DIY Baby Wrap Carrier

How to make your own baby wrap carrier

Being a second time mum, I thought i knew what to expect from the newborn stage (aka the fourth trimester). My first born loved to be held but was able to self settle from an early age, meaning small tasks like putting the washing on or blow drying my hair were saved for nap time. My second child, however, was quite the opposite. And nap times were spent keeping a busy 18month old fed, happy and occupied.

This is when I began to investigate the baby wrap. I’d seen them in baby stores with their $90+ price tags and to be honest, they seemed like just another thing to buy that had a short shelf life and looked like not much more than an expensive length of fabric.

So to YouTube I went. And boy I’m glad I did. Because it turns out making your own baby wrap is super simple and takes about 10 minutes. It cost about $15 in materials and required just 50cm of stitching.

Making your own baby wrap

What you need

About 5 meters of fabric

You can:

• a) use one single piece of fabric, or
• b) buy a 2.5meter length, and cut it half widthwise (this will mean you buy half as much fabric)If you chose b), you will also need sewing machine to join together the 2.5 meter lengths (see diagrams) You can do it! It’s only 50cm of straight line sewing.

What type of fabric?

I used some bright, fun jersey cotton purchased from Spotlight. Jersey cotton is great because the edges don’t fray, and it is lightweight, breathable and has a little stretch making it very comfortable.

You could also use a bamboo fabric, or a breathable cotton (!important).

Making your baby wrap

Here is the YouTube tutorial I followed (thanks MySewBliss!)

How to Make and Tie a Baby Wrap! – Super cute, comfy, and stylish! By MySewBliss

MySewBliss also talks through positioning your baby’s legs ergonomically while wearing the wrap. Watch til the end…

The finished product

How to tie a baby wrap

Learn more about baby wraps and slings

Visit Raising Children, the Australian parenting website. It  contains information on what to look for in a baby carrier, healthy hip positioning for baby and using your baby carrier, sling or backpack safely.

Wearing a baby carrier or baby sling, homemade or store bought, may have risks associated. Please talk to your child and family health nurse, GP or paediatrician before using a baby carrier sling.