Babywearing: Non-stretchy wrap

Have you entered the Thirty-One thermal tote giveaway yet? Today’s the last day!

Welcome to the first post in my new babywearing series.

When my eldest was born, the only thing I really knew about babywearing was that the only carrier I could afford was a Snugli. So that’s what I bought. And oh my, if was so uncomfortable! By the time he was 9 or 10 lbs, my shoulders would hurt after 15 minutes.

I slowly started learning more about baby carriers. There are so many!

I was finally able to try a non-stretchy wrap for the first time. Justine owns A Buschel and a Peck and makes different types of baby wraps. Some have some stretch, others don’t. She very generously offered to give me a wrap when I joined a local babywearing Facebook page and was inquiring about different kinds of wraps.

This is the wrap she sent me. I think the fabric is gorgeous!

I’m still pretty new to wrapping with this type of wrap, so my carries aren’t the best yet.

It is nice to have so many options in how I carry Gabriel, though. I can even use this wrap to carry Josiah or even Annie if I wanted to. Stretchy wraps (such as the Moby) are only good until the baby is about 15 lbs. After that, the wrap sags under their weight and it becomes uncomfortable. But a non-stretchy wrap can be used much longer! They can also be used for back carries. Back carries are NOT recommended with a stretcyh wrap. The baby can lean back and end up flipping out. Scary!

I’ve tried a few different carries with the wrap Justine sent me. It’s still new and the fabric is still stiff so it’s been a bit difficult to wrap such a tiny baby; the fabric doesn’t always want to mold around those tight curves. I expect that this will improve as the wrap is used more and softens up and breaks in a bit. The wrap is nice and thick; this makes it  a bit softer on the shoulders. It might be a bit warm for hot summer days but since it’s cotton I think it will breathe fairly well.

Non-stretchy wraps come in a variety of sizes (usually from about 3m to 6m long), made from a variety of materials. The size a person would choose would depend on the individual’s size and what types of carries they plan on doing. Here is a chart to help someone pick which size of wrap they would want. Generally speaking, if you’re not sure, it’s better to get the bigger size. You can take away excess fabric, but you can’t add to a wrap that’s too small!

While I am still new to these type of carriers, I’m really liking them. There are so many ways to wrap baby. You can even wear two babies (or a baby and a toddler) at once!

And, I even learned how to wrap tiny 2 week-old Gabriel safely onto my back. Please excuse the fuzzy picture and the dirty mirror.

There is so much information about non-stretchy/woven wraps that I can’t really fit it all into one post. An excellent resource to check out and learn from moms who have been wrapping for years is The BabyWearer.com.

Check back soon for my next babywearing post. I’ll have more information on different types of wraps, as well as some DIY information for some types.

Have you ever used a baby carrier? What kind, and how did you like it? 

What kind of carrier would you like to learn more about?