When the first images of the LennyLamb Fleece Babywearing Sweatshirt floated across my Facebook feed, I could almost hear the collective gasps of awe coming from all corners of the babywearing stratosphere. My first reaction was: “Those are stunning!” If anything, LennyLamb’s new babywearing sweater is unlike any other on the market. The sweater is made of soft, lightweight fleece and features a substantial cowl neck made from the same woven fabric as Lenny Lamb carriers, a pouch for baby with matching woven fabric detailing, and long, long sleeves with glorious thumbholes.
I chose the grey with little herringbone tamonea in size small for me and Little Miss Cub to try out. It was daycare day when the package arrived from Renee at Lil’ Monkey Cheeks, but I had to put it on right away even without a baby! The sweater feels divine. The fleece is ultra soft and cozy, the sleeves are long enough for my monkey arms and the sweater itself is a nice, bum-covering length. The cowl is gorgeous and can be worn up over your head like a hood whether baby is on your front or your back. My greatest sadness when it comes to this sweater is that you can’t use it as an ordinary sweater. (Lenny Lamb has released a similar, non-babywearing version, by the way.)
I put Little Miss in a front carry to try out the sweater for the first time with a baby. Getting the sweater over my head and then getting her head through the baby pouch seemed to freak her out a bit compared to when I put her in our Belly Bedaine sweater. It’s a bit of a wriggle to pull it off, and not something you’d want to be doing if you had a hairstyle to preserve. Little Miss typically doesn’t like to have the pouch closed tightly around her because she prefers to have access to her thumb.
Because the LennyLamb doesn’t feature a side zipper, I have yet to successfully put it on for a back carry without help from another adult. (I’m sure there are some preschoolers who could help, but Cub is not one of them.) It’s also struggle to get it off without assistance when baby is in a back carry. And from the front, I feel like I look a bit … boxy …
The LennyLamb Babywearing Sweatshirt comes with a separate hoodie for baby with a cowl neck. It’s my new favourite winter head-covering for Little Miss, in or out of the baby carrier.
What I love about the LennyLamb Babywearing Sweatshirt:
- At $99 CAD, it’s competitively priced for a European-made sweater with such unique detailing.
- It comes with a fleece baby hood that is thick and warm.
- The cowl is designed to work as a hood no matter which way you are wearing the sweater.
- The drawstring at the opening of the baby pouch allows you to secure the sweater snuggly around baby, or leave it open wide for those who need access to their thumb (ahem, Little Miss!).
- With baby on your chest, you get to use the cozy front pocket to warm your hands or to store your keys.
- The sleeves are long and feature an extended cuff with thumbhole.
What I love less about the LennyLamb Babywearing Sweatshirt:
- The structured pouch for baby makes this a single-purpose sweater. You can’t wear it for maternity and you definitely can’t rock it as a regular sweater.
- Although described as unisex, I’m not confident that many men would choose this sweater.
- The lack of side zipper makes it super awkward to get on and off, especially for a back carry.
The bottom line for me on this sweater is that it’s a statement piece. It’s definitely warm, and while I really do love how it feels and looks in a front carry, I don’t know if it’s a look that’s universally appealing. This is not a sweater that I pull on and off for quick trips out to the car and into the grocery store; it’s too much effort. But for winter walks—layering appropriately depending on the temperature—it’s perfect.
Sizing note: I am about 130 lbs, 5’8” tall, and my measurements are a 32″ bust, 29″ true waist and 35″ hips. I have the size small sweater.
Shop & Connect
[wpdevart_like_box profile_id=”Lilmonkeycheeks” connections=”show” width=”300″ height=”175″ header=”small” cover_photo=”show” locale=”en_US”]
You can get your LennyLamb Babywearing Sweater from Renee at Lil’ Monkey Cheeks!
Leave a Reply