to overheat and hinder their ability to regulate their body temperatures. Surely the same must be true of repreve blends? Funnily enough, the overwhelming majority of people I quizzed described it as soft and breathable. On trying Tekhni Repreve myself, I found it has a coolness to the touch, it is blended with cotton (in this instance) which perhaps adds to its breathable nature. It doesn't scream "plastic" but it also doesn't warm to the touch as a natural fibre blend would. I certainly didn't notice any sweating, despite a long walk up into the hills on an unseasonably warm day. Yaro reprieve did have a more "plasticky" feel, with a tendency to sag and knots which tend to slip. Yaro is more densely woven and much thinner, leaving it lacking the cush and airiness that made Tekhni Repreve shine.

Am I exposing my baby to an unnecessary amount of nasty chemicals? Tekhni, who use repreve blends in a variety of their wraps, state that they make their fibres using BPA free plastic water bottles. Knowing that all the bottles are BPA free and have been used only for water eased my mind somewhat. This will be a personal call, personally, despite the fact that I really enjoyed playing with this gorgeous, elegant wrap, I couldn't see myself buying a non natural fibre blend. If natural fibres are not top of your priority list, I would absolutely recommend giving it a try.

What does it wrap like? Is it suitable for beginners? Is it better for a squish or a toddler? Tekhni wraps beautifully. It is slightly slick and silky, passes glide into place and it is easy to tighten and tie. It is fairly supportive for a toddler, although its slightly slick nature means it doesn't have a lot of grip and rings and knots can slip a little. It is soft and smooth, so it could conceivably be used for a squish. It has a lot of qualities that would make it ideal for a beginner, although my preference would still be 100% cotton given it can slip slightly and lacks a little of the grip cotton offers to a wrapper whilst learning to tighten efficiently. I really struggle to even compare Tekhni repreve to Yaro. With cush I wouldn't have imagined, Tekhni repreve had a lovely springy feel, soft, relatively thick and with great texture. While Yaro was significantly thinner, it was not as diggy as I have found Yaro's cotton wraps to be. As a budget friendly option, Yaro repreve is functional and pretty, it certainly doesn't come close to Tekhni as far as wrap qualities go, but for its price is a great option for a wrapper with a little experience, particularly for babies and smaller toddlers. 

All in all, I have enjoyed playing with repreve and certainly regard it more highly than I would have thought before experimenting for myself. I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending either Tekhni or Yaro repreve blends.

REVIEW: Wrapture Zen Dove

On opening Zen Dove, I was struck by its texture. It was like no wrap I have ever felt before. This was something different. Something special. The word soft keeps coming to me, but that's not it. Soft doesn't come close to describing the fine, smooth, yet cushy feel. It had a fluffiness, without being fluffy, a silkiness without being silky. It had the airiness typical of bamboo, yet didn't have the slipperiness bamboo often does. As far as appearance, it had an understated elegance, a quiet, timeless beauty that could easily be dressed up to suit the most formal occasion or down for the most casual of days. Its soft, delicate colours reminiscent of cloudy skies or of foamy waves washing against gray sands.

As I wrapped with it the first time, I was a little sad that I didn't have a squish to wrap, its smooshy softness, medium stretch and relative thinness just called out for a squish. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the first pass held my 10 kg toddler firmly in place. A second and he was snug and secure, its delicate ridges providing a little hold to the carry. While it held firmly in a single layer, I felt a double layer gave it more support for a toddler. It was a pleasure to wrap with; passes gliding easily into place, knots sat beautifully and it moulded beautifully around my baby, no chance of baggy wrap jobs with this bandagey beauty! This wrap would be ideal for any wearer, gorgeous for a beginner or an asset to even the most varied stash.

The details:

Name: Zen Dove by Wrapture Australia

Composition: 57% Cotton, 6% Linen, 17% Viscose and 20% Bamboo. (247 g/m2)

Size reviewed: 4

Wrapee: 10kg 22 month old

Carries used: Robbin's, Half Jordan's back carry (3 hour walk, rugged terrain), double hammock, ruck, scarf carry, no sew ring sling.

Squish worthy: absolutely perfect!

Toddler worthy: yes, particularly in multiple layers. Possibly not if you like a really sturdy, solid toddler wrap.

Other points: medium width. Subtle, single rail middle marker. Medium tapers.

Hello!

Over the last few months it has occurred to me that I am asked a lot of babywearing questions, by a lot of people. I love to talk babywearing. It is something I am passionate about. It is something that is a huge part of my life, part of my family's functioning and part of our working lives. I have no babywearing 'qualifications" whatsoever, nor do I in any way intend to gain any,  I am simply a passionate babywearer who has had some wonderful opportunities, made some amazing friends and been lucky enough to have found the babywearing community; my village in my village-less world! My motivation in starting this blog is firstly to share my love of babywearing; the closeness it has brought myself and my children, the community it has allowed me to be a part of, and the adventures it has encouraged me to go out and seek with my babies. It is my deepest wish to see this community grow and flourish, to support and embrace new wearers and guide them along their babywearing journey. As a community, we have so much knowledge, so much experience and so much to share, that I personally see it as my responsibility to continue the tradition of supporting new wearers, giving freely the time, the effort, the thought and the love that has been given to me over the years. Secondly, babywearing has been a huge part of my parenting journey, but it wasn't something that was hugely visible to me in the early days and finding safe, comfortable and practical options took me quite some time. I firmly believe that the more of us that make safe, comfortable, practical babywearing visible, the more people will see it and recognise it as the endlessly helpful parenting tool it can be. And thirdly, I have had, and continue to have, so many incredible opportunities and so many wonderful experiences that I would love to share! I don't know what direction this blog will go in, but I do know that there have been so many people, so many businesses, so many products and so many stories that have made my babywearing journey a happy one, that I want to share my love for them somewhere!