Lenny Lamb Babywearing Coat/Jacket NOT softshell

It's been awhile, and I have so many reviews from this past whirl-wind of a year to share with you all!


First up... my truly adored Lenny Lamb babywearing coat!


After having tried the KinderCoat and not finding it to be exactly what I was looking for, I did some more research on other coats for winter babywearing and stumbled upon the Lenny Lamb winter jacket. I ordered it in a size small from Lenny Lamb and it arrived in about two weeks to my door.

The interior is a soft fleece that isn't overly thick, and the outer material is a sturdy feeling water resistant layer.

The interior (grey) and hood

There were two different panels included, one for front carries and one for back. There is a hood for baby, which is one of my favourite things about the coat. For the first year I owned this coat, I mostly wore it on my own without the panels. I received compliments about the colour many times, even in my place of work. When I became pregnant with our third child, I wore the back carry panel as an option for my growing belly. With a wool sweater or a fleece under the coat, I found it warm enough on even the coldest of Ottawa days. There are great toggles all over the place to pull things tight and keep the wind out.



Demoing my coat sans baby

When Little Miss was born in October, it was still too warm to use the coat. I mostly used my Lenny Lamb fleece or Kokoala panel during this time. However, when the snow and wind came, this coat was invaluable. The wind-proof outer lining was so wonderful for the very cold days of school pick up and drop off for big brother. I would use the baby hood and was happy that the Velcro from the baby hood could hook to the Velcro of the adult hood, which made a tiny wind-proof wall for baby's head, and kept both of our hoods up well.



A very cold and windy day in Ottawa, but we were warm!

When the temperatures dropped to -20 Celsius or more I found we needed an extra fleece layer each to keep warm underneath the coat, but we were toasty as long as we did so. I have now worn this coat for two winters as my main winter coat, both with and without baby. I have worn this coat nearly every day for walks and in tough weather. There have been no issues with the quality of this coat, and it is still looking as good as new. I look forward to using it for back carrying this winter, as I did not use it much for this way of wearing in previous years.

The verdict:

Pros: Affordable, available, well made, comfortable, attractive

Cons: None I can think of.... maybe not cold enough for -20 degrees without an extra layer?

Recommendation: Great coat for wearing in even the coldest Canadian winter days, with an extra layer.

Lenny Lamb Babywearing Fleece

I really enjoy trying various babywearing accessories, and managed to score a great deal on a Lenny Lamb babywearing fleece coat after making a purchase of one of the soft structured carriers (they offer a discount towards future purchases!) As usual, the package arrived quickly, and was not hit with duties (so far I'm four for four with LL purchases!). 

I ordered the size small, as I am usually about a size 6, in a blue colour. I didn't realise it at the time, but it also came with a little dickie for baby to wear to keep their head toasty warm while wearing.

My first impressions were the fleece was very soft, and nice and thick. It doesn't feel cheaply made at all, I was quite impressed with the quality for the price I paid.

My three year old tried to help me out by modelling the dickie. It didn't fit him so well (my children have giant heads). :)

Big guy helping model the front carry.

He also helped me model a front carry for this coat. As you can see, my 98% three year old was a bit long for this jacket, but we squeezed in there anyway.

For back carrying, you just turn the coat around. I took this coat out for snuggly walks with my toddler on several occasions, in early Winter and late Autumn weather in Ottawa. We both wore toques, mitts, and boots and we super warm. I would highly recommend this fleece coat to anyone as a cheap option for a mildly cold weather (0 degrees Celsius-ish) babywearing coat!

The verdict:

Pros: Affordable, available, well made, comfortable.

Cons: None I can think of

Recommendation: Great fleece for wearing in Autumn, Springtime and early Canadian winters.

Cloth of Kin - Doula Love 4.2m

A local mama offered a contest for her business to submit a wrap design based on doulas, which would then be mocked up and created through a Cloth of Kin custom slot she had. Though my submission didn't win, I did end up purchasing a semi-custom of the winning entry, which was called Doula Love.

The colours of this wrap were so vibrant. I had a hard time deciding what weft to pick for it. I ended up choosing a cotolin weft in peacock (turquoise), as I wanted something supportive and colourful for my chunky monkey. I chose a yellow stripe middle marker, for contrast.

The weaver kept us updated with photos throughout the weaving process, and it was completed near the timelines promised. The anticipation of owning a wrap that I had so much input into was so exciting, the wait felt so much longer than it was!

The first thing I noticed when I received my wrap was how incredibly soft it was right out of the package. It didn't feel like linen blend to me at all, and wrapped nicely, without the hardness I have come to expect from linen. It measured slightly longer than the 4.2m I had asked for, which isn't a bad thing in my books. I sent it to SewFunky to be hemmed when it arrived, as the 'lengths of fabric' from Cloth of Kin all arrive unhemmed. 

I used this wrap in the heat of the summer with my young toddler, and enjoyed the support it gave, while also appreciating how thin it was. I would compare it to UppyMama in thickness, possibly a touch heavier in weight than the UppyMama linen I have tried. 

I always received comments on the beauty of this wrap, and felt great wearing it in any condition, because it was so easy to launder. I only moved this wrap along to another home when I received a wrap in very similar colours in the same length and appreciated the wrapping qualities of the new one better (review to come on that one... my very first full length UppyMama!).

The Verdict:

Pros: Canadian handwoven, affordable, custom slots are attainable!, great communication, great design, fabulous wrapping qualities (for linen especially!).

Cons: I have none for this wrap and CoK experience. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this wrap to anyone looking for a well-priced Canadian handwoven. The linen blend was comfortable and supportive, without the 'dig' I usually experience in linen.

Didymos Lisca Sambuco

I bought this Lisca used from a local mama, as I wanted to try a Lisca for myself to see what all of the hype was about. My first impressions were that it was incredibly soft, and the colours were lovely. It was also much more thin than I was expecting.

I really enjoyed the purple and orange colours together. These are two of my favourites, and they made for a delightful Autumn blend, which was especially lovely close up. I don't have any photos handy from our time with this wrap, so here is a lovely stock photo.

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This wrap was a size 6, which is a bit long for me, but for how thin these are, I think it is good to have a longer wrap. I tried a ruck in this and it felt very thin and diggy, but in a double hammock it was much more comfortable.

I think this would be a really great newborn wrap. It has the stretch that would hold a tiny squishy baby in place solidly, but is very soft and has a slight cush to it that a stretchy wrap would not have. Unfortunately, we got it when little man was well over 20lbs, so it left quickly.

The Verdict:
Pros: Super soft, lots of stretch, lovely colour
Cons: Too thin and stretchy to be super supportive for larger babies
Recommendation: This would make an amazing newborn wrap, and does fine in multi-pass carries for larger babes, but wouldn't be my first choice for a larger babe.

Update: Found a photo!

Oscha Strato Aequus Lambswool Blend Size 5

I have been in love with Oscha's Strato pattern for the longest time, and have been a lover of wool also. I was ISO Aequus for a long while, and managed to find one while perusing the Canadian Swap one day for an amazing deal. 

When it arrived, I could tell it wasn't very broken in, it was much more scratchy and thick than the Didy wools I have grown used to, so I worked on it a bit with some steam and love. I don't think it helped that I received this beauty in the summer, when it is definitely a cooler-weather wrap.

I wrapped my toddler with is a few times for short outings, he was not wanting to be up long at the time, and it was quite a warm wrap. I found it very supportive, but a bit hard on my shoulders. I don't usually mind itchy wool, but this was even a bit itchy for my tastes. I ended up selling it very quickly, as I still couldn't find the Oscha love, even after lusting over this beauty for so long.

Blurry park ruck

The pattern is just so lovely though, I wish I could have liked it better. I thought it would have been more of a blue colour, but it was very purple, which I tend to be drawn to.

Stock photo to show beauty

The Verdict:
Pros: Beautiful pattern, beautiful colour, great warmth for a cold weather wrap, super sturdy.
Cons: Itchy and beastly new, not enough give and bounce for my taste.
Recommendations: If you don't mind itchy wool, and are looking for something to keep you and bubs warm during long winter walks, this beast is up to the task. This is not a light wrap by any means, and not my recommendation for new wrappers or summer heat.

Didymos Brown Cashmere India Ring Sling

As you can tell, I really like Didymos wraps. I've tried most of their blends and styles, in a variety of lengths and types of carriers. One blend I really wanted to try last year was cashmere. I am a lover of wool in general, and cashmere seemed to me at the time to be the epitome of luxury for a wool lover. I read many amazing reviews of cashmere india, but as I don't tend to gravitate towards thicker wraps, I was intimidated by the specs of this beautiful beast.

Luckily, a local mama ended up selling her ring sling made from Brown Cashmere India right around the time I was ISO. I literally posted this on her post, I was so excited....

Thanks Nemo.

This sling was in pretty well brand new condition when I received it, and was still a bit itchy to the touch. It softened up very nicely with a bit of gentle breaking in at home. It was very supportive with my toddler, rock solid, but with a bit of cush on the shoulder. There was not very much bounce to it at all though, which I generally prefer in a carrier.

Beautiful bronze rings

We enjoyed this sling for a short while, but the support just ended being more than we needed. If you are a lover of thick wraps. this would probably be right up your alley. I wish I had liked the qualities of this wrap better, as I love the India pattern so much, and the colours of this sling were just right for me.

The Verdict:

Pros: Beautiful, understated, elegant, supportive

Cons: Itchy and somewhat beastly brand new

Recommendation: If you love cashmere and India print, you will love this. If you are looking for a rock-solid beast of a wrap that you can tame into a cuddly soft, yet supportive workhorse, this is for you. If you like bounce and right-out-of-the-box wrapability, maybe this isn't for you.

Didymos Sambia Size 8 --> Long size 4 and ring sling

As part of the wonderful mystery box I received from Birdie's Room, I owned a size 8 Didymos Sambia. This wrap felt a lot like Orient fresh out of the box, and I believe it was a prototype using the same weaving techniques used to create Orient. The colours were much more earthy than those of Orient, so it was more understated. I really liked the colour on the "right" side, but wasn't too fond of how the "wrong" side of the wrap didn't show a reverse pattern, as was seen in Orient. 

As size 8 is clearly too much wrap for me, I sent it off to be chopped into a long size 4 and size medium gathered ring sling by the ever-talented Tanja at SewFunky.

My lovely trio of mystery box wraps.

This lovely stock photo shows the "right" and "wrong" sides of the wrap better.

I wrapped with the wrap portion of Sambia only once, but found it to wrap nearly exactly like my Orient, which I already owned in a size 5. Since they were so near in size, I decided to sell the wrap and keep the ring sling.

Sambia made an AWESOME ring sling. I paired it with bronze rings and had a gathered shoulder. I took it on trips to the beach and around town. It didn't seem to pull quite as easily as Orient did, which was nice. I found the material supportive enough for my 27lb toddler, but thin and light enough to be a great summer-time option for wearing at the beach. The colours were also perfectly beachy. 

Sharing an ice cream

The Verdict:

Pros: Light, airy weave, easily washable, beautiful colours

Cons: "Wrong" side doesn't have full pattern

Recommendation: If you like Orient, you will like Sambia! It is a great, all around, light-medium weight cotton wrap, with nearly the identical wrapping qualities of Orient. I really enjoyed this sling while it lived with us.