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View Full Version : Thoughts on Zolo sling and Maya Wrap sling



egoldber
10-16-2003, 08:34 PM
So I broke down and bought a very gently used Maya Wrap sling off eBay. First off, I have to say it is gorgeous. The color "swatches" on the Maya website do NOT do their fabrics justice. (Mine is #62 BTW). And I really think their fabrics suit me more than the Zolo fabrics. I'm more of a jeans and T-shirt kinda gal and the Zolo slings are a little dressier than that.

I am torn about the two slings. I find the Maya Wrap much easier to use and adjust. Much easier. The fabric is gorgeous. The shoulder cap flap makes it very comfy. But I do think that the Zolo shoulder design is far superior. It is much easier for me to get and keep the Zolo in the right position on my shoulder. But the softer fabric of the Maya makes it more comfortable for me than the stiff cotton twill of the Zolo even though its not necessarily in the "right" place.

And I LOVE the Maya video. I learned SO much about ring slings watching that video. For as freakin' expensive as the Zolo sling is, why doesn't it come with a video? I know the video is available on-line, but watching it in that tiny window is NOT the same experience as watching it on my TV, sling in hand, so that I can follow along.

I do have to say that I think the Zolo fabric is MUCH higher quality and I think the construction is far superior on the Zolo. There are things on my Maya sling that need to be "fixed" to my eye, whereas the Zolo thing is truly a thing of beauty.

So now I have to make a choice. I promised DH I would only keep one of the two slings. Grrr. Maybe if I hide the slings for awhile, he'll forget about it....

Annette_C
10-16-2003, 08:44 PM
LOL Beth! You're right...he might forget about it if you hide them!:)
I wish I had your dilemma....at least you've narrowed it down to two! I haven't even decided what brand to get yet!
I know I want a pouch (I think) and Karen has been so helpful by providing links. The problem is that I tend to buy out of impulse and that gets me stuck with a LOT of unused stuff!!
Any suggestions you'd like to share?!?:)
Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

egoldber
10-16-2003, 08:48 PM
Ah, Annette, that's the beauty of eBay!! You get rid of stuff you don't want and someone else thinks they got a bargain! :)

cchavez
10-16-2003, 09:55 PM
Beth, which Zolo do you have? Let me know if you decide to sell it. I remember that you posted you are petite too! Thanks.

egoldber
10-17-2003, 06:50 AM
I have the toile sling in small. But I haven't made any decisions yet...

cchavez
10-17-2003, 07:26 AM
Of course, not rush. It must be a difficult decision. I hope DH lets you keep both. I feel that same pressure too. I really want just one good type of carrier (for errands and such) so I am so torn as to what I should get. If I don't like it and want another one, DH will freak!

susabusa
10-17-2003, 08:24 AM
That way you can wear them depending on what mood you're in and what clothes you're wearing. I have a toile and a silk and I wear them both with jeans and teeshirts!

Steph

lizamann
10-17-2003, 05:12 PM
Hey Beth,

wow, good luck with your decision. Why can't you keep both and sell both later on? As it is, they are already gently used, so I don't see them going for less if you wait to sell them after using them more. BTW, mine is the 62 too and I LOVE it. So pretty!!

Good luck!

DDowning
10-17-2003, 05:52 PM
I have the black silk zolo and yes I agree its of high quality. I can wear it with anything. The only problem I'm finding is that DS sweats in it if it gets to warm and I can only wear it in the cooler evening. And right now frankly with our weather going the way it is (85 degrees!), I'm starting to think it will never be cool enough to wear it. I was totally jealous of the mesh ring sling that Deborah R and Zenbliss wore during our Socal get-together this past month and have ordered my own. My goodness, is it October 17th or July 17th? Ugh!

justlearning
10-17-2003, 06:59 PM
Beth,

I remember reading a post from you a couple of weeks ago about how difficult your Zolo was to adjust, and now you're referring to the fabric being stiff. One thing I'll say is that I bought a Zolo in the natural cotton and I was surprised to find it very easy to adjust. Even though I've never worn a sling or pouch before and have never had the opportunity to see another person IRL using one, I have been able to put DS in the Zolo and take him out of it it in just a few seconds. (BTW, I don't recall the suggestions you received for taking your DD out of the sling, but all I do is loosen the fabric a little then hold DS to my body while taking the sling over his head.) The natural fabric is lightweight and very soft--I chose that color (even though it's boring!) because it was much softer than the red and black fabric swatches that I received.

Because your toile fabric is described in a similar way to the natural color on the Zolo website, I'm wondering if it's the double layers of fabric that I believe your sling has that make adjusting it more difficult and that make it feel stiffer overall. (The natural has just one layer of fabric.) If you really like the construction of the Zolo and don't care about having a boring fabric color, perhaps the natural would work better for you. (BTW, I planned on embellishing my sling with a tailored ribbon trim on the edges but then DH--much to my surprise--started using my sling and now uses it more than I do, so I've left it looking plain.)

I know this doesn't help you in deciding how to reduce--rather than add to--the number of slings that you currently have, but it's just an idea... If you lived near me, I'd say come over and try mine out! :)

egoldber
10-17-2003, 09:29 PM
The toile is a little heavier than the natural, but it is only a single layer of fabric. I think its just because it is a heavy cotton twill material, it is inherently more difficult to adjust than a lighter cotton or something like the Maya fabric. Perhaps the natural would be easier to adjust, but having seen the beautiful Maya fabrics, I'm not sure I'd be happy with that!!

And my problem with the Zolo is finding it very difficult to loosen. I think because DD is close to 30 pounds, her weight on the sling just makes it really hard for me. I am also, I freely admit, not a very strong person, so that might be part of the problem too!

Calmegja
10-18-2003, 08:09 AM
Gosh, I would think since you like both, you could toss a coin, or find something to distract your DH with ("look at the shiny electrical components over here") and keep them both.....;-)

My only concern with the Maya (aside from my shoulder issue with it), is that with a heavier child, the loosening/slipping problem will probably only get worse as she gets heavier, not better. When I would put my 3 year old in the Maya, it would require near constant adjustmanet. She was never in danger of falling out, but she would slip down quickly.....which would make my back hurt, because it would set her away from the optimal position for carrying her.

I'm going to carry my 36 pound three year old today in both Zolos, silk and toile, and see if I find more of an issue with adjustment on it with her added weight over my baby. I'll report back. Maybe it could be a heavier child thing. I haven't noticed it before, but that doesn't mean it's not an issue....;-)