07. 06. 2006
Zolowear Solarveil baby sling
I really like this baby sling made out of breathable, mesh fabric meant to keep your baby cool in the hot summer months while protecting him/her from harmful rays, at least 70-80% protected. We're in Miami at the moment, and I can assure you, there CANNOT be a hotter place on earth than here, or so it seems. This sling is a welcome alternative to others during this time of year. More about the fabric: it dries quickly, meaning it can be used in the water, so think about wading in a pool with your sling-bound little one or even taking a cool shower with him/her after a long day out at the park. Come to think of it, this would work with babies who need steam baths if sick and stuffy or croupy, when keeping them soothed, calm and still presents quite a challenge.... Plus, the fabric softens with use, is lightweight and held together by anodized rings to keep it from slipping. The Solarveil comes in neutral khaki or the more vibrant, tropical pool hue- turquoise.
At Peppermint.
Posted by Gabriela
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Comments
I LOVE zolowear slings BUT not so much love for solarveil. It's REALLY REALLY scratchy and I haven't seen any soften up enough for my taste. HappySlings.com has some beautiful althletic mesh ring slings. I used one at the beach a few weeks ago and it was Heaven!!
Posted by: Amy | July 7, 2006 3:23 PM
Blocking 70-80% of UV gives it an SPF of less than 5... that's about what you'd get from any piece of fabric. These people don't care that they're misleading people into exposing their children to more UV than is safe? Solarveil, bah!
Posted by: Mike | July 7, 2006 7:40 PM
Solarveil makes the claims about the fabric, not zolowear. I agree that it is misleading. Any single layer of fabric will provide that same sun protection.
Posted by: Sara | July 19, 2006 1:41 PM
As Sara said, the information about Solarveil is directly from the Solarveil company. You can see the technical information on their webpage, here: http://www.solarveil.com/technical.asp.
A single layer blocks 70 to 80% and a double layer blocks 90 to 95%. These results are based on a rigorous laboratory test (The Australian Standard Test Method as required by the ASTM and AATCC). These lab test require laying the fabric flat on a spectrophotometer, and shining a UV source at a 90 degree angle through the fabric that simulates the sun's intensity as it exists in Albuquerque, NM at solar noon in July.
In actual use on a sling, the sun is almost never at a 90 degree angle on the baby, and in regular use, the sun is rarely as intense as the test. There are also folds in the fabric in actual use.
My personal experience is that my very fair baby, dressed in nothing but a diaper, received NO sun after being outside in Central Texas (intense sunlight) all day in the summer.
Solarveil is much cooler than cotton or even linen, so you can't really compare it to another single layer of fabric.
I quote the statistics from Solarveil verbatim, but I have no intention of being misleading. Solarveil is breathable, quick-drying, and it blocks the sun, and as someone who lives in an area where it's been around 100 degrees most of this month, I think it's fantastic stuff.
Posted by: Darien | July 24, 2006 3:26 PM