Woven Wrap Sizing

We had some questions at our meeting yesterday about sizing for woven wraps, so I figured it would be a great topic for a blog entry!  In choosing a size for a woven wrap, it's important to consider the wearer's body size, the baby's age/size, and for which carries you'd like to use the wrap.  Generally, wraps are broken down into three size categories:  "long" or "base size", "mid-length", and "shorties".  Below is a general guideline of what lengths fit into which categories, and for what carries you'd use each length:

Long or Base Size Wraps


Average size wearer:  Size 6 (4.6-4.7m)
Smaller than average:  Size 5 (4.1-4.2m)
Larger than average:  Size 7 (5.2m)


Popular carries with a long wrap:


Front Carries

• Front Wrap Cross Carrry
• Front Cross Carry (some wearers can do FCC with one size down)

Back Carries

• Double Hammock
• Secured High Back Carry (some wearers can do SHBC with one size down)
• Rucksack with Tibetan Finish (some can do with one size down)
• Double Rebozo with Shoulder to Shoulder Chestbelt (DRS2S)

Mid-Length Wraps

Average size wearer:  Size 4 (3.6-3.7m)

Smaller than average:  Size 3 (3.2m)

Larger than average:  Size 5 (4.1-4.2m)

Popular carries with a mid-length wrap:

Front Carries

• Kangaroo
• Front Wrap Cross Carry Tied Under Bum
• Short Cross Carry

Hip Carries

• Robin's Hip Carry
• Coolest Hip Cross Carry

Back Carries

• Rucksack
• Jordan's Back Carry and variations

Short Wraps ("shorties")

Average size wearer:  Size 2 (2.6-2.8m)

Smaller than average:  Size 1 (2.2-2.4m)

Larger than average:  Size 3 (3.2m)

Popular carries with a shorty:

Front Carries

• Rebozo

Hip Carries

• Rebozo
• Hip Cross Carry (some users can do HCC with a shorty, some need one size up)

Back Carries

• Rucksack Tied Under Bum
• Rucksack Tied At Shoulder and variations including Knotless Ruck and Reinforced Rear Rebozo Ruck
• Double Rebozo

This list of course does not include all the carries you can do with each size.  If you're having trouble getting a carry to work with the length wrap that you have, please contact us and we'll help you find a carry that will work for you.  Also, many carries can be modified to work with a shorter or longer wrap.  For example, a rucksack uses a mid-length wrap, but you can do it with a shorty and tie under your baby's bottom instead of in front, or with a long wrap, you can use up the extra length by tying Tibetan or by bringing the tails around back to tie under your baby's bottom.  Most mid-length hip carries can be modified for a long wrap by just bringing the tails to your opposite hip to tie off.

Why Babywear?

Benefits of Babywearing -  excerpt from babywearinginternational.org

Medical professionals agree that infants thrive through touch; “wearing” your baby is another way to meet this need. But the benefits of babywearing don’t end there … babywearing offers many other advantages, some of which include:

• Happy Babies. It’s true … carried babies cry less! In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that babywearing for three hours a day reduced infant crying by 43 percent overall and 54 percent during evening hours. (1)


• Healthy Babies. Premature babies and babies with special needs often enter the world with fragile nervous systems. When a baby rides in a sling attached to his mother, he is in tune with the rhythm of her breathing, the sound of her heartbeat, and the movements his mother makes—walking, bending, and reaching. This stimulation helps him to regulate his own physical responses. Research has even shown that premature babies who are touched and held gain weight faster and are healthier than babies who are not. (2)


• Confident Parents. A large part of feeling confident as a parent is the ability to read our babies’ cues successfully. Holding our babies close in a sling allows us to become finely attuned to their movements, gestures, and facial expressions. Every time a baby is able to let us know that she is hungry, bored, or wet without having to cry, her trust in us is increased, her learning is enhanced, and our own confidence is reinforced. This cycle of positive interaction deepens the mutual attachment between parent and child, and is especially beneficial for mothers who are at risk for or suffering from postpartum depression. (3) (4)


• Loving Caregivers. Baby carriers are a great bonding tool for fathers, grandparents, adoptive parents, babysitters, and other caregivers. Imagine a new father going for a walk with his baby in a sling. The baby isbecoming used to his voice, heartbeat, movements, and facial expressions, and the two are forging a strong attachment of their own. Baby carriers are beneficial for every adult in a baby’s life. Cuddling up close in the sling is a wonderful way to get to know the baby in your life, and for the baby to get to know you!


•Comfort and Convenience. With the help of a good carrier, you can take care of older children or do chores without frequent interruptions from an anxious or distressed infant—which helps to reduce sibling rivalry. Baby carriers are also wonderful to use with older babies and toddlers; you can save those arms and go where strollers can’t. Climbing stairs, hiking, and navigating crowded airports all can be done with ease when you use a well-designed baby carrier!


References
1 - Hunziker UA, Garr RG. (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant crying: A random-ized controlled trial. Pediatrics 77:641-648
2 - “Current knowledge about skin-to-skin (kangaroo) care for pre-term infants”. J Perinatol. 1991 Sep;11(3):216-26.
3 - Pelaez-Nogueras M, Field TM, Hossain Z, Pickens J. (1996). Depressed mothers’ touching increases infants’ positive affect and attention in still-face interactions. Child Development, 67, 1780-92.
4 - Tessier R, M Cristo, S Velez, M Giron, JG Ruiz-Palaez, Y Charpak and N Charpak. (1998) Kangaroo mother care and the bonding hypothesis. Pediatrics 102:e17.