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Babywearing
What is my Wrap Base Size
Your Base Size can be a great place to start when you choose your first woven wrap. We discuss how to find out what your Base Size is and how you can use longer or shorter wraps too.
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What is my Wrap Base Size
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Are you wondering what is my wrap Base Size? Finding your woven wrap Base Size is very simple and you can just scroll down to the chart below to discover yours. If you want to understand a bit more about what does a wrap Base Size mean, what do what sizes mean and why you would choose your Base Size over another size then we have all the information here for you.
What does Base Size mean?
Your 'Base Size' is the size of wrap that will allow you to comfortably do a Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC).
Above you can see a FWCC in use. Shop baby wraps
Baby wraps come in different sizes, which refers to the length of fabric in the sling. Lower numbers refer to shorter lengths (e.g. a size 2 is usually 2.7m and a size 3 is 3.2m long).
There are lots of different ways to tie baby wraps and these may require different lengths of wrap. So, if you are learning different carries you might find that tutorials will tell you which size of wrap you need by saying if the carry requires your Base Size or a longer or shorter wrap. This is referred to as needing a size plus (+) or minus (-) your Base.
For example, a carry requiring a Base -1 would be one size down from your Base. So if your Base Size was a size 6 you would choose a size 5 wrap.
Why should I buy my Base Size?
Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC) is a secure, comfortable carry that is relatively simple to use and so is often recommended as the first carry to learn. This is why people are often recommended to buy their Base Size wrap.
Your Base Size will also allow you to do a range of other carries as well as FWCC - front, back and hip. Therefore choosing your Base Size can offer a good starting point and lots of options too.
Not sure what we mean by 'sizes'? Check out our Size Guide to learn more.
Want to learn more about Baby Wraps? Visit our guide here.
The FWCC introduces a lot of the basic skills of wrapping such as creating a seat, tightening your carry and keeping tension in your wrap. It is also similar to the carry you may have used with a stretchy sling, making it an easy transition.
Learn more about transitioning from a stretchy to a woven sling here.
Curious how to tie a Front Wrap Cross Carry?
Take a look at Hannah's real-time wrapping video below!
Of course, you don't have to actually try on a wrap in order to figure out your Base Size. Our guide will give you an idea of which size might be right for you:
Note: If you are tall (5'10"+) or have a baby who is more than 12 months old, we would suggest going one size up. If you are under 5' we would suggest going down a size.
Don't worry too much about getting it exactly right, usually there is a little wriggle room and you are likely just to end up with slightly longer or slightly shorter tails when you tie the wrap.
Watch the video below to go over this information and show you some options about how to manage if you and your partner are quite different sizes.
Top tip: If you are buying a wrap to share and are unsure which size to buy, it is generally recommended to buy with the main user in mind.
How do I know which size wrap is best for me?
There are a number of considerations which go into choosing the best size of woven wrap including:
- Your dress size and height
- The age of your baby
- And most importantly, how you want to use your wrap; are you looking for quick and simple carriers or more opportunities to experiment?
As we mentioned above, a lot of the time we suggest choosing your Base Size as your first woven wrap, because it offers you the flexibility to try a lot of different styles of carries. However, there are lots of reasons to try different wrap sizes, for instance, you want a shorter wrap so the tails don't get on the ground, or you feel overwhelmed by having too much fabric to deal with.
Watch the video below and Hannah goes in to some of the options for shorter wraps and why you might choose a shorty wrap instead.
Can I start with a smaller or larger wrap?
Of course! Woven wraps sizes aren't like clothing sizes, you could choose virtually any size and find a carry which works for you. So if the wrap fabric you have chosen is not available in your Base Size, don't panic, you might find another size works even better for your family.
Using a larger size is possible, you will simply be left with longer 'tails' (unwrapped lengths of fabric) or will be able to experiment with more complicated carries.
Using a smaller size will mean changing the style of carry you use - you might not be able to do a FWCC, but there are hundreds of other carries to experiment with and your sure to find one which suits you and your little one.
Check out Oscha's YouTube Channel for many carries including those that require shorter wraps to see how a smaller size sling might work for you. A couple of our favourites are:
Short Cross Carry
Slipknot Carry
Robin's Hip Carry
Ruck Carry
Top Tip: When looking at tutorials, remember to pay attention to how many sizes away from their Base the wrapper is using. A carry requiring a Base -2 would be a size 3 for some (like Michelle in the image below), but for other wrappers, a Base -2 might be a size 6.
New to Woven Wraps?
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