Review: Lila Hemp Indio

Let me just start by saying purple is my favourite colour.  Somehow, my stash ended up very pink for a while and I had to fix it!  In the babywearing groups I'm in, there is a LOT of talk about Didymos Indios and their awesome wrapping qualities.  I'm also a huge fan of hemp!  Soft, supportive...  It's a great blend for toddlerwearing as well as comfy enough for little squishes.  I had a hard time picking between Lila and Flamenco hemp Indio, but due to the pinkish nature of my stash, I took a chance on Lila.  There's not a lot of information and reviews of Lila out on the web, so hopefully this will be helpful to someone out there!

When I bought Lila, I had already gotten three other wraps of various blends and thought I knew what a "crunchy" new wrap felt like.  Everyone talks about how cardboard like Natibaby linen blends are and I had found my Notes pre-order to be very easy to break in.  Warm wash and dry on low had done a lot for it, I hadn't even felt the need to steam iron it!  Even freshly out of the bag from Wrap Your Baby, it hadn't felt too crunchy.  It wasn't quite as easy to wrap with as my 100% KoKaDi had been, but it was still very workable and comfortable.  KoKaDi wraps are exceptionally soft even before washing, so I didn't want to compare my Merlin (hemp/cotton blend) to Lila right away.

My sweet husband had bought Lila for my birthday and it arrived about a week before then.  I had originally told him I wanted him to put it away and make me wait, but I just couldn't!  We had ordered it from Heart Hugs and I am super impressed with their customer service!  It shipped the next day and arrived two days later.  She had put a handwritten note attached to the decorative string tied to the box, which she had wrapped in crepe paper.  I was very impressed!  When I opened the box and had my first feel of Lila, I finally understood why people say an unbroken in wrap is like drapery.  It would make very good drapes or upholstery!!!  I am a very tactile person and was immediately put off my the Indio texture.  It was the most BEAUTIFUL colour in real life, but I was starting to feel like I had made a mistake in picking her.  Luckily I knew I should take a few weeks to fully make a decision and popped her in the wash to start breaking her in.

The first woven wrap I had ever used was KoKaDi Erna, a buttery smooth 100% cotton.  It was very easy to wrap with, not grippy at all.  Even my Nati linen could be considered smooth to wrap with, but has enough grip to hold where I wrap it.  So when I first wrapped with Lila, the grippiness was quite different for me!  Like the texture, I wasn't sure I liked it at first.  As time goes by and I work more and more with her, I find that the grippiness is a huge bonus!  When I finish my carry, I don't have to worry about constantly re-tightening and adjusting.  This baby sticks!  The grippiness makes it a perfect rucking wrap with my seat popper.  However, if we're doing our favourite hip carry (Poppins hip carry), I find it to be a bit hard to adjust and tie behind my back.

Since I am going to be a full time toddlerwearer in the next week, I am very particular about the comfort and support qualities of the wraps I buy.  I love cush, enough support for single layer carries to discourage sagging...  Shorties (wraps in a 1-3 size length) are also my go to right now, so I purchased a size 3.  I am currently wrapping a 27 lb 33 month old and a 16 lb 11 month old.  I loved the weight of my Merlin, but knew Lila would be a bit thinner when I bought it.  That didn't make me any less anxious when I felt how thin she was after I had washed her.  I have quite picky shoulders and many times ruck straps cause me some discomfort.  Erna was starting to get diggy and I was looking to avoid that!  Lila definitely surprised me!  Her first test was rucking my toddler to the county fair and I was pleasantly surprised.  Even in the heat, she was cool and breathable due to her thinness and airy weave.  But the best part was she was SUPER comfortable on my shoulders!  Not diggy at all, yet thin enough to not be a massive amount of fabric bunched up on my narrow shoulders.  Lila is the first wrap I reach for when my P needs some uppies and always goes to town with us just in case I need to contain her in the store.

All in all, I would highly recommend Didymos's Lila Hemp Indio for someone looking for a simple, stunning, and supportive wrap.  Shorty or full length, this breathable and airy wrap is sure to impress anyone wearing their toddler or infant for any length of time.  I am truely feeling the Indio love and hope to expand my collection thanks to this amazing wrap!

Just a little Introduction!

My husband keeps encouraging me to start writing and keep a blog for the adventures of our busy little girls!  I finally decided that he is probably right as usual, so here we are!  I want to keep memories of our little escapades, share information that is important to me, and have a better way of keeping myself accountable with my goals.

*wave* Hi!  I'm Anna, work at home mom to a very energetic pair of princesses.  I have a little hobby business making cloth diapers and am addicted to wrapping.  If it involves fabric, I'm probably obsessed with it!  My business started as an innocent way to save money while pregnant with my first and has definitely evolved into a much larger project than I ever intended.  I now have my own space at home to work in and my own machines, so much easier than going over to my mother's house.  Luckily she still comes and watches the girls while I work!  They really enjoy seeing her frequently and I enjoy having a few quiet moments to myself.  I recently got into the wickedly addicting world of woven wrap as well.  I have always tried to maintain a natural way of parenting my girls and wearing them was always something I did.  We've had the carrier my mom carried me in, an Ergo, a ring sling...  I even tried the Moby and was an epic failure!  But since having my second baby grow up and needing the use of both hands, woven wraps really intrigued me.  I finally took the plunge and have been loving every minute!

The biggest influences behind my blog and, of course, the biggest stars are P and E.  P is a Christmas Eve baby and one of the smartest kids I know!  She was born a month early due to pre-eclampsia and has been a wonderful addition to our family.  Because of her, I am learning that life never goes how I plan it!  We had planned a homebirth with her and instead got a preterm induction, she was also tongue tied and has food allergies.  Amazingly enough, she "nursed" til 20 months and was totally on donor milk from 8 weeks on.  E was my healing natural birth, it was truly an enjoyable experience!  This time we were armed with knowledge of ties and we were able to make it 8 weeks bottle and paci free.  After visiting a highly recommended pediatric dentist in NY, I finally had the breastfeeding relationship I had longed for until her food allergies became too severe to continue.  She is now on elemental formula and thriving for the first time in her life.  As the younger sibling, E is very determined to keep up with big sister P!  This tiny little mite is always on the go and met every milestone very early.  She is a joy to be around and such a funny little creature!  We hope to see our family grow and continue to be AWESOME!