Today we have a review of two basically classical old school wraps from the Polish Natibaby. Old school meaning really old, at least in the context of the Czech babywearing world – in 2014 most of the current popular brands did not even exist and baby wraps were something only members of primitive African clans would probably wear, at least from the “average mummy” point of view. Even the oldest and the largest Czech babywearing Facebook group Nosíme děti (i.e. We Wear our Babies) was founded not a long time before than – in 2013. I can imagine that by that time, when babywearing was not common in the Czech Republic at all and most of the babywearing parents were using Manduca or Ergobaby carriers (and in case of wraps, it was probably something striped from ŠaNaMi), Natibaby wraps must have looked like a revelation, given their design and composition.
Not counting the Storchenwiege Leo which has been woven still in the same manner since 2007 and the legendary Vatanai Kipawa, I probably have not tried many wraps released before 2014 (or in 2014), as far as I remember. It was for example Natibaby Colibri Violet or Natibaby 3Dimensional. Other Natibaby wraps we reviewed so far were released later – you can find the articles here and here.
Natibaby Nelumbo
Composition: 70% cotton, 30% silk
Weight: 251 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 6
Christina’s ruckless back carry
Nelumbo (the name is Latin for lotus flower) is a little bit older from the two wraps. It was released in June 2014 as a custom for the Czech babywearing e-shop isatky.cz. A wrap with silk that is almost 6 years old? A tester wrap that travels and is used intensively all that time? What state would one expect it to be in? I must say, hats off, it is still in a great shape. Maybe the indigo side used to be a little bit more vivid but overall, the wrap is still very beautiful, it has the typical elegant silky shine and there are no obvious flaws on the wrap.
It is incredibly pleasant to touch – soft and cuddly, just perfect for little babies. It felt thin in my hands and I had a good time tying it, even though it is a bit too much slippery for my taste (to be honest, I prefer grippy wraps more and more as my child gets bigger and heavier – she is so strong that when she decides that she does not longer want to be in a wrap, she can get out of any wiggle proof carry, in case of slippery wraps). I had no problems tightening it, but I cannot say if it holds in one knot – I only use the ring finish during the winter because I hate knots under my jacket. Nelumbo held in the L size ring and did not move an inch and the carry held fine with the sleeping, not-wiggling toddler. Although the wrap is not very elastic, if felt quite comfortable on my shoulders even after a longer period of time. However, it would not be my pick nr. 1 as a toddler wrap. On the other hand, I presume that the experienced skinny wrap-lovers tell each other stories and legends about Nelumbo, what a great and supportive wrap it is.
Natibaby Rainbow Violet
Composition: 60% cotton, 40% hemp
Weight: 198 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 6
Back wrap cross carry with a chest belt
Rainbow Violet was released in November 2014 and it is much thinner than Nelumbo – a true newborn “spider web”. However, I must say that I was quite surprised by the counted weight of 198 g/m² because it does not feel that THIN or almost see-through as, for example, the above-mentioned Kipawa. On the other hand, it was visible that it is old a bit more than in case of Nelumbo. The violet side faded a bit over time (this is in fact very interesting that the wrap has so different two sides – one is rainbow-coloured and the other is plain violet), however, despite this only visible flaw I must say, again, that it is in a very good condition! All thumbs up to Natibaby, this is what a really durable wrap looks like. Show me a wrap from any other brand which is 5 years old or older, so intensively worn, that would look like this one!
Rainbow Violet is almost as pleasant to touch as Nelumbo and I had no problems tying and tightening it – just as a good skinny wrap should behave, plus it felt a bit more grippy than its blue-green relative, which is something I really liked about it. However, with my 13kg toddler it was not comfortable enough to wear for longer time, but in the category of newborn wraps I assume that this one would be one of the most supportive ones. But it wrinkles so much that it is almost incredible – it needs to be ironed after every single wearing. Although I am quite fond of my iron, I could not become friends with this wrap…
Our thanks for the opportunity to test these wraps go to the group Nosíme děti (i.e. We Wear Our Babies).
