Learning to back wrap with a woven wrap can take some time, especially if you are learning on your own at home. It’s much easier to learn in-person with a babywearing educator, but not everyone has a babywearing group or educator near them. I asked five amazing babywearing educators to answer this question: What advice would you give to someone who wants to learn to do back carries in their woven wrap? Britt Beason of Tropical Babywearing, Krystal Fare of Krystal Fare Babywearing, Susanne Weber from Carry Kiss Connect, Sarah Bailey from Acorn Treasures, Jewel Wears Babies shared some wonderful advice!
Advice for the Brand New Back Wrapper
1. Britt Beason of Tropical Babywearing recommends getting comfortable with front carries before beginning back wrapping and practicing back carries at home over a soft surface until you’re comfortable with the steps.
I always recommend that until a caretaker is very comfortable with any carrier or carry in a wrap to use it primarily at home and near a bed or sofa so they can put baby down if things get sticky. Once it’s easy, take it everywhere!”
“Once it’s easy, take it everywhere!”
-Britt Beason
2. Krystal Fare from Krystal Fare Babywearing recommends learning Ruck Tied in Front as the first back carry because this carry helps you learn seat making and tightening.
“I always recommend starting with a single layer back carry, like a ruck. This carry is fairly quick to do and it will be easy for you to see areas you could use improvement on. You’ll be able to see if you’ve made a good seat or need to tighten a section more pretty much right away.”
3. Susanne Weber of Carry Kiss Connect also recommends starting with a Ruck Carry and gave tips for a successfully wrapping a Ruck Tied in Front.
“Ruck is a common first back carry but many people switch from it quickly because it isn’t comfortable. There are a few tips that can make it a lot more successful. Ruck is meant to be a high back carry. For young babies that means having their head high enough that it could easily lean on the side of the wearer’s neck. For older babies and children I aim to have their shoulders level with the wearer’s shoulders.
The second tip that can help make a ruck more comfortable is not making the seat too deep or loose. If baby sinks into a deep seat all their weight ends up hanging from the wearer’s shoulder. Baby’s knees should still be higher than bum but focus tightening on the sections of wrap that go under their bum to ensure there is no slack left.”
Ultimately be patient and don’t worry about getting it perfect. If you can get baby up and start walking as soon as possible it will help everyone relax into the carry. Practice over a soft surface or with a spotter or educator. Have fun!
“Ultimately be patient and don’t worry about getting it perfect.”-Susanne Weber
4. Sarah Bailey from Acorn Treasures recommends creating a transitional cue to help your child transition to being back carried. After all, your baby is learning a new skill too!
“Deciding to wear a child on your back is so beneficial for continuing to connect with and hold a child close as they grow larger. Connecting can be especially important for children with unique developmental needs. Transitions are sometimes a challenge for little ones. Create a transition cue to use each time you are going to put your baby on your back. This could be a soft song you sing, a rhythmic phrase you use, or a small transitional item or toy. Get creative with this by making it engaging and fun. Once wrapping becomes automatic for you with practice, this transitional cue can turn into more complex interaction between you and your child.”
“Create a transition cue to use each time you are going to put your baby on your back. This could be a soft song you sing, a rhythmic phrase you use, or a small transitional item or toy.”
– Sarah Bailey
5. Jewel Wears Babies recommends getting comfortable moving objects behind your back, which can increase your flexibility and help you get used to working behind you.
“Limber up your arms and joints by passing a ball, balloon, or stuffed animal from one hand to the next over your shoulder and behind your back. Switch arms and directions. This gets you used to working behind you, both attention-wise.and physically.”
More Back Wrapping Tips:
- Visit your local babywearing group or educator and get some help learning in person! I learned to back wrap by myself with just YouTube and a bribe for my toddler. It took me nearly a month to wrap a decent carry. I think I could have learned in just one or two visits to a babywearing educator. Working with someone in person beats a YouTube video any day! You’ll learn faster with the help of an educator!
- If you’re learning at home, ask someone to spot you or practice kneeling over a bed or other soft surface.
- Don’t give up! Just like any new skill, learning to back wrap can take some time. Choose a time of day when your baby is in a good mood and practice. Practice every day, just once, when you and baby are in a good mood.
- Take a selfie of your first few attempts at back carrying! I promise that when you look back on them in a year, you will be amazed at how far you’ve come!
Special Thank You
Thank you to these five amazing educators for taking time to share their tips and expertise! If you have a moment, visit their pages and follow their social media accounts!
Britt Beason of Tropical Babywearing
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Krystal Fare of Krystal Fare Babywearing
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Susanne Weber from Kiss Carry Connect
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Sarah Bailey from Acorn Treasures
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Jewel Wears Babies
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Further Reading:
The Beginner’s Guide to Woven Wrap Back Carries
Back Carries with a Woven Wrap
Woven Wrap Carries by Wrap Size
Find a Babywearing Group or Educator Near You
Why Should You Visit your Local Babywearing Educator?