Front Wrap Cross Carry Newborn Twist
The Front Wrap Cross Carry Newborn Twist is a trick that may make your newborn Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC) work better for you.
Using this twist is not wrong or right. It’s a tool for you to use if it fits your needs!
As long as your baby is positioned safely and you are both comfortable and happy, then you are wrapping ‘right’ whether you twist or not.
How to tell your baby is positioned safely:
- baby cannot fall out of the wrap
- baby is held snugly against your chest (or back) with no room between you and baby cannot sink down, slouch, or turn in the wrap
- baby’s face is visible and clear of fabric; and baby’s chin is up (not curled toward the chest)
In most cases, to best support a baby’s natural physiology, I will teach you to wrap baby in an upright position with the wrap coming well under baby’s bottom and scooping baby’s knees upwards. This will tilt baby’s pelvis up, create a comfortable seat of fabric under baby, hold hips in the most optimum position, and support the nice healthy curve of baby’s spine which curves outward like the letter C (you can see this rounded spine positioning in the photos below).
But as for actual safety points, they are mainly the three above to ensure that baby’s airway is protected and that there is no fall risk. More about safe positioning and optimum positioning.
Front Wrap Cross Carry Newborn Twist
In a Front Wrap Cross Carry, the baby’s knees should be up higher than the bottom. The lower legs should be able to hang strait down from the knee.
Front Wrap Cross Carry can be done with spread passes or bunched passes. Here is how each version looks:
Spread or Bunched Crosses for Front Wrap Cross Carry?
Front Wrap Cross Carry – the original version – has spread crosses. This puts three layers of wrap over baby which offers more support. More recently the variation with bunched passes has become popular. Bunched crosses leave just one layer covering baby which is nice for hot weather, and for those who prefer a single layer of fabric over a newborn baby such as some European babywearing educators. It is also sometimes simpler for a new wrapper to learn, as there is no spreading after the initial layer.
Both are great and knowing your options gives you the greatest versatility so you always have tweaks that allow you to make wrapping work in any situation.
Click here to learn how to do a Front Wrap Cross Carry with a woven wrap.
When to use the Front Wrap Cross Carry Newborn Twist
When the passes are bunched the entire width of the wrap is bunched up into a bunch, crosses under baby and then passed under each leg. If it’s not a thin wrap, the bunched wrap can be quite bulky under baby’s leg, causing it to splay outward from the parent’s body and potentially be uncomfortable.
Twisting the wrap twice under baby’s bottom before bringing the ends around your waist to tie in back brings the wrap lower on your waist so that it does not need to go under baby’s legs when it goes around. The twist locks the seat under baby so the carry is secure, and a cross between the legs is not necessary.
If the bunches seem too bulky for your baby’s legs, go ahead and try the twist!
The Newborn Twist can be used with a Kangaroo Carry, as well, as you can see in this video (check the 4:00 mark):
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