Update: this was originally published on July 6, 2016. It got bumped to most recent when I added the Personal Note.
Wrap:
Ethos Cascade Freakinpink
Size 5
Freakinpink cotton warp
Soft gray BreatheBlend™ weft.
Wrappees=
Big Sister: nearly 3yrs, 34", roughly 28lbs
Baby Sister (primary wrappee): 1yr, 26", roughly 18lbs
(I just measured and weighed them last night, but the heights seem tall, even though they both just went through a growth spurt.)
Pictures taken using indoor, indirect sunlight; indoor, direct sunlight; indoor, artificial lighting at night; and outdoor direct sunlight
My wrapping background:
I've been wrapping on and off for nearly 3yrs. (I think Big Sister was 2mo when I tried my first FWCC--front wrap cross carry--with a woven wrap.) Despite this, I would probably only consider myself an intermediate wrapper, because I have my two favorite carries (FWCC and Ruck tied Tibetan) that I use almost exclusively.
With the warning that Cascade can be diggy for bigger babies and toddlers, I was determined to try a variety (or at least several carries) to get a better feel of Freakinpink. In the past 24hrs I've had Freakinpink, both kiddos have been up, but Big Sister was only up once for about 10 minutes. We've tried ruck, BWCC (back wrap cross carry) DH (double hammock)--which I must add is my nemesis carry--with a freshwater finish, and both a basic and reinforced ruck tied Tibetan. All back carries so far, since I was prepping for, then running, today's yard sale, and I needed to be able lift/move things.
Yesterday, my first impression of Freakinpink was how light it was. I really shouldn't be surprised, since it weighs in at 215GSM (grams per square meter) and it's super thin, but I was. Baby Sister had first ups, after a very long wrapping sabbatical, so my BWCC still had too much slack, but that's OK. I'll just add to the #normalizemediocrewrapping campaign. But even with the slack, it didn't feel like I was wearing her at all! By the end of her ups, I started to feel her on my hips and lower back, but that was due to my sloppy wrap job, as I felt no digging.
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| Baby Sister in indoor Back wrap cross carry |
Wrap Attempt 2 was my nemesis, DH, with Big Sister needing wrap cuddles. I cheated in order to get a perfect middle marker placement, but it was still a moderately sloppy wrap job, so I was feeling her after the 10 or so minutes she was up.
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| Big Sister in indoor, double hammock with freshwater finish |
After that, I didn't pay conscious attention to Freakinpink for the rest of the day, as it was well utilized in final preparations for today's sale. In retrospect, that is a good thing. The passes slid nicely into place for both ruck tied Tibetan and a second attempt at DH, with Baby Sister.
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| Indoor, double hammock with freshwater finish |
Today, it was totally a LIFESAVER! Baby Sister wanted to be totally involved with the yard sale, coming in and out of the house and demanding to be held. She was part of the "party," and I didn't have to wear my arms out. Plus, the shimmer was BEAUTIFUL! (Unfortunately, I never got a picture that did the shimmer justice.) So fun to look at in the bright sun! Definitely brought some fun to the "waiting game" portion between the early and late rush.
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| Look at that shimmer! Outdoor knotless Tibetan finished rucksack |
One thing I can't say, that other reviewers of Freakinpink (or the other Cascade color ways) have said, is that we didn't sweat in it. The BreatheBlend™ DEFINITELY breathed. As a description of the BreatheBlend™, Ethos Babywearing said, "Three things make BreatheBlend breathe: woven microvents, a slim profile, and a specially designed blend of cotton and polyester weaving yarn (70% cotton, 30% poly) for the breeziest woven wrap around." I could totally feel the air movement! However, at 94°F and 61% humidity, you sweat in pretty much any extended time outdoors. There's no getting past that. But I could handle the heat even better than with my BobaAir (a nylon SSC, soft structured or "buckle" carrier) which, despite its nylon design, I find very comfortable, even in heat.
Overall, Ethos Cascade Freakinpink with BreatheBlend™ is a lightweight, thin, airy wrap. I didn't think it was diggy, but that seems to be the consensus of previous reviewers of Cascade. I found it moldable, and the passes glid perfectly into place, after a few ups to get back into the "feel" of wrapping. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a cool wrap that's easy to keep in the diaper bag. This was a size 5 (roughly 4.2m,) and it was about the same size as a cloth diaper, once folded up.
Freakinpink is definitely a permastash here!
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| Mid-sale wrap nap |
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| Successful Transfer |
Personal Statement: I received no compensation for my review. All thoughts are my own, honest opinion.
