Carry of the Month; July: Front Cross Carry

Carry of the Month (COTM) is an ongoing feature for the BWIP blog and Facebook group. Each month one of the Volunteer Babywearing Educators (VBEs) will choose a wrap carry or carrier to showcase and write a blog post with instructions or videos. At our monthly meetings throughout the valley, we will designate time to demonstrate the carry or carrier in person and answer your questions. Feel free to join in on the fun! Post pictures of you trying out the COTM in the Facebook group or email us your entry. Check out the bottom of this post for the prize raffled off for participation this month!

This month our carry of choice is Front Cross Carry (FCC). It's a quick, poppable carry that's great for tying on once and wearing the whole day. No matter how many times your child wants up and down! FCC is not to be confused with Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC) which is very similar but has an extra horizontal pass around you and your child. Demonstrating this month is Toria Trendler and her daughter!  Toria is one of our wonderful East Valley VBEs. She is using Pavo Swalllowtail Violet Sky in a size 6. Swallowtail was designed by our International Babywearing Conference 2014 board in conjunction with Pavo Textiles. The IBC 2014 board was staffed with volunteers, mostly local to Phoenix, so we are very proud of this wrap!

 Begin by finding the middle marker of your wrap,

 placing it on the center of your back.

 Bring the ends of the wrap around to your front.

 One end will come up diagonally over your shoulder,

The other end will do the same at the opposite shoulder. The wrap crosses and forms an X over your chest.

 It also crosses in the back and forms an X there.

Bring the ends around to the front again and tie in a loose knot.

 Pull all the slack to the front passes of wrap. 

 This is the space in which your child will sit.

Pick your child up high on your shoulder and slide her into the passes, starting with the pass closer to your body.

 Spread the width of the wrap from your child's knee to the other knee on both passes.

 At this point, you will tighten the slack out of the wrap by working it towards the end and the knot.

A nice trick is to bounce and pull on the ends to further tighten the wrap.

 The "cross" passes should be pulled up to the neck of a smaller baby or the armpits of an older baby or toddler.

Now you're ready for a full day! One big benefit of this carry is that it leaves the space under your arms uncovered for more airflow. 

WrappingRachel has posted a great video tutorial of this carry. It also has a clip at the end on how to nurse discreetly while wrapped.

The prize for July's COTM is a goody bag similar to the one pictured below. It contains items from Wrapsody, Itsy Ritzy and Happy Family company!

To enter to win, simply post a photo of you trying out a Front Cross Carry on the COTM thread in our Facebook group, if you're not on Facebook email your entry to us at PhoenixBabywearers@gmail.com.
 At the end of the month we will draw a winner. To earn additional entries, you can post a new picture of you trying it out every day.

(Valid only for Arizona residents. Winner is responsible for pick up or any shipping costs.)

Rachael Bender

Advanced Babywearing Educator. Education Officer for Babywearing International of Phoenix

Disclaimer: Any tutorials or advice given on this blog by Babywearing International of Phoenix or representatives of BWI of Phoenix are to be used at your own risk. Please use caution when attempting any of the carries highlighted on this blog and using any of the carriers discussed on this blog.

Some of the information or advice may put some users of this site at risk due to health issues, physical limitations, or misuse. If you or your child have health issues or physical limitations, please discuss the appropriateness of the carry or carrier with your health care practitioner. BWI of Phoenix cannot be held accountable for any injuries sustained by the reader when attempting these carries or using these carriers.