I bought us a Baby Bjorn Synergy carrier a few weeks ago via eBay and know that it will be great for extended wearing, taking long walks, shopping excursions and so on. But I also think that I’ll want to be wearing Mackenzie when I’m working around the house too and I won’t want to use something as complex as the Baby Bjorn. You might wonder why I would want to wear her all the time when I could just have her in a playpen nearby. But because I want to use natural infant hygiene with her, as well as baby signing, having her in a wrap near me at all times is perfect to really be able to communicate with her fully and start to read her body language. There are also wrap styles which would permit her to breastfeed without me needing to hold her so I can go on with life and work even though babies generally demand a lot of time.

So today I’m looking into wraps and how to tie them…which brought to me to the conclusion that I don’t need to spend $40 or more on a piece of fabric with someone’s logo on it. Instead I can just head over to a fabric store and pick up a bit of cotton jersey fabric (and maybe something fleece for the winter months), then learn a few basic tying methods and save myself a bundle! Wraps are just one of the many types of babywearing devices (as are slings with rings, shawls, podeagis and carriers, to name a few) so visit a few sites to learn which one is best for you.

If you think tying would be the most daunting part of the task, think again. Yes, you will want to practice a bit…and you certainly don’t want to run into anything with your baby in a wrap! You should also support the baby for a while with your arm or hand until you are sure you have the hang of making secure ties and that you place baby in a place where she won’t fall out. There are quite a few techniques you can try until you find something that is perfect for you but picking the best wrap method and just one fabric for the wrap seems like it will be the hardest part of the job thus far.

Wrap Your Baby has a nice overview of various wearing positions one can use for carrying newborns. Once you figure out if you want to wear your baby over one shoulder or both, in front or behind you, etc. you can view the detailed instructions on perfoming each tie.

NOTE from Oct. 16, 2008: Since Allie commented that slings are great, I started looking around to see if I could make one myself…and of course there are places online that talk about how to sew your own. My Karma Baby, for example, has a very pattern to making slings…and no, they don’t need to have the rings. I just wonder if it would be uncomfortable as your baby grows and gets heavier since you are only wearing the sling over one shoulder…but it certainly would be easier to not have to tie anything. I guess I’m just going to have to make both and see what seems best!