DIY Baby Wrap

All of us new mommies have seen and registered for the huge assortment of baby supplies out there. Everything from humidifiers and nail clippers, to diapers and onesies are out there for us and our little lovies. A lot of those items are necessities that we need to buy from a store (aka strollers and aspirators). But some are more luxuries then necessities. And when those luxuries are so obviously, even painfully overpriced, that makes it even harder to splurge. Especially when we legitimately can make them ourselves!

Case and Point: The Moby, Boba and K'tan Wraps.

I went to a local baby shop to try one out before I bought it and my only thought was "Seriously? $50 bucks for fabric. Just fabric. Wowza." So what's a girl to do? Take some mental pictures and measurements, and head to the local Walmart of course! Price wise, Walmart has some of the cheapest fabric out there. I found my white fabric on sale for $1.99 a yard. You cannot beat that price. I bought 5 yards of fabric and began constructing my own carrier. Here are the steps:

{1.} Fabric. You will want a knit fabric that has stretch but not a ton. Think of your baby being snug against you but still comfy when wrapped. The pink fabric is a traditional jersey and the white is a more breathable knit. 5 yards was the perfect amount to wrap around my self twice and tie in the front under my babe. The width of your fabric can be any size, but just be sure it is at least 25 inches. I chose a 60" width fabric so I got 2 wraps out of it!

{2.} Wash, wash, wash. You need to double check that your fabric wont unravel, therefore it wont need to be hemmed. Washing will test it and get the extra starch out. It's also a great way to see if the fabric will be nice and soft for bebe. The ends of mine rolled in a bit, and that's okay. As long as it's not fraying you're good!

{3.} Cut the fabric to the desired width if it is not already the size you want. I folded mine in half long ways, like a hot dog, and cut down the line. Since my fabric rolled after washing, I wasn't worried about perfection with the cutting since I can hide it easily. If you're wanting a more symmetrical look, measure and pin about an inch from the crease then cut just to be sure it doesn't shift while cutting.    

And you're done!

{Bonus} 

   The Moby and other wraps like it, have center line indicators (tags or designs) so you know where the middle of the wrap is. I added a few stitches to some of the butterflies on mine so I always knew where the middle was while wrapping. You can do this too by adding a little tag, hand stitches, ruffles or even a monogram.

Now wrap up that babe of yours and get stuff done using both hands!