Linda’s View:

Again, we have some unfinished business here – this time, from the category of babywearing clothes. It is a babywearing cardigan Jožánek, which I was wearing for the whole winter last year. Thus the testing was really thorough.

Jožánek is a Czech company, founded more than 10 years ago by a mum on maternity leave, Jana Gebauerová Havelková. They specialize in clothes for kids and pregnant, breastfeeding and babywearing mums. Besides their babywearing cardigan, I own a breastfeeding T-shirt, turtleneck and nightgown as well. 

Last year, when I was looking for a babywearing sweatshirt or cardigan, the choice was much more desperate than it is nowadays. Everything was either super expensive (at least for my taste), too colourful or simply sold out. When Lenka drew my attention to this cardigan, I was truly excited – it was exactly what I was looking for! Simple, single-coloured and affordable.

I chose a cardigan designed for front wearing only – simply because I kind of knew at that time that my kid would prefer this position. In case of casual wearing on my back, I chose the option of dressed child on my jacket or sweatshirt (my kid was old enough for me to know that she would walk during the following winter). The reality fit my assumption to a T. Helenka never grew to love wearing on the back – there is no breast, you know. 😀  And I have sold the cardigan already. 😉

Nevertheless, when the cardigan came, I was almost disappointed – the S/M size is quite big and it is not fitted at all – it is simply straight. Although there is an elastic band at the waist, it is certainly no fashion craze – it is “not wearable without a wearie”, in my opinion. Now, the material – it is ˈknitted fleeceˈ (in fact, 100% polyester), which looks like knitted fabric on the outside and it is furry on the inside – like the brushed french terry. Well, it is artificial and I, in fact, prefer the cotton french terry. However, as I have already said, there was NOTHING on the babywearing market. 😀 Not to do a wrong, I have to say that the material is rather pleasant and, mainly, very warm – in combination with the Angel Wings softshell jacket, I was really satisfied for the whole winter, experiencing no problems at all.    

I would like to highlight the ingeniously solved covering of the neck by means of a ˈbibˈ. It is a big triangle made of jersey that is placed into the collar of the cardigan by means of studs. It ensures really perfect thermal comfort for every sensitive neck (just like mine). In combination with AW’s no less ingenious wind-proof neck protector, it is an unbeatable combo. I often did not need to zip the jacket up, the ˈbibˈ was just enough.

All in all, a good product for a fair price. It is not very fashionable, but it perfectly does the trick and, above all (!) – keeps your neck warm!

Lenka’s View: 

I will be briefer and, contrary to Linda, maybe a little bit more merciful. The cardigan is really pleasantly warm and although I do not normally seek for artificial materials, Emilka and I felt fine in Jožánek (when wearing fleece, for example, I feel like being wrapped in plastic). For me, the cardigan fits nicely even without a wearie – perhaps, my aesthetic demands are not so high (i.e. I have already given up on any kind of elegance during my maternity leave 🙂 ). It is not the latest fashion, but, on the other hand, it is certainly not something I would feel ashamed to wear.

The neck protector is a brilliant thing – brilliantly simple and wonderfully functional. You just have to press the studs and go – no complicated search for the end of an endless zipper. However, it is an ideal solution only for soft and pliable materials like french terry or fleece; be it softshell, it would be much harder to work with. 

Let me say something about the absence of hood on the insert – in my opinion, it is no disadvantage in case of a cardigan designed for front wearing only. There is a hood on nearly every carrier. When wearing in a wrap, you can use it to fix the head of your baby as well. The hood may be missed, however, when wearing on your back – without help of another person, it is just impossible to fix the head of your sleeping baby by anything else than the uppermost layer (or there is a way, but I am totally unaware of it and should attend a special course on this topic). Nevertheless, when I was choosing my own babywearing sweatshirt, my logic was the same as Linda’s and I have a sweatshirt designed for front wearing only (you can read the review here). Since more than a half of winter is already gone and I still wear my child actively, I can confirm that we do not lack a cardigan or sweatshirt designed for back wearing. The Jožánek cardigan would certainly be satisfactory for me as well.