*cover c/o babyWAWL.
With cold weather quickly approaching, we parents can sometimes get cabin fever a little early. Especially if our kids are too young to be tromping through the snow. Baby wearing is a great way to conveniently get out of the house with your young one since you can keep them close and warm. But what about really cold weather or really young infants? When my daughter was teeny tiny and it was still only 15°F (at most!) I would swipe my husbands coat since I could zip it around both myself and my daughter when I had her in a carrier. However, an over-sized men’s coat was ill fitting and didn’t work that well. Having the coat pulled out around the baby left a huge gap at the bottom allowing a very chilly draft to waft up the jacket.
The babyWAWL is a zippered sheath of wind resistant polygore-tex® and polartec® fleece designed to zip to your coat’s existing zipper to create a wall of protection between baby and the elements. BabyWAWL is thin enough to not be cumbersome, yet still holds in plenty of body heat from mom or dad keeping baby cozy and warm.
BabyWAWL works with YKK vislon size 5 zippers, the type usually used on jackets and heavy winter coats. (But, not the thin zippers on running jackets.) You integrate the zippers at the base (top or bottom if you have a reverse zipper) and the babyWAWL zips into your jacket like an extension panel. You can choose to keep it zipped as far up as possible or zip down a little if you both get a bit too warm.
Since my big puffer coat is rather long, babyWAWL did not come up too high, so I prefer to have it zipped up all of the way. If I used it with a newborn, I would try a shorter coat. BabyWAWL has a single and double pull, so as long as it fits your zipper, you can fiddle with exactly how you want it zipped to a coat with reversible zippers.
BabyWAWL has multiple color options and is a one size fits most items. It is ideal for babies from newborn to 30 pounds. I love that it was created by two moms in Minnesota. Far too often companies create winter gear that would never work in a northern winter! I am not saying I like tromping around outside when it is too far below zero, but it is still nice to get out when it is below freezing.
If I had one of these when my daughter was born in early January, it would have come in handy on the less snowy days. I could also see it being nice for the trip from the car to the store if you need to park far away. I could see using a babyWAWL for my wearing my toddler to the gym and back as long as it wasn’t icy.
Overall, it is a genius idea and much less fidgety than trying to drape a blanket around your baby. I would be tempted to try to use it as a coat panel while pregnant, since I always refuse to buy a maternity coat. Haha.
For more information on babyWAWL visit babywawl.com.
*I received a review product c/o babyWAWL in exchange for an honest review. I was not otherwise compensated.