Having had the chance

Now that the baby is exactly two weeks old, I have had the chance to try out my wraps with him. I have to say that I LOVE them. I love them bunches. I have tried out both the woven wrap and the knit wrap, and they both have their pros and cons. I with the little baby, I like the stretchy wrap better, but I think that as he gets bigger, I will like the woven one better. I like the cradle hold in the woven one better than the cradle hold in the stretchy one because as I keep wearing it, he starts to fall in the stretchy one, but with the hug hold, I like the stretchy one better mostly because once he is in, it's easier to move him around and nurse him. I have successfully fed him in the wrap while walking through a restaraunt, and you couldn't tell. I'm VERY excited. So, for nursing and the versatility, I highly recommend the wrap out of all of the different types of baby carriers that I have tried. However, for the ease of putting it on and the versatility, I still vote for the Mei Tai. But for the ease of taking it with you and for the speed of putting it on and the speed of putting in the child, I recommend a tube sling. So, mostly, for the next little while, I will use the wrap. I think that when the baby gets older though, I'm going to put him in the Mei Tai more. It's easier to put the baby on my back. Right now, I'm worried about putting him on my back in the wrap. I think that I could do it in the Mei Tai. However, since my Mei Tai is in storage, I won't be using it until Daniel is about six or seven months old. I'm really missing it. :( But I do love the wraps. They make life so much easier. I do like the tube sling too, mostly for the cradle hold. One big drawback to the wrap is that it's so big! It's harder to fold up and put in the diaper bag. (Five yards is a LOT of fabric.) Another drawback to the wrap is that I can't hold the baby and tie it on to begin with at the same time. It's easy to do both with a tube sling, and it is hard but possible with the Mei Tai. So there you go, after a good chance to try out all three different styles, I have come to the conclusion that good baby carriers are necessities, and it's a HUGE blessing to have more than one style.

Sewing Instructions:

For instructions on an easy way to make a Tube Sling: See Here.

For instructions on how to sew a wonderful Mei Tai style carrier, see Here.

To make a wrap, just go buy five and half yards of fabric, cut it lengthwise down the middle, and then, depending on the type of fabric, either zigzag, serge, or hem around the edges. If you have a serger, feel free to serge around the edges of any type of fabric. If you want to buy a wrap, I highly recommend the Moby Wrap.

I do want to put an informational bullet in here about ring slings. These slings are the most versatile slings around because they are so easy to change the way you wear them in the middle. Also, they don't have nearly as much fabric as a wrap, but they tend to work like a mix between a tube sling and a wrap. However, I can't in good conscience recommend them because many of the companies who make them have been recalled because the rings have broken where the ring comes together on itself. I have been to scared to try one out, but I have seen how they work, and they are really an ingenious invention. There is a company that makes wring slings that I have not heard of a recall from. If you want to try out a ring sling, I recommend this company mostly because the local La Leche League sells them, and they are pretty picky about their choices. So if you want to buy a ring sling, I recommend a Maya Wrap. Also, their fabrics are lovely. So if you are in the market for a baby carrier for yourself or some new mom you know, try these out!