I received this product free for review. All opinions remain my own.
I am all about products that serve multiple purposes, and serve them well. Maternity clothes are great, but even better if they can be used for nursing, for example. But what about a maternity sweater that can also be used for BABYWEARING! And nursing while you babywear if you’re so inclined!
So, as you know, I’m still in the pregnancy phase, so I’m only rocking my Belly Bedaine Maternity & Babywearing Sweater over my belly, as seen above at Lake Louise. (FYI: Bedaine = Belly in French) Let me use their promotional images so you can immediately see how the sweater is used to both front AND back carry:
Isn’t that super cool? I’m psyched to wear Cub 2.0 in my Tula and keep her warm with this sweater come October-ish.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How does the Belly Bedaine Maternity & Babywearing Sweater perform as a simple maternity pullover?
Um… so… I love it? Here in Calgary, it may be the end of May, but dang does it get chilly here in the evening! (Which is, honestly, a huge improvement over how it would sometimes be even hotter at night in Montreal by this time of year.) Since I was pregnant with Cub around the same time of year, but living in Montreal, I never needed anything long sleeve… I just needed an air-conditioned bubble. This time around, I’d been struggling to squeeze into my non-maternity sweaters with little success until my eagerly-anticipated Belly Bedaine arrived in the mail! (They had so much success at recent Baby Expos that they had to sew one up, just for me!)
In order for it to double as a babywearing sweater, there’s a large opening at the front of the sweater that you simply cinch up when using as a maternity sweater. I don’t even notice that the opening is there, and I don’t think it looks super obvious. In the front there are zippered pockets for your hands, your keys, your tissues, whatever… plus a zipper that lets you inside the sweater so when you’re babywearing you can squeeze toes as necessary.
I generally wear a size small or medium in my tops, and my Belly Bedaine size small is a perfect fit. I’m especially satisfied with the body length, since I hate when my back is exposed if I bend over!
The sweater is made in Quebec out of a tight-knit jersey mesh, so I find it quite breathable. I wore it home from Banff in the car (on a very sunny day, in a vehicle with every seat belt in use) and I didn’t break a sweat.
There’s still room for more belly growth, which shows me that there will also be plenty of room for a big baby in her carrier.
There is a zipper on the side of the sweater which makes it easy to take on and off (whether baby is in the belly or in the Boba). The only tiny improvement I’d make to the design is longer sleeves with a little thumb hole. I love when I can stick my thumbs through the thumb holes in sweaters! (I don’t know how universal that feeling is, though.)
The sweater retails for $84 CAD, which, given its multiple purposes and the fact that it’s made in Canada is a fair price in my opinion. I think the sweater is very well made, so it would last you through multiple babies, or could be easily resold or consigned when you’re all done carrying babes in your belly and your Beco! (So grateful right now for babycarrier brands that start with “b”.)
{update: 9/27/2015}
So, how does the Belly Bedaine work over a babycarrier? Perfectly. Now that fall has arrived, it’s getting plenty of use. It is truly an awesome solution for keeping Little Miss warm in the carrier. We were in Banff this weekend and it was probably about 10 degrees. I love that it keeps my neck warm, too, and that I can access her legs through the side pockets but also just keep my hands warm (there are two openings: one for pockets, one for touching baby’s toes). The sweater is also perfect for nursing!
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Find a Belly Bédaine retailer near you (look for one with an English name if you want to order in English) or shop directly from their online boutique (French only). For American customers, there are currently no American retailers, however, Lil’ Monkey Cheeks will happily ship stateside!
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