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wrap carries:
newborn carries
front wraps
cradle carry
cross cradle
front wrap cross
pocket wrap cross
cross carry
short cross carry
kangaroo carry
back wraps
rucksack
Tibetan
back wrap cross
getting baby on back
hip wraps
hip carry
hip cross carry
hip cross cradle carry
wrap tips
Mei Tai carries
front carry
back carry
hip carry
Mei Tai tips

Carrying Newborns



wearing your newborn


Newborn babies evoke such feelings of love, that parents tend to spend a lot of time gazing adoringly. Babywearing facilitates this perfectly! And for those times when your newborn is evoking feelings of exhaustion and despair (of ever getting the dishes done), well, babywearing is perfect for those times too! Newborns are small enough and light enough to wear constantly, always under your eye and close to your heart, while leaving your busy hands free for other things! As if that wasn't wonderful enough, newborn babies thrive when kept close at all times. Their little scrunched up bodies learn rhythm, balance, and mobility from the parent they are wrapped up with. Newborns are comforted by the constant presence and body contact of their caregiver, just as many a caregiver is comforted to feel the constant heartbeat and soft breath of their newborn!

Thanks to Heidi and Karen for sharing photos of their wonderful newborn wraps and their beautiful babies!



FWCC, 2 days old Front Wrap Cross Carry

Heidi is wearing her two day old infant in a front wrap cross carry. This is not the cradle variation so the inner wrap is not folded in half. Baby is upright and the crosses, instead of crossing between baby's legs, are wrapped around and under baby securely so that his legs are tucked up inside. Wrapping her baby upright instead of lying down in the cradle allows Heidi to have her baby up very high. They are taking advantage of the sunlight which helps avoid newborn jaundice.

Cradle Wrap Cross, 5 days old Cradle Wrap Cross Carry

Heidi's baby is 5 days old in this picture, and is nursing. This is a cradle wrap cross carry, with the infant lying in the folded inner wrap, and the crosses covering and supporting him.

Cross Carry, 5 days old Cross Carry

Heidi has wrapped her 4 day old baby in a cross carry, very similar to the front wrap cross carry, but there is no initial wrap around baby. Heidi has her baby lying in the cross carry cradle style, reclining on the inner cross which Heidi has pulled around him like a pocket (with the edge near her shoulder coming around on top of him, and the edge near her neck under him and between their two bodies), and the outer cross is spread over, around, and under him for support and security. Instead of tying at her waist, Heidi has simply kept the entire wrap job up high where she wants her baby, tucking and tying the wrap right under him.

Kangaroo carry, 6 days old Kangaroo Carry

Heidi's baby is 6 days old in the Kangaroo Carry, with the top rail pulled up to provide excellent head support. Again, the newborn baby's legs are tucked inside the pocket, instead of hanging out the bottom as they would be for a toddler. The straps coming from Heidi's back are simply wrapped around her waist under her baby's bottom.

Oscar in Tibetan
Oscar in Tibetan, back
Tibetan, 11 days old
Tibetan Back Carry

Karen is wearing Oscar in the tibetan carry, where he immediately fell asleep. Back carries are wonderful because they allow the wearer to really get things done, while keeping baby close and contented. With Oscar's head resting on the back of her neck, Karen will instantly know whether he is awake or asleep or comfortable or not. Karen has tied the tibetan with Oscar's feet inside the pocket, and the straps that usually cross in between a baby's feet are spread out over Oscar's back and well under his bottom so that there is fabric between Oscar and his mommy. This ensures that he is very secure and will stay exactly put.

Heidi is carrying her 11 day old baby in the tibetan carry in a very similar position--high enough to keep an eye on, and to allow baby to rest his head on her neck. Heidi has tucked her son's feet in to the pocket as well, however she has not spread the straps over his back, merely wrapping them around her back under her baby. With her baby's feet tucked into the pocket, and the fabric of the pocket pulled well up under her baby's bottom and feet, and tucked between her back and her baby, Heidi can be sure that her baby is very secure and cozy. Heidi has the top of the pocket pulled high to support the back of her baby's head.

Rucksack, 7 days old
Rucksack at 7 days
Rucksack Back Carry

While the tibetan is popular for a very high back carry, Heidi has her baby just as high in a rucksack carry. She has tied the waist straps just under her breasts instead of at the waist, and that keeps her baby up high. Heidi's baby is about 7 days old in both pictures. Again, Heidi has the wrap pulled tight and high at the top so that it provides head support. As with the other carries, Heidi has her newborn's feet tucked up in the wrap, and the straps are tied under his bottom. In the second picture, Heidi has the green wrap twisted tightly as it comes over and under her shoulders. This is to keep the rails (the top side, and bottom side of the wrap) super tight.