Is Cotton Gauze Strong Enough?

[anomaly13]

After reading in another thread that cotton gauze could be used as a cooler wrap I bought 5 yards of it from the fabric store. When I was telling dh my plan he thought the gauze was too thin/weak and the fabric might rip with the weight of a baby. I don't want to find out the hard way, our baby is only 2.5 months old now and no more then 12 pounds I think. So is it safe to use? I looked at Gypsy Mama wraps and they sell one that is made from cotton gauze, not sure how different it is from the stuff I bought.

I was excited b/c I actually stopped taking my daily walk recently b/c it was just way too hot with the moby wrap. I also want to try some back carries when she is a bit older and never liked the moby for that because of the give, I always felt the my baby was going to fall/wiggle out, but this woven material doesn't give as much so it can be tied tighter.

Any ideas? Should I suck it up and buy a gauze wrap like the Gypsy Mama wrap?

[2ID_Wife]

It depends on the type of cotton gauze I have seen thin and lightly thicker. Also in a gauze wrap often you end up doing multi-layer carriers so there is 2-4 layers of the fabric supporting the baby.

[alia]

Agree with PP re: depends on the gauze and that most carries are multilayer, so thin is fine.

Also, especially with thinner fabrics, you should check the fabric regularly for any flaws or weak spots that might rip while in use. If you're nervous, doing this check should be really reassuring, too.

That said, I do love the GM wraps... if you find a good bargain on one, why not snap one up?

[ABO Mama]

With a wrap, you have several layers of fabric supporting your baby, so the stress is spread out, rather than being focused on one spot (so it wouldn't be a good fabric choice for a ringsling).

Also, if it would make your DH feel better, have each of you hold one end of the fabric and give it a good tug to test how strong the fabric is.