There are many reasons why baby wrapping has become popular, as well as why some mothers will choose to baby wrap rather than use a stroller.
If you are considering a baby wrap over a stroller there are some things to consider. Beyond the logistical issues, some mothers worry about how these wraps tie up, if they are safe, and wish to understand how the wrap actually works.
In this guide, we will cover the Boba Wrap, a popular example of the baby wrap, and how you tie it in order to create a secure seat for the baby.
Keep reading to find out if the Boba Wrap is right for you and your new baby.
What Is The Boba Wrap?
In the period where your baby is considered to be a newborn, a period often known as the ‘fourth trimester’ covering the first 12 weeks after birth, you will begin craving some change of scenery. Once you’ve regained your mobility, you can’t wait to get out a bit, it certainly feels natural to provide a baby with fresh air.
In this situation you have a few options, but two of the most popular are baby wrapping and using a stroller.
A stroller is mobile and has wheels, but there are many considerations such as the angle of the stroller and the jostling motion for a newborn who can’t hold their head and neck just yet.
There are many convertible strollers out there which attempt to resolve this issue by providing angles that can change as your baby gains more control of their body until they are eventually upright after around 5 months.
Another way to resolve this issue is with the Boba Wrap, for which there are many additional benefits as well as alternatives.
It swaddles the baby while also giving easy access to breastfeeding, creating physical closeness with your child, as well as allowing you to be hands-free and still carry baby while getting some chores done around the house if need be.
How To Tie A Boba Wrap
Potentially one of the biggest issues many mothers fear when using a baby wrap is that it will untie somehow. Part of being secure when wearing a baby wrap is knowing how they tie and the physics which create safety for your baby.
When they are tied up, they are essentially being swaddled but with you in between. The physics created by them hanging on your shoulder and being snuggled up to your chest essentially creates a similar ‘seat’ that your womb would offer and more importantly creates a type of force that means your baby won’t really fall even if the tie comes undone.
Once you have put one on and walked around a bit you will feel secure in how the baby hangs and feels on your body; the Boba Wrap feels quite secure once you have had experience wearing it.
Although there’s more than one way to do it, most people prefer to tie the wrap on themselves (or have someone help you!), and then tuck the baby in once it’s tied on securely.
Here’s how to tie a Boba wrap on:
- Unfold the wrap and place the Boba label over your heart (the center-left of your chest, but still on your breast bone)
- There should be two ends on either side of your hip – stretch them around your back so that they cross over, and then take each side up and over your shoulders.
There should be a flat X shape on your back. Make sure the fabric isn’t twisted but wide and flat.
- There should be a taut piece of fabric that is horizontal across your chest area, and there should be a piece of fabric coming over each of your shoulders. One at a time, take the piece of fabric on one shoulder and pass it under the horizontal piece of fabric on your chest. (In other words, the loose ends should now be in between the chest piece and your body).
Once you have done this with both pieces of fabric you should have what feels like secure backpack straps running parallel and vertically down your body. The horizontal fabric should lay across your sternum, high on your chest, and under your armpits. You want these to feel taut and snug to your body, not loose.
- Everything above the horizontal fabric on your sternum should feel nice and tight, as well as around your lower back. You should have two loose ends that fall vertically down in line with your legs.
You now want to cross these again, around your tummy area, and if there is enough fabric, cross them again around your lower back so that they come around your front.
- The fabric should now come from your back and around your hip area. Tie the loose ends in a double knot either at the side of your hip, around the front of your waist, or around your back.
There should be a single X shape across your chest, leaving room to breastfeed, as well as one or two horizontal passes across your hip and tummy area.
To secure the baby:
- You want their legs to go into the cross you have made on your chest. Put one leg through and stretch the fabric so the baby is seated within one of the diagonal harnesses you have just created.
- Repeat this with the other diagonal harness so that two pieces of diagonal fabric are securing your baby to your chest, crossing across their back.
Their legs should be straddling your waist, and their body should be facing you so you can breastfeed where necessary. The baby should essentially be ‘skin on skin’ with your chest, with only your clothes separating you.
- Now, there should be at least one horizontal piece of fabric at your waist/hip level that you can lift over this cross of fabric to add extra security, forming a secure seat where the baby is swaddled to your chest, still with a double knot on your waist that isn’t being pulled.
Final Thoughts
It’s super easy to tie up a Boba Wrap, once you get the hang of it. If our detailed instructions still create confusion, their instructional video can provide visual aides to how it should look.
What should be clear, especially when you have the wrap in front of you, is that many forces are acting on both you and the baby in order to keep the baby secure. This is one of many reasons that mothers prefer the baby wrap to a stroller.