WRAPS

Wraps are a length of fabric that you wrap around you and your baby. With wraps you need to identify the top and bottom rail and need to make a seat for your baby. Wraps come in different lengths (typically measured in meters and referred to as a number size) and different material. I’m not going to be talking about the look, but whoa! There are a lot of different options when it comes to how it looks. I’m talking about MATERIAL. Knit, cotton, linen, hemp, wool, cotton/linen blend, even athletic mesh. But the main difference I want to touch on is stretchy wraps and woven wraps.

A couple of examples of stretchy wraps are the Moby, Hugabub, or the Sleepy wrap, and there are others too! These are great for newborns because they mold easily to mom and baby, and are just the right amount of support. Wrapping with a stretchy wrap requires three passes (layers) for safety and security of the baby. They are a great introduction to wrapping because they are very forgiving – meaning you don’t have to wrap perfectly to be safe. But you should not wear a baby on your back with a stretchy wrap. This is a great video that shows why stretchy wraps should not be used for back carries. Stretchy wraps typically work for newborns to about 12-15lbs. Heavier than that and the weight of the child makes the wrap stretch while being worn and requires continual tightening. Although it would still be safe if wrapped and tightened when it becomes loose, it really doesn’t feel comfortable once baby puts on some weight.

The other option is a woven wrap. The same mechanics apply to these wraps but the material has very little to no stretch at all. It is a woven material but not quilters fabric or flannel. Neither of these materials have the fiber integrity to hold a child. Woven wraps have a thicker fiber and looser weave than quilters fabric or flannel. Often the pattern of a woven wrap will be visible on both sides, one side being a negative image of the other side. Woven wraps need only one pass for safety and so the wraps can be much shorter than a stretchy wrap. These wraps come in sizes 2 (2.7 meters) through 8 (5.60 meters) and anywhere inbetween referred to as a long__ or a short__. For instance a size 4 is 3.6 meters long and a size 5 is 4.2 meters long. If a wrap measured around 3.8 meters it would be a long 4, if it measured 4.0 meters would be a short 5. The sizes can get confusing. A good starter size for an average size mom would be a 6. There are a lot of options when it comes to purchasing a woven wrap and if you jump right in, buy one, get it home and it feels stiff and like nothing you want to wrap your baby in, you need not fear. Woven wraps usually need to be broken in. There are a few companies that make pretty soft wraps from the get go, or if you can find a used one, that is also a great option. Breaking in a wrap takes using it, so it can take some time. Use it as a blanket, a hammock, a rope for tug-of-war, a swing, or braid it and beat it. Sit on it, sleep with it, use it in your car windshield, wash it (follow washing instructions with detergent that is deemed safe to use on the wrap – lots of information available online for safe detergents), dry it with tennis balls (so it gets nice a beat up) and wrap with it! Just use, use, use (bordering on abuse) it!
With so many options with regard to length, material and pattern, it’s only right that there be as many or more options with how to tie it. And there are! You can tie to accommodate front, back, and hip carries. Front wrap carry crossover (FWCC), front cross carry (FCC), double hammock (DH), ruck tied in front (RTIF), ruck tied under bum (RUB), tied with the unpoppable seat, wiggle proof carry, tied under bum (TUB), tied at shoulder (TAS), tied tibetan (TT), saltwater finish, and on, and on, and on! It really is a different language. YouTube will be your best friend!

One more: this one isn’t quite as intimidating as wrapping!

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