In case you don’t know me in real life or haven’t picked up on it from the frequent presence of The Toddler Assistant in my photos, babywearing is a big part of my life. (If you don’t know what I mean by the term “babywearing”, and like my brother-in-law are getting some crazy Silence of the Lambs imagery in your head, go here and here to learn more. I’m telling you, it’s good stuff. Also not at all revolutionary, just sadly countercultural in the Western world.)
The trouble with babywearing is that once you start poking around in the culture, you learn that there are about 10 million gorgeous baby carriers out there, and it is possible to want them all. Like I do. And like I cannot afford. Enter thrifting and craftiness. I started with a twin-sized bed sheet that I found at Savers in Newington, CT for $2.50. I loved the neutral colors of it, and the stripes gave it just a bit of interest. With a very reasonable amount of sewing I turned this sheet into both a size 2 wrap and a ring sling.
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- Ideal material for a wrap or sling should have little to no vertical stretch
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- Or horizontal stretch
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- But a bit of diagonal stretch. This lets it form closely to the bodies of baby and wearer for a really supportive (comfortable) fit.
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- The length of the sheet was exactly what I needed, so all I had to do was cut it in half lengthwise and hem the edges.
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- Pins, of course, because I would never sew in the right place otherwise.
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- Stripes make straight lines easy(ish)!
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- Ta-da! Short wrap. Perfect for using out of the house in slushy weather, because it’s short enough to tie without dragging on the ground.
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- Also it folds up really neatly to toss in a bag on your way out the door.
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- I now had two identical wraps, so I decided to take one of them a step further. I used a medium pair of Sling Rings and Jan Andrea’s ring sling instructions (links to both at post end) and made one of my short wraps into a sling.
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- Teddy bear model because my TA was napping. I’ll spare you step-by-step photos of my process since Jan’s video is much better, but I am really happy with my results!
Detailed instructions, fabric selection guidelines, etc. can be found at Sleeping Baby Productions.
Sling rings available at SlingRings.com.
Video tutorial I followed for my sling:
PSA: The safety of your baby is way more important than having an affordable baby carrier. If you are not confident in your sewing skills or the strength of any of your materials, stick with a no-sew wrap or buy one that was commercially made. Also, beware of the craft rings you can buy in brick and mortar craft stores. These are not meant for carrying babies! SlingRings go through rigorous quality testing, are really inexpensive, and ship quickly throughout the US and Internationally. Go with the real thing on these. Oh! And if you want to know how to use one of these nifty carriers but don’t know how, visit a local Babywearing International chapter for help!
Not Buying It 