Purchasing a woven wrap new is great. You don't have to worry about any undisclosed stains or rips, pets, smoke, or scents. All new wraps require some form of breaking in.
A broken in woven should:
Feel soft
Be floppy and moldable
Glide smoothly over itself without sticking
Knot easily
Breaking in a wrap essentially means breaking down the fibers, so anything that gets some friction going is going to help. So how do you break it in?
(Wrap pictured is Didymos Anthracite Hemp Indio, 5)
Twist it.
Loop the wrap over the edge of a railing. I use the crib (gotta use that thing for something!). Pull the tails so they are even, your middle marker should be on the railing.
Grab the tails and start to twist
Keep twisting until your wrap ends up in a little knot
Un twist and repeat! It's a great forearm workout!
Braid it.
Braiding a wrap is the same thing as a daisy chain. Tie one tail in a circle.
Stick your hand through the circle and grab the wrap
Pull the wrap through and repeat with your new loop.
Make a hammock.
Hammocks are fun! You can use a table
like this mama does, but I use the crib. E was not into the hammock today, so here's what it looks like
sans baby
Use it.
Sorry, no action shots yet!
Of course, using your wrap is one of the best ways to break it in. If it's too stiff for a good wrap job, try one of the above tricks to soften it up first!
A few other ideas:
Steam iron (check the tag for heat settings)
Sit on it
Sleep with it (blanket)
Leave it under the couch cushions for a week
Tug o war
Run it through
sling rings
Remember, breaking in a wrap is breaking down the fibers. Don't be afraid to rough it up a bit, it's made to last! (avoid sharp objects, of course)
Happy Babywearing!
