The Perfect Every Time Cross Carry

The Cross Carry (usually abbreviated fwcc, for front wrap cross carry), is a great first carry to learn. It works well from newborn on up. As with all babywearing, your baby's safety is your own responsibility- wrap carefully!




This is a teaching wrap- notice the opposite coloured rails, which can help you maintain awareness of which rail you are working with. Here, the top rail is lightly coloured.









Most woven wraps have a middle marker- find it (or the middle of the wrap) & you are ready to get started! Place the centred wrap over your chest...









& bring the wrap around your back, twisting your wrists to keep the wrap from twisting on your back. Bring the tails back over your shoulders.









Take a minute to straighten & snug up the cross you have made on your back.












Place your baby over one shoulder...












& settle him down into the pocket.










Adjust the wrap around him, seating him in it & helping him into the frog legged position, with knees higher than bum.










Notice the top rail- it matches with the fabric nearest your neck. This tells you the fabric isn't twisted.









Grab the top rail & pull straight up to tighten each half of the cross on your back.











Maintain tension on each tail once you have tightened.










To make sure the wrap perfectly supports your baby's spine in a rounded position, tighten each tail strand by strand, working from one edge of the wrap to the next. Tuck one tail between your knees while you work on the other.











When you are finished, bring both tails out in front of you,









cross them underneath baby's bum and bring the tails around your back.









Tie in the back.











Before you're ready to go, adjust your wrap if needed. The baby's legs should be spread at a 30-45 degree angle (this demo doll's very short legs make that difficult, resulting in the odd leg positioning in this pic!), with the bum lower than the knees. It helps to push gently up on the baby's feet to seat them deeply in the wrap & make sure the spine is rounded. Keep the rails at the sides of your baby's body.
Ready to go!