Loktu She Soffa Sapphire

Recently I had the opportunity to participate again in a test journey of Katrin Sodeik from Loves Babywearing. This time I got to test a sling with an exciting blend (mixture of materials) from Loktu She.

Information about the manufacturer

Loktu She is a Czech company founded by mothers. On the website, www.loktushe.cz, I can read that the name Loktu She is a reminder of traditional babywearing. Their great-grandmothers used to carry their children in baby carriers like "loktuše" or "trávnička". The four mothers want to continue this tradition with their company.

In addition to the products in the store, Loktu She also wants to share evidence-based information on attachment-oriented baby care. Thus, I can equally read on the website that their own products should be "beautiful, easily accessible and of high quality". Sustainability and environmental friendliness are close to their hearts.

The women see the diversity of their professional backgrounds as a great advantage in the development and production of their own slings. In addition to the slings and ring slings, there are also babywearing clothes and children's clothing available for purchase in the store.

• Manufacturer: Loktu She
• Model: Soffa Sapphire
• Color: light blue, dark blue
• size: size 6/7 (4,80m)
• Material: 42% merino wool, 40% Tencel, 18% cotton
• Basis weight: 300g/m²

About the sling

When I unpacked the sling, I had the feeling that I wanted to snuggle into it. It is so soft, which is due to the blend of merino wool and Tencel. You can read more about the materials and their properties in my article "Kleine Materialkunde Tragetücher".

Despite the relatively high weight per unit area, the sling does not look heavy. The circular pattern runs across the entire width and length of the sling. The fabric appears shiny.

The sling in size 6 is priced at just under 146€ in the Loktu She online store. For this rather unusual blend, this is relatively inexpensive.

When wearing

I have now tested the sling for a few days with my 10-month-old daughter. I have tried different tying methods with her, such as the double hammock on the back or the wrap cross carry in front of the belly. By testing both single and multi-ply tying methods, I was able to get a comprehensive picture of the wearing characteristics and feel of this sling from Loktu She.

I expected, due to the high basis weight, that the sling would not be so easy to tighten, but at the same time it would be well supporting and stable.

As I tightened and tied it, I found that I was able to tighten it surprisingly well after all. I suspect that the soft material causes the fabric to "slide" well, making it easier for me to tighten. Due to the weave and the pattern, I could still hold the fabric well and it did not slip out of my hand.

With single-layer binding methods such as the wrap cross carrier, however, I noticed after a short wearing that the cloth still gives quite a bit. So that it was really comfortable over time, I had to tighten again.

Multi-layered bindings, such as the Double Hammock and the Wrap Cross Backpack, were much more comfortable for me to wear. I did not have to tighten them. I would prefer a closure that fixes the shoulder strands, as I more often felt like the fabric was slipping off my shoulder. I suspect this is due to the soft fabric.

The fabric did not bunch up in the back of my daughter's knees. However, I would imagine this would be the case with newborns, as it often is with cloths with a high basis weight.

Washing

According to the manufacturer, the sling can be washed at 30 degrees. In any case, a special wool detergent should be used. Personally, I would prefer hand washing.

Conclusion

The baby sling Soffa Sapphire from Loktu She has a good price-performance ratio. For larger babies, I would personally prefer multi-layer tying methods in any case, so that the sling does not give so much and can provide sufficient support. The soft fabric is very cuddly and can be tightened well.

The picture of the four founders in the article comes from loktusche.cz.