May 28, 2014 by maggielane

Babywearing – How to stay cool this summer

This is my new favorite summer carrier. It is a Bara Barn Shawl. I got Salsa (orange, pink, purple) and Mint (turquoise blends). This European wrap is a short wrap – or a shorty as they are called. It’s a thin woven at at 108 inches (a long size 2) makes it nice for toddler wearing in the summer. I find these woven wraps to be very thin and airy – and not thick – which I like. It holds my daughter’s weight (28-30ish lbs.) well and doesn’t pull back on my shoulders with a back carry. It felt much better on my shoulders than any of my other wraps that I have tried in these same carries (Wrapsody Breeze and Stretch (single layer and doubled – folded in half), TC Mahogany shorty, and Girasol). I know many people don’t like gauze wraps (Wrapsody Breeze) but on the whole they have been my favorite wrap. I love the thinness! However, I suspect that I may like this Bara Barn more. It’s very supportive and stays in place and my knot doesn’t slip. I find the knots easier to tie because it is so much thinner than most wovens. It’s wide and I have no trouble making a seat for my big toddler and no trouble getting it all the way up her back. And I’m really enjoying shortys right now since we are in the “I want to walk.” and then 5 minutes later “Uppy” phase. The feel is different than gauze. I have a feeling it’s going to soften up more than my gauze wraps. The weave is not as fine as gauze but I love the thinness. If you’re interested in one, I got mine from Purple Elm Baby. Stay cool this summer and happy babywearing! (No links in this post are affiliate links.)

More Action Shots:

March 11, 2014 by maggielane

Babywearing: DIY Tablecloth Wrap

If you are in to babywearing you may have heard chatter amongst your babywearing friends about turning 120-inch Mahogany Cotton Tablecloths into a short wrap. Well, I decided that I would try it. I ordered the peacock, orange/red tablecloth linked above (affiliate link – Disclosures/Disclaimers here.). Cut it in half. Ironed, rolled and hemmed the cut long end. Added a middle marker. And I now have 2 short wraps. And I was able to sell the second one to a local friend and recoup 80% of the retail price that I paid to begin with. My shorty only ended up costing me $10 and some time in the end. Not too bad.

So, if you have some sewing skills, getting a nice, quality, woven wrap doesn’t have to be expensive. Any sturdy, woven, cotton tablecloth will do. Shop your local stores for clearance items (Target often has good linens on clearance). Look for tablecloths that are all cotton (cotton/linen blends will do, but avoid all synthetic fabrics). You do not want a “printed” tablecloth. You want one that does not have a wrong side. Jacquard and damask weaves are good. You should be able to see the weave and the reverse weave on the other side. The ideal length for a shorty is a 60×120″ tablecloth. Then you have an 30″ width for each wrap once you cut the tablecloth in half length-wise and you can do several shorty carries with this length. A 90″ tablecloth will allow you to make a ring sling or do rebozo carries If you want to explore DIY baby carriers further look up DIY Babywearing Advice and Support on Facebook.

Short wraps are nice for summer or for older toddlers who sometimes want to walk. You don’t have to carry yards and yards of fabric with you but you still have the convenience and comfort of a wrap. If you want to know what carries you can do with a short wrap, check out Wrap Your Baby’s “Carrying Guide for Woven Wraps.”

Peacock, red/orange

Rucksack, with reinforced rear, tied at shoulder. (Ruck, RR, TAS)

August 6, 2013 by maggielane

Babywearing Bag Actions Shots – scroll to the bottom

A reader requested action shots of my babywearing bag that I posted about
a couple of weeks ago. Scroll down to see me wearing the bag with the baby.

To see the original post with directions for transforming your bag click here.

Action Shots:

Not the best shot I know, but not bad when
taken by your 5-year-old daughter. 😉

Hip carry with a sarong. Bag is over left shoulder
(same side as baby).

Looking from the side.

Back carry. Bag in front.

Better shot taken by my husband.

July 25, 2013 by maggielane

Transform your bag into a babywearing bag

I’ve been lamenting not having a babywearing bag lately. I’ve been doing more back carries which means that I can’t carry our regular go-to backpack since the baby is already back there. And most of my shoulder bags or tote bags are too little to use as a diaper bag. But, this last week I found a solution! You only need two supplies – a medium to large bag out of your closet and a scarf. Let me tell you what I did. It’s so comfortable to wear, even when jammed full of stuff.

I pulled out this bag which only has a tiny shoulder strap. I never used it because it would constantly slip off my shoulder. But, I was desperate the other day and realized that if I tied a scarf on to the rings that it would be a comfy cross-body babywearing bag. It holds the weight well, and the scarf spreads nicely across your shoulder like a wrap would. I can wear it with any type of carry front, hip or back because I just put it opposite the baby. If she’s on the front I wear the bag on the back, if she’s on my hip I wear it on my other hip and if she’s on my back I wear the back on the front. And it’s adjustable. I can make the strap longer or shorter just by re-tying the knot. It’s wonderful.

If you don’t have a bag with rings you could get some of these metal book rings to clip around the strap or loops of your bag and tie your scarf to. The scarf that I used is like these Slub Scarves. They are woven, spread nicely and I think hold the weight well. They’re pretty too.

Action Shots:

Not the best shot I know, but not bad when
taken by your 5-year-old daughter. 😉

Hip carry with a sarong. Bag is over left shoulder
(same side as baby).

Looking from the side.

Back carry. Bag in front.

Better shot taken by my husband.

July 22, 2013 by maggielane

Summer Babywearing

It’s been HOT in New York City this past week with the heat index reaching well past 100 degrees. How do you keep you and your baby cool? The answer that you don’t want to hear is that you can’t really. I always carry sun hats for me and baby, a water bottle, cloth wipes (or little baby washcloths to wipe little sweaty faces) and my favorite sandalwood fan with me to help keep us cool but the reality is that in that kind of heat you are both going to get hot and sweaty no matter what. However, the last couple of weeks I have really been enjoying wearing my youngest in an “unofficial” baby carrier. I raided my closet and pulled out my sarongs. These are typically used in America as swimsuit cover ups, but I’ve found that they work very well as a cool and supportive short baby carrier (otherwise known as a “shorty”). Most sarongs are made of rayon which is a thin, cool non-stretchy fabric. They are good for sling style carries (front, hip or back) with a knot at one shoulder. Sarongs aren’t very long. Most measure approximately 66×44 inches. If you are above a size 12 or 14 you might need to look for a sarong that is 70″ in length or get a plus size sarong which is usually about 90″ long. You can usually find saraongs online with prices ranging from $7.99 (on clearance) to $24.99 for fancy or plus size ones.