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Septembers Top Tester Claire reviews the Kari Me Sling.
Claire from Loughborough is Mum to Rudy (3 months). Claire has been using the Kari Me sling since her son Rudy was only a few days old. Claire shares her thoughts upon this product.
I have been using the Kari Me sling since my son, Rudy was a few days old, initially using the front ‘cuddle’ position. This position made Rudy feel so secure and comfortable that he would often fall asleep whilst I pottered about. The ‘cuddle’ position also allowed me to breast feed my son ‘hands free’, so I too could have a drink!
The Kari Me sling is beautifully made, mainly from strong, stretchy cotton (90%+) with no awkward buckles or straps.
Once your baby is heavier and more alert (they must be over four months of age for their own health and safety) you can use the front facing out position, allowing them to investigate as you walk about. Rudy especially likes looking up at the trees from his supported place. The Kari Me sling is fully adjustable to suit the user and allows many different positions, thus Rudy’s Dad is also able to use the Kari Me Sling without having to readjust straps.
Kari Me Slings are light and easy to pack up and to take out and about. We’re looking forward to continuing using the sling as Rudy grows. The Kari Me Sling can be used from birth to three years.
The sling comes with a simple instruction booklet with diagrams fully explaining each position and how to wrap the sling. It is easy enough for even me to understand! Although the sling is very simple and quick to put on it did take me a little practice to put Rudy into single handed, but it is easy enough once you’ve practiced a position a couple of times. I highly recommend this product to other parents.
The Kari Me Sling is available in a wide range of colours, The Kari- Me Sling can be purchased online from www.kari-me.com for £37.95.
Novembers Top Tester Pamela Barnes and her son Xander share their review of the ‘Vaude Jolly Comfort IV’ with MBM.
When the lovely Editor of MBM asked us to write a review, I was stuck! There are just so many products that we couldn’t do without on a daily basis, but the one I finally decided to tell everyone about is certainly a winner for us.
![clip_image002[5]](http://mumsbabymagazine.com/mbm/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/clip_image0025.jpg "clip_image002[5]")
My partner and I are huge fans of fell walking and love nothing more than heading out first thing to go on a long, preferably high walk in the Lakes. Our favourite being climbing Hellvelyn for the sunrise on the summer solstice last year. So when I became pregnant, our concern was to find something to help us to continue our escapades and introduce our little one to the outdoors in comfort and style.
We were so pleased to find this…the ‘Vaude Jolly Comfort IV’. We had shopped around, trying numerous brands and styles, but this is perfect. We were able to use this from about 4 months (recommended) – prior to this, we had a ‘Tomy Freestyle’ papousse, which was also fantastic, but like so many other things, was rapidly outgrown!
The carrier itself, unlike others, is quite light and very easy to adjust. My partner and I are different in size and height, but this carrier suits us both with its comfortable padding, wide waist belt and shoulder straps. Carrying Xander is really easy and neither of us find it uncomfortable or difficult.
For Xander, the carrier has adjustable sides, so this helps to get him in and out easily, it also ensures that he’s snug and secure, but also that the carrier can grow with him.
Inside, the seating component can be raised or dropped, depending on the size of your child – shifting the centre of gravity to make sure that it is always comfortable and safe for you to carry.
The backpack also features a lovely soft ‘teddy bear’ style cushion which is situated by baby’s face – Xander loves to fiddle with and chomp on the ears! But it’s great as when he doddles off to sleep, he has a lovely soft place to rest his head.
The carrier also comes with a sun canopy and a rain canopy, which slot easily in to place on the top of the carrier on 2 height adjustable settings. Both are incredibly useful when out and about!
![clip_image002[7]](http://mumsbabymagazine.com/mbm/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/clip_image0027.jpg "clip_image002[7]")
The carrier itself has 2 zipped compartments, one small (for holding perhaps your purse or tissues/wipes and other essential Mummy items) and the other, very large – which features the canopy storage inside and also a complimentary padded, full size changing mat! Very useful addition. This area can fit in pretty much anything you need for your day out, it’s amazing!
On top of that, the carrier has a foldable leg/stand for when you stop to put the carrier down safely, and several loops and smaller mesh pocket areas. We use the loops to lash on a toy or two for Xander to chomp on!
Overall, we’re so pleased we found this backpack. Xander loves it and we couldn’t be happier that we still get all the joys of fell walking as we used to, whilst introducing our son to the amazing outdoors.
I’d certainly recommend this carrier to anyone and everyone! If you would like one, we purchased our ‘Vaude Jolly Comfort IV’ at Gaynor Sports in Ambleside, Cumbria (you can also use their website – http://www.gaynors.co.uk) for £116.99 – RRP £138, though I would highly recommend testing them out in person, especially due to the cost.
Happy carrying! Love Pamela & Xander x
MBM would like to thank Pamela and Xander for their time!
A practical and light weight solution to carrying Baby!
Close have now brought out the latest in baby carrying: A fashionable, affordable and practical method to carrying your baby without worrying about having to pack the pram into the car! Finally Mums and Dads have been given the freedom to ‘pickup and go’ with the new Close Baby Carrier.
Having tried and tested this carrier, Mums Baby Magazine found that baby enjoys being transported both inside and outside of the house in their sling. The Baby seemed to settle when closer to their parent. This is the perfect solution for ‘Hands Free Parents’.
Available from www.amazon.co.uk for £51.99, the Close Baby Carrier is the solution for bringing parent and child closer.
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