The Kinda Crunchy Momma: DIY Baby Wrap (No craftiness required!!)

So, you just had a new baby-- congrats! All has been going well (with the exception of a few all nighters) and you actually feel bad for people who complain that their baby cries all the time. Then, one day, something happens and you realize you ARE the person you felt bad for. Your six week old baby has gone from quiet and easy, to needy and crying constantly. How are you supposed to get anything done when you can't even set them down to feed the darn dog?

It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's the answer to all of your problems! (Okay... not really. BUT I bet it will solve your colicky baby problem!) Baby wearing, as it it is called in the "crunchy" community, is simply carrying a baby by tying them to you with some type of cloth. Baby wearing helps a baby to feel safe, comforted, and secure, all while you have both hands free to do whatever!

The best part of all? You don't need to be crafty at all. Not even a little.

You can find Moby brand baby wraps at Target or Babies R Us for around $40-$50. Yes. A piece of fabric. For $40-$50. No thanks. Babies can be expensive, but they don't have to be! All you need for your very own Moby style wrap is about $10.

For your wrap, you'll need:

5 yd. cotton gauze material (possibly 6 if you are heavier set)

And... that's it.

This type of fabric is ideal for wraps because it is very light, breathable, and won't stretch out. I found mine at JoAnn Fabrics and spent a little over $10. It came in some really pretty colors like teal, purple, black, brown, turquoise, white, and natural. This fabric does not need to be hemmed, but if you prefer, you can hem the edges or even use some fabric bonding glue.

Here is an awesome video showing how to tie it on. Don't get discouraged if you don't get it right away, it may take a couple tries to get it right for your body and your baby.

I would like to take this time to issue a PSA about "crotch danglers". These are front facing carriers (Snuggli and Baby Bjorn being popular offending brands) that essentially dangle baby by their crotch and do not support the spine or hips correctly. They also do not encourage the correct development of the hips and could potentially aggravate an undiagnosed hip problem. As you can see in the wrap video posted above, the baby is in a very natural position, like a frog, with a slight curve to their back. This position mimics the way baby spent their previous nine months in the womb.

Here are a few photos of my boys enjoying their homemade wraps! ('Scuse me while I cry about how little they were here!)