This photo-tutorial will show how to tie Short Cross Carry with a sling ring. This carry takes a wrap can be done in a wrap that is your base size minus two. Short Cross Carry is a quick and easy poppable carry (a carry you can pre-tie and pop baby in and out of as needed). I like this carry when I want a comfortable two shouldered carry, but I am working with a wrap that is shorter than my base size.
Step 1: Thread one ring onto your wrap and place it in the middle of your wrap.
Step 2: Place the wrap over your shoulders and bring the ring to the center of your back. Positioning this ring lower on your back will make this carry more comfortable.
Step 3: The wrap tails are going to make an X across your front. Work with one tail at a time. Choose one tail and bring it to about your belly button. I like to hold my thumb at about my belly button and take a moment to tighten the outside edge (dark blue in this picture). I find tightening the outside edge before I finish crossing the tail around to my back makes it easier to adjust and tighten the carry later.
Step 4: Bring the tail that you just tightened around your body and through the ring in the back. The tail should come over the ring and then through the ring going in toward your back. It should not go under the ring and then through the ring away from you. If you do it the opposite way, it will slip and slowly loosen over time. Remember . . . OVER the ring and then IN toward your back.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the other tail. In front, bring the tail you haven’t yet worked with across your front (tightening the outside edge), and OVER the ring and IN toward your back going through the ring.
Step 6: Now you are ready to lift your baby and put baby into the carry. Hold baby on your shoulder as if you are about to burp baby. With one hand supporting baby, bring the opposite hand under the wrap and through to guide baby’s leg through.
Step 7: Shift baby to the opposite shoulder and guide baby’s leg through the other side of the wrap.
Step 8: Seat baby on the wrap, taking a moment to position baby with knees higher than bottom.
Step 9: Spread out the pass that is closest to baby. This should be the side that you brought across your body first (in step 3). This pass should spread from knee to knee on the baby and up over baby’s back and shoulders.
Step 10: Spread out the pass that is on top. Bring the pass from knee to knee on baby and up over baby’s shoulders.
Step 11: To tighten the carry, you can pull any excess slack through the ring at your back. Work your way through the wrap width tightening the top third, middle third, and bottom third of each side. In the image below, I am tightening the top edge of both sides of the wrap. On the left side, I’m pulling on the gray edge. This is the top edge on my front right. On the right side, I’m pulling the dark blue edge. This is the top edge on my front left.
That’s it! You’re done! Once you have the carry on and adjusted, you can pop baby in and out without needing to do much adjusting.
Other tips:
– Sometimes the ring on this carry will ride up on your back over time. When the ring creeps up on your back, this can be uncomfortable. If you feel the ring creeping up, you can fix this. Use one hand to support baby’s weight. With the other hand, pull down on the ring until it’s positioned in a way that you are comfortable. When you have the ring in a good position, pull on both tails to tighten a bit more.
– If you find that the carry is slipping through the rings, check how you have threaded the tails through the sling ring. Make sure that you are going over the ring and then in toward your back and through (not under and out).
– If you have the ring threaded correctly and it is still slipping, try using a smaller sling ring. In this tutorial, I used a medium ring. A large ring would be too slippy with my wrap because my wrap is thin. For a thicker wrap, a large ring might work well.
Further Reading:
If you don’t have a ring, but still want a poppable wrap carry, see this post.
If you are looking for more carries to do with your base size minus 2 woven wrap, see this post.
For more babywearing tips and tutorials:
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