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 12 month old Eleanor napping peacefully. Let me let you in on an important secret that society doesn’t seem to want us to know about sleep. Babies wake up. Sometimes a lot. Older babies wake up too. So do toddlers. Even school aged kids wake up. And you know what? Adults often wake in the night too!
So why is it that we so often hear “my baby is a BAD sleeper” from parents struggling to deal with night wakings if waking is a normal part of sleep?
I’ve written before about the problem with the labels “bad” and “good” when it comes to children. I think the language we use to describe our children and their behaviors matters. In the case of sleep, labeling a child a “bad” sleeper sets parents up for a lot more stress and anguish over their child’s sleep patterns than is healthy or necessary. And when what we are calling “bad” is in fact NORMAL, it is doubly frustrating – we are setting parents up to feel like failures when their children behave in a perfectly typical and developmentally appropriate fashion.
For whatever reason, Americans have pathologized normal infant sleep. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the parent of an infant who is waking at night ask “what am I doing wrong?” – Nothing. I mean I suppose if you are blasting death metal at 2 a.m. or taking your kids out late night partying, you are doing something wrong as far as helping your child develop healthy sleep habits. But if your 2 month old, or 4 month old, or 10 month old, or 16 month old wakes in the night and needs you, you are not doing anything wrong!
All healthy humans sleep in cycles – we go through periods of lighter and deeper sleep throughout the night. And many of us actually wake up enough to be aware of our waking – I know I do every night. We wake up long enough to roll over, maybe fluff our pillow, or even grab a drink of water. That’s not “bad” sleep; that’s normal sleep.
Infants and children do the same thing. But there’s an important difference. Like pretty much everything else an infant does, they need our help with sleep – they need help getting to sleep, sometimes staying asleep, and help getting through those periods of light sleep. As they get older, they naturally develop the ability to do these things on their own – just like adults do. But that’s a gradual process just like any other developmental task. Our babies aren’t born walking, talking, or eating independently – we help them learn those skills over time. Why is sleep different? Why do we expect magically independent sleep overnight? Why the obsession with “sleeping through the night” at an early age when we don’t expect them to do any of those other things so quickly after birth?
Think about language development – first babies babble. Then maybe we get some words, followed by short sentences. As a child grows older, her language becomes increasingly sophisticated. She experiments. Maybe stumbles sometimes. But all the while she becomes more able to use language. And these milestones occur at different times for different children. Some children start talking in sentences by 1. Others don’t have a single word at 2. And both might be very fluent speakers at 2.5. Kids develop in different patterns; normal covers a large range.
Sleep is no different. Some babies start sleeping in long stretches right off the bat and never stop. Some sleep long stretches and suddenly start waking again. Some babies never do long stretches until they are toddlers. Some babies need lots of rocking; some babies don’t. Some babies love to nurse/suck to sleep; some don’t. And it is all NORMAL!
If you are like me and are persuaded by hard science, head over to Evolutionary Parenting and check out her excellent series on normal infant sleep – peer reviewed research folks – it’s good stuff!
But even without the science, common sense tells us that babies just aren’t hard wired to sleep 12 or 8 or even 4 hour stretches just because they’ve reached X age or Y weight. Think of how many adults struggle to get to sleep. Why should a tiny baby have some magic way to do it on her own? Consider how many adults dislike sleeping alone. Should your child be any different?
So, no, your baby is NOT a “bad” sleeper – stop telling yourself that! And stop listening to all those who are not in your house and not the parent of your child on what you SHOULD do. And, yes, that includes your pediatrician who may be well intentioned in her advice but is NOT the parent of your child (nor most likely an expert in infant sleep!). Follow your gut and trust in the fact that sleep takes learning and gentle nurturing – not training, or “cry-it-out.”
Instead of “bad” sleep, think of “wakeful periods.” All babies have them. Some last longer than others. The “4-month wakeful” is particularly notorious. Teething, developmental milestones, illness, separation anxiety, just wanting a snuggle – they all cause babies to be wakeful. And they are all a normal part of infancy and toddlerhood.
Parents often worry that night waking means their child just isn’t getting enough sleep. Certainly true sleep deprivation isn’t good for anyone (and yes, baby’s wakings may cause you to have some – remember, you are awake longer than baby!). But waking doesn’t automatically equal sleep deprived. If your baby is happy and well-rested acting, he is getting enough sleep.
And if baby isn’t acting well-rested or if baby is not just waking but WAKING and wanting to party at 3 a.m., there are things you can do. My favorite approach is that outlined in The No-Cry Sleep Solution . But even if your baby is having trouble in the night or trouble napping (there’s The No-Cry Nap Solution too), he isn’t a “bad” sleeper anymore than a baby who is struggling with speech would be labeled a “bad” talker. We don’t leave kids who are struggling to master a developmental skill on their own to figure it out. We give them support. We should do the same as far as helping our babies to learn to sleep.
I know it’s tough dealing with frequent wakings – I have two kids who were pretty darn wakeful and no delusions #3 will be any different. Bed-sharing helped me stay rested; I recognize it’s not the solution for everyone, but it is worth considering if you are just.so.tired. I also found it very helpful to constantly remind myself of two important facts:
- What I’m experiencing is normal.
- All children learn to sleep independently eventually.
So consider a change in perspective: You don’t have a “bad” sleeper; you have a normal infant who is perhaps experiencing a wakeful stage. With your responsive nurturing, your baby really truly will learn to sleep independently – promise.
 Baby Eleanor in Ellaroo LaRae – a very thin all-cotton and one of my favorites for a summer newborn. Woven wraps are definitely far more high profile and more readily available in greater variety than they were even five years ago when I started babywearing. The question “how do I choose my first woven wrap?” pops up frequently. And with good reason! With so many brands, so many blends, so many styles, it can be truly overwhelming to figure out what’s what. So I thought I’d throw in my two cents on what to look for and why when selecting your first woven wrap!
Buy an all-cotton, thin-medium weight wrap that’s in your price range and that you think is beautiful!
That’s the short answer  For more details, keep reading!
Cost
The #1 rule in choosing the right woven wrap (or any baby carrier) is to be wise with your dollars. While it is often true that the cheapest available carrier isn’t going to be “as nice” as a more expensive brand (in terms of materials, etc.), the same doesn’t quite hold true for woven wraps. Some wrap companies do use higher quality materials (say organic cotton vs. conventionally grown) which means a higher price point. Some companies use US based mills (or European based mills) which means their operating costs are higher than those who say manufacture in India – so their product is likely to run higher. Certainly if those things are important to you, vote with your dollars!
But don’t be fooled into thinking “higher price tag” = “better wrap.” It’s just not always the case. There are very good “bargain” wraps (Colimacon & Cie Miel et Malice wraps spring to mind as a good example) that wrap just as well as wraps with a much higher price tag. In fact, you may end up like me and actually prefer the wrapping qualities of a less expensive brand. Now of course if you have the cash and fall in love with wrap X – go for it
There’s a HUGE second hand market for woven wraps, which like the wrap market in general has evolved a lot in recent years. It’s gotten a bit harder to “flip” a wrap (that is sell quickly for nearly what you paid) than it used to be; however, you can still get a 50-75% return on your wrap on the second hand market fairly easily. Consider a $150 wrap that you use for a few years – even if you sell for $50, that’s not bad given the use you got out of it! See below for more tips on navigating the second hand market.
If even the less expensive wovens or buying used are more than you are up for paying, fear not! There are great DIY options. Osnaburg is the most popular DIY “woven” wrap choice. You will want to be cautious and avoid picking up any old fabric at the fabric store. One reason wovens run more than the typical fabric store yardage is that the weaving/production process for making that type of fabric (with the right sort of give that makes for a good wrap) costs more (and you aren’t likely to find that type of fabric for less than a woven would cost). For more information on DIYing, check out my DIY guide.
 A smaller Callum in Zara Fresh – again all cotton and a thinner-medium weight.
Brand
When new wrappers ask the “what should I buy” question, inevitably they get “oh, you must have brand X” or “brand Y for sure!” We all have our favorites. And if you get into trying out different wraps (“churning” in wrap speak) you may fall in love with some favorites too. But here’s the real scoop – if you’ve never wrapped, you don’t know what you like. And if you were to only want ONE wrap in your life (and that’s totally ok!), and if that wrap were an all cotton thin-medium weight wrap, you’d likely be totally happy and never give a second thought to brand X, Y, Z.
So again, go with what’s in your budget and what you like the look of. Don’t get caught up in the “it” brand of the moment as somehow being better than the brand no one is hyping. There are lots of lovely wraps that get very little chatter and I can’t think of a single major brand I wouldn’t recommend (please see my note on my wrap page as to why I don’t list EVERY brand out there).
Material
So I’ve told you to get an all cotton wrap. But Sally and Mary Sue insist that you for sure want linen/hemp/unicorn hair because your baby is hot/heavy/a toddler. Blends are great. I have blends. And it is true that you – if you decide to try many wraps – may decide that blend X is totally your favorite. But if you are just starting out or just aren’t sure, all cotton is the way to go. Why? It’s easy to care for (requires no special washing); takes a beating and keeps on ticking; handles spit, poop, pee with grace; and it’s easier to learn to wrap with.
Many blends are sort of love/hate; they change the wrapping qualities of a wrap making them in most cases harder to get a good wrap job with. Doesn’t mean they are bad; just different.If I were to have a one and only wrap, it would totally totally be all cotton. It’s just as cool as linen (if you are worried about heat), and it’s just as supportive as hemp or linen (note the preschooler photo – that’s an all cotton C&C).
 5 year old Callum in a Colimacon & Cie Miel et Malice – medium weight all cotton “bargain” wrap. Weight
Hopefully I’ve convinced you to stick with all cotton for your first wrap. Great! Now on to weight. There’s a lot of buzz these days about the grams/meter measurement of a weight which tells you something about how “thick” a wrap is. Some worried about support think “thicker = better.”
Granted I’m not a thick wrap fan in general, but I think trying to learn to wrap with a thick wrap is an exercise in frustration. One, a thick wrap generally needs quite a lot of breaking in before it’s manageable. If you want to buy your first wrap, you want to get rolling right away and not spend hours beating a beast into submission (although if you do…go for it!). More importantly, a thinner wrap teaches you to wrap well. And…
The key to a supportive carry is a tight, snug wrap job!
I can’t stress the above enough. If you have a wrap that allows you to get snug passes, to feel where you’ve over-tightened or under-tightened, you are going to get a good wrap job. You may have heard rumors about wraps getting “diggy” or uncomfortable if they are thin and baby is heavy. Diggy means you haven’t tightened evenly and that means you need to fix your wrap job – not buy a new wrap! Learn to wrap well with a thinner wrap and you will be comfortable in anything – true story!
Now, I fully recognize that some people like thicker wraps – maybe they like the weight. Maybe they like having a wrap forgiving of sloppy wrapping. Maybe they just like the challenge. Totally cool. But if you are buying your first woven, I’m assuming you want to learn to wrap. And to learn to wrap well, you want a thinner wrap.So, get a thin-medium weight wrap (if you are paying attention to grams/meter, somewhere in the 180-220 range give or take a bit).
Colorway/Design
As for the most important part of the question…this one is easy. Choose something YOU think is amazing! Don’t worry about what the resale value will be or what’s popular. Take some time to browse what’s out there (thebabywearer.com is the place to do this in my opinion) and then go for it!
Buying Used
Buying used can be a great money saver or a way to get the wrap that you fell in love with that’s out of stock everywhere. A few quick pointers:
- Check the price of the wrap you are buying used against the new price. Used doesn’t always = bargain.
- Be aware that some wraps are being sold at “market” value and not retail – meaning they are currently highly sought after for one reason or another and come with a price tag to match. This doesn’t mean they are “better” wraps; it means they are currently “hot” collector’s items.
- Ask questions about the wrap if you have them. If you have say allergy concerns, ask the seller if she has pets, uses scents, etc. Often this is included in the listing, but if not, it’s on you to ask.
- Have realistic expectations. You are buying a USED item. That means it may have flaws. Sellers should disclose major flaws (say lots of pulls or other cosmetic damage) but it is normal for wraps (even new ones) to come with nubs, small pulls, or small broken threads. If these sorts of things worry you, buy from a vendor with a solid return policy instead of buying used.
- Check seller feedback. Reputable swaps will have some feedback system in place. I highly recommend the FSOT forum on thebabywearer; given the strong community there, shenanigans are far less likely.
- Always use paypal NOT gifted paypal. Paypal is great as far as providing buyer protection – but only if you pay as “goods.” Sellers should include the cost of fees and shipping in their asking price (or be up front about what those prices are in their listing). Do you part and make sure your paypal address is correct as you and the seller are only protected if that shipping address is used.
- Communicate with your seller. Do ask questions. Do be realistic in your expectations (like don’t expect same day shipping!). And if you have concerns, be kind and approach the seller. If you have trouble, swaps do have administrators to assist in mediating.
So there you have it. You are all set to find the perfect first woven wrap! If you haven’t already, pop on over to the woven wrap page of my babywearing guide for more information on wrapping (including information on choosing the right size wrap for you) and babywearing in general. Happy babywearing!
I’ve been dabbling in teaching myself to sew for the last few years. Still have lots to learn to make things look really professional, but I’ve got enough confidence to sew baby carriers and bags and a few other odds and ends. My ultimate goal is to learn to sew wearable clothing for myself, primarily because I LOVE dresses but have a really long torso and have trouble finding ones that fit well. With a growing belly, it seems not quite right to play with more structured styles; instead, it’s time to conquer knits!
 My finished maxi skirt – let’s pretend my house is clean and that a 5 year old didn’t take this picture :) About a year ago, I thought I’d try my hand at making a knit skirt with a fold-over “yoga” style waist band. I got as far as trying to cut the darn thing out…and gave up cursing. Knit is slippery stuff!
But now I’m back and thanks to the magic of the internet, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that helped me find success!! So I’m not quite to “wow, that totally doesn’t look handmade” but I’ve created something wearable And as the talented Sew Mama Sew advises, I’m going to share with you how I did it despite my novice status.
Let me apologize now for not taking pictures during the process. But hey, that’s reason to make another one, right?!? And let me apologize for the poor quality of the pictures I do have – really need to use this fancy camera and get some better lighting!!
Step one: Figure out a “pattern.”
There are loads of maxi skirt and yoga waistband tutorials out there. I read a bunch and grabbed my inspiration maxi I purchased at Athleta last year – and used the “wing it” method from there. I did find this tutorial a useful starting place for making the waist band (although I made mine to fit on my hips under my growing belly). I also cut my fabric wider than she did at the bottom (about 45 inches) so I had to cut my two pieces out separately (as I couldn’t fold the fabric as she did). But I did pretty much the same thing of just running a line from my “waist” band down at an angle to the bottom of the skirt. I initially cut my skirt longer than I thought it should be in case of “oopsies.”
Because I was using a thin knit (and because my inspiration skirt is double layer) I wanted to make a double layer skirt. I figured out how to do that (as I’ll explain below) by looking at how my inspiration skirt was assembled. In theory, one could make a reversible skirt using this method – will try that next!
Step two: Conquer my fear of cutting knit.
Turns out the key ended up being using the floor (so I could fully spread out the fabric), my self-healing mat , and a rotary cutter. A metal yard stick is also helpful as a straight edge. What really helped was the realization that I didn’t have to get things just perfect – in some ways, knit is pretty forgiving.
Step three: On to sewing!
I don’t have a serger which I know many prefer for sewing knits. I have my eye on the Brother 1034D which my sewing friends tell me is a great “starter” serger. One day. Until then, the regular ‘ole machine will have to do. I knew that knits require a “stretch” stitch of some sort so I popped the sucker on zig-zag and messed around with the tension and stitch length until I got a seam that laid flat. Two other big keys: use a ballpoint needle and a walking foot . The latter isn’t required but it sure did help me keep the fabric moving smoothly.
And as with cutting, I tried not to stress too much about getting things exactly perfect. I repeat: knit is pretty forgiving.
I sewed up my waistband as directed in the tutorial linked above. Then I sewed up the sides of both my skirt and lining pieces (wrong sides together of course!). At this point I “tried on” my skirt to make sure I’d actually cut it wide enough for my hips given that I wasn’t super careful with measuring  Had it been too tight, I’d left enough extra length that I could have whacked off the top couple of inches giving myself a wider opening up top. Lucky me it was just right!
To assemble the double layers I did as directed in the tutorial above – so skirt right side out with the waist band on top with the raw edges facing up (sorry, I know pictures would be helpful!). Then I took my lining and put it on the outside of all of this, right side facing in (actually, I goofed on this one so my skirt won’t be reversible this time). So you’ll have lining and outer layer right sides facing with the waist band in the middle. Line up all your raw edges and sew around the sucker. I went around twice for good measure. Going over the seams was a tad tricky because it was so many layers – you could offset them a bit to help with this if you don’t mind the seam on the waist band not matching that on the skirt perfectly.
After that it was just a matter of clipping the seams of excess fabric and turning it right side out! I didn’t hem my skirt (knit won’t ravel). For the length, I just put it on, marked the length, and trimmed the excess.
Tada!! A skirt!! I definitely want to make another so I’ll try for an actual tutorial with pictures (!) next time
Having successfully created something I can safely wear out of the house feels pretty good! Give it a go!
The subject of birth plans comes up quite often for pregnant women. Do I or don’t I? The idea of a birth plan is becoming increasingly “mainstream” and more women and their partners are starting to think about birth preferences. Even so, I am always surprised when the question “What should I put in my birth plan?” gets multiple replies along the lines of “Don’t bother; you don’t know what will happen.” While hardly scientific, my personal observation suggests that more women actually advise against writing a birth plan than advocate for it. But why?
I think the anti-birth plan sentiment floating around is symptomatic of the larger problems around birth in the U.S. (specifically the passive role women are too frequently asked to take in their own births – see my recent review of Jennifer Block’s Pushed ). But lest I go off on too great of a tangent, I’ll focus on rebutting the the idea that birth is too unpredictable to plan for – and arguing for the value and importance of putting together a birth plan for every birthing mother regardless of the birth choices she makes.
 One-day old Eleanor and I in the NICU – definitely wasn’t in my birth plan! But planning helped us weather the storm more easily. “Don’t bother; you don’t know what will happen.”
It’s quite true that labor and birth is full of the unexpected, something I know full well from personal experience. But does that mean we shouldn’t plan and prepare for it? Think of all the life events that aren’t entirely in our control that we plan for: A vacation – no way to control for the weather, cancellations, a sudden illness, attractions being closed – and yet we typically put together some idea of what we’d like our vacation to look like. How many brides spend months planning every detail of their weddings? And even so, something always goes “off-plan.” Many expectant mothers spend months researching all manner of baby gear, not knowing if baby will like this swing or that bouncer or the $10 exercise ball best. Rarely are our plans perfectly executed, but that doesn’t mean that the ACT of planning wasn’t worthwhile or purposeful.
Perhaps part of the problem is the idea that a birth plan is supposed to be an instruction manual to follow. It’s not. It’s a way to organize preferences. But more importantly, it’s a way for mamas-to-be and their partners to carefully consider all the options available to them. There are a lot of choices offered to women around birth – meaning there’s a lot of research to be done if one wishes to be fully informed. When I was pregnant with Callum, I was pretty sure that I wanted a med-free birth. But given that I knew “anything could happen,” I felt it was important to do some research into the the different options available to me.
In my own planning, I found Henci Goer’s The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth a nice, even-handed look at the pros and cons of various birth interventions. Although Goer is pretty clearly in the “less-interventions = better birth” camp (which meshed with my personal birth goals), it was still a nice way to consider all the possibilities. Unfortunately, the book hasn’t been updated recently so it doesn’t reference birth research from the past decade. A more up-to-date option is Penny Simpkin’s Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn which offers sample birth plans for a variety of settings and situations in addition to information about various birth interventions. Finally, the website Childbirth Connection is a great starting point for examining evidence based childbirth practices.
In some ways, writing a birth plan is a part of the “informed consent” process that should happen before any medical procedure. I’d argue that medical providers have a duty to, for example, tell their birthing patients that the hands and knees or squatting positions open the pelvis up far more than lying on one’s back – and that the epidural may make it difficult to use those positions meaning a prolonged or even “failed” labor. But many providers don’t volunteer such information. Writing a birth plan should at the least raise those questions for the mother. If in writing a birth plan you consider “well, what position do I want to labor in?” you may then have that discussion with your provider or do a little research on your own (or better yet, both!). And then whatever choice you make about labor positions is an informed one – not one that was imposed upon you. If you decide that you’d like to get an epidural during labor, writing a birth plan makes that decision an informed one made after weighing pros and cons and deciding what is best for you. Even if you are having a planned c-section, a birth plan matters as you still have choices about your care – a voice in what happens to you.
Labor is intense – physically and emotionally – it’s hardly the time for a woman to be able to make rational choices quickly. In fact, some birth researchers argue that asking a woman in labor to think actually distracts from the birth process – basically, birth is sort of a primal thing that requires a laboring woman to block out thinking and listen to her body and instinct. It’s not the time to ask me how I feel about procedure X. But if in the process of writing a birth plan I’ve considered procedure X, when I’d be open to it or what alternatives I’d rather have instead, and I’ve communicated that both in writing and to my partner (and doula and care provider), then I don’t have to think about it while in labor.
Birth plans don’t have to be fancy. They don’t need to take a certain format. They aren’t a mile-long list of demands to hand over to your provider. Write them in the way that makes sense to you. Maybe it’s a list. Maybe it’s filling out one of the dozens of forms available online. Maybe it’s writing a story about how you imagine your birth. Whatever it is, it should start a conversation, get you thinking, and help you become informed. Yes, you should discuss your preferences with your provider. Doing so doesn’t make you pushy or “that patient” – your provider is there to provide for you! Yes, you should know that anything is possible. But if you’ve made a birth plan, you also know that you are confident and prepared.
Jennifer Block’s Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care
is one of those books that’s been on my “to read” list for ages. I finally had a chance to give it a read over the holiday break and wanted to briefly share my thoughts.
As I’m a bit of a birth geek, I can’t say I learned anything I didn’t already know. BUT if you don’t know much about the politics of birth in the U.S., it’s a real eye-opener. Even as someone who does know a fair amount, I was still really engaged – and really enraged.
Block makes a case for the (mis)treatment of women in labor as a civil rights issue. Through a series of powerful first hand accounts, she explores where birth goes wrong – the way women are “pushed” into making choices either through lack of information or a lack of options that are not in their (or their babies’) best interests. Although medical professionals are not presented as without blame, Block fairly illustrates the way even those providers who want to do differently for their patients are finding their hands increasingly tied by medical bureaucracy. She also takes a look at the home birth scene, focusing on the issues that have forced many home births “underground.”
I feel like this is a must read for anyone who cares about women’s issues or anyone who is preparing for birth. I do think that most health care providers want to do what’s best for their patients. However, I also feel that the current medical model of birth – and the political and financial pressures around it – are NOT in the best interest of mothers and babies. For that to change, we need mothers to be informed and supported.
Block’s central claim is essentially that too frequently mothers are forced to take a passive role in their labor and delivery – the opposite of ideal. Through her readable prose and well-selected vignettes, she paints a compelling picture of why there is an urgent need for change.
I’ve been quite frankly the world’s worst blogger over the last year. Longer than that really! But I have lots of ideas kicking around that have been dying to get written; it’s time to dust off the new post button and get cracking!
It’s been a busy year for me personally. Finishing up my dissertation, finally finishing my Ph.D., getting a faculty position (I’m in Secondary English Education), moving out of state, selling a house, and a new baby on the way! Whew
This year is already off to a pretty productive start. A few (sort-of) blog related things…
- As a result of my move I had to say good-bye to my crew at Babywearing International of the Triangle. I had a great time helping to build such a strong chapter and feel pretty proud of the work the group has done and continues to do.
- But moving to a new place has given me the opportunity to make new friendships and connections and start a new BWI group! Excited we have Babywearing International of New Haven up and running and ready to grow!
- As is pretty clear from browsing my blog, I’m a big babywearing supporter. I’m pleased that I was able to recently certify as a Master Babywearing Educator with Babywearing International and to accept a position as regional director for the North East. BWI is a great group with a solid mission and I’m happy to be able to support them in these new roles. And, if you happen to be interested in forming your own affiliate chapter, let me know
- I’m looking forward to attending the International Babywearing Conference in AZ this summer. Would love to meet you if you are there too!!
- I am also working towards being more involved in another great advocacy group – Breastfeeding USA. I’m excited to begin work as an official BFing USA counselor …just as soon as I finish my course! My new home of Connecticut has an active BFing USA crew, and I’m eager to help them out.
- With baby #3 on the way, I’ve started thinking more intensely again about birth related issues. And of course looking forward to all those newborn snuggles. Hope you will stick around for this latest part of my mamahood journey!
So there’s a wee update on what’s been keeping me busy. I’ve got several posts drafting so check back soon for more (less personal!) content.
You may have noticed that it’s been a while since I’ve posted. And sadly it may be a bit longer before I get up and running again. As some of you know I’m a PhD student in Education. And I’ve finally hit my last semester of frantic dissertation writing and job hunting. So the rest of life – including fun things like blogging! – is a bit on hold for the next few months.
But look for a return this spring! Lots of posts are bubbling in my head…so stay tuned
Since it’s Black Friday/Local Saturday/Cyber Monday season, it’s hard to avoid thoughts of shopping. I admit…I like to shop…too much probably. Like most Americans, I have a bit of a consumerism problem (I could bore you at this point with my long academic ramblings on the subject…but I’ll spare you!). But lately I’ve been thinking more and more about the impact of my purchases. And wouldn’t you know this popped up on my Facebook feed today:
Clearly a sign to think harder (and to write a blog post!).
These are wise words on many levels and have implications for how we parent and what we teach our children about spending and buying. Consider the following:
- The things we buy impart our values on our children – mostly in subtle ways, but in ways that are long lasting. One very basic example, if we buy our children strictly gendered toys (more on that in another post), we send messages about expected gender roles. The way we shop – brands we choose, the types of items we buy – all of those things influence the way our children will one day shop. Consider that it took me years to change toothpaste brands from what my parents always bought or that my instinct is to always buy the same brand of frozen vegetables they did.
- Products are not without history, that is they do not magically appear on stores shelves waiting to come home with us. I recently caught the tail end of a news story about chocolate, and the fact that a large portion of the world’s chocolate is produced under questionable circumstances including child labor and forced labor. So do I buy the bag of chocolate for $3 that has a potentially questionable production history? Or do I buy the $6 bag of fair trade organic chocolate? How does this decision mesh with efforts at budgeting and teaching fiscal responsibility? Surely, I could just lay off the chocolate – but we could ask this same question of nearly every product we buy, food or otherwise. Are our purchases supporting someone in a sustainable way? Or are they supporting corporate profits at the expense of thousands of nameless individuals?
- Labor considerations go beyond just the production of products. Consider the recent workers’ action against retail behemoth Walmart. Many Walmart employees (and for that matter the employees of other big box retailers) don’t earn enough to put themselves above the poverty line. Low prices aren’t without cost. And of course the big retailers also push smaller, local retailers out of business in many cases.
- What do we spend money on? Things or experiences? Quantity or quality? Is it better to spend $100 on 5 different toys for the holidays or on one year’s membership to a local museum?
I am just beginning to think about this and would welcome your thoughts. I am by no means anywhere close to where I’d like to be on this. I admit I love Amazon and Target, buy way more clothes than I (or my kids) need, and could stand to downsize in many respects. I don’t always buy fair trade/organic/local/sustainably – or even think about those things when I purchase. But small steps are the first step – so let’s walk together!
Here’s what I’m working towards – a more ethical ethic of shopping:
- Buy less! That’s pretty obvious and in some respects the hardest to do. I’ve made a start by focusing on certain areas – like my closet – and avoiding trips to Target.
- Buy used! Buying used is great in many respects – it saves you money and it puts added use into an item. Kids’ clothes are the most obvious place to start with this as kids’ consignment shops and consignment sales are found almost everywhere. And if you don’t have one near you, there’s always eBay or services like threadUp
 which allow you to exchange used kids’ clothing online. Lots of great used mama clothes out there too. Another advantage to buying used – you’ll be able to purchase higher quality clothing which lasts longer – and more importantly may be made with more ethical labor and resource usage practices.
- Buy local! Buying local supports the local economy. The most obvious place for me to make this change has been with our food – we are lucky to live in an area that not only has abundant year round farmer’s markets but also a variety of CSA (and even home delivery CSAs). Local produce uses fewer resources from field to plate than buying produce that’s shipped in. My next step…work on local meat and eggs on a more regular basis.
- Buy small! Supporting small businesses is great as is buying from WAHMs and small scale artisans. Scope out local craft fairs or the ultimate craft fair…Etsy.
- Buy simple! The simpler the product, the more “ethical” it is likely to be and, in the case of food, the more likely it is to be better for you. There’s a good rule of thumb about avoiding the center aisles when grocery shopping. Processed food is harder on your budget and your waistline – and is more likely to have problematic production practices. I’ve been dabbling in things like bread baking and yogurt making – fun and fairly simple (and the kids can help!). Stay tuned for future posts on making ethical food choices.
- Buy quality! Handcrafted wooden toys last ages; mass-produced plastic ones don’t. A few more expensive but well made items will last long and leave a smaller footprint than the dozens of cheap things that replace them.
- Buy globally! Consider the impact your purchase makes on the world – in terms of both resources and labor. I love shops such as Mata Traders and Global Girlfriend that offer fair trade products crafted by women around the world – that means economic security for the producers vs. wage slavery.
- Buy experiences!! Most of us remember experiences over things – that says something about what we value. Membership to local museums, tickets to cultural events, day trips to special places – all make great gifts. This goes for adults too; we’ve started a tradition of gifting grandparents donations to organizations (our local animal shelter and Heifer International) instead of yet another thing they don’t need. And of course they get some kid crafts too – because all grandparents need more of that
So there’s a start. I definitely have a long way to go to be a truly ethical shopper. Maybe I’ll never get there. But in this season of shopping, small steps can lead the way to big difference – a shift from getting to giving and a better understand of how our dollars shape the lives of both those we will never meet and our children.
I hope to explore this topic more in depth in the coming weeks – would love to hear your ideas, questions, and suggestions!
Welcome to Part II of my mei tai/onbu tutorial!! Now that you’ve gotten all your pieces assembled from Part I (which you should read first if you haven’t already)…time to sew!! I’m going to describe the order in which I put things together. Remember, there are some different ways to go about doing this; this is what I’ve found works for me. For those of you who are experienced sewers, some of my detail may seem…well…obvious! But I’m writing this with a novice in mind Many of the pictures in this tutorial come from my recent onbu project – but making a mei tai involves most of the same steps (and I’ll fill you in where it differs). So let’s sew!
 All geared up and ready to sew!! Making a mei tai is great practice at sewing straight lines ;) DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert seamstress so I can’t offer tips on the beautiful finishing techniques you’ll see the pros do. But if you are, you’ll probably figure that part out on your own. I can show you how I assemble a carrier safely. As I noted in my DIY guide, my knowledge of carrier construction comes from the other great tutorials I’ve studied (primarily on The Babywearer) and from studying the construction of those I own. My knowledge of the finer aspects of sewing is a work in progress This tutorial is intended for personal use only. And most importantly, YOU are ultimately responsible for the safe construction of and use of your carrier!
Prep Work: I know; I thought we were all done with prep work too! But there’s one step that you may need to add in depending on the materials you’ve chosen to use. Serging the edges of each piece (or zig-zag stitching if you are like me and don’t have a serger) will protect your seams from fraying with washing and use. This is particularly important if you are using a wrap or wrap like material like a tablecloth or linen as these ravel more easily.
Other Materials: There are a few other things you may need to put everything together:
- Thread: You’ll want to use a good quality thread to protect against breakage (plus it’s just easier to sew with). I use Gutermann.
- Fleece or other padding: I’ve been using polar fleece for the padding on both my straps and waist (normally whatever happens to be in the remnants bin at JoAnn’s!). If you prefer a more firm/structured waist you might use some sort or something like yoga mat material (note that if you use something like this you won’t be able to sew through it but will make a sort of casing around it instead). I like soft and floppy so I use a few layers of fleece.
Hood:
- I tend to make my hood first if I’m going to make one so that it feels like I accomplished something. There are a number of ways to attach the hood – you can sandwich it between the body layers, attach it with buttons or snaps, or sew it on to a body panel like I did here. You can also do other styles of hood (hoodie, adjustable, etc). I’m going for the simple flat hood because it’s easiest and I happen to like it best both looks wise and function wise.
- You can use a number of things for the ties that you use to pull up the hood and fasten it to your shoulder straps when in use. I made “bias tape” ties – take a narrow piece of your fabric (your tie will end up about 1/4 the width of this strip) and fold it in half lengthwise; press. Unfold and fold the edges back to meet in the middle; press. Now refold in half. You should have a piece folded over with the raw edges folded in to the middle. Pin along the edge and sew it up about 1/8″ from the edge; I normally sew around the whole thing to make it look even. The ends I just tuck in so the raw edges are hidden before I sew over it. You can also use ribbon or cording or webbing even for the ties.
 On the left is the strip I cut to make my ties; on the right is the tie after I’ve folded it and ironed it.
- Some people like to sew little loops on their shoulder straps or snaps to attach the hood ties to. I generally just tuck my hood ties under my shoulder straps and that works for me.
- If you want to do anything decorative on your hood, now is the time! Lots of people like to add an appliqué or something on their hood; it’s an easy place to experiment since if you mess up now, it’s a pretty easy thing to make a new hood.
- Once you’ve got your straps and your hood pieces, time to sew them up. Lay your hood pieces right sides together. Take your ties and put them in between these layers (if you’ve made a decorative hood, make sure you are attaching your ties to the bottom of the hood). Pin around the edges. Make sure that you place your ties evenly from each side and that you leave room for the seam allowance on the side (in other words, don’t pin them too close to the side edges of the hood). Once you’ve got everything pinned together, you should have just a little bit of the hood ties sticking out (so that when you turn the whole thing inside out, the ties end up on the outside).
 My hood pinned up and ready to sew. Note that the part that’s at the top of the picture is actually the “bottom” of the hood – as in the part where the ties come out. If you are sewing all the way around your hood, make sure you tuck the ties (that are sticking out of the bottom of the picture here) up in so they don’t get caught in your seam! I’m leaving that edge open though for turning as it will get closed when I attach my hood. Notice that the ties have just a bit sticking out so that they are firmly anchored.
- Sew around the edges, make sure you leave an opening to turn your hood right side out. If you are going to attach it like I’ve attached mine, you can actually leave the top of the hood (the end opposite the ties) open completely as we are going to sew it under). I backstitch over the ties to make sure they are well anchored.
- Now turn your hood right side out and press. I use a chopstick to turn the corners out. I like to topstitch everything on my MT because I think it lays nicer that way (and will stay nicer once washed). So topstitch around the edges of the hood; I backstitch again over the ties.
- To attach the hood to a body panel…figure out where you want to place your hood – don’t forget to account for your seam allowances (so don’t go too close to the top) and make sure you are attaching it to the right side of your front panel (the hood hangs down from the outside of the MT). If you have stripes or plaid or a pattern, you may want to line that up. I didn’t have enough fabric with my onbu here to do that – oh well!
- Pin the top edge of the hood (the part opposite the ties) to your body panel. You will do this upside down – that is the hood will be up (ties at the top) with the back side of the hood facing the right side of the body panel. Sew the hood to the body panel; I think I just used the edge of my presser foot as a guide on where to put my stitches.
 The hood pinned to the front body panel. Note that the hood is “up” with the ties pointing up. I didn’t have enough fabric left to line up my plaid but I did use one of the lines as a guideline to sew the hood on straight.
- Now we are going to fold the hood down (so the ties are hanging down towards the bottom of the body panel). Press it and pin. You will now sew across the top of the hood just low enough that you catch the raw top edge of the hood under the seam (so that it is hidden). I backstitched a few times over the edge of the hood for extra stability. I also added another row of stitching pretty close to the top edge so that it would lay flat there – and look nicer. Notice in this picture that my stitching is not always super straight – so don’t worry if yours is a bit off too
 The finished hood. Notice there are two rows of stitching across the top – the bottom row comes just under where I initially sewed the hood on so it hides the original top edge of the hood (which was raw). Shoulder Straps: There are lots of different ways you can do your straps – wrap straps, padded straps, padded to wrap straps…and plenty of variations of each.
- The simplest way to do a shoulder strap is to take the piece we cut out and pin it right sides together (remember we cut it twice the width of our finished strap plus seam allowances). I also usually cut a taper in the end but you don’t have to do that. Then sew up the entire length of the strap as well as the tapered end; I use a 5/8″ seam allowance. The other end you will leave open so you can turn the strap; it gets buried in the body anyway.
 I’ve tapered the end of my shoulder straps and I’m pinning them up to sew. Cutting your straps double the width you want them plus seam allowances saves you from having to sew up both sides.
- Turn your strap right side out. I found my yard stick is a good helper for this task. Press your strap flat with the seam on one side.
- To pad your straps, cut a piece of fleece to the width of your strap and long enough to go comfortably over your shoulder and under your armpit. You don’t want the padding too long or it will make it harder to get the straps to lay right when you tie. Most people like more than one layer of padding; I typically do 3 layers so I cut my fleece piece 3 times the width I need it to be. If I’m aiming for a 4.5″ inch strap, I’ll cut a piece of fleece that is 13 inches wide by about 15 inches long; don’t forget that the more fleece layers you add, the deeper your strap becomes and the narrower it becomes (since some of the fabric gets taken up in the depth vs. the width). I trifold my fleece and put a couple of tack stitches in it to hold it folded.
- Insert your fleece into the strap (again the yard stick is helpful for this!). You’ll want the fleece to start about 5-6 inches from the raw edge of the strap (since you’ll want several inches of the strap buried in the body and you’ll need to allow for the seam allowance on the body; I also like a bit of a gap between the body and the start of the padding in my shoulder strap). I usually do both straps at the same time and lay them on top of each other to make sure they are the same.
- Once you have your straps nice and even and the fleece is laying flat, you are ready to secure it. Starting at the raw edge of one strap (the part that will go in the body), I start stitching down one side of the strap. I use the edge of the needle plate as my guide for this part; depending on the width of your straps and the set up of your machine, this may or may not work well for you.
- I top stitch my straps. As with the hood, I think it makes them look nicer and it will keep them from crumpling when you wash. So, when I get to the end of the padded portion of the strap, I curve my stitching over until I’m using the edge of my presser foot as my guide and continue all the way around the strap. Once I near the padding on the other side, I start to curve in again so that I’m back to using the needle plate edge as my guide. I usually eyeball this curve but you could get fancy and break out a ruler so it’s perfectly even on both sides.
- Tada! You have straps
 Topstitching the straps….lots of straight lines! Also note how dark the picture is…I will probably go blind sewing in a too dark room after the kids are asleep.
- Variation 1 – Wrap Style Straps: Usually for wrap style straps, you’d make your straps wide – say half the width of the wrap or around 14 inches – and if they are in fact from a wrap, they’d just be one layer of wrap. Then they will attach at the body, usually pleated or folded in some fashion.
- Variation 2 – “Hybrid Straps”: Hybrid straps start out as padded straps and then fan out to wrap style straps – there are a number of ways to do this. For my onbu, I did a version of hybrid straps. Basically I cut my straps as though they were going to be wrap straps (although because my tablecloth was relatively thin, I decided to make them a double layer). I put a thin padded layer (two layers of fleece) in the middle third of the top part of the strap. I sewed that down (just a box around it to secure the padding). Then I folded the non-padded portion over to meet at the top of the strap and sewed it down, but only right near the top of the padding. So when the whole thing was finished, the padded portion sat on my shoulders with the extra width folded on top of that and then the straps fanned out to wide and unpadded once past my shoulders. The pictures of this probably make more sense!
 One version of padded to wrap straps: On the left, you can see where I’ve sewn in a rectangle of fleece in the middle of the strap. On the right, you can see how I’ve folded it over at the top to stitch.
Waist Strap: As with the shoulders, there are numerous ways to do this. I’m going to share the method I generally use with my mei tais and then tell you how I attached the rings for the onbu.
- Simple one piece waist band: The very easiest waist in my opinion is to use a continuous piece of fabric (I just make mine the same length as my shoulder straps). This waist will be attached to the body AFTER you turn and top-stitch the body (see below). It can be worn apron or non-apron (although I’d only wear non-apron if you use padding).
- Complete the body as described below, leaving the bottom edge un-finished so that you can turn it; this raw edge is going to be hidden in the waist strap.
- Pin your waist, right sides together. In the center of the pinned edge, mark the width of your body. You will NOT sew this part. If you’d like a taper at the end of the waist straps, cut that before you pin.
- Sew up the strap, leaving the opening in the middle that is slightly wider than the body of your carrier. Turn and press.
- Take the body of your mei tai and stick it into the hole you left in the waist strap. Your body needs to be buried in their several inches (I normally make mine go all the way to the bottom). Don’t forget to account for this in cutting the height of your body!
- Pin the raw edges of the hole under and press.
- At this point, I usually top stitch around the entire waist strap including across the hole we just pinned. This will close the hole. Again I use the edge of my presser foot as my guide, except across the top of the waist that’s on the body where you need to close the hole.
- Now you will want to run a few more lines of stitching across the waist band to further secure the body to the waist. I typically add two more across the middle. Alternatively, you could x-box the waist on either side of the body.
- If you want padding in your waist band…sandwich the body in layers of fleece before inserting in the waist band. You’ll want to cut the fleece slightly shorter than your finished waist band will be tall and you’ll want to account for the depth of the padding in thinking about how tall to cut your waist band. The extra stitching you do to secure the waist band will also secure the fleece in place.
 Example of a one piece waist band; this one is unpadded. For this one I actually added small x-boxes on either side to anchor the body in the waist band.
- Two piece waist: A two piece waist will be attached to the body BEFORE you turn and top-stitch the body. You can do a two piece waist as straight straps or as angled ones (which sort of have the same effect as putting seat darts in terms of making kiddo sit deeper in the carrier). If you want a padded waist, I’d stick with the method above. If you do angled straps, you’ll be wearing apron; I’d also suggest wearing any non-padded waist apron-style.
- Decide how long you want your straps to be on either side. Cut those pieces (so if you want a 25 inch strap on each side that is 4 inches wide, cut a piece that is 25 inches by 8+seam allowance for each side). Fold each piece over, right sides together and pin; if you want a taper on the end of the waist strap, cut that as you pin. Sew all the way around leaving the end that will be in the body open to turn.
- Turn and press with the seam on one side. Top stitch all the way around except for the open end.
- Attach your straps as described below.
- Onbu waist: An onbu, of course, doesn’t have a waist band but rather rings on either side of the body. You can use either of the above waist methods to attach the rings. You will be using small size slingrings. You will also want to make the waist band wider than normal as it works better to have a bit more material holding the ring.
- With the continuos waist method, proceed as above except that you will only cut the waist band long enough to cover the width of the body and to go through the ring and back to the body to secure. You want the rings to be fairly close to the body. Once you attach the waist, take the extra length, put on the ring, and bring the end back to the body. Secure with a triple-stitched x-box.
- With the two piece waist method (this is what I used for my onbu and what I described cutting out in part I), you will have two short straps for each side. Slide the ring to the center of the strap and secure both ends to the body of your onbu with bartacks or x-boxes. This will be done before you turn and top-stitch the body.
Body: Again there are some variations here depending on what materials you are using and how many layers you will have. Refer back to Part I of this tutorial if you need help figuring out how many layers to use.
- Internal “anchor” layer method: Use this method if you are making a mei tai/onbu that has an internal bottom weight layer (such as canvas) and one or two decorative outer layers (which can be most anything really). For this method, the straps are reinforced to the inner layer only so any bartacks or x-boxes are hidden.
- Decide on your shoulder strap placement. I typically use a mei tai I love to guide my placement. The angle you set the straps matters as does the distance they are apart. If you don’t have a mei tai you love to go by, you may want to baste the straps in place and then have someone hold your kid in the mei tai so you can see if the straps seem to be in a good place (in other words, DO NOT put your child in a mei tai with the straps only basted on!).
- Don’t forget to account for your seam allowances when setting your straps. Once this is all sewn together, you’ll be turning it. If you sew too closely to the edge, you won’t be able to turn the raw edges under. Straps should also be several inches into the body; mine are usually 5-6 inches in.
- Use bartacks or triple-stitched x-boxes to attach the straps. There’s been discussion over the best method; most seem to think that x-boxes work best for fabrics like canvas and bartacks for wraps.
- If you are doing a continuous piece waist, you are ready to put the body together; if you are doing a two piece waist, attach the waist straps in the same way as you did the shoulder straps.
-
 Example of angled waist straps attached with bartacks.
- Now layer and pin the body.
- If you are doing a two piece body, simply pin the two pieces right sides together (the right side of your internal layer is the one that doesn’t have the straps on top of it – you want that part hidden). In a two layer body, your reinforcement stitching will be visible on the reverse of the carrier. Sew around the carrier, skipping over where the straps are sticking out so that you are able to turn it.
- If you are doing a three piece body, layer like this: the two outer layers right sides together (if you have a preference for one to be the “front” put that one on top); now put your inner layer on top with the side with the straps on it facing up. There’s a great picture tutorial of this here. Sew around the carrier, skipping over where the straps are sticking out so that you are able to turn it.
- If you are doing a continuous waist, you don’t have to sew up the bottom edge of the carrier at this point, but it’s ok if you forget and do!
- Now turn your body right side out. The straps will pull through the holes you left and come out in the right spot. Make sure everything gets turned out all the way and press.
- Pin the raw edges under where you left holes for the straps to turn; don’t forget you have raw edges on either side of the strap. Top stitch around the entire carrier (I usually back stitch over my straps just for one extra layer of protection).
- If you are doing a continuous waist, attach it now. If you did a two piece waist, you are finished!
- Tada!!
 Example of a padded shoulder strap. Note the gap between where the padding starts and the body. Also note that my stitching isn’t perfect ;)
- Options if you aren’t using an anchor layer:
- It’s also totally fine to do your x-boxes through all two or three layers of your mei tai making them visible on both sides. For this, you’d baste your straps in place, assemble and stitch your body as above, turn and topstitch, and then add the reinforcing x-boxes for your straps.
- If you are doing an all wrap body and want to hide the reinforcing, you can use bartacks to secure the straps to the body. This method is described here.
 I used three layers of tablecloth for this onbu (since it was a bit thinner than I felt was sturdy for two layers). The shoulder straps are barracked to all three layers. That brings us to the end of our tutorial!
If anything is unclear about my directions, please let me know so I can fix it! I’d also welcome your links for great mei tai/onbu making tutorials to link for others. I highly recommend checking out multiple tutorials and putting together elements that you think will work best for you.
If you need help wearing your mei tai, you might want to read my mei tai 101 post. Also, don’t forget to conduct regular safety checks on all of your baby carriers; simply pull really hard on all the straps while holding the body. As with any sewn product, mei tais will wear out eventually, especially if they are washed frequently. But if you’ve used proper materials, you’ve got years of use ahead of you!
Now enjoy your lovely creation!!
 Eleanor enjoying a snuggle in our mama-made mei tai!
I’ve had a few folks ask me how I’ve been putting together the carriers I’ve been making, so I thought I might do a little tutorial. So follow along as we dive into the fun world of DIYing a mei tai!
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert seamstress so I can’t offer tips on the beautiful finishing techniques you’ll see the pros do. But if you are, you’ll probably figure that part out on your own. I can show you how I assemble a carrier safely. As I noted in my DIY guide, my knowledge of carrier construction comes from the other great tutorials I’ve studied (primarily on The Babywearer) and from studying the construction of those I own. My knowledge of the finer aspects of sewing is a work in progress This tutorial is intended for personal use only. And most importantly, YOU are ultimately responsible for the safe construction of and use of your carrier!
I’m actually going to cheat a bit and make an Onbuhimo for many of these pictures. An Onbu is similar to a mei tai but has rings on the sides where the waist straps would attach to the body – much of the construction is the same (I’ll note where a mei tai would differ). It’s also worth noting that there’s more than one way to make a mei tai. I’ll try to note some different options along the way (and maybe do some more sew alongs down the road).
Finally, pretend that my sewing area is not a disaster and that my photography rocks
Ok, let’s get started!!
Materials: For this mei tai, I’m using a 100% cotton woven table cloth (60 inches x 80 inches). Tablecloths are a pretty cheap way to get a “wrap like” carrier. I think I paid $12 for this one at TJ Maxx. If you want to use a tablecloth, it helps to have a sense of what a commercial woven wrap feels like – in general, you’ll want either 100% cotton or a linen blend and a fabric that doesn’t have a “wrong side” (in the sense that both sides could be used as the “right” side although they may look a bit different). You want the fabric to be stretch free along the warp and weft with a bit of stretch on the bias (when you pull corner to corner).
If we were using a commercial woven to make a wrap conversion, we’d want to avoid thin wraps or at least reinforce them – remember that the stitching on a mei tai stresses the fabric in ways that using it as a wrap does not. So if your tablecloth is on the thinner side (as mine is), you’ll want to reinforce appropriately. There are tablecloths out there that are more like a medium weight or thick wrap.
You could also use linen (stick with a heavier weight, 8oz or so;Fabrics-store.com is a nice source), cotton duck, cotton canvas, denim, home decor fabrics, osnaburg (be aware that there are different weights)…basically anything that is a bottom weight fabric. Some of these options are going to be “less moldable” than others – just depends on what you are going for. If you are using something heavy like cotton duck, that one layer is sturdy enough on it’s own (but you’d probably want to pretty it up with some decorative fabrics). If you are working with a thinner fabric, you’ll either need to attach the straps to a heavier internal layer or use multiple layers to anchor the straps.
To break that down a bit, here are some combinations you could use to make your mei tai (by “anchored” I mean attached with x-boxes or bartacks; you’ll also be top-stitching through all layers by the end)…
- Inner layer of cotton duck or similar with one or two decorative layers of quilters cotton. Straps are anchored to either the cotton duck layer or two all 3 layers (but the cotton duck is the weight bearing layer).
- Two layers of a medium to thick weight wrap (or tablecloth). Straps are anchored to both layers.
- Two layers of a thinner wrap (or tablecloth or linen) with an inner layer of the same. Straps are anchored to all three layers.
- Two layers of a wrap (or tablecloth or linen) with an inner layer of cotton duck or similar. Straps are anchored either to the inner layer or two all three layers.
There are other combinations too but that should give you an idea – you either need to anchor your straps to a heavy duty fabric or to multiple layers of a medium weight fabric. Never construct a mei tai out of lightweight fabrics only – 3 layers of quilters cotton or 3 layers of a lightweight linen or any other lightweight fabric won’t cut it.
It’s also worth stressing at this point that whatever materials you use, you should check your stress points on the carrier regularly (just as you should with any carrier you purchase) – yank as hard as you can on the straps while pulling the body in the opposite direction. If that makes your strap stitching rip out or your fabric tear, you have a carrier that’s no longer safe.
Pattern: As you might guess, a mei tai involves a several long pieces of fabric. I do make a pattern for the body but the straps are just long rectangles. I’m describing here how I get all the pieces out of a 60×80 in tablecloth. If you are using other material, plan accordingly.
- Body: There are lots of different ways to shape the body of your carrier. The simplest is just a rectangle that’s the right height and width to fit your child. Many people like a contoured body for a mei tai – that is one that dips in a bit on the sides. I would suggest using a carrier that you like and that fits your child well to make your pattern. To make my patterns I just took a piece of butcher paper (you can also tape together smaller pieces of paper if you need to) and traced around the edge of the carrier I liked the fit of (don’t forget to add a seam allowance – I add an inch to give plenty of room). I made a few tweaks to make it even more perfect for us (one of the great things about DIYing!) and I was ready to go. Your pattern only needs to be half the width of the carrier as we will be cutting on the fold to make it symmetrical. My pattern is about 18 inches wide along the waist band and about 21.5 inches wide up the middle. I have a slight contour on the side and a bit of a curved top. The way you attach your waist band will have some impact on how much seam allowance to leave. For this carrier, I’ll be sewing up the bottom so I needed to account for that in the height. If you are using a continuous waist band and stuff the body into the waist (more on that later), you won’t need a seam allowance along the bottom as the raw edges will be in the waist band.
 Body pattern for my mei tai/onbu – lay the edge on the fold of the fabric so when you cut the sides will turn out symmetrical.
- Straps: Decide how wide you want your straps to be, double that and add a seam allowance (I just add an inch to keep it simple) and cut a strip that width. Since my tablecloth is 80 inches long, and 80 inches is a pretty good length for straps (you may want shorter or longer depending on your size and how you like to tie – again consult a carrier you like to figure out your ideal length), I just cut my straps down the length of the tablecloth. For the width, I’d also go by straps on a carrier you like. If you want heavy padding in your straps, you’ll want to add a bit more to your width measurement to account for the depth of the padding. I like wider, flatter mei tai straps so I usually cut mine about 11 inches which results in a 4.5 inch wide strap with padding. If for some reason you are using two long strips of fabric for your straps (say if you wanted to make them reversible), don’t forget to account for having two seams in your width measurement. The easiest thing is to cut one wide strip and fold it in half so you only have one edge to sew up. NOTE: Each of your shoulder straps should be one long continuos piece of fabric as opposed to two shorter pieces sewn together.
- Waist: I’ve done a few different waist styles but the easiest has been to just cut the same length and width strip for the waist as for my shoulder straps (doing it this way means burying the body of the MT in the waist band usually). If I’m using a tablecloth, this means about half of my tablecloth is going to be taken up by the straps and waist (3 strips that are about 10 inches by 80 inches). You can also do the waist as two separate shorter pieces that you anchor on either side. If you want a padded waist, the continuous piece will work better (don’t forget to account for the depth of the padding in cutting the width of your waist band). I’m making an onbu so I just cut two small rectangles (about 13 by 5) to use to attach my rings at the base. You could also make the onbu using a long continuos piece that is a big longer than your body is wide and attach the rings on either side of that. I ran out of tablecloth to make my ring pieces long enough to be able to double over so I cut two more rectangles from another piece of fabric so they would end up thicker (this will make more sense in a bit).
- Note: For this carrier I’m cutting my straps 15 inches wide as I’m going to experiment with a wrap style strap. If I were making a mei tai, this wouldn’t really leave me enough tablecloth to cut the waist strap as a continuous piece. I have done one where I cut the shoulder straps 15 x 80 and the waist in two pieces that were 15 x 20 (to be attached at the corners of the body) – that left me just enough to squeeze out two body panels with nothing left over for a hood.
- Optional: If you have left over fabric or something that coordinates, you can add a hood. I had a piece about 13 x 26 left over that I’m going to use for a hood. Sadly my plaid won’t line up – oh well! You can either make hood strings with scraps of your material (like making bias tape) or use ribbon or something similar.
Cutting: Cutting is so my least favorite part of sewing, even worse than prepping a room to paint…but it is kinda necessary so… I mostly use a cutting mat and rotary cutter, but scissors will also get the job done. For those of you that sew already, these directions will seem painfully obvious. But if you are a novice like me…well, these are the tips I found helpful!
- Make sure your fabric has been washed and dried to account for shrinkage. And give it an iron as well to flatten out the wrinkles before you cut (and, yes, you are right I skipped ironing as you can see in the picture below…shhh…).
- It’s pretty straight forward to cut around the body pattern using scissors or your rotary cutter. Since I’m not the world’s most accurate cutter, I generally use the first body piece I cut to cut the others instead of using a pattern. That’s mostly because I’m lazy about making a new pattern so if I decide that I want to cut the body a little taller, I just sort of wing it instead of making a new pattern. At least this way my winging it comes out the same on each piece! You’ll want to fold your fabric in half, lay your pattern on the fold, and cut.
- Cutting straps is a bit of a pain since that’s an awfully long cut to make straight. There are two methods that can help. One is to simply fold over your fabric in half or in fourths and cut that way – so you’ll be cutting 20 inches straight instead of 80. That also means you can probably get the whole thing on your cutting mat. If I do this, I use my long measuring stick as a straight edge and line it up on the markings on the cutting mat.
 A long straight edge, cutting mat, and rotary cutter are your friends in carrier making.
- If you are working with a wrap or tablecloth (and this may work with other fabrics as well but I’ve not tried it), you can use a handy trick I learned on The Babywearer (sorry, I can’t remember where I saw it or I’d credit the wise mama who thought of this!). Cut a small slit to mark the width you want to cut. You should be able to see one of the lengthwise threads poking out (or tease one out if you can’t). If you pull on this, it will create a “run” down the length of the fabric – you’ll cut along this run. If your thread breaks before you pull it all the way out, just cut down to the point where it broke and pick it up again. If pulling one thread doesn’t make an obvious run, try pulling out 2-3.
 Look closely and you can see where I’ve pulled some threads out to create a line to cut along – nifty trick!!
- If you are working with fabric that has stripes or plaid, make sure you line up the stripes before cutting so you don’t have crooked stripes!
- I generally try to cut one body panel out laid width wise on the fabric and one laid out length wise if there’s a stripe. If your fabric has a pattern of some sort, you can of course get fancy and be attentive to wear it lands on the body of your carrier.
If you’ve made it through all of that, you should end up with a pile that looks something like this – and now you are ready to sew! Keep in mind that I’m making an onbu here so the rings are taking the place of the mei tai waist straps. Part II is coming soon!
 Tada – all cut out and ready to sew! If anything is unclear about my directions, please let me know so I can fix it! I’d also welcome your links for great mei tai/onbu making tutorials to link for others. I highly recommend checking out multiple tutorials and putting together elements that you think will work best for you.
Now head on over to Part II and let’s put everything together!
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