Winding selection. How to Wear a Wrap Scarf

WOVEN SLING SCARF
ROBIN, POSITION ON HIP

The Robin winding on the hip is suitable for a woven sling scarf with a length of 270 cm. The size of the scarf depends on the height and size of the wearer's clothing, as well as the thickness of the scarf. In "Robin" it is recommended to carry a child who holds his head confidently and, when lying on his stomach, rises on his elbows (in most cases, this is 3-4 months old).

Check:

A) child's pose: knees above the pelvis, separated to a comfortable angle, shoulders and upper body pressed towards you, the leg behind your back is at the same level as the leg near your stomach;

b) child's location: symmetrical, not too low (the child is at the waist, although the winding is called hip);

V) your posture: you stand with a straight back, shoulders at the same height, you don’t want to bend over or “catch” the child in order to hug him closer to you. If everything is so, the winding was a success, congratulations!

Two more photos of correct winding from different angles.

Child's age: from 3 months
Sling scarf length: from 3.7m

This winding is convenient if the child needs to be constantly taken out of the scarf and put back in: there is no need to rewind it. This winding is also recommended during the hot season. However, for long-term vertical wear, the cross-over-pocket wrap is recommended as it provides better comfort over long periods of wear.

Find the middle of the scarf and place it over your shoulder. Bring the back of the scarf to the opposite hip and cross:

Wrap the panels around your waist and tie on the opposite hip:

Take the child in your arms, place him on your shoulder, tuck one leg under the opposite panel of the cross, as in the photo. Then transfer the child to the other shoulder and tuck the other leg under the outer panel of the cross and over the inner panel of the cross.

Place the child on your hip, in the center of the cross. Raise the child's knees so that the legs are well apart and not hanging. The knees should be higher than the butt. Straighten the panels of the cross over the child’s back: first the inner ones (from the knees to the top of the baby’s back), then the outer ones.

IMPORTANT! Now tighten the outer sides of the cross. Due to the winding design itself, the inner sides of the cross are always stretched over the child’s back, but the outer ones often sag. Therefore, it is important to pull them UP and BACK, then pull the corresponding sides to the end of the bevels and tie a knot on the side. If the scarf is long, you can make an extra turn around the waist and tie the scarf under the baby's bottom.

This is what the winding looks like from the front, back and side. Please note that the child’s knees are located above the butt, the child’s back is not curved or sagging, and the panels of the cross pass under the baby’s knees (and not above).

Olga Pleskan, Chairman of the Board of the League of Sling Consultants slingoliga.ru, consultant of the European school of babywearing Trageshule: The potential of a woven sling-scarf in most cases remains undiscovered. But a scarf, unlike ergonomic backpack, intuitive and attractive for those who do not want to understand the secrets of wearing, allows you to adjust the winding to any needs of the mother and child.

Needs can be very different:

• Lower so that it is convenient to feed the baby!
• Offset to the side to make it easier for your child to look around!
• Take the load off your shoulders and move it to your back and hips!
• Relieve your lower back as much as possible!
• Carrying a special baby!
• Wear it in the heat!
• Wear in cold weather and strong winds!

Most consultants teach, and most mothers use, the entire babywearing period, a single cross over the pocket. It’s good if then a simple cross is added to it (with the motivation “quickly get it - quickly arrange the baby in a sling”), or something from the hip wraps (usually a robin), or something from the back (most likely it will be a double rebozo ). The “technical minimum” for even an advanced babywearer is 3-4 windings. Of more than 30 existing ones.

Having a scarf and not using its capabilities is as strange as having two legs and only walking slowly. Don't run, don't jump, don't dance. It is no coincidence that I compare babywearing to dancing. Because it really is a dance: a joint dance of hands, body and fabric. It's very beautiful and convenient, you just need to take a little break from following the instructions.

The physiological position is unchanged, whether in front, on the side, or behind the back. It is adjusted slightly and only depending on the baby’s skills: let’s reach the child’s hands holding the top of his back; We’ll spread our legs a little wider after 3-4 months...

If we compare the characteristic pose of a newborn baby with the pose of a chick curled up in an eggshell, then the windings, depending on the skills the child has mastered, can be divided into three groups: “chick in the egg,” “chick hatching,” and “chick hatched.”

"Chick in an Egg"- from birth and throughout the entire period of babywearing.

These windings support the child’s body with one layer of fabric (“egg”), symmetrical along the vertical axis and provide optimal, uniform fixation to the baby’s spine from the neck to the tailbone. Cross over pocket (front and back), robin (front, side), kangaroo (front and hip), rebozo wraps with a slip knot or knot on the back, backpack on the back. If it is possible to straighten the upper panels in the winding (as, for example, in the cross above the pocket), it is important to remember that they should not change the position of the child, but are intended only to provide additional support.

"The Chick Hatches"- from the moment when the child confidently holds his head and upper back, he begins to roll over, when it becomes important to reach the baby’s hands while he is awake.

The “egg” has cracked and the chick is emerging. In these windings, the child is supported sectorally by two panels, each of which carries its own load, but does not support it individually. A cross under the pocket in the front, a simple cross in the front and on the hip, a double rebozo behind the back, a Jordan behind the back, poppins in the front and on the hip... This also includes kanga-windings, based on supporting the child with a horizontally stretched layer of fabric, which “flattens” the child onto mother (double rebozo in front).

"The chick has hatched"— windings for a child who walks confidently, when support with fabric is conditional: Tibetan cross.

I have listed the basic windings, each of them has several sub-options: with a change in the location of the knot in the winding, with the use of certain turns and twists, with a shift of the center of gravity up, down and sideways, with the addition of one or two rings... Selecting a specific winding and its The sub-option depends on what functionality you expect from it.

The winding selection algorithm is quite simple:

1. What can a child do? If winding or its variation suggests that the child has mastered a skill, keep in mind that this means confident mastery of the skill, that is, the child actively and consciously uses it and has already begun to master the next skill.

For example: winding a double rebozo behind the back due to the sectoral, uneven support of the child’s back, the high risk of hyperextension of the legs and the difficulty of controlling the child’s breathing and position behind the back is recommended for use after 3-4 months, and preferably from the age of confident sitting.

2. What is important in winding for the mother's convenience? Here, any detail can be important: a postoperative suture, limited hand movements after childbirth, discomfort when the lactating breast comes into contact with the fabric of the sling, and back problems... Even the mother’s physique matters!

It is very important to know that almost any winding has several execution techniques - that is, different actions are possible with the same result. A competent babywearing consultant (or surfing the Internet) will help the mother find her own option by putting together a “mix” of various techniques. Not a single movement should bring discomfort, and, of course, pain! There are always options!

For example: the usual winding height “at the level of a kiss” may be uncomfortable for a nursing mother, because the upper edge of the sling passes under the armpit and across the chest, increasing the risk of lactostasis. It is worth lowering the winding a few centimeters lower and ensuring that the fabric is evenly tensioned.

For example: for a mother wearing a cross above her pocket, the knot on her lower back is uncomfortable. In this case, you can try tying a semi-surgical knot instead of a double flat knot; if that doesn’t help, use a sub-variant of winding with a knot in the subclavian cavity or change the winding to another, with a knot in front (according to the age of the child - a simple cross or a kangaroo).

3. What is important in winding for the child’s convenience? Is the child accustomed to the sling and the physiological position in general? Are there any health considerations that need to be taken into account when babywearing?

For example: a mother begins to use a sling when the baby is 3-4 months old. Most children at this age are active and inquisitive, a cross above a pocket can create the illusion of a limited view, and tucking the fabric between each other and active child quite difficult. If you start at this age, then you should try a simple cross or some kind of wrapping on the thigh.

4. How do you plan to use the sling? Are these short walks? Or will the sling become a full-fledged replacement for a stroller? Are you dropping off your child? What time of year is it now?

For example: in a situation where the mother needs her hands as free as possible, it makes sense to use back winders. They are acceptable from the very early age subject to the confident actions of the mother. And confidence is achieved only with practice!

It may seem to some that consultants are overcomplicating the approach to babywearing: is it really necessary to think, analyze, and select options?.. Yes. That's right. There are no ready-made methods or decisions that someone has already made for you. Just like slings, which you don’t need to learn to use. And in general, a carrier in which you can place the child as needed. Or rather, they exist, but they cannot be called safe and physiological.

A conscious approach to babywearing will bring more benefits and comfort to both parties! Based on physiology and safety. Improvise. Look for your options. Listen to yourself and your child. And remember: all windings were invented by parents.

To be continued

Thank you for the illustrations to the article by the Little Frog sling manufacturer. You can find out more about the range and quality of slings made from environmentally friendly materials and based on the recommendations of sling consultants on the website -