Baby Wrap Carrier

5 Babywearing Tips for Beginners - Written By Megzie

I was so excited to receive my gorgeous black Wrap Carrier from VIXSA, until I opened it and realised I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS THING WORKS. But the gorgeous ladies at VIXSA were SO helpful. They sent me videos and instructions (and a whole lot of encouragement) on how to go about the art Babywearing.

So I thought I’d share some tips, from my experience, with you guys.

[1] PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT

I guess this goes without saying, but practise, practise, practise! I started practicing before little J was born, so that I’d at least have the concept down pat. I may, or may not have used a stuffed toy in place of J! Although, looking back now, I realise I had the teddy facing the wrong way – NEVER let your baby face outwards guys! I wanted to be sure that I had the wrapping part down pat before I was going to place my precious little human into it.

It’s actually quite simple once you get the hang of it. And what I love is that VIXSA has made two awesome videos that explain

1) How to put on your Wrap Carrier and
2) How to put your baby inside your Wrap Carrier.

Check them out here. I found that watching the videos instead of just reading the instructions made things a whole lot more simple for me.

[2] WEAR IT BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT

If you plan on carrying your baby in your carrier when you are out and about (running errands, shopping, visiting friends etc) I’d recommend putting your carrier on before you leave your house. There are a couple of reasons for this:

  1. If your out and about and your baby starts crying, you don’t want to waste time putting on the wrap when you could simply just pick him up and pop him in it.
  2. The wrap is super long, so you avoid getting it dirty from it draping on the ground while you’re putting it on. Imagine if it’s been raining and you’re in a carpark and then your gorgeous wrap touches the dirty, wet ground – no thanks!
  3. It’s one less thing to think about when you arrive at your destination, being a mum and having to cover all bases is hard enough guys!!
  4. If you put the wrap on in the comfort of your home, without any added stress, you’ll know that you’ve definitely put it on correctly and you’ll have confidence when you arrive at your destination to put your baby in it – especially when you’re just starting out!

[3] THE TIGHTER THE BETTER

This hardest thing to have learnt is how tight/firm the carrier needs to be. It takes a few goes before you get good at this, but it is a safety thing, so it’s important to get it right.

The wrap should be tight enough to hug your baby close to you. Not only is this for safety, but it’s also the most comfortable way for both you and bubs. If the fabric is slack or loose, it means your baby will slump down in the carrier. This can hinder their breathing and also pull on your back – both of which are not ideal.

[4] CLOSE ENOUGH TO KISS

When your bubs is in the carrier, their head should be as close to your chin as comfortable. You should be able to kiss your baby on their head by simply tipping your head forward. As well as this, you should always be able to see your baby’s face by simply glancing down. The fabric of the carrier should never close around them so you have to open it to check on them.

[5] HAVE FUN WITH IT

I use my carrier ALL THE TIME! I go for walks around the block with bubs; I love to do this when he’s awake because then I can talk to him, and point out things like trees and houses and cars (even if he can’t see them because he’s facing me, it’s great for their development when they’re talked to all the time).

The fresh air also does us both a WORLD of good! Especially in the first few weeks, when you don’t want to venture out too far with your newborn. Being cooped up in the house can really get to you.

If Jasper's unusually unsettled I’ll pop him in the Wrap Carrier and walk around the house chatting to him (If you follow me on Insta, you’ll know that Jasper is no little baby, so he can get SUPER heavy if I just carry him).

I also LOVE wearing my wrap when we visit other peoples houses, because I can just pop Jasper in the wrap when we get out of the car and walk into the house. I especially loved this in the early days, because it kept him safe from germs (PRO TIP: I found people were less likely to ask to hold him if he was in the carrier)

I love to sing to Jasper too (I’m not very good at it, but he doesn’t seem to care). So I’ll often pop him in the Wrap Carrier, put Spotify on, and dance and sing with him (and when I say dance, I mean gently sway from side to side – no crazy dance moves people!!). Again, I love this, because he can get really heavy if I carry him, and I also know that he’s nice and secure in the wrap, so I’m not going to drop him while dancing!

T.I.C.K.S

Safety is super important when it comes to babywearing, so I thought I’d finish off with a little nod to the T.I.C.K.S rules for safe babywearing:

T- Tight
I – In view at all times
C – Close enough to kiss
K – Keep chin off the chest
S – Supported back

To read more about safe babywearing check out VIXSAs post about it here. 

I love the quality of the VIXSA Wrap Carrier and have genuinely had the best experience with it. As I mentioned at the start, Charline and Lekisha are so passionate about what they create and they have been SO helpful with any questions I’ve had. It’s a Wrap Carrier made by mums, for mums.

I also love how on point they are from a style perspective. There are some awesome prints to choose from, seriously, go check them out! VIXSA doesn't just sell wraps, they also have slings, journey cards and feeding covers that are all super trendy.

For those interested, the Wrap Carrier I’m wearing is called Savannah Nights

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