Lenny Lamb are a Polish company who specialise in creating beautiful wraps and carriers from woven fabric. They have a wide selection of patterns available. Their prices are very reasonable, and there are also several UK retailers so you are able to avoid customs charges. You can find a list of them here. If you want to buy direct from LennyLamb, you can get a 10% discount through the library - contact me for more information.
What is an onbuhimo?
An onbuhimo is a Japenese style carrier that is traditionally used for a high back carry, with the child's arms over the top of the carrier. It does not have a waistband, making it an excellent choice for pregnant women or those who cannot tolerate waistbands.
It is best used for children who can tripod sit and have good head and trunk control - usually this is from around 6 months.
Lenny Lamb do state on their website that a front carry is optional, however, their instructions manual does not include instructions on how to do so.
Key features of Lenny Lamb's Onbuhimo:
Available in 3 sizes - standard, toddler and preschool.
Adjustable panel width
Sleep hood
Dual way adjustment
Cost - On the Lenny Lamb website, prices range from £66.49 - £128.79 depending on size and pattern at the time of writing
Available in lots of beautiful patterns
Initial thoughts
The onbuhimo arrived well packaged in it's own bag with instructions. I wasn't too sure exactly what to expect when it arrived having used a couple of different styles of Onbuhimo they can vary quite considerably. I liked how soft it felt and how the adjusters were in obvious places and their functions were clear, even before confirming that with the instruction booklet.
It was also clear that some thought had gone into the comfort of the wearer with the padding on the straps.
This pattern is a herringbone weave, but it is available in many other patterns.
Testing:
The onbuhimo I have tested is the toddler version which Lenny Lamb state is suitable for children from the age of 1-3 years, though I would base this more on clothing size than actual age, I do believe it to be an accurate size guide.
I have tested this with my (nearly) 2 year old and 4 year old. The baby is in age 12-18month clothes and the 4 year old is in 18-24 months and some 2-3.
I have only tested this as a back carrier as an onbuhimo is intended.
What I liked
I really liked how quick and easy this is to adjust between children and caregivers; it's fairly simple and intuitive to use. It wsa comfortable, and the padded shoulder straps have some adjustability in them to fit various body shapes and sizes comfortably, being petite it's an issue I have found in previous carriers. The chest strap is also moveable which again, makes it more comfortable for a variety of wearers.
I was also really pleased to see that I could achieve the correct high carrying position with this onbuhimo, which is something I struggled with with another brand's one fairly recently due to the lack of adjustability.
I feel a lot of thought has gone into this carrier and consideration to the comfort of the child as well. There is padding around the bottom edges, where little legs sit which gives them more comfort! Finally, and possibly one of the most impressive things about this carrier is the fact that the sleep hood is not completely useless! I could actually reach the ties and pull them up to secure the hood whilst carrying my little one, not that she would actually allow me to put it up!
What I didn't like
To be honest, there isn't much not to like about this carrier. I suppose I could be picky and pick up that adjusting the hood height whilst it is in use could be difficult if you are on your own, however, given that it would be used more for support than anything else, having the hood height low (which is most likely to happen) isn't really an issue as it leaves little one's face still clear. It may also have been nice to see some panel height adjustment, but again, not really essential as you can make the panel shorter, by tucking the excess between you and your child as you put them on your back.
Overall assessment
I really like this onbuhimo, and think it is great value for money, there is plenty of adjustability to allow for a growing child. It seems to fit true to clothes size, which is always a bonus when trying to establish what size carrier you need to buy.
This is available to hire in the library if you would like to try before you buy and if you would like to buy don't forget I have a discount code for you!
Gallery of images
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