Look, Mom! TWO hands!

Where WAS this when I had my first two babies? A lot of the stress of parenting a newborn would have been gone had I had this wrap with my first two!

Let me explain what a wrap is: it's a strip of fabric several yards long that you tie in one of many ways to carry your baby. You wrap it over both shoulders, so the baby's weight is distributed evenly, and you have both hands free! Especially if you have two older kids, this is a boon. Strangers' reactions can be funny. I once had a lady with a look of concern on her face come rushing over and grab my daughter's rear end because she was sure I was dropping her! She thought the wrap was just a shirt and was sure my baby was going to slip out the bottom. In most carries, the baby is sitting on an "x" of cloth, and may also be sitting in a pocket. I've had other people ask me point-blank "How is she being held up?"

A wrap is recommended for people who are either short (I am) or who have back problems (I do). Other kinds of carriers will place the baby in too low and either hurt or aggravate the back. After researching several different kinds of wraps, I picked the EllaRoo for my needs. I'm in North America, where summers can get awfully hot. I didn't want either of us to get heat exhaustion, so I picked the EllaRoo. The Didymos and Girasole, while beautiful, are heavier than the EllaRoo. And I wanted a woven wrap. Some wraps are knit, and while comfortable, if you have a fast-growing baby, the baby can stretch it out before he has good head control. This means the baby bounces around in it, and you have to steady them with your hand. Or it slowly comes loose, and again, you have to use your hands. The EllaRoo does not slip.

The EllaRoo is thin enough that my baby can see through it if I've put the edge over her head. Sometimes babies will be sleepy but try to keep themselves awake by looking around. Put the edge over their head, and they can still see a little, but it's not quite as stimulating so they can let themselves fall asleep.

EllaRoo wraps are made from organic cotton and organic vegetable dyes. The better part of a small Guatemalan town is employed in their manufacture, and they are paid a living wage. I didn't think that the organic part was too important until my daughter started sucking on the wrap. Then I was pretty happy about it.

My wrap came with instructions on how to set the dye. It bled a lot until the first rinse. Now it bleeds just a tad, but the colors are still very bright, and it is getting softer every time I wash it. It is machine washable on the gentle cycle, and the helpful person who sold it to me at baby-wearing.com told me it's even safe to dry in the dryer! The first time I washed it I did it by hand and thought it would be easier if I had a large rock to slap it against. I dried it by hanging it over my shower rod and turning a rotating fan on it (but it kept falling off the rod). So I was relieved to hear I could just wash it in my washer and dryer. And newer wraps now come with the dye pre-set.

There are several sizes; I got the largest one so my husband can wear it too. So far we've tried the front cradle carry, the front cross carry, the side cross carry, the rucksack, and the Tibetan carry. There are these and more on mamatoto.org . The baby loves all the carries, particularly the ones that allow her to play with my hair. We even found some toys we clipped to the wrap for her to play with.

The EllaRoo wrap is so comfortable that on several occasions I've worn it (and her) all day--I mean from about 8 a.m. to maybe 7 p.m. at conferences my business has taken me to. She plays in it and falls asleep easily in it. I've learned that in the front cross carry, it's easy to pop her out, lift up each part of the fabric, nurse her, and then pop her back in. Research shows that babies in wraps develop a sense of balance more quickly than babies who aren't carried in wraps. Not only that, wraps allow a baby's spine and hips to be correctly aligned. So no drawbacks for either one of us.

There are many websites online where you can learn to tie them. But nothing beats watching someone actually putting one on. The basic cross-carry tie is very simple, but looking at the online illustrations didn't make sense to me. If you can find a baby-wearing demo near you, it's worth it to go. They are usually free.

EllaRoo wraps are usable until your child is just about too heavy to carry, at least 40 pounds. Some kids don't weigh that much even at age 5, and I certainly won't be carrying mine at that age.

All in all, a beautiful, simple, comfortable way to carry your baby!