Rucksack Carry crossed over chest

Most back carries with a wrap will have either rucksack straps (the wrap comes straight down from your shoulder and goes underneath the same arm like a backpack–or vice versa, from under one arm to over the same shoulder) or are crossed across the chest so the wrap goes from over one shoulder to under the opposite arm.

A lot of people like rucksack straps because it saves having to find a way to spread the wrap across your chest without looking funny.  A lot of people like rucksack straps because they’re cooler, and use a little less fabric.

Some people don’t like rucksack straps because they pinch, or cut off circulation, or feel like they’re going to slip off your shoulders.  It varies by individual.

If you are not comfortable with rucksack straps, do the same carry but cross over your breasts instead of doing rucksack straps.  If your wrap is long enough, you also have the option of tying Tibetan (instead of doing the cross) to pull the straps together in the center and relieve any pressure or prevent slippage.

Conversely, if you do not care for a cross in the front, you can still do your favorite, traditionally crossed, carry, but use rucksack straps instead of a cross.

Today I took advantage of the versatility of a wrap to switch from rucksack straps to crossed in front.  Belle was asleep in a short Double Hammock Carry (tied under the bum) and after a while my arms started to feel tingly, even though I am usually completely comfortable with rucksack straps.  I switched to crossed and she stayed up there for another hour.

Double Hammock Carry crossed over chest

Back Wrap Cross Carry with rucksack straps

2.5 year old

first you find the middle

then you throw yourself over your kid after running around in the livingroom trying to catch him

lift him by the arms

fly him up and TRY to put him on your back

finally!

bend forward and spread the toddlers legs so that he wraps them around your back

push the fabric under his bum all the way to the knees

pull the fabric straight forward to tighten the "belt" (no he's not sleeping hehe)

squeeze one end of the wrap between your thighs

Grab the upper rim of the other . . .

and put it over your arm and shoulder . . .

and bring the wrap around the toddler's back

spread the wrap

tighten well and bring the wrapend under the toddler's foot and squeeze it with your thighs

do the same thing

make a comfortable shoulder

voila!

now you can rock on!!

Nursing in the Short Front Cross Carry

I dedicated yesterday to my 3.6 meter Inka Storchenwiege.  It is one of my very favorite wrap colorways, has been used plenty and is floppy soft, and I used it in July in Florida, albeit mostly indoors.

I am something like 5’3 and 115 lbs.  The 3.6 was too short for FWCC or BWCC, but there were a lot of carries I could do.

Front carries with 3.6 Inka:

• Short Front Cross Carry
• Abbreviated Front Wrap Cross Carry (tied under bum)
• Kangaroo Carry

Hip carries with 3.6 Inka:

• Hip Cross Carry
• Poppins Hip Carry
• Robins Hip Carry (tied under bum)

Back carries with 3.6 Inka:

• Rucksack and Tibetan Carries
• Back Wrap Cross Carry with rucksack straps (instead of crossed over chest)
• Double Hammock Carry tied under bum (instead of tied in front)

Robins Hip Carry

If your son is going to want to go up and down a lot, I recommend the Rucksack Carry, as it is the fastest to get up and down.  It is also great for the Summer with only one layer of wrap over your toddler.  This is the one I used when we were at the zoo when Ada was two and three years old.  Her legs would get tired so up she’d go.  A few minutes later she’d see something interesting and down she’d come.  A few minutes later she wanted to be carried again…

The Rucksack can be done tied around the waist, which is the fastest and easiest method for me and I demonstrate it with a toddler in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58nFvouWcfE&feature=player_embedded

The Rucksack can also be tied Tibetan style which you can see if you scroll down to the bottom of my rucksack page: http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/rucksack.htm

Or the Rucksack can be done with a short wrap (rebozo), and simply tied under your child’s bottom, instead of brought back around to the front to tie.  This way there is nothing going around your waist and you have less wrap to carry while your toddler is not up.  Here we are with a Rucksack tied under the bottom at the zoo when Ada was two:

For longer wearing, say if you expect him to stay wrapped up for a hike, a grocery trip, or if you expect him to fall asleep, a multi-layered carry might prove more comfortable in the long run.  Whereas the rucksack Carry supports your child with one layer of fabric, other carries that wrap around your child more than once often feel more supportive for a heavier child.  Try one of these:

The Double Hammock Carry is my favorite with a little baby, but it is extremely supportive with a bigger child as well.  The weight of your child is spread across your entire torso, waist, and both shoulders.  In this video I demonstrate the DHC with a sleeping toddler:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-QqZms9Qw

The Back Wrap Cross Carry is also very supportive, but the child may ride lower on your back, and not be able to see over your shoulders.  It’s great for a sleeping big kid, and I demonstrate it with a four year old girl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx_7rpzmDwY

When my good friend Rachel was pregnant with her second baby, baby number one was two years old.  They let me take some photos of them to demonstrate wearing a toddler in a back wrap cross carry while pregnant:

Two year old in a BWCC tied under pregnant bump.

Babywearing and hanging laundry while pregnant!

BWCC supports two-year old comfortably on her mamma's back.

That was two years before my pregnancy, and the only babywearing while pregnant pictures I can find of myself are me wearing Rachel’s second daughter.  Aurora is in the tummy in the photos above, and on my back in the photos below.  You can just see my belly starting to bulge with Annabelle-to-be, and this is the very same wrap two years later:

Wearing a two year old while pregnant.

Rebozo one-shouldered back carry.

There are two important things to know about wrapping while pregnant:

• Don’t do anything that strains your body.
• Experiment with carries to find one that is comfortable for your pregnant body.

The Back Wrap Cross Carry is often a good one, as the crosses can be spread wide over the chest for comfort, the multiple passes over your child provides sturdy support for a bigger kid, and the wrap can be tied above or below the bulge.

Tying a rucksack tibetan style allows you to forgo any tie at the waist.

Back carries allow your child to be carried and cuddled against you, without giving you too much of a workout, and without jeopardy of squishing the baby growing around front.  Additionally, the weight on your back can actually balance out a hugely pregnant tummy and feel very comfortable for some pregnant ladies!