Woven Wraps; Part 2- Shorty Wraps

Hey babywearers! Today we're moving into part 2 of our woven wrap series and talking about short wrap carries. You may remember from part 1 of our series that wraps come in sizes. Your base size is the shortest wrap you can use for Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC). So, what counts as a shorty carry? Generally, it's considered a carry that uses a base -2 wrap or shorter, meaning something that can be done a wrap 2 sizes less than your base.

image via www.thenaturalbabyco.com

Shorty carries are great for on the go wrapping if you want less fabric to manage. Some people also say they prefer carries with less length because that's all their wrappee will give them time to finish! Whatever the reason and whatever size your wrappee, there's a shorty carry for that! I've chosen just a few to talk about here. These can be done with longer wraps as well, you'll just have longer tail. Let's talk about a few options:

Kangaroo Tied Under Bum (base -2/3)

Smiling white woman wears her baby in a blue gradient woven wrap. She stands by a window

This is a front carry that involves a capped shoulder (flipped underneath) and has the added benefit of being a carry you can pre-tie and pop your baby into and out of quickly. It's great for snuggles and the capping helps distribute the weight across your shoulders so you may not feel the same pressure with heavier babies that the bunched shoulders an FWCC can

sometimes give.

Traditional Sling Carry/TSC (Base -4)

Traditional Sling Carry. Photo courtesy of Sarah Locascio Photography. Image: a blonde white woman is holding a blonde baby who is smiling at the camera in a traditional sling carry using a wrap in a graduated grey color with a star pattern on it. The tails of the wrap are long and flowing

This is another carry that can be pre-tied! It's great for beginners and functions similarly to a ring sling. It's essentially a pouch or a sling pass with a slipknot that you tighten the carry through. TSC works well for newborns to bigger kids and can be wrapped centered on the chest or closer to your hip if you/your child prefer. I frequently use a base -3 for this (partially because that's what I have and also because flow-y tails!). This is one of my go-to's for travel. It's also a great carry for nursing because you can easily loosen to lower baby up or down as needed.

Robin's Hip Carry Tied Under Bum/ Robbin's TUB (base -2)

Image of a white woman wearing her baby boy in a aqua and white stripped woven wrap. They are outside

This is a hip carry that can be partially tied before popping your baby in, and can be worn more centered or closer to the hip, based on your preferences. We use this a lot for shopping and times when my toddler wants a good view of what's going on around him. A few tips and tricks I've picked up....it's easy to get slack and subsequently, sag, across the back of this carry if the shoulder isn't well-tightened. To tighten the shoulder, roll your shoulder around as you're tightening. To prevent the shoulder from sliding down as you tighten the pocket, keeping the pass going over the shoulder pinned tightly helps.

Shepherds (Base-2ish)

(2 images of shepherds Back Carry. L with a Knot and R with a ring)

This was my favorite back carry for a long time. It offers a lot of support and finishes with a slipknot in front. The trick to this one is getting the bottom rail of the chest pass really snug, so that the knot doesn't push the chest pass up.

Semi Double Hammock/Semi-DH (Base -3)

Image of a white womasn torso wrapped in a green and purple wave pattered wrap. A sliding knot is at her shoulder on the left

This is actually one of my favorite bigger kid carries. It's nice in the summer when it's hot and I want the support of a double hammock without all the fabric. The weight rests a little more on the hips so it's got a lot of support despite the one shoulder. It's not a great carry for leaners though, so take that into account.

Rear Reinforced Ruck /RRR /also called Pirate's Carry (Base -3)

(Front and back view of RRR, left shows the front of a white woman in glasses with a blue wrap, Right shows the back of a woman in a purple and green wrap.)

This was the second back carry I learned after a ruck and it's been a good one. It's a great beginner back carry and can be finished in a variety of ways. My favorite is with a candy cane chest belt. It has an extra pass to give a little more support than a basic ruck, so it works well for heavy babies. It's also good for leaners and gives extra support without addjng a lot of layers across your body.

Twisted Pirate Carry (Base -2)

Chest pass of a white woman wearing a aqua ad white woven wrap in a Twisted pirates carry

This uses a flipped pass across the chest to distribute weight, making this a good carry for heavier babies. It's also a good carry for leaners. It has a sliding knot for adjusting.

Short Ruckless Bikini Carry/ Short RBC (Base -2)

Cropped image of a white womans chest. She wears a tie dye tshirt and a glue and white striped woven wrap in a Short Ruckless Bikini carry

This carry has a lot of loyal followers and has good support for toddlers as well. A lot of times people will have a preference between this and Shepherd's and I'm going to be honest here...I'm #teamshepherds, so I've never mastered this one. There are a few different ways to wrap this (my preference is to wrap like I'm wrapping Shepherd's and flip the chest pass). The advice I CAN offer is that this carry is best done with thin to mid-weight wraps. Thicker wraps will leave you with a really large knot at the shoulder.

There are many, many more shorty carries than those listed here and lots of fun finishes and variations that can be done with them. This is just a sampling! Keep in mind that these can generally be done with longer wraps as well, you'll just have longer tails. Check this YouTube playlist for these videos and more! We'd love to hear what some of your favorite shorty carries are, as well as any tips and tricks you want to share!

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Peace, Love, and Babywearing for all

Blog written by NYBW educator Catherine Kehrer