There's a Wrap for That (Totally not an It Works plug)

If you’ve ever seen my Instagram or seen me out in public with my kids, you’ve likely seen me wearing at least one of them.  I have all kids of different baby carriers, but by far I get the most questions about my wraps.  So what are they?

Our first carrier - a Baby K'tan stretchy wrap

If you’ve heard anything about babywearing, it’s likely you’ll be familiar with the Moby Wrap.  The Moby Wrap is a long (5.5 meters) piece of stretchy fabric that can be used to wrap your baby.  There are actually lots of different brands of stretchy wraps available for purchase in addition to the Moby wrap.  Stretchy wraps are AWESOME with younger babies.  Very snuggly for caregiver and baby.  They can also easily be pre-tied so that the wrap is ready to pop baby in and out of easily.  The downside?  Once baby gets a little bigger, stretchy wraps can become less comfy; they don’t support baby’s increasing weight as well as they did when baby was smaller.  Another downside - some stretchy wraps can be bulky and hot for the caregiver and baby in warmer weather.  Finally, stretch wraps (with the exception of hybrid stretchy wraps) can’t be used safely for back carries, and are only safe to use in multi-layer carries.

How was Aidan ever this small?

Enter the woven wrap.  How are they different?  Woven wraps are long, narrow pieces of cloth like a stretchy wrap, but they don’t have horizontal stretch like a stretchy wrap does.  They come in many different sizes (lengths), fabric blends (cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp, silk, Tencel, and on and on and on), weave structures (the weave of a wrap can really influence how it performs), and a myriad of designs/colorways.

Pavo Zebra Soir

My woven wraps are the most versatile baby product I own.  Period.  They can be used with a newborn all the way up to big kids.  They can be worn in front, back, and hip carries.  There are an infinite amount of ways to wrap and tie off your carries.  Forgot a blanket for your kid, car seat cover, nursing cover (if that’s your thing), burp cloth?  No worries! Your wrap can help with that.  I’ve even used a wrap to help secure my kid in a chair at a restaurant when a highchair wasn’t available.

Max Max - Yaro Basket Black

So why do you need more than one, you may ask?  Well, you could certainly have one wrap and get by just fine.  Babywearing can (and should be) accessible to ANY caregiver that wants to snuggle a baby.  But, if you really want an explanation (like my husband), I like to compare my wraps to shoes.  You could totally get by with one pair of shoes if you needed to, but different shoes serve different purposes.  You wouldn’t want to wear your best pair of heels on a hike through the mountains   , just like you wouldn’t want to wear hiking boots to dinner with friends at a fancy restaurant.  I have wraps to fit a couple different purposes in my life.  They range all the way from a wrap I made for myself out of a tablecloth all the way up to a wrap that my favorite weaver custom made for me.  I’ve had wraps designed with the molecular makeup of oxytocin, (quite a few) Harry Potter themed wraps, plain wraps, polka dotted, striped, intricately patterned wraps, and even one with zebra stripes.

Our custom wrap - Legacy of Love by Handwoven Honey

My wraps are even more to me than practical and pretty, they’ve allowed me to snuggle my babies close when they weren’t feeling well.  They’ve helped me reconnect with my kids after being away at work.  They’ve comforted my kids in new places where they were afraid or overwhelmed, or just overstimulated.  My mother-in-law and mom both chipped in to buy me the first wrap I ever had shortly after Aidan was born, so it’s very special to me.  I’ve made friends with amazing caregivers because of a shared interest.  They served as a hobby/something new to learn about when I was rediscovering myself after becoming a mom.  They’ve even served as props in Max’s newborn photo shoot.

LOL at Max's face - Ravenclaw by Handwoven Honey

So, are you interested in wearing your kids?  Are you already into babywearing like me?  What’s your carrier of choice?