Wearing baby on back with Moby?

[Adaline'sMama]

Ive been doing this for a few weeks, and today I saw a comment that suggested that it was REALLY not ok to wear a baby on your back with a stretchy wrap. DD is almost 7 months, but she is really small, shes 24 inches and 15 lbs. I walk 1/2 a mile 4 times a day down the street to my neighboors house where I work. I wear her on my front while Im walking ( so she can nurse on the way) and when I get there I move her to my back so that I can work without her grabbing everything. I found out how to do this by watching a tutorial on YouTube by a mom who seemed totally competent and writes a blog. I went back to YouTube today to show my DH the video so he could learn how to wrap her this way, and I noticed a comment from someone who was a baby wearing consultant stating that babies are NEVER to be worn on the back in stretchy fabric.

So, I have 3 slings right now. I have a BabyBjorn, a Moby, and a 16 foot piece of muslin that I keep in the truck in case we go somewhere I have forgotten her moby at home. I can not afford any other slings right now. I know a mai tai will be my next purchase, probably followed by an Ergo. But for now, this is what I have to work with. The piece of muslin is a little too short to do the back wrap, and really its a little too short for pretty much everything now because shes bigger. I can face her out when I wrap it moby style, but thats pretty much it.

I have never felt that she was unsafe in the moby on my back and she has moved her head around plenty. I *really* dislike my babybjorn because it has no back support and it kills my shoulders and back to wear it for very long. It is really easy to get her in and out of though.

SO, my question is , have other people worn their babies like this? Its it really unsafe even though it feels totally fine? If I bought another piece of muslin (longer) would that be better?

[confustication]

Stretchy wraps are not good for back wraps- and I imagine, it's less than ideal at the weight she is at anyway at this point.

Do you sew? If you do, you can make a mei tai.

If not, a longer piece of muslin *might* work for a while, i think it would get a little uncomfy pretty soon, and really- to get a longer piece would be about the same cost as a mei tai. If your current piece is 16 feet, you have the equivalent of a longer size 6 wrap, which for most people is plenty to do a back wrap- and is MORE than enough to do something like a rucksack under bum carry. This lady is using a short wrap to do this carry in this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fi9fSpgqpc

[Ellien C]

I would get a longer piece of muslin. I've had great success with a non-stretchy piece of cotton. Mine is about 5 yards - so 15 feet and I used it through toddler hood. Only cost a couple of bucks and lot of studying tutorials, but it works great. I've only ever used my moby in a front carry as I heard the same thing.

[clovergirl]

For what it's worth, Moby Wrap no longer advocates using their product in a back carry and they do not include instructions for it in their new packaging/instruction booklet. The concern is that because the fabric does stretch/give it is possible for a baby to lean or arch backwards, which would (in the worst case scenerio) mean they could fall out. There are a few videos on YouTube which show how far a baby can lean in a back carry in a Moby, though none show the actually baby falling out.
Here is one-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diR1jNS7Vmg
The mama who did this video has a few more, one of which shows the same scenerio in a woven wrap so that you can see the difference between the two fabrics with respect to how much wiggle room a baby has.

That said, as a parent you have the right to decided whether or not you feel comfortable continuing to use the Moby in a back carry. If it was me, I would try to use the muslin in a different back carry, like a rucksack (which takes less length then the BWCC or "hike hold" that Moby used to suggest). But I had wiggling, leaning babies so there would be no way that a Moby would feel safe and secure in a back carry to me.

[GoGoGirl]

I never tried to wear DD on my back in my Moby--I'd heard it was unsafe and I didn't want to risk it. Before I shelled out for a mei tai (and then eventually a woven wrap), though, I got a piece of cotton gauze from the fabric store to practice back carries. I don't know what muslin feels like, but I'm guessing it's similar?

If you have 16 feet of muslin, that's the equivalent of a size 6 wrap, which with most women can do the back carries that require the longest wraps. Does that make sense? If you wrap tightly, it *should* be long enough. My favorite back carry is "double hammock." Here's a good tutorial. It's the most comfortable for me, especially with thin wraps (I'm assuming muslin is thinner than a woven wrap). If your muslin doesn't feel long enough for that, try "ruck tied in front (RTIF)." I don't have a favorite youtube video for that, but I'm sure there are lots of tutorials on there.

You can also wear your baby on your back in a "torso carry" in a beach towel. Thinner beach towels are easier for me than the thick, cushy ones. Here are two videos. I really like this way of wearing a baby for times when you have to move around a lot, like cleaning the house. It's really comfortable to reach above your head, or bend down, while your baby is in a torso carry.

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by clovergirl

For what it's worth, Moby Wrap no longer advocates using their product in a back carry and they do not include instructions for it in their new packaging/instruction booklet. The concern is that because the fabric does stretch/give it is possible for a baby to lean or arch backwards, which would (in the worst case scenerio) mean they could fall out. There are a few videos on YouTube which show how far a baby can lean in a back carry in a Moby, though none show the actually baby falling out.
Here is one-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diR1jNS7Vmg
The mama who did this video has a few more, one of which shows the same scenerio in a woven wrap so that you can see the difference between the two fabrics with respect to how much wiggle room a baby has.

That said, as a parent you have the right to decided whether or not you feel comfortable continuing to use the Moby in a back carry. If it was me, I would try to use the muslin in a different back carry, like a rucksack (which takes less length then the BWCC or "hike hold" that Moby used to suggest). But I had wiggling, leaning babies so there would be no way that a Moby would feel safe and secure in a back carry to me.

This is the way that I learned to tie it. It seems like the way she was tying it in that video was totally unsafe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktQ5BHuqLBw.

I feel like the muslin is too short, but ill try again. Maybe Im just not getting it tight enough. I dont sew, so making a mai tai is kinda out of the question...plus the one I want is only $45, so Im gonna wait. Im not sure, but when I watched another video called "tying rucksack style" it looked just like the way I had been tying her. So, Ill try again with the muslin. Everything so far has been fine, and I even bend over and stand back up quite frequently. Ill try the muslin, and if it doesnt work, I think Im just going to keep tying her with the rucksack carry in the moby.

[GoGoGirl]

Oh gosh, mama, I just watched the video you linked, and it SCARED me. That's the one you watched that seemed safer to you, right? Look how loose that mom is wrapping the baby...if she had pulled ALL the slack out of the moby it would have kept the baby a little closer to her body, but even if you pull all the slack out of a stretchy wrap, it will still sag, and the baby will be able to swan dive out. Look at the end of the video, around 3:46, how the baby is leaning WAY back. If that baby decided to back flip out of the wrap, the Moby wouldn't be able to stop her. A baby on your back really shouldn't be able to lean their shoulders away from your body...they should be held so snugly against your back that they can't lean back at all.

The way of tying from the video you linked is called a "back wrap cross carry" (bwcc). It's hard for me, a mama who has been back wrapping every day for a year, to get tight enough that my DD can't lean back out of it, even in a woven wrap. I think it's one of the harder carries to do safely. Here's a video I like of bwcc. You can see how the mom really focuses on pulling all the slack out of her (woven) wrap. The carry is a little different than the one you're doing because she ties a knot over her chest instead of just crossing it, but the rest of the carry is the same. If you do keep doing a bwcc in a stretchy, I would be sure to tighten it at least this carefully. The problem with a stretchy though, is that even if you get out all the slack as you tie it, it will sag after you've been wearing it for a while, and then the baby can get loose or lean back out of the wrap.

The muslin would definitely be too short to tie the wrap like that video you linked, because she's wrapping the tails around herself so many times. Is it long enough to tie it in front right after you go under your baby's legs, if you don't wrap it around another whole time?

If you still feel like the muslin is too short, I think a rucksack carry/ruck tied in front would work. Here are two videos.

I know you're doing your best and you need to wear your baby on your back in what you already own. I don't mean to criticize you at all mama, I'm just worried about that Moby back carry .

[yamilee21]

I successfully wore my kids in a back carry in the Moby many times. I had a "creative" way of wrapping that was super-tight; there was no way for them to budge. It may not be recommended, and I would not advocate it to others who were inexperienced, but if you know what you are doing, I think it can be done safely.

All these recalls have made everyone quite paranoid in the babywearing community. Moby also no longer shows the cradle carry in its instructions, and neither do many ring sling and pouch vendors.

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by GoGoGirl

Look how loose that mom is wrapping the baby...if she had pulled ALL the slack out of the moby it would have kept the baby a little closer to her body, but even if you pull all the slack out of a stretchy wrap, it will still sag, and the baby will be able to swan dive out.The muslin would definitely be too short to tie the wrap like that video you linked, because she's wrapping the tails around herself so many times. Is it long enough to tie it in front right after you go under your baby's legs, if you don't wrap it around another whole time?

I know you're doing your best and you need to wear your baby on your back in what you already own. I don't mean to criticize you at all mama, I'm just worried about that Moby back carry .

I did think the video I watched looked pretty safe, but honestly, by the time I got to the end, i wasnt really paying too much attention. I was tying my kiddo at the same time. I do agree that she doesnt pull all the slack out, but I do. My kid is up to her neck in the moby with no arm movement, and it doesnt sag.

I did try the muslin following the second video you linked, and it worked! Its not too short at all, but I walked with it for about 10 minutes and it was already loose. Ill have to practice a few times.

I didnt think you were critical at all. If I knew the answers to my questions, I wouldnt be asking, kwim?

[carriebft]

I have a moby D which has a nonstretchy panel...I've put my 2 yr old in that in a back wrap and it seemd fine to me? my husband tried to temp her with a toy while I sat on the bed and she still didn't stretch out at all, even when attempting to push off me.

but, again, this was a moby D...I don't use it for this because I prefer my kozy or babyhawk but I did wonder why everyone was so against moby on the back...even moby D. there was absolutely no way she was getting out of that wrap, kwim? I have yet to see a youtube moby danger video with the D nonstretchy panel.

is there another reason this hold might be dangerous that I am missing?

I def see why a reg moby would not work.

[clovergirl]

Originally Posted by carriebft

I have a moby D which has a nonstretchy panel...I've put my 2 yr old in that in a back wrap and it seemd fine to me? my husband tried to temp her with a toy while I sat on the bed and she still didn't stretch out at all, even when attempting to push off me.

but, again, this was a moby D...I don't use it for this because I prefer my kozy or babyhawk but I did wonder why everyone was so against moby on the back...even moby D. there was absolutely no way she was getting out of that wrap, kwim? I have yet to see a youtube moby danger video with the D nonstretchy panel.

is there another reason this hold might be dangerous that I am missing?

I def see why a reg moby would not work.

Here's one with the Moby D, wrapped per Moby Wraps old instructions-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WU8boTVTLk

The woven panel may add a tiny bit more support/security, but I still don't think it would deter a very motivated baby from flipping backwards. I think that if you have a very compliant, calm baby the chance of something dangerous happening when they are wrapped on your back in a stretchy wrap is pretty small. The problem as I see it is you just don't know if/when a baby may choose to freak out and fling themselves backwards, either for fun or when upset. Either way, I know for me that I would rather use a carrier that I felt confident in it's ability to keep my baby restrained when necessary.

[GoGoGirl]

Oops, I realized I messed up the link to the bwcc video I like. Here it is! That's the one where she really works out the slack.

I'm glad the ruck tied in front worked for you! That one does take some practice. I've found that it helps if you get that first part (the one that makes the pouch for the baby, and then comes over your shoulders) pretty tight. The top rail--the edge of the wrap along your baby's neck, and then by your neck--should be holding the baby's shoulders snugly against your upper back.

Good luck! And if you're still having problems with the ruck, take some pictures and we'll see if we can help.

[carriebft]

Originally Posted by clovergirl

Here's one with the Moby D, wrapped per Moby Wraps old instructions-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WU8boTVTLk

The woven panel may add a tiny bit more support/security, but I still don't think it would deter a very motivated baby from flipping backwards. I think that if you have a very compliant, calm baby the chance of something dangerous happening when they are wrapped on your back in a stretchy wrap is pretty small. The problem as I see it is you just don't know if/when a baby may choose to freak out and fling themselves backwards, either for fun or when upset. Either way, I know for me that I would rather use a carrier that I felt confident in it's ability to keep my baby restrained when necessary.

perhaps it works because we did not tie it like that. Also my panel comes from her butt up to under her arms and she is 2...so I dunno if my Moby D is bigger than hers??? There's no way she could make the move that babe did...plus she gots more on the bottom with longer legs and what not, so that also makes it basically impossible for her to swan dive back. and we really got her to try....

we did a back wrap cross carry with a belt.

[carriebft]

watching that video again, it occurs to me that the reason mine might have worked when I did that could be a combination of the different tie + the fact that my moby is not nearly as stretchy anymore due to the way it was washed and dried.