# How hard is it to learn a woven wrap?



## catladymeow (Oct 22, 2014)

I'm currently 8 weeks pregnant with my first child, so I have a long way to go before I have a baby to wear. At first I thought I would get a stretchy wrap for the newborn stage and then switch to a SSC when the baby was older. Now I'm wondering if I should just use a woven from day 1. 

I've watched some YouTube videos about wrapping a newborn in a woven and it looks really intimidating and I'm scared that I would break a fragile little infant. I realize that woven wraps have a learning curve for everyone, but in your experience, just how challenging are they to learn at first? Is it something you would have been able to do in the first few days your first baby was born?

Thanks!


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## fayebond (Jun 16, 2012)

A woven wrap that is new would be hard to get used to. But used woven wraps can be much softer and easier. If you are in love with your carrier, you will use it more, so get which ever sounds more appealing, it's more about your willingness to get it out and wear it than the carrier itself in my opinion.


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

I always preferred a ring sling but I didn't find the learning curve of a woven to be too difficult. I just didn't like where the weight sat for a two shoulder hold and the one shoulder was easier with a ring sling. I'm chiming in because I wanted to say that even as a veteran baby-wearer I didn't wear my kids until they were a few weeks old.


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## fayebond (Jun 16, 2012)

Agreed, the first bit I didn't wear any of them, they are too light and I was always too worn out to be on my feet enough to need something. And if they would have been available to wear, like going out the first time or two, I usually went to see family and everyone wants to help by holding the cute baby (hint, let them! You need the rest!). Don't worry about baby wearing until the bug is a good three or four weeks old.


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## catladymeow (Oct 22, 2014)

Good to know about used vs. new wraps! 

I didn't know about not wearing babies until they are 3-4 weeks old. We don't have a car and live in a large, dense city with decent public transit. I was hoping to avoid a stroller and stick to babywearing, but it sounds like that doesn't work for the first few weeks? Or do you just not leave the house much for the first little bit?

I'm sorry if that's a stupid/naive question, I have never been around newborns and I have no idea what to expect.


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## IdentityCrisisMama (May 12, 2003)

catladymeow said:


> Or do you just not leave the house much for the first little bit?


No stupid questions with new babies. It's all so new and we have all these funny questions because we're thinking specifics for the first time.

I didn't leave the house or do much in those early weeks. I was lucky to have a lot of support (good California paternity leave when I had my first!) and lots of family when I had my second. You're right that it depends a lot on lifestyle. If you do have to go out and do errands or to get some space, you're right that you will want to master a carrier really early. In that case I think those stretchy wraps seem very nice. I never used one (don't love wraps and preferred a carrier that wasn't just for one age) but the stretch wraps seem ideal for really young babies.


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## fayebond (Jun 16, 2012)

You might want to master it earlier, because you walk so much, but I basically didn't leave the house for a month. If I did, it was with someone, or hubs was home and I left the sleeping baby with him while I got half an hour to myself. But we live in suburbia and drive everywhere. I used the car seat for transportation to and sleeping time at places (moms house, church).

You can completely get by without a stroller if you want to, even the smallest baby can be worn.


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## catladymeow (Oct 22, 2014)

Thanks everyone! We don't live near family so I'm not sure what kind of support we'll have. I'm on the look out for a used woven that I can buy and practice (well, as much as you can practice without an actual baby). I see Mobys come up a lot used (sometimes barely used!) for quite cheap on the local Craigslist so I might get one of those too. It seems easier for the first little bit than stressing with a woven, as I imagine we'll have to leave the house at some point. We live in a 1 bedroom apartment so I imagine I'll get stir-crazy before too long!


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## tamaracat (Feb 19, 2014)

catladymeow said:


> I'm currently 8 weeks pregnant with my first child, so I have a long way to go before I have a baby to wear. At first I thought I would get a stretchy wrap for the newborn stage and then switch to a SSC when the baby was older. Now I'm wondering if I should just use a woven from day 1.
> 
> I've watched some YouTube videos about wrapping a newborn in a woven and it looks really intimidating and I'm scared that I would break a fragile little infant. I realize that woven wraps have a learning curve for everyone, but in your experience, just how challenging are they to learn at first? Is it something you would have been able to do in the first few days your first baby was born?
> 
> Thanks!


I just got my first woven wrap in the mail TODAY and successfully got my baby in a FWCC in less than 5 minutes and he fell asleep in 2 minutes. He's 12 weeks old. I don't know why I waited to so long to join the woven wrap world! We also have an ergo which we used with the infant insert which works fine but the wrap is so much comfier for him. I also have a ring sling which for the life of me I can't figure out, haha. I'd say it's fairly easy to learn at least a FWCC with a new babe and then you can learn other carries from there. Just speaking from my own experience.


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## catladymeow (Oct 22, 2014)

Oh that's good to hear @tamaracat! Thanks!


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