Intro to Wrapping

Intro To Wrapping

Wraps are a simple piece of cloth that you wrap around your body in a way to make a carrier for your baby. This is probably the oldest forms of babywearing, and still to this day one of the most popular.  

Wraps were reintroduced in mainstream culture during the 70's when a German mama founded the company Didymos, which makes and distributes woven wraps. Now presently there are dozens of brands/styles/ and colorways to choose from!

Types of Wraps

Stretchy Wraps: This type of wrap, as you guessed, is stretchy. A lot of moms use this style as a stepping stone into babywearing (I did this).  These are ideal when a baby is a newborn and/or less than 15 pounds. Sense these are mostly made out of jersey knit they tend to get unsupportive as baby grows. Which is why its mostly used as a stepping stone into more long term babywearing. The carries you can do are also limited with a stretchy wrap. Front carriers are really only whats recommended. You can do some hip carries. However, back carries are NEVER recommended. 

Gauze Wraps: Gauze is a wrap made from very light weight cotton. They are super thin which makes them wonderful for warm weather climates. Because they are so thin, gauze wraps also tend to get unsupportive with bigger babies. If you wrap very carefully and use a multilayer carry, then you can try to avoid some of the discomfort. You can use this type of wrap for front, hip, and back carries.

Woven Wraps: Wovens are the most popular style of wrap. You also have the most versatility with this style. You can very easily carry a newborn through a preschooler with this style of wrap. They come in a verity of sizes, brands, blends, etc. However they do come at a much larger price than the previous two styles. You can do front, hip, and back carries with woven wraps.