The Ashworth Blog: July 2010

Before Theodore was born, I received two different baby carriers, one from my mom and another from my mother-in-law. One was a sling that you wear over one shoulder and the other was more of a backpack with buckles. I originally thought I would wear the first one more because it looked more comfy and cute, but I found that my baby's neck was not strong enough to keep from being squished until he was two and a half months old. So I reverted to the ergobaby carrier. By the time Theo's neck was strong enough to be carried in the sling, I found I had two issues with it. First and foremost, Theo didn't like it for some reason. And second, it put too much strain on my shoulders. That made me realize how well the ergobaby balances the weight between my hips and my shoulders. Theodore is almost 7 months old now, and I've been wearing the ergobaby every single day, maybe I've missed a day or two, but seriously, every single day. And wearing something everyday can get old, like wearing the same t-shirt everday for months!

I began looking for an additional baby carrier. I found this cute one on the etsy website and ordered one for me and one for my sister who's having a baby in the Fall. The designs on the panels are so cute, but the quality of the sewing job was poor. My sister and I were pretty disappointed. Mine ripped an inch and a half the first day I wore it!

So.... after some thought, I figured it couldn't be that difficult to make my own now that I had a pattern to follow. But for copyright reasons, I would need to make some adjustments - but still keep the same idea. So I bought a sturdier fabric and decided to serge the border, both of which will improve the quality. Once I had decided to make one, I needed a sewing machine. For a few months now, I had been contemplating getting one for myself anyway as a graduation present to myself. (I'm graduating from BYU in six weeks!) So I talked to a number of moms who sew to get their opinions on sewing machines and then found what I wanted at the price I wanted. This weekend I made my first two wraps, which I think I'll call Cuddle Wraps. And a couple of my friends with babies think they're so cute that they asked me if I could make one for them. Sure! My mom, bless her heart, drove me around town to the different fabric stores so we could find the cutest material, and now I have at least 20 different fabric swatches. So if you would like a Cuddle Wrap, let me know, and I'd love to make one for you. The cheapest price I've found on the esty website is $60 for a reversible wrap, but don't freak out, I wouldn't charge that much! I was thinking more along the lines of $35.

Now let me tell you the pros and cons of this kind of baby wrap. First the cons: it's a lot of fabric, so it takes a little longer to put on, and it would be hard to do it with a baby in your other hand. But you do get faster with practice. I've only had mine a week, and now I can put mine on in less than a minute. Also, it can get hot, but I'm trying to find the cotton jersey fabric on sale because it's a lighter, cooler material. (Right now it's going for $13 a yard, and the wrap is 5.5 yards!) But it's not that bad, and it the cooler months, it's wonderful.

The pros definitely outweigh the cons: It distributes the weight nicely, so not one part of your body has to bear the extra strain. It's all soft material (100% cotton), so it's comfortable to wear, and you can adjust the width of the straps to your liking. In my opinion, the best feature about the Cuddle Wrap is it's versatility, i.e. all the different ways you can carry your baby. You can carry him front facing in, front side lying for nursing, sitting up on your hip, on your back, and if your baby is anything like mine, you'll appreciate that he can face out in a front carry!!! As infants grow and become more alert, they want to see the world, so facing out facilitates that perfectly. The wrap is also reversible so you can change the look depending on the day or your outfit.