Monday, January 11, 2010

Repurposing: cheapest baby wrap ever

Do you need a cheap baby wrap? Maybe you want to try whether a wrap is for you before bying one ... or need a second one ...
I own a baby wrap and love it! Apparently my son loves it, too. He loves it so much that we can't get by a day without it. He is in it almost all of his sleeping-time during the day. With that much use you can imagine that the wrap is not going to stay looking nice and pretty for long. Try to eat your dinner with a baby in front of you and you'll know what I mean. ;-) That is in addition to the baby chewing on the fabric and to accidents that involve leakage of body fluids ... I'm not going to get into this - all I am saying I really need to wash my baby wrap! But how am I gonna wash it if I need it all day everyday!? It's not allowed to go in the dryer and it's a pretty darn big piece of fabric so it would take a while to dry ...
I REALLY did not want to buy another baby wrap. I am very happy with mine and it is a GREAT quality. I am sure I will be able to give it to my daughter when she has children ... and my granddaughter ... It's made to last. But even though I bought it second hand I paid ALOT! And after all I would only need a replacement wrap for the days when I wash my original one ...

So I figured, after all it is just a big piece of fabric. Maybe I can sew one ... and started googling ... I stumbled over this great website about baby wearing. They have instructions making baby carriers (sew and no-sew) ... and they even have an extra site where they tell you what else you could use as a wrap. What great inspiration!!!

I ended up using ...


an old bed cover!

(Have never used it, never intended to use it - just had kept it to do something with the fabric at some point.)


So I got my replacement baby wrap for FREE!
Okay, it's not the prettiest ever ... and I probably would not want to leave the house with it. But for my purpose - something to carry my son for as long as the regular wrap is drying - it is totally fine.
And did I mention it was free?! ;-) And it took me about two minutes to "make". I just ripped the two side seams open. Since the sides were also hemmed I did not even have to sew! And ... if I do not need a baby wrap anymore I can reuse the fabric for something else.
So what I actually wanted to say - if you need a baby wrap check out this site and you might save a bundle! Even if you buy the fabric it might still be cheaper than buying a regular baby wrap.


And just so you know ... no, he is not getting ready to jump! ;-) He is just checking how the colors of the new wrap go with mommys pants ... :-D

7 comments:

The homebodies said...

That's such a good idea, I will have to learn more about baby wearing. I had a couple of different baby carriers with my first baby but I don't think they distributed the weight very well because I was always in pain afterward. It looks like this might be a more comfortable option. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Great idea!
I LOVE it!
I'm so glad I found your lovely blog! Hope you will take a minute (or 2) and visit me!
I'd love to have you!

Ms Muffin said...

Thanks for your sweet comments!

@The homebodies:
I really would recommend a baby wrap over other carriers. I have not tried many but the ones I did hurt me too. With the wrap it is better - cause you can make it fit exactly and also what would be the "straps" is much wider. The only drawback - it really takes some getting used to. When I had my daughter I simply did not get along with the written instructions and ended up not using it for months - until my cousin visited and showed me how to use it! Since that time - GREAT! So if you find the instructinos hard to get try to find someone who can show you! It is so much easier that way. And once you get it it's not that hard!

@mymontessorihomeblog
I have already visited you. :-) Am stalking you as well ... ;-)

Nicole {tired, need sleep} said...

What a super idea! My son also loved his wrap and I could never wash it - I wish I'd come across the site you linked too back then! Thanks for sharing this, and I think the new wrap looks great! :)

Ms Muffin said...

Thanks for the sweet comment, Nicole!

Counting Coconuts said...

Hi! Just wanted to let you know I have an award for you on my blog. :)

Unknown said...

pure genius! my sister has an expensive wrap....and it's HOT PINK. her hubby totally sports it, but if he gets tired of that, i'm sure he would LOVE this alternative!!

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