Brand: Soul Slings (India) Material: pure jacquard woven cotton density: 290 gr/m2 weight/age recommendation: 7-18 kg
About the company: Soul Slings is a lovely, family-run company from Bangalore, India (and the only babywearing company from India I know so far…) The aim of Soul Slings is to produce affordable wraps and carriers for Indian parents as well as for the rest of the world. They work “hard to support local and fair-trade practices, small-scale artisans and weavers by working closely with cooperatives and non-profit organizations“, as you can read on their website. Lovely! Global quality is another important point: carriers are tested for international standards. In the past few weeks, they’ve been searching worldwide for “Soul Mates” as ambassadors for their products and introduced them on Facebook – great idea!
My first impression: The Soul Tai is a “soft-bodied carrier with a contoured body panel, generous waist straps, and hybrid padded shoulder straps that open out into full wrap width so that you get the even weight distribution of a wrap shoulder with the comfort of a padded shoulder.” This description is pretty accurate. The carrier looks nice, feels soft and makes me want to test it immediately with my girl as the size is recommended for bigger children. The panel is not adjustable. I love the design. Red isn’t my colour but it’s a lovely red 😉 The carrier also comes with head support.
How does it wear: First, I tried to use the Soul Tai with my doll, out of fun. Of course, the doll was way to small but wearing the Soul Tai “apron style” and limiting the saddle with a ribbon (I used the “Size-it” from Manduca) you get a pretty nice solution – just in case your child is a bit too small yet. I still wouldn’t recommend it with newborns or smaller children, it’s just to show that you can do something to adjust it a little bit 😉 With bigger children like my daughter, it’s no problem. Arms out is usually something they want and like and with the wrap straps, a proper knee-to-knee-seat is guaranteed. Just check it in front of a mirror or with your hands, I made a pic of it, too 🙂
Anyway, once up, its really comfortable – for me (the padded straps are really great to wear) as well as for the child. And you’ve got all possibilities to finish the Tai when you carry on your back… even belly-free 😉
Conclusion: Yes, the Soul Tai is not adjustable and fits with bigger children but it’s still quite versatile, highly comfortable and great for quicker ups and downs. The material is soft as well as the paddings, the cotton is nice for every climate. The wrap straps leave it up to you how to finish and tie. Just try the many possible ways… 🙂 The Soul Tai is your mate for longer walks, quick ups and to share it with other babywearers, like daddy, aunt or grandparents 😉 Use it as recommended with bigger babies up to toddler or even preschooler age.
Tested in october 2016 with my babywearing doll and soon to be 5 years old wrappee and 25-weeks-preggo-bump
