How do I tie one on? It's very easy, takes about 2 minutes. Cross Carry Tie Instructions PDF 347KB. Looking for more ways to use your wrap? Mamatoto.org has LOTS more tie options for you (front, back, hip), with step-by-step photo instructions! This photo shows the back of the Cross Carry Tie, and the middle marker fabric strip at the small of my back.

My friend Mimi wearing baby Jack in his Brazil Nut wrap at 2 weeks old. Arms are in for extra support, as he is getting sleepy. If he is active and awake, one arm can be out. As he gets older and needs less support, both arms can be out.

My cousin Chandra wearing her baby Summer in a Sage Green wrap at one month old. One side of the wrap is pulled over to support Summer's head while she sleeps.

Why this wrap and not one of the other 638,921 wraps out there?

First of all, the fabric. A wrap is a wrap, right? Well, no. This particular wrap is so great because the fabric is just a *little* stretchy across the width of the fabric (to snuggle your baby and shoulders), and almost weightless. It's the result of a long search process.

I was experimenting with a hemp cloth at first, because I like the earthiness and texture of hemp, but I had to face facts...it's heavy, stiff, and not so comfy...for wraps, that is. Very hard on the shoulders. I had to taper the ends of those hemp wraps, because they were just so BIG around the waist when you went to tie them. They will last forever, but why would you want them to?

Then I tried a hemp/silk blend that was featherweight and just *lovely*, but a bit too slippery, and not stretchy enough. The hemp/silk blend is great if you wash it and leave it wrinkly, then it has just the right amount of give. But eh, it's really expensive. To me, the quality and comfort is the same, not justifying the fabric costing over twice as much. Unless you just want to be able to say, "Darling, my wrap is a HEMP/SILK BLEND! FABulous!" In which case you can email me. I have lots of that fabric leftover and I can make a nice but very costly wrap for you..

I tried cotton jersey, but that stretched out and got baggy, and it was heavier and bulkier than I wanted. Same with cotton gauze. Cotton gauze is somewhat rough against the skin, and it's still fairly bulky, and it gets baggy and loose as well.

Finally, I came across Stretch Pima cotton, which is just perfect. It's a premium cotton that is soooooo light (like a fine white button-down business dress shirt, but a little stretchy), and you can fold it down to almost nothing. There's no bulk to it at all. It's perfectly cool, and yet it's a little stretchy (just on the width though, not on the length, so will never bag or stretch too much), and it holds and cuddles and wraps around the baby perfectly. Very comfy on the shoulders, and even looks stylish when the baby's out of it, instead of looking like some crazy-ass shawl/poncho.

At this point I'm going to give some critiques of other wraps that I've tried. I've been flamed and insulted for doing so, because apparently I'm not allowed to have any opinions about this stuff. Frankly though, all carriers are not perfectly equal, no matter how nice the person or company who makes them.

Well, it's my website and I'm going to give my two cents. Take 'em or leave 'em.

The Moby Wrap is very common and it's cheap, so a lot of people have it, or something like it. Unfortunately, it is only good for most people up until the baby hits about 15 pounds, then it bags out and stretches and you can't pop the kid in and out anymore without taking it off to retie and tighten it up. You get what you pay for. That T-shirt fabric is cheap for a reason. Also, hot.

I ended up washing my Moby Wrap a zillion times just to tighten it back up when it would get all stretched out. Also, you have to do a more complicated tie to add an extra loop in front, because the fabric is too stretchy and baggy. The Moby Wrap is not secure for the baby unless you have that extra loop, but the extra loop is a big pain in the butt to do when you're tying. You have to tuck the ends *underneath* the loop around your waist, and it's just a drag.

When I got my Girasol I thought, "My God, this is sooooo much easier!" because without the overstretchiness of the Moby you can just cross in front, cross in back, then tie a double knot at your waist, lickety-split. A non-stretchy wrap enables you to eliminate a whole series of steps in your wrap technique.

The Girasol, Storchenwiege & Didymos wraps are supposed to be the cream of the crop, and are indeed fantastic in many ways, but still didn't meet my ideal. Very comfy, but they all use fairly heavy fabrics, making them quite bulky. Look at the size of that tied knot under Julian's butt. It's huge! When I took Julian out of the Girasol I definitely had a shawl/poncho look going on. One guy in the Baja airport asked me if I had gotten my er...shirt..in Mexico. That heavy fabric is cozy in cold weather, but somewhat suffocating in hot climates.

The Girasol/Storchenwiege/Didymos wraps that I've seen (and I haven't seen them all, obviously) don't have a middle marker either, which means that you have to measure out your wrap, dangle and dirty the ends on the floor, then guess where to grab the middle. And I never did get it quite right measuring by eye, which means one long end and one short end when you're tying it in front. The first thing I did when I designed my wrap was to add a strip of pretty fabric to mark the middle. The middle marker gives a little semi-hidden flash of color at the small of your back, very chic and elegant.

I wanted a wrap that would look sleek, chic, modern and minimalist, something to go with casual OR dressy. Neutral color palette, yet not boring. Something comfortable, cool, light, soft, easy to care for, and easy to tie. Middle of the wrap clearly marked. No sagging or bagging. That's the wrap I wanted. That's the wrap I made.