stretchy Wrap Tutorial
NEED A stretchy wrap tutorial FOR BABYWEARING?
I got you!
Does your stretchy wrap have you feeling overwhelmed? I get it! There’s tons of fabric and where does it all go?! It can be intimidating and make babywearing seem daunting. I've found that it’s all about practice! I practiced in the mirror constantly with my first and it helped so much! Another tip is making sure the fabric is nice and TIGHT, which will ensure baby is in properly, secure, and comfortable– in turn making it more comfortable for you as well!
With my fifth baby, I am babywearing pretty much every chance I get, partly out of necessity with five kids! Nonetheless, I love babywearing so much! It can definitely be a learning curve for getting in on properly, but once you get the hang of it, it’s SO worth it! I hope this step-by-step helps you feel confident putting yours on and babywearing! It’s one of my absolute favorite things and there are so so so many benefits for both mom and baby! Let’s get into it!
FINDING A wrap
First and foremost, it’s best to ensure that your carrier or wrap is “hip healthy” from the IHDI (International Hip Dysplasia Institute). They have a super helpful list of approved wraps and carriers on their website and information on correct positioning for hip health while babywearing. We also want to make sure we are practicing “TICKS” when we place baby in wraps and carriers, for safety. This is a great PDF that explains TICKS. It’s also worth identifying if the carrier you’re looking at is CPSIA and ASTM compliant (Consumer Product Safety). You HAVE to be careful with “dupes” on amazon. Some may be okay, but many aren’t. I love a good dupe, but not when it comes to baby’s safety. Approved fabric wraps come in a range of price points, but if it’s not in the budget, I’d look at the B/S/T Facebook groups, second hand baby shops, etc!
The next step is choosing the right stretchy wrap for you. There are so many stretchy baby wraps on the market. We all have different preferences, situations, and babies— so what someone may deem the “best carrier” may not be applicable to someone else! For me, the Solly Baby wrap has been the best fit— especially for the first 6 months! It’s comfortable, breathable, lightweight, and such an amazing way to bond! (I go more in depth on baby wraps and carriers here.) I always call this wrap “nap magic” because my babies fall right to sleep in them! I used Solly Baby with my first baby, more than 7 years ago! I’ve worn it out to restaurants, kids’ soccer games, at home getting things done, to the grocery store. Anywhere baby and I go, I bring the Solly Baby wrap. My favorite tip is to tie it on BEFORE you leave the house! That way, when you get to your destination, all you have to do is get baby into it. That’s one way, after practicing at home, to make babywearing in public less intimidating.
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tying THE WRAP
Here’s my step-by-step guide on tying a fabric wrap baby carrier.
First, find the center of the wrap (see photo one). Some wraps have a tag or label in the center, or you can fold the wrap in half to find the center. Next, you’ll place the center on your abdomen, right around your waist.
Next, you bring the wrap around to your back and criss-cross the fabric to create an “x” on your back (photo two). Then, bring the fabric up onto your shoulders. Here, it’s important to make sure the fabric isn’t getting twisted up and remember we want it tight! So adjust here as necessary.
The next step is to gather the fabric and drop it through the band going around your abdomen (photo three). Then, again, criss-cross the fabric, creating an “x” on your chest. This is another opportunity to make sure the fabric is not twisted anywhere, and nice and tight.
Now you’ll take the fabric around to your back again, this time around your hips/waist, cross it, and wrap it back around to the front. Then tie it tight around your waist (photo four).
PUTTING baby in THE WRAP
Baby will sit in the “x” that’s on your chest. The side of the “x” that’s closest to your body is where you’ll start. With baby facing you, put their leg into the “x”. Then spread the fabric out across their bottom and up through your shoulder. You want to create a shelf for baby to sit in where their legs are getting into that ideal “M” positioning, with knees higher than hips. Repeat this with the other side of the “x” and baby’s other leg (photos five, six, and seven).
This step can be tricky! If you don’t feel like baby is in tight enough to be secure, or up high enough on your chest (you should be able to kiss their head), try again (photo eight)! That may mean starting over to get the wrap tight enough. Remember practice will make a huge difference and the more you try, the easier it will get. For me, it was totally worth it to push through and get this down. Hands free baby wearing is so helpful!
The last step is to bring that abdominal band, that’s currently between your body and baby, out and up around baby. Spread the bottom of this fabric from baby’s feet, all the way up their back for added support (photo nine). My best advice for your comfort is to make sure those shoulder straps are all the way spread out as you can see in the photo nine. That allows baby’s weight to be evenly distributed. You can also gently tuck baby’s head into the shoulder strap to provide head support (photo ten).
I hope this helps and allows you to keep baby close, while getting some hands free time! You can view a video of this tutorial here. Happy babywearing!
