How to Braid Your Baby Wrap

Women around the world wear their babies in wraps.

Many parents use ring slings and tailored baby carriers to wear their babies. Another popular baby-wearing option is a woven wrap. Woven baby wraps are becoming more and more popular for their ease of use, versatility, and the soft comfort they offer to both parents and babies. A woven wrap is also easy to care for. Most require a simple cold wash and hang to dry. When a newly washed wrap seems a bit crunchy or stiff, braiding is an easy way to soften a wrap, whether it be freshly washed or brand new and in need of breaking in.

Instructions

1. Lay your wrap out lengthwise and twist the full length of the wrap, so that you now have one long single strand of wrap laying in front of you.

2. 

   Your loop should resemble the one in an awareness ribbon.

   Pick up one end of the wrap and make a loop with it. You should now have a loop that resembles an awareness ribbon, with one long tail and one short tail. Make certain that the longer tail is crossing over the front side of the loop, closest to you.

3. Reach your hand through the loop and wrap your fingers around the longer tail. Pull just enough of the long tail through the loop, towards you, to form another loop. Stop pulling once you have a new loop just big enough for your hand to fit through.

4. Continue pulling the long tail through to form new loops, until almost all of the long tail is used up. When there is less than one foot of wrap remaining, pull the entire rest of the long tail through the last loop to finish the braid.

Tips & Warnings

• Braid your wrap this way after each wash, and your wrap will soon be very soft and comfortable. If you have purchased a brand new wrap, braid it to break it in and it too will become more comfortable to wear. If your wrap is unused for a period of time, store your wrap this way to keep it protected.

References

• The Sling Station: Didymos FAQ: How Do I Soften Up a Wrap?