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Hidden Benefits of Toddler Wrapping

There are the reasons you decide to wrap your toddler, and then there are the benefits you didn’t know you would get that make it impossible to imagine life without toddlerwearing.

Real quick let’s recap a few of the reasons you might be googling “can I babywear a toddler? or “best baby carrier for toddler.”

1. Safety – there are some places it’s not safe for your toddler to run around.
2. Convenience – let’s be honest, moving at a snail’s pace while your toddler touches EVERY pebble isn’t always going to fit into your day. Sometimes you just need to GET there.
3. Comfort – your arms are TIRED with this giant toddler and they’re not ready to be put down!
4. Minimalism – you don’t have and don’t WANT a stroller (or you wish you could use the stroller but your toddler won’t stay in it).
5. Barnaclism – your toddler is a human barnacle and you still have things to do 😄

Safety, convenience, comfort & minimalism are all great reasons to wrap your toddler.

10 Toddler wrapping benefits you didn’t expect:

Toddler wrapping will surprise you with unexpected rewards and here are some of them:

1. 😡 Emotions – toddler emotions are some of the biggest emotions. When they get overstimulated or start to get tired, or lose their balloon, wrapping them up can provide a safe place for them to calm down. When you wrap up before things go too far, you get fewer tantrums, in public and at home. That is priceless.
2. 🛒 Shopping – sometimes a cart just won’t contain a toddler who will try to climb out every time you turn your back!
3. 🏞️ Hiking & Adventures – there are so many places you can go when you don’t rely on how long your toddler can walk or being somewhere paved so you can bring a stroller. Hikes, and camping, and national parks, and long days at the zoo or walks on the beach…
4. 📅 Scheduling – you no longer have to schedule activities around naptime, because you can throw the toddler on your back to nap without losing your stride.
5. 💪 Strength & Fitness – just walking is a great exercise for mom life, and wrapping a baby is the equivalent of adding a weighted vest. Your baby growing into a toddler naturally adds gradual weight to your daily routine as you build muscle. Wrapping your toddler for everyday activities and chores you were going to do anyway helps build strength and endurance and may contribute to an increase in bone density which is important for women’s health as we age. Wrapping moms are strong moms!
6. 👶 Sibling rivalry – a lot of toddlers need reassurance that they still have a place in your heart and wrapping lets them be your baby again.
7. 👀 Part of the Action – wrapped on your back and looking over your shoulder lets your toddler share your point of view on the world and be part of all that you are seeing and doing, so toddlers tend to love it! It’s a fantastic perspective for learning from your everyday activities and learning social skills as you interact with the people you encounter.
8. 💬 Chatting & Bonding – that sweet toddler voice that only you can understand, chattering in your ear from a back carry as you both move through the world . . . a back carry lets your toddler share your point of view and chat with you about it. This age is so special!
9. 🏡 Home Away From Home – your wrap is a safe place you can bring anywhere to give your toddler a feeling of quiet separation to nap, to nurse, or to withdraw from the world when you are out and about.
10. 🥰 Cuddles – they are not always going to be so into cuddling, so we have to get our cuddles in while we can! These are the years we get to hold them close and feel their breath on our skin and we want to cuddle them as much as they want mom cuddles!

Won’t wearing my toddler hurt my back?

I never want babywearing or toddlerwearing to be painful. It’s important to know that it can and SHOULD be comfortable! And, in fact, it should save your arms and make it EASIER to carry your toddler.

If you have been wrapping your baby (or using any baby carrier regularly) and that baby is turning into a toddler, then your muscles have been getting stronger as your baby has grown, and there is not a jump to carrying more weight than you are accustomed to. Which is a beautiful design.

But if you are new to babywearing, and just wanting to start now with your toddler, there may be a bit more of an adjustment period. So take it slow and easy on yourself by wrapping for a few minutes a day the first day, then gradually up it to longer periods. If you feel sore the next day, it might mean you stayed wrapped up longer than your muscles were ready to handle.

But it could also just mean that there was some slack in your carry that made your muscles work harder than they should have to. The key to comfort is going to be getting all of the slack out of your carry so your toddler is bound to your torso, and not hanging from your shoulders!

Tristan from All Wrapped Up offers these suggestions if wearing your toddler is making you sore:

• Use a carrier with good support, such as wide shoulder straps and a firm waistband or a woven wrap that can be tightened to your specific body
• Try back or hip carrying
• Pay attention to your posture: stand tall and engage your core
• Wear for shorter bursts instead of long stretches
• Adjust and reposition as needed
• Reach out to a local babywearing educator

Woven wrapping is amazing because there are so many different ways you can wrap your toddler that will distribute your toddler’s weight across different muscles. If your toddler has been sleeping in the wrap for an hour and shows no signs of waking up, you can change up the way he or she is wrapped to give a break to your muscles that have been bearing most of the weight. For example, without waking your toddler up you may be able to change your carry to a Torso Carry to give your shoulders a break.

As toddlers seem to gain 10 lbs the moment they fall asleep, this can be very handy.

For supportive carries that last 40 minutes or more:

For the most supportive carries that will continue to feel comfortable when you carry your toddler for an hour or two . . . use a long wrap to do multi-layer carries like Double Hammock Carry, Back Wrap Cross Carry, Christina’s Ruckless Back Carry, or Charlie’s Cross Carry.

These carries are great for:

• naptime when you’re out
• taking a toddler on an adult-length hike
• walking to pick an older child up from school each day
• the second half of a tiring day at a festival or event

Use your base size wrap for these supportive carries. Here’s a chart to help you find out what wrap will be your base size (the size you need for full length carries), and what size would fit you best for “base -2” carries which I talk about below:

For Fast Ups & Downs:

If you have a toddler who likes to be walking but frequently asks to be carried for 2 – 20 minutes, then wants down again . . . on repeat, a short wrap (one that can be easily carried, tied around your waist, slung over your neck, or fit into your diaper bag) is perfect for short carries that are fast to put on and fast to take off.

I recommend a wrap that is 2 sizes smaller than your base size for these carries. Use the chart above to find your short wrap size.

Rucksack Carry is the most popular fast carry and has many variations you can try.

Some other good ones are Half Jordan’s Back Carry or Semi Double Hammock Carry.

These are carries you can put on very quickly, with practice, because you don’t want to spend 5 minutes wrapping up a carry that your toddler is going to want to get out of 5 minutes later!

Or if you don’t expect to have your toddler wrapped up – say for a kids birthday party – a short wrap is perfect as a just-in-case backup 😄

What about Toddler Front Carries?

Back carries, if wrapped well, are almost always going to be the most comfortable way to carry your toddler, and are more ergonomic for your body.

However there are several really good reasons to front carry, and several situations in which you might be really glad to have a front carry option. Such as when breastfeeding, or when soothing a toddler who is feeling sick or has been injured.

You can absolutely wrap your toddler in a front carry as needed.

Since toddlers are heavy, I would suggest a couple of front carries that are not shoulder-heavy, such as Front Reinforced Torso Sling with a short wrap or Front Double Hammock Carry with a long wrap (use your base size).

Both of those carries work well for breastfeeding in the wrap 😄

When to stop babywearing a toddler?

There’s no right time to stop toddlerwearing. Keep wrapping or carrying your toddler as long as it is comfortable and beneficial for you both.

Karla from The Babywearing Club put it like this: Toddler wearing isn’t just a phase — it’s a powerful parenting tool that grows with your child. Whether you’re navigating meltdowns in a shop, hiking with your little one, or just trying to make it through a busy morning at home with multiple kids, babywearing can make life a little more manageable — and a lot more connected.

I think you’ll find, like I did, that you and your toddler will both get a lot of benefits from continuing to wrap. Practical benefits, as Austin from Nourish & Align shares here: One of the biggest perks of toddlerwearing is that it makes running errands so much easier, especially when your toddler is heading into nap territory. Ever been stuck in the middle of a grocery store with a toddler who is refusing to nap? Wearing them in a carrier on your back can be a lifesaver.

But also magical moments, as Elise from Mom Bod Fitness shared: But it also brings a different kind of joy than those sleepy newborn snuggles did – one in which your child can participate in your world, and you get a front row seat to their curiosity, joy, and wonder.

What’s more, lots of parents wrap even older children for a variety of reasons, whether for the convenience of skipping a stroller, in one-off situations that require deeper connection and co-regulation, or as a tool for neurological conditions and special needs.

Bianca from the Center for Babywearing Studies remembers how having the right carrying options in her bag helped her be responsive to her preschooler when out and about in New York City. “I always had a lightweight ring sling or shortie in my bag, it was so easy to pull them out to put him up on my back at a moments notice.”

Want Help Wrapping Your Toddler?

Want more hand holding as you pick out and learn to use a woven wrap, or for learning more advanced ways of wrapping? See how you can work with me on your wrapping!

I don’t know when you’re reading this, but I’m hoping it was the help you needed today. I would very much appreciate it if you drop a comment and let me know if this was helpful or what help you are looking for.

Happy Wrapping!
❤️ Diana

Tags: babywearing benefits, toddlers & older children