Babywearing can be a great tool for soothing baby, can allow mama to multi-task, and can be that second pair of hands that we all need sometimes. The moby wrap was my favorite when my kids were babies. Here are a few of my tips on breastfeeding in the moby wrap and a couple of different ways to wear the moby wrap.
I use my Moby Wrap for my babies every.single.day. of their first six months, and it literally makes life POSSIBLE! I tell people all the time to not give up on babywearing as it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
That doesn’t always mean I have time to be cute though.
I tried to take these videos when I had makeup and decent clothes on already since I’m such an efficient gal.
I ended up relying on a 6-year-old videographer and taking one last video today with the camera propped on a chair, effectively cutting off my entire head the entire time.
Will you forgive the new mama for the bad videos? I love how my hair is all frizzed at the end of the day (it’s about midnight) in the nursing video. Real life, baby!
Grab a Moby Wrap on Amazon or try the similar Boba or other wrap styles.
This was only the third video I shared on the blog and I’ve come a long way in perfecting my video skills, but I still think there is some valuable information in these videos. Some things just deserve to be in living color, live… wobbly video and all!
I will still list some tips for those of you who, like me, skip the videos and just want to skim.
How to Put on a Moby Wrap
Have I mentioned that a Moby is totally my favorite baby item ever? Here’s how to put it on (pardon the bobbing and weaving = 6-year-old in charge of camera):
If you are unable to view the video, click HERE.
Moby Wrap Tips:
- Put it on at home so the ends don’t drag on the ground in parking lots. Wear it all day like clothing.
- Get it just slightly tighter/higher than you think you want it, as baby’s weight will make it stretch, especially over time if you’re having a busy “out and about” day.
- Wear layers – a short-sleeved shirt, the Moby Wrap, and then a cardigan or zippered sweatshirt on top. That way when baby heats you up, you’re not totally stuck in long sleeves and dying to get rid of a layer but you can’t because there’s a sleeping baby tied to your body!
- Get moving. I can’t tell you how many people say, “My baby didn’t like the sling, so I gave up.” I really think they probably could have succeeded; a lot of people just don’t understand that the baby wants you to stand up and get moving. My little ones often liked vertical bouncing and the “butt bump” with a hand bopping their bottom through the Moby Wrap.
- Use it for discreet nursing…
- Shop around and try to find people in real life who have a few brands you can feel and try on. A small change in material or style can make all the difference in success!
How to Nurse a Baby in a Moby Wrap
A lot of readers have been wondering how this is done after trying and failing themselves. The video ain’t that pretty, and it’s clearly done at midnight (thank you, darling husband, for shooting for me), but it gets the job done.
I’ll show the basic infant position that I’ve been wearing Jonathan in daily. He often drifts off this way while shopping or on walks. It’s darling.
If you are unable to view the video, click HERE.
And when they fall asleep…here’s my video of putting a sleeping baby down out of a Moby Wrap.
Can anyone add advice or experience for larger busted women and babywearing? Is it still possible to breastfeed in a Moby? Some readers have wondered, but I wasn’t sure how to answer.
The Cuddle Hold
In a radical turnaround from video number two, here I am looking a bit more together (it was a church day). John fell asleep first nursing not in the wrap, and I was able to slip him in using the alternative position cuddle hold, chest to chest, for the walk home from Mass. He’s so cozy:
If you are unable to view the video, click HERE.
But It’s Just Not Working for Me…
I got your back. Check out my 5 Solutions for Parents who Give up on Babywearing – you can do this, Mama! You can even babywear with a heavy toddler in a ring sling.
Plus, who knew there was such controversy about the “right reason” to wear your baby!?! Not me. I just do it for these awesome reasons – some of which are very unpopular.
Bonus: Breastfeeding Info
When your babies are so close to mama, they often think about nursing – so why not talk about it? 😉 Breastfeeding is vitally important to me and my life as a mother, and I love nursing my babes, but I haven’t written a ton.
- Here’s my best post on the subject: Increasing Low Milk Supply for Breastfeeding Moms
- And a really good one from my friend Erin: 5 reasons to breastfeed and the best advice ever (make small goals)
Hi Katie,
I’m a first time mom and my baby is now 4 1/2 weeks old. I’m just starting to try the moby and I have to be honest..so far I hate it. I keep trying to reposition him because it seems like he slides down and his chin is too close to his chest. He seems to like it, as he has been sleeping comfortably for as while now, but my right shoulder is killing me and i feel like he is pulling me forward so that I can’t stand up straight. I thought this was supposed to feel comfortable. Everything I have read suggests that its too loose and i need to take him out and tighten it…but when i tighten it, I can’t fit him inside. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Also…I watched your video on nursing while they are int he moby…I can’t for the life of me figure out how that is possible just yet. I feel like the carriers that are more like backpacks would be easier…It is disappointing though because I have heard such great things about the moby. I really feel like I don’t have the time to try and figure it out, because by the time i get him situated, we’ve got a diaper to change or a feeding to do. Any advice?
Hilary,
Nothing easy about being a first time mom! Those newborns are so tiny, everything seems too big for them, doesn’t it? 😉
It depends what kind of hold you’re trying – with a newborn, maybe try the cuddle hold where baby is facing you, just like you’d hold him normally against your chest. Or you could also get him in there and have someone tighten or loosen the straps until it feels comfy while you’re holding baby steady, then they can tie it for you and you can get the feel of it. If it’s hurting your back, it does sound like baby is too low – if he’s below your waist at all, it’s going to cause undue stress on your back.
Nursing while multitasking is a skill that will come in time…4 1/2 weeks is still pretty early! Nursing is a new skill for the both of you, so don’t worry about that yet. 🙂
My personal opinion is that the backpack carriers would also feel like baby was slouching down at his size. He’s so tiny!
I hope you figure it out! 🙂 Katie
thank you!! ive been carrying my one month old in the cuddle/hug hold for the past couple weeks. tomorrow im gonna try the hold you used in the breastfeeding video… we’re going to an all day music festival and it will be AWESOME to be able to nurse her in the wrap!!
Thanks so much for all of this! I’ve made my own Moby wrap, and though I don’t have little man in my arms just yet, I’ve been trying to practice using baby dolls and stuffed animals. Thanks for the tip on just wearing it like clothing, and the breastfeeding while wearing it–that will be especially helpful!
Although I breastfed my six babies I needed a lot of space, I was never able to do it this graceful
Who could not want a Moby wrap? Those pictures are the SWEETEST THING EVER.
I LOVE my MobyWrap! It is the ONE thing I recommend to all pregnant mommies out there!
I like this
My number one item on my emergency grab list (after the 3-day kit) is my sling, it is that essential to my life. When my oldest was 6 weeks old I traveled by air without my husband to attend my sister’s funeral, and I COULD NOT have made it without my sling. Push a stroller with a carseat and a playpen on top through an airport while also dragging luggage? Check, baby’s strapped to me, no problem. Sleeping the entire time on the plane since I only got 2 hours sleep the night before? Once again, no problem, baby’s safely strapped to me.
Now on baby #4 that thing (not the same one!) goes with me everywhere, and I’ve been known to sling other people’s babies in it too. My arms literally start hurting when I see mama’s just toting their babies, I want to run up and say “hey, you should totally get a carrier, your arms will thank you!”
So helpful–thank you!
I have a woven wrap and I still use it periodically for my 33 pound 22 month old, but I love it so much that I am saving it for my grandkids no joke!
I’ve only used Maya slings, but then I make and sell them, always wanted to try some other wraps
Number 3 due in a few weeks…I knew I needed a wrap this time with the other two running around, thanks for posting!
Thanks for reposting this. #4 is coming in May, and I’ve been wanting to try a Moby.
I *loved* my Moby! My son has outgrown it, but it was essential.
Great stuff! Thanks for sharing! I nursed my 3 mo. old in the Moby for the first time tonight thanks to your video. Question though – do you have to re-wrap the whole sling to let the babe nurse on the other side? My son tends to want to nurse on both sides, so I wonder if I would have to re-wrap it half way through to switch him around?
Kristin,
Yes or no…to nurse easily just as in the video, yes. If you can make it work with the baby inserted the “wrong” way, go for it! A lot of sling wearing is just wiggling and jiggling until it feels right. 😉
That said, if I’m going somewhere like a restaurant and I know I’ll want to nurse on both sides for sure and will be seated more than walking, I choose a ring sling because it’s both easy to switch sides and super easy to loosen to nurse with support while sitting and eating. Someday I need to make videos of that, too, don’t I? 😉
Katie
I love the videos! I have never used a moby wrap before but I want to. We just had our 3rd child and I need to figure out how to nurse while on the run with the other two, without doing it in the van or flashing poeple, I am six years out of practice. But Jonathan wants to nurse all of the time and when in a store he hates to be in his car seat and the front pack we do have does not work real well.
I’m so glad you shared these videos Katie. I have a Moby that for the life of me, I just couldn’t get used to with my second. Now that I saw how you nurse with one on, I think I’m going to love that with my third. Thanks so much!!!
diana
Merry Christmas, Diana! Can’t wait to see photos of number 3 when s/he arrives! 🙂 Katie
Oh, I so hope I get another chance to make some milk for a sweet babe! I had a friend offer me a homemade moby when Goose was a tiny honker but with my adrenals so out of whack (wish I’d have known that then…) I didn’t feel like I was able to figure it out. Looks wonderful!
As a larger-breasted woman I never got anything but a tummy-to-tummy carry to work because baby’s head was pressing on milk-filled tissue (ouch!) and her head was higher than my nipple line. I’d just pop her out, nurse, and put her back in. We have the firm weave wraps, but I’m interested in a stretchy one for the early days of an eventual baby #2.
Re muffin top hang-out: I kept using my belly band which I’d worn almost daily during pregnancy. Then my shirt could ride up but I was covered and not too hot.
My favorite place I nursed my daughter in my homemade Moby-style wrap was in line at a children’s consignment sale. Somewhere between 15-20 pounds I switch to a mei tai style carrier. And I’ve nursed in them too.
Love our Moby, First time I slipped my baby in I knew it was one of the best purchases I had ever made. Baby started out at 10 lbs and while we were both healthy through the pregnancy and birth my recovery was slow and I kept basically extending my recovery carrying that much weight. So it was hard on me for a while. But on the nights when we just needed at walk around it made all the difference. Once I was feeling better I started using it for going out and for when I needed two hands. I love the Petunia Pickle Bottom’s snug sling for when I only need one hand, a very good sling/ very cute/ also a very good gift. The Moby has so many uses I can’t tell enough people to get one. Your video of the nursing is cool, I hadn’t seen that done but we will be trying it soon, it looks well covered.
Love this post and the videos – it’s so helpful to actually see it done. I try to explain it over the phone sometimes and it just doesn’t have the same effect! From now on, I’m sending people to your site to learn how to master the fabulous Moby® Wrap! Thanks, Katie!
This was an AWESOME post! Thanks Katie! 🙂 I’ve saved it for future reference.
I got a different wrap from target when I had my daughter. We had difficulties nursing for the first few weeks but then one day I put her in the wrap, whipped it out (haha) and it was the perfect position for her to nurse when I stood up.
Love the Moby wrap! I actually have one that’s a Kari-Me, but its the exact same thing. We lived in Scotland at the time, so we walked everywhere. I’d be walking down the street nursing my son so we wouldn’t be late for church and no one even knew. (My kids always decided they needed to nurse right when we needed to leave for church for some reason, no matter how hard I tried to schedule around that.) Tip for not exposing your tummy while nursing–wear a nursing tank top under your shirt. I know it’d be too hot for that in the summer, but its great when it starts getting cooler. I found mine at Target and they were fairly inexpensive. (That was a couple of years ago now, though.)
I am a huge fan of those tank tops (modest people here), I have enough to get me through the week, my very favorite clothing item right now, really making nursing just so easy not to mention comfortable. I love when people suggest those. Wore them all summer with a light shirt over top, awesome 🙂
I loved baby wearing, even 2 at a time, I sure miss that!
I just had my second child 16 days ago (Sept. 28th) and I was given a Moby wrap. I’ve used it a couple of times but haven’t attempted nursing while wearing it yet. This is so very helpful! Thank you!
I nursed my 3 week old for the first time in the Moby yesterday bc of your video. Thanks!
The post I’ve been waiting for!
You’re videos were great.Great job for a six year old!!
I was wondering if you could review this Chai-Wrap-Tai-Baby-Carrier carrier?
I bought one and only know how to do froggy style as that is what her video demonstrated. My son is 8 mos. now and I only used it a couple times because I don’t know how to use it. . . I have a Bjorn but supposedly they are not as good for the baby (I think you said that too). I would really like to wear my baby but just don’t know how to use it. . .Thanks.
Theresa
Theresa,
That carrier is cool! It strikes me as a merge between a Moby and an Ergo. I bet if you googled how-to videos for those you could find them quickly, or check out Tuesday’s post (http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2011/10/11/8-baby-items-i-couldnt-live-without/) in the comments for the baby wearing website.
When I use a sling/carrier, I just wing it sometimes! Where could the baby go? Is he comfortable? Then go for it! Good luck – Katie
I think I have bookmarked almost every post you have done lately, since I’m expecting my first. 🙂 thanks so much! can’t wait to see the big ol’ review of all the carriers.
First, I love wearing my babies! It’s SO easy! In fact, with #3 we didn’t even bother getting the snap-out carseat, since I was always just putting babies in slings/wraps to wear when we were out and about!
I also HAVE to plug the wrap that I love. It is seriously BETTER than a Moby IMHO! They’re called Migo Wraps.
Basically, the stretchy cotton interlock fabric is stitched folded in half, so you don’t have as much bulky material as with the Moby. There is a pocket in the front, too, which makes the Migo turn into a pillow when you store it in the pocket. Really – so cute and SO supportive – the extra stitching really is wonderful for the back. Best of all – you can wear the thing all day long and put different sized babies/toddlers in it, and it doesn’t need to be re-wrapped! Check it out. 🙂
I have used my moby (although it’s made of a gauzy fabric from wombfruit wraps) for three babies now, and never quite gotten the hang of nursing. I’m totally inspired by your video to try again with my 3 month old. This wrap is my favorite baby thing too. you can use it on your back too when baby is older. love your cute accent. 🙂
Ha! I have an accent? That’s awesome. What part of the country/world are you from? 😉 Katie
yes, just a little bit of an accent. I’m from Oregon (Or-ee-gun) :p
Katie, you totally have an accent! I think of it as “up north”. :>) It’s a bit more gentle than Minnesotan, but in the range.
Oh, yeah, “aroound and aboot”? 😉 Katie
Wow! Great videos. Wished that I had those when I was learning how to use mine.
My little guy loved his Moby. It was the only way that I could get him to not cry after he was fed as he had horrible acid reflux. The cuddle hold would have been perfect for him as he was a real snuggler.
The only thing I would add to this is that I would not suggest a dark colored Moby as it attracts heat. My son and I would get so incredibly hot, especially if we were out on a walk, even in short sleeved shirts.
Oh thank you for posting the breastfeeding video! I loved using my Moby but never was able to figure that part out.
Now that she’s bigger I always use my Maya wrap (ring sling), but I’ve been wondering if I should think about other options, so I’m looking forward to your comparison!
I love babywearing! I have a Sleepy Wrap, which is basically the same as the Moby. I also have a Snugli, ring sling, and a Boba (for when they outgrow the others). The Sleepy Wrap was my favourite when my girls were babies, but I found that the other styles also had their uses.
If you can manage it, I think it is ideal to have several different styles of baby carriers. My girls would go through phases where they didn’t like a specific carrier, but because I had options, I could just carry them in another.
And I agree – for second (and more) babies, baby carriers are a life-saver. You just cannot chase after a two year old through the mall as well if you are pushing a stroller. 🙂
A great web resource is Wear Your Baby.com
You can make a great baby wrap from anywhere from 2 to 5 yds of fabric, stretchy or not, you don’t need to buy one premade. I used to get the best wrap ideas from ladies I would see out and about, esp back carries, from women from Somalia and Ethiopia.
Oh, this is my favorite baby item, too! I recommend it to every new mom. My son spent the first 6 months of his life in the wrap.
I made mine from 5 yards of ribbed cotton from Joann’s. I cut it lengthwise and got two wraps out of it.
Three cheers for a good wrap! It saved my life…allowed me to get everything done. My son was happy cuz he was close to me 🙂
I think I only really wear my babies in the “cuddle hold,” so it’s neat to see other options!
Thanks for the videos. I bought a moby and practiced on a stuffed animal. It is quite intimidating at first. I think I will nervous that the baby will fall out. I will also be scared to suffocate it. Hopefully with some practice I will be an expert!
Suzy, check out the “safe baby wearing rules” – just Google, but the main ones are: secure hold, knees above feet, knees above bum, and head close enough to kiss. If your carry ticks those boxes, you’re both good to go!
Thanks so much. I will take a look at the tips. That will make me feel more secure.
Thank you for the videos! I wish I had seen the nursing one about 5 months ago. I was never able to figure it out, but maybe now I can give it a try.
I love my Moby and used it a lot when my 6mo was a newborn. It’s definitely the most comfortable carrier we’ve used! I don’t use it near as much now because she usually prefers being out and rolling around on her own. I wish I had known about babywearing with baby #1 (now 5yo).
My second is due in a month, and I’m SO glad you shared these videos! I made a wrap for my first (super-tight budget at the time!) and somehow I missed the part about making “pockets” by folding the material before the front cross step. It was so hard to get her comfortable that I gave up on it. I’m definitely going to try again with this baby! Thanks so much!
Thanks for posting this! I didn’t do much baby-wearing with my first (mostly due to health issues on my end after recovering after a traumatic post-partum recovery — couldn’t walk for about 10 weeks and didn’t fully heal until 5 months). Looking forward to trying the moby with #2 due imminently. At what point did you find that they “outgrew” the moby (either from weight or from the wiggles)?
I maxed out at about 35 lbs, which for my oldest was about 14 months. But I know many who carry their 5 and 6 yr olds, the sling helps keep the weight off their arms, but their kids are much, MUCH smaller than mine.
My 6 yr old is now 70 lbs and over 4 and 1/2ft tall!
Bethany,
I prefer to move on to other styles of slings by about 6 mos. because the baby is getting heavy enough to stretch the Moby out a bit AND since she can sit up and hold her own head, other carriers just are a better fit. Some use the Moby for much longer, though!
🙂 Katie
Jodi, you will LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I even got down nursing my youngest while she was in it! Nobody had a clue which was awesome!
I LOVE the moby-style wrap as well, esp for a newborn. I have one I made from a length of fabric and it’s worked great for my last 4 kids.
I find though, I cannot nurse in it at all. Seriously, I make more of a show trying to nurse “discreetly” then if I just take them out and nurse and put them back. It works okay for me though. I am a more large chested person, though I am not overly large.
People always ask when I am out if “there’s a baby in there”…… um yeah, I don’t wear huge lengths of fabric wrapped in circles around my body on a normal basis 😉 But seriously, I love wearing baby. I have tried the ring sling, didn’t particularly care for it. I have a hip one I love when they are bigger – over 6-8 months or so. And I have a Mei-Tai I made as well, works good for in between newborn and bigger baby.
I really would like to try a Beco this time around as well……. it’s on my birthday wish list 😉
Jen,
I get that question, too! I was nursing in a one-shoulder sling at a store a few weeks ago and an older lady said, “You have some skin showing there honey,” since my entire belly was peeking out (a Moby is better for coverage!) and I had to say, “Oh, I’m nursing a baby.” What are you going to do, you know? 😉 Katie
I’m a ring sling momma and for modesty while nursing I make nursing undershirts out of men’s undershirts, just cut a horizontal slit at nipple height over each breast and voila! I buy them in 5-packs (costs about $12) and wear them tucked in under everything…I love that it also takes care of the modesty issues up top when baby tries to rip my shirt off, and at the waist when I have to bend over and my pants ride way down.
I wil say as a larger chested woman I loved my moby. I was a 42 F or G when nursing (yikes!) and I never figured out how to nurse in the moby, at least not with a shirt on too, but I didn’t try very hard. I didn’t discover the moby until my son was about 6 weeks old and didn’t use it much until he was 4 months old and too into looking around while he ate to want to nurse while in the moby. I used it until he was over a year old. We bought a new house when he was 6 months old and I would unpack boxes while wearing him. If we ever have anymore babies I will use it much more in the begining.
We’re expecting #5 in early Feb & I’m definitely getting one this time around. The sling hurt my lower back & I’m hoping I’ll love the Moby!
I had a ring sling w/ #3. Because he grew so fast, I soon found that I was having terrible back/neck pain from it. Then I made myself a Moby. He lived in it and we both loved it. You’ll definitely see the back pain disappear and i’m sure you’ll love it.
I absolutely love my Moby as well. My littlest is a bit too big now, and we have moved onto the ergo, but sometimes my 3 1/2 year old still asks to go in the moby. I think that wearing your baby is natural, who wants to be put down to sleep in a bed away from the noise he has grown so used to?
Whenever I go anywhere, my youngest is always either on my chest or on my back, and quiet as a mouse, the same with my oldest when she was under 2. My friends always comment about how quiet my kids are, and I think my kids are just content to know they can sleep, eat, observe all from being attached to me 🙂
Hi Katie! You look so cute in your videos and I love your Gleek Retreat t-shirt in the second one! 🙂
I loved my Moby Wrap with my son, my second baby, and I think it literally saved my life as mama with a new baby and a 20 month old! I can’t say how priceless it is to be able to go about so many of your daily activities keeping your baby close and happy, and being able to have your hands free.
The Moby Wrap is definitely a little intimidating at first – all that fabric – but once you get it figured out, it is truly an indispensable baby item! It’s also so comfortable, once I climbed into my car and went to put my seat belt on after grocery shopping and forgot that I still had my son in the Moby on me! It almost just feels like the 10th month of being pregnant!
Emily,
LOL! I’m always tempted to do that on purpose rather than transfer a happy baby to a carseat where happiness is not guaranteed…but I don’t. 🙂 Katie
My 2 almost 3 yr old still rides in hers on my back! We went hiking last weekend, she loved it and was very safe! I wish I would have known about Moby for my oldest daughter!