Product reviews

I can't speak highly enough of this product -- it was the absolute number one essential item for me as a new mum. I first bought a Calin Bleu wrap when my daughter was 4 weeks old; she loved and settled instantly the very first time she was in it. The wrap was surprisingly easy to tie, and I have since worn it EVERYWHERE -- around the house, on the bus, in airports, on beaches, in the park, you name it. It was a great way of keeping my hands free to deal with my older child (and with life in general) while maintaining a sense of closeness with my wee one. I also felt chic in the pale blue colour and often got compliments on how nice the wrap looked. I used it til my daughter was about 18 months old -- she still loves it occasionally when she's unwell and wants a special snuggle. Again, can't rate this highly enough!

I have used several different types of wrap to carry all 4 of my children. The Calin Bleu cool gauze wrap is one that both I and my husband have enjoyed using with our children from birth up to 3.5yrs (so far!) The gauze material is strong and supportive enough to be perfectly comfortable for both parent and child, whilst being markedly thinner and more breathable than many of the other wraps we own.

Using a wrap can take a little time to get the hang of, but once you have acquired the skill, the process of wrapping is very fast - I can get my 8 month old twins both wrapped happily in one extra long Calin Bleu wrap in the same time it takes to get a baby strapped into a travel system safely. (Having been asked to try this out at a local mums and tots group!)

My twins were born in May last year, and I was using a Calin Bleu from a few days old. Though the material feels a little crisp when new, after a couple of washes it becomes incredibly soft, without losing any support. I found adjusting the thin material very easy, so breastfeeding on the go was a cinch, making keeping up with my other children in a busy city centre enjoyable.

As time has gone on I have had to move on from using my stretchy wraps, as they don't give me enough support to carry the combined weight of my girls.. however sometimes I don't want 5m+ of tightly woven material wrapped around us - it's too hot! The gauze fits the bill again wonderfully, being supportive enough to wear both of my girls at once, but not feeling too hot for their or my own comfort levels.

The gauze packs up very small, so I can stick an extra wrap underneath my sons buggy incase my older son gets too tired to walk - it's strong and sturdy enough to help carry an overtired 3.5 year old home.

It *is* an incredibly simple item, but the sizing is perfect the materials used are spot on and the colours that have been chosen each season are really striking. The clear instructions that accompany each wrap are well researched and presented, and customer service and post-sale help is friendly and fast. It's an incredibly good price for such a versatile carrier that really *will* last to 3 years - and beyond.

I bought this for use in a hot country as everyone assured me it was really lightweight material and would be perfect. What I didn´t realise is how long 4.5 metres of fabric actually is! Once you have the fabric wrapped that many times around your body, it slightly loses the benefit gained by being so fine. It says you can use it from birth but I didn´t feel very confident when my son was so small and only used it once or twice. Now he is 4 months old and I use it all the time, now that he is bigger the ´tail´ of fabric left over is much shorter and it is much easier to put on. I´m sure it helps also that he supports himself better while I´m wrapping the fabric around. It is really comfortable and I can wear it for quite long periods of time without getting tired. He loves it and normally falls asleep within 10 mins of being put in it which is fab when he is being grouchy and overtired and can´t settle. I bought the olive colour so DH would use it and he really likes it too although he hasn´t attempted to put it on by himself yet!

Putting the sling on can be a bit clumsy. There is always fabric trailing on the ground while you wrap the first bits around so if you were somewhere quite dirty it could get a bit gross but once you get the hang of whatever wrap you want to use, it only takes a couple of minutes and it´s very versatile offering cradle carry, front carry, back and hip carries so should do us well into toddlerhood. Seemed expensive for what is essentially a long length of fabric but I guess if we do get a couple of years' use out of it, it will have been worth it.