When I became a mom in 2011, one of my hardest realizations was understanding that if anything was to get done around the house, then it would no longer be with two hands. Heck, we’re lucky to get one hand sometimes, am I right, mommas? That’s when I discovered babywearing. It’s a game-changer (for me, anyways). Getting two hands back? AWESOME. Baby happy? Check. Momma happy? Oh, yes. Although I do own a simple sling and an ergonomic carrier, the Moby Wrap is by far my absolute favorite.

This post has not been sponsored, all ideas and reviews are 100% my own. However, this post contains affiliate links where I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase (at NO extra cost to you). Any income earned is used to keep www.kymakeupjunkie.com up and running.

Let me start off by saying that in NO WAY has Moby or anyone paid me to write this post, I’m just a huge fan of the wrap! I got it in 2011 when I had my daughter and now use it with my baby boy. It hasn’t aged a bit despite its many washings and wearings. Since mine is black, the color has faded a little bit, but not much at all. The stretch factor is just as great as day 1. Sure, it just looks like one really giant piece of stretchy fabric. That’s probably because…it’s just one giant piece of stretchy fabric. BUT…it’s genius! It has a 4-way stretch so it really is best for all the different ways that you can use it. You can find the one that I use here (on Amazon): Moby Wrap Original 100% Cotton Baby Carrier, Black

Why is the Moby Wrap a life saver? You can keep baby close, have hands-free shopping, clean the house, and even nurse the baby inside it! It doesn’t get much better than that! You can put baby in facing out or facing you, but the wrapping technique is exactly the same either way you do it. I like to have him facing outward if he’s wound up and I just need to get some things done. He watches what I do and I think he likes to see what’s happening.

Of course, my son is a nosy nelly. I like to have him face me when he’s whiny and needs a nap. Usually when I walk around with him like that, he will fall asleep pretty easily. He’s snug as a bug and bouncing around with mom, what’s not to like? AND I will say, neither of my kids liked to be swaddled, but they DID still both love the Moby. Sometimes they’d want out, my son gets squirmy if he’s too hot so he lets me know.

I will say, when I first got the wrap, it totally intimidated me. It’s SOOO long, and I thought I’d never learn to do it without looking at instructions every time. But after trying it over and over, I had it down in a couple days. Now I’m an old pro. You will be too. My baby is big enough to hang his legs through, but you will see as you scroll down what a newborn looks like in the wrap as well.

I’ll show you in a few detailed pics how to wrap. Unfold your long wrap, find the tag which is the exact midpoint. It works as a nice guideline. Just line it up with your belly button and you’re good to go! You can sort of wad the fabric here or fold in long-ways so that it’s not super wide when you hold it up (it shouldn’t be touching your knees!) Wrap it around your waist, and once it’s in back, overlap them and spread your arms with it.

Then lift your arms up, and you’ll see you’ve created an X on your back. Lay the “straps” on your shoulders and let them drape over your shoulders in the front.

Now the fun begins. You’re going to make another X in front. Grab one side and tuck it into your “belt” across the front. Then do the other side so that you see your X. The entire wrap should not be super tight, but not extremely loose either. You will have time to adjust later though.

Once you have your X, wrap the two ends behind your waist and secure with a good knot. NOTE: If you have any excess fabric dangling, you can let it hang OR you can wrap it back in front and knot it in the front. Either way.

Now you have the wrap on, and it’s loose enough to get the baby in.

Now, grab that baby!

This part may be easier while watching yourself in the mirror until you get it down. But soon you won’t need it! Now decide which way you want baby to face. I’m going to place him facing outward. What your going to do is put his legs inside of the X that you created:

And once his legs are in there, make sure you put his arms in BEHIND the straps so that he’s secure and he won’t try to “jump ship”! After he’s completely inside the X, you’re going to pull the extra “belt” from around your waist up over his legs. This is the added security that he will need to stay in place. It keeps him tucked in!

Now that he’s fully in, you can start “fanning out” the wrap under his bum, over your shoulders, and up high across his chest so that you both feel secure and comfortable.

And the whole time, your tag should have stayed in place in the front area so that you have a proportionate wrap going on.

I like to fan mine over my shoulders for a little extra security feeling since my little guy isn’t super little – he’s kind of a big dude and was barely 6 months old here. Aaaaand he was being a little sassy until I got him fully in. Haha.

And this is what it looks like when he’s all comfy and ready to hang out! And now that he’s in there, you can adjust as needed without taking him out- tighten the knot if you need to, wrap it around front to tie it if you want, etc.

Here’s a back shot with a back knot, but like I said earlier, you can knot in the front if you don’t like the excess or if it makes you feel more secure.

And here’s what it looks like when he’s facing me! He was pretty crabby at this point from all the baby wrangling while my mom took pictures, so we left his arms out, which he likes! But if you want him to be snug for nap time, then tuck his arms in and he will rest on momma’s chest!

You can also put a newborn/smaller babies in the same way. The wrap technique is the same, and the “belted” part that you’d normally pull over over the legs just pulls over the whole body as extra security while baby is tucked in. My baby is bigger, but you can see in this picture of my beautiful friend Missy how the same technique works for her precious newborn, and the shoulder “strap” secures her sweet little head. Adorable!

I have also nursed in the wrap often, particularly in the early months with my kids. Essentially it’s the same exact wrap technique, but you slide baby in sideways through the X and then pull the “belted” part up over for security. With this side technique, baby is completely covered, cozy and nursing, or you can open the side up if you aren’t a modest nurser. I have grocery shopped like this. All people can see is baby’s feet hanging out (if you choose). It’s great! Of course, you can nurse in it with baby upright also, especially when he or she is bigger, and you can do this with or without a nursing cover.

It’s great for skin to skin contact too to keep baby close. Pretty awesome! And this is what it looks like when it’s all folded up and in it’s matching drawstring bag, ready for travel! Easy and doesn’t take up much space!

And here’s a little summary photo chart that you can pin to Pinterest to refer to easily:

So are you a babywearing momma? Do you like the Moby or prefer a different method? Do share!

 

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