What Size Wrap Do I Need?!?

What size wrap do I NEED!?

The last words of a parent embarking on a journey down what I like to call the infamous rabbit hole! Theoretically you only NEED one of your base size to wrap but how quickly it becomes now I NEED a shorter wraps for errands and I NEED this blend in a long wrap, no wait I NEED this blend in a shorty and I NEED that blend in a long wrap… you see where this is going, right!?

Regardless, when you start looking at wrapping, the options are overwhelming, at best and make you want to quit before you even start, at worst! So let me break this down for you so at least you sorta have, maybe an idea of what you want.

Sizes Range from 1-8, 1’s and 8’s are generally more rare and harder to find, although I am seeing a lot more of both of them being offered from retailers. 2-4 are considered shorty’s and 5-7 are called base sizes. 

Now, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?! 

Sizing is just a reference to the length of a wrap which dictates what carries you can do. Most importantly is your base size as this is what is encouraged to get when you are first learning. Base sizes are generally chosen from your size: most caregivers use a size 6 wrap, for caregivers under 130 a size 5 is suggested and for caregivers over 180 a size 7 is suggested. Really petite caregivers can use a 4. I would also like to note that as a beginner you want to end up with too much wrap i.e. leftover tail, instead of not enough and eventually you will notice you wrap getting “longer” which really means you are getting good at tightening when wrapping and there is less slack in your passes! I generally take this a good sign to try other carries or another size if you are curious about such options.  As an example: I am 5’3 and weigh about 135 and my base is a 5.

I would like to also note that size used and carries you are able to do with a child will change over time as they become bigger and more wrap is needed. For example, I stated earlier my base is a 5 however; my wrapee is 2.5, weighing 35 pounds and he is short, so he is very round ;) I have found in the last 6ish months that I prefer 7’s for longer carries (fancy finishes and all) and 4’s for my shorty carries. Here is a quick cheat sheet for sizing and capabilities based off of an average woman.

Wrap Size	Length	Uses
Size 1	2.0-2.5 meters	Rebozo Carry
Size 2	2.6-2.7 meters	Rebozo & Super Short Carries
Size 3	3.1-3.2 meters	Shorty Carries
Size 4	3.6-3.7 meters	Petite Base Size or Short Carries
Size 5	4.1-4.2 meters	Small Base Size
Size 6	4.6-4.7 meters	Average Base Size
Size 7	5.1-5.2 meters	Plus Base Size
Size 8	5.5-6.0 meters	Long Carries & Fancy Finishes

Babywearing 102 is a Facebook group and an awesome resource for beginner wrappers. The information they have in their files is priceless. They have even have an extremely detailed document specifically about wrap size and carries you are able to do for petite, average, and larger women. If you would like to check it out, simply request to join the group and then look for the document in the files section or come back here and click on this link.

Feel free to ask any and all questions in our Facebook group or to pm me (Kelli - single mom to one crazy 2.5 year old little boy name Charles and BWI Charlotte resident wrapping guru)! Also, stay tuned for my next blog where I address how to buy your first wrap in just a couple days!

September Event Calendar

 

 

Thursday, September 3rd from 6pm-8pm - Babywearing Basics - Gastonia Library

Babies R Us Gastonia

2830 E Franklin Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28056

Saturday, September 12th from 3pm-5pm - Babywearing Basics - South Library

Babies R Us Pineville
9575 South Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28273
(South Blvd and 485)

 

Tuesday, September 15th from 10am-12pm - Babywearing Basics - South Library

Michaels Arts and Crafts

13540 Hoover Creek Blvd, Ste 800, Charlotte, NC 28273

(Rivergate Shopping Center)

 

Sunday, September 20th from 3pm-5pm- Babywearing Basics - North Library

Exodus Chiropractic
15940 Northcross Dr Ste B, Huntersville, NC 28078

Monday, September 21st from 5:30pm-7:30pm - Babywearing Basics - North Library

 Community Wellness Center

1318-A0 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
(In the office suites behind Healthy Home Market) 

 

Tuesday, September 22nd from 6:30pm-8:30pm - Babywearing Basics - North Library

Babies R Us Concord Mills 
8062 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord, NC 28027

 
***NEW MEETING ALERT***

Sunday, September 26th from 11am-1pm - Donuts and Babyweairng - South Library

Your Moms Donuts
11025 suite F Monroe Road, Matthews, NC 28105

This will be a more relaxed, less structured event.  We will have VBEs (leaders) on hand to help anyone who would like it, and will have the South Library available for members to borrow from.  We won't be doing a Babywearing Basics presentation, though.  (Unless someone would like an overview of babywearing and then we'll be more than happy to do that with them one-on-one.)  This is a great event for beginners and veterans alike to attend.  Come, hang out, meet cool people, support a locally owned babywearing business... oh and eat awesome donuts.  You can check out their website here and on Facebook here.

Babywearing Basics:

Babywearing Basics events are always free and open to the public.  They begin with a babywearing basics presentation including why we wear, safety when wearing and then an overview of the different types of carriers. Once the presentation is over, we help folks one-on-one and in small groups. Please feel free to bring any carriers you have and would like help with. Babies and other care-giving partners are always welcome as are other children.

The learning library (North, South, and Gastonia) will be available to play with and try on. BWI members can also check out carriers from the library. Membership is $30 per YEAR and allows you to borrow up to one carrier per month for the entire year. $20 of the membership stays right here in the Charlotte chapter and goes directly to buying more carriers for the library.  Click here for more information about our Learning Library. 

Have more questions?  Post to our Facebook page, join our Facebook group or send us an email.

August Babywearing Basics Schedule

Thursday, August 6th from 6pm-8pm - Babywearing Basics - South Library

Babies R Us Gastonia

2830 E Franklin Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28056

Saturday, August 8th from 3pm-5pm - Babywearing Basics - South Library

Babies R Us Pineville
9575 South Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28273
(South Blvd and 485)

Sunday, August 16th from 3pm-5pm- Babywearing Basics - North Library

Exodus Chiropractic
15940 Northcross Dr Ste B, Huntersville, NC 28078

Monday, August 17th from 5:30pm-7:30pm - Babywearing Basics - North Library

Healthy Home Market

1330 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Tuesday, August 18th from 10am-12pm - Babywearing Basics - South Library

Michaels Arts and Crafts
13540 Hoover Creek Blvd, Ste 800, Charlotte, NC 28273
(Rivergate Shopping Center)

Tuesday, August 25th from 6:30pm-8:30pm - Babywearing Basics - North Library

Babies R Us Concord Mills 
8062 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord, NC 28027


Thursday, August 27th from 10am-12pm - Babywearing Basics - South Library

Gingersnap Baby
10822 Providence Rd Suite 800 Charlotte NC, 28277
(Promenade on Providence between Q-Shack and LaVida)

Babywearing Basics:

Babywearing Basics events are always free and open to the public.  They begin with a babywearing basics presentation including why we wear, safety when wearing and then an overview of the different types of carriers. Once the presentation is over, we help folks one-on-one and in small groups. Please feel free to bring any carriers you have and would like help with. Babies and other care-giving partners are always welcome as are other children.

The learning library (North or South) will be available to play with and try on. BWI members can also check out carriers from the library. Membership is $30 per YEAR and allows you to borrow up to one carrier per month for the entire year. $20 of the membership stays right here in the Charlotte chapter and goes directly to buying more carriers for the library.  Click here for more information about our Learning Library. 

Have more questions?  Post to our Facebook page, join our Facebook group or send us an email.

Wrap Geekery - How to Break in That New Wrap

Learning how to use a woven wrap can be extremely overwhelming. It's a whole world of blends and colorways, wefts and sizes, and that doesn't even get into all the acronyms.  That's why we have called on one of our favorite Wrap Geeks, Kelli Misenheimer, to help break it down for us.  She'll be writing a reoccurring feature over the next few months, so if you've got a burning questions, post it on Facebook and we might just it!  Today's she's going to start with a question we get a lot..

How do I break in my new wrap?

As a newbie or even a veteran, breaking in new wraps can be daunting, time consuming and frustrating. Just like your favorite pair of jeans, they require wear and softening to be their best. The first time you wrap with a new wrap it is going to be stiff, itchy and can be difficult to maneuver, but with wear a wrap will go from challenging and stiff to floppy and moldable. Here are some tips and tricks to help speed up the breaking in process:

1. Always wash your wrap first, wearing while in loom state can cause thread shifting and not allow the weave to set appropriately. If you need help deciphering wash instructions see here.

2. Give it a good steam iron, heat setting depending on the wrap fibers. Hottest isn't always best especially when dealing with wool, silk, or cashmere. I prefer to iron front and back, especially the first time and during the breaking in process. Ironing is needed to help soften and smooth the fibers.

3. Place wet or dry wrap in dryer with damp towels and wool dryer balls, the more the merrier. Remember heat setting needs to be low or no heat.

3. Braid or donut. With both of the options, the goal is to create friction against itself to soften and encourage mold-ability. For a video on braiding see here. And for a video on making donuts see here. Just don't store wraps braided or ‘donuted’ for long periods of time as this can cause permacreasing, especially with linen blends.

4. Run through rails or sling rings. I personally like to suggest doing this when you’re fighting with a significant other and need to work out some aggression. But again the goal is to create friction to start breaking down the stiffness of a wrap. For a video on how to run a wrap through sling rings, see here.

5. Sleep or sit on it. I prefer to do this once there is some give and mold-ability that has started. I find sleeping or sitting on a folded or bunched wrap help with over all softening. I generally try to do this for a week on a consistent basis then evaluate what other tactics need to happen again.

6. Use it as a hammock or swing. For those that have square tables or cribs. You can tie the wrap around the table or to each end of the crib and let children lay, nap, and play with it. When they are putting weight on the wrap it is creating the ideal tension to further breakdown the fibers.

7. Wrap with it. I wouldn't encourage learning or trying new carry's with a brand new wrap as it would not be a fair judgment of the carry when you are still working on breaking a wrap in to fully understand it's wrapping qualities. On the same token this is why I, personally, do not encourage newbs to get new or non broken in wraps as their first.

8. Repeat. The goal is to create tension with the fibers to help soften them up and make the wrap like your favorite weekend t-shirt.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of possible ways to break in a wrap. There are new and creative ways of breaking wraps in posted regularly on different chatter boards. However, these are the most common, generally accepted and my preferred methods.
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Well that's a... wrap ;-)... folks.  A big thank you to Kelli for helping us out and we can't wait to learn more.  Want to learn more and connect with an awesome group of parents in the Charlotte area?  Join us on Facebook or Instagram. 

Member Monday Feature - Kelli Misenheimer

Kelli is simply awesome!  She jumped right in upon moving here to Charlotte, and almost immediately started helping folks.  She is a wealth of knowledge on all things woven wrap and will very soon be starting a reoccurring Wrap Geekery post for us!  We are so thankful to have her experience and knowledge in our group and we thought you might want to find out a little more about her.


Can you tell us a little about your family?

I am a single mom to a very special 20 month old little boy and a lazy dog.

How did you learn about babywearing?

I learned about babywearing from a very special friend. I started with the bjorn and then graduated to the moby, k'tan and ergo. It became evident that because of my back and should issues and having a very heavy baby, these carriers were not supportive enough for me, so that same friend took me to a local meet-up (was living in Memphis at the time). From there I was introduced to this crazy overwhelming part of babywearing called wraps and wrap conversion. Down the rabbit hole I went.

What is your favorite carrier of all times?

My favorite carrier of all time is unfair, totally depends on my mood and situation... but you can never go wrong with Oscha Starry Night Shona in a Secure High Back Carry.

 

What does babywearing allow you to do?

Babywearing allows me to do life. Cook, clean, socialize, meet people, hang out, snuggle with my most precious treasure.

 

How did you learn about BWI Charlotte?

Once I knew I was moving back to Charlotte, it was only natural for me to search for a local group to get involved in!

 

What do you like about being a part of BWI Charlotte?

I love being a part of BWI Charlotte because teaching and geeking about babywearing has become something I enjoy doing.

What meeting do you typically attend?

I typically attending the BRU in Pineville and hope to start going to Bellies and Babies as well.

 

Do you have a favorite library carrier?

My favorite library carrier would have to be the standard/standard kinderpack.

You find yourself on a deserted island.  You can only have one carrier and one luxury item (hair dryer, mascara, favorite coffee cup, favorite pair of shoes, etc.).  What would they be?

On a deserted island my one carrier would be a standard/standard kinderpack with cool mesh because who knows when you will need quick ups! My one luxury item would be.... side note, my wraps are my luxury item.... but a pony tail holder that never breaks.  

Thank you so much Kelli for letting us get to know you better. We definitely look forward to you brining your wrap knowledge to the blog!

So You're Going to the Beach... All the Sandy Details on Water Carriers

This time of year, we get lots and lots... and lots of questions about water slings and wraps.  So, we figured it was the perfect topic for a blog.  We combed through all the recent posts and have consolidated all of the down and dirty sandy details on water carriers.

First of all... what is a water wrap/sling? 

Basically they are light weight wraps or ring slings made from athletic mesh or a quick drying rip-stop type fabric.  They are designed to be used at the beach, pool,etc., and are very breathable.  They are however, not as supportive as most wraps.  Therefore we do not recommend them as an everyday carrier.  But when it comes to the beach or the pool, they can't be beat.


I would like to buy a water wrap/ring sling.  What are the best brands?

Basically any BCIA Compliant seller is fine.  If their website doesn't say if they are compliant, then just ask.  If they are, they will know what you are talking about.  If they don't know what you're talking about then they're mostly likely not.  We only recommend purchasing from BCIA Compliant sellers which means their wraps or slings have been through third-party safety testing.  Here are some of our favorites:

Wrapsody Sport and Water Wrap

Beachfront Baby Water Wrap

Bibbetts Water Ring Sling

Zanytoes Water Ring Sling

Comfy Joey Water Ring Sling


I would rather make my own.  Is that possible?

Definitely!  Here are some links that might help you!

Sleeping Baby Productions Mesh Ring Sling Tutorial

Babywearing DIY Advice and Support Facebook Group  (Jan Andrea Heirtzler of Sleeping Baby Productions is an admin in this group and they have amazing links and info in the files/documents section.)


Where can I find the material mentioned in the tutorials?

Athletic mesh is carried in most fabric stores such as JoAnn's, Hancocks and even some Walmarts.


Should I get a water wrap or sling?

This is simply user preference.  Some folks feel like wraps are easier with small babies and ring slings for older babies, but that is not a universal opinion.


How do I use my water wrap?

Here are a couple of great tutorials!  (FYI: Wrapping Rachel is totally rad.  Anything she posts is going to be a good, safe, quality video.)







   

Are there any specific safety concerns I should keep in mind when using my water wrap or sling?

 

Why yes there are!  What insightful questions you ask!  As with any carrier, you always want to keep baby visible and kissable.  This means baby should always be close enough for you to kiss and nothing should be covering their face.  You also want to make sure that baby has good back support and that you can always get one to two of your fingers under their chin between chin and chest.  Because of the material used, you may need to retighten more often with your water sling or wrap then you are used to.  Making sure that the carrier stays snug and supports baby's back is important. 

 

Additionally you want to keep a few common sense things in mind. (Although we all know that sleep deprivation can make common sense significantly less common.) 

 

1) Always keep baby on the front when going in the water.  No back carries as you want to be able to monitor baby closely. 

 

2) Don't wear while boating.  It may seem safer to wear baby while on a boat, but it's really not.  And baby should always have a life jacket on. 

 

3)  Even with a lightweight, breathable carrier watch for signs of dehydrations and make sure everyone is getting plenty of fluids (breastmilk or formula). 

 

4)  Make sure you are protecting baby's skin from the sun.  Don't forget that even if they are all wrapped up, their legs, arms or faces are still exposed to the sun. 

 

 

Water carriers are awesome and can make keeping up with an older child (or family members who act like children at the beach) much easier.  Use a quality carrier and keep these safety tips in mind and that beach trip will be as stress free as possible.  Unfortunately, a water sling can't make your crazy extended family easier to deal with.  That only comes with a Tula or Pavo. 

Member Monday Feature: Vicki Felmet

I (Bonnie) knew Vicki's strap covers before I knew her name. In fact when she messaged the chapter's email about becoming a volunteer I wasn't even sure who she was. Then I found her on Facebook so I could add her to the volunteer group, and I was like, "OH! Hey!! You're the Boba with the Star Wars strap covers!! Of course I know you!" Since then Vicki and I have bonded over not only babywearing but our mutual love of sci-fi. I suspect that between the two of us, we have all the women's Star Wars shirts in existence and a good chunk of the men's too. Honestly, I think it's this inherent geekiness that makes her such an awesome volunteer. She knows what it's like to not quite fit in (like many of us), and she uses that to make people feel welcome and accepted for who they are.

Vicki has been a tireless volunteer for BWI Charlotte for almost a year now. She has come to meetings, greeting folks and help sign them up for membership and borrow carriers. She is always dependable and always willing to help however she can. Which is why not only is she our newest VBE (volunteer babywearing educator) but along with Stephanie, she is one of our two 2014 Volunteers of the Year. She sat down with us recently to tell us a little more about herself.

Name: Vicki Felmet

Tell us a little about your family.

We are a small family of 3, unless you count the animals then that number goes up to 9 (I'm a sucker for anything with four legs). I live in Rock Hill, SC. My husband, Brooks, is a police officer and our son, Rory, a tiny tornado. We enjoy the outdoors, video games, and crafting of all sorts. I'm usually the quiet one at the meetings with a Star Wars or Doctor Who shirt on.

How did you learn about babywearing?

An old friend of mine was getting into babywearing with her newborn and when I got pregnant I started researching EVERYTHING. I fell down the rabbit hole of DIY babywearing and my love has only grown from there.

What is your favorite carrier of all time? 

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for our Boba.

Babywearing allows me to _________:

Stay sane. I can be there for my son without having to sacrifice getting things done.

How did you learn about BWI Charlotte? I originally joined the Columbia (SC) group on facebook and found that there was one even closer!

I love being a part of BWI Charlotte because ________:

I love babywearing and I love the friends I've made from the group. Before becoming a vbe, I routinely came to meetings just for the comradery. It's hard finding new friends as an adult and this has been a lifesaver :)

What meeting do you typically attend?

Babies'R'Us Pineville, Gingersnap Baby, and Rivergate Michaels

Do you have a favorite library carrier?

I've recently come to love the Beco Gemini. So versatile and comfortable.

You find yourself on a deserted island.  You can only have one carrier and one luxury item (hair dryer, mascara, favorite coffee cup, favorite pair of shoes, etc.).  What would they be?

A size 6 woven wrap (doubles as a hammock!) and a satellite phone.

Vicki, thank you so much for everything you do for our community!