Vegan Babymama

Buleria? What is it? Why is a knotless chest belt called a buleria? I had no idea. So I Googled it and found this:

NOUN

I have if the finish was named after this song. I have no idea if this finish has Andalusian roots. That is all I could find so I thought I would share.

This is a variation on the Tied At Shoulder. And has a chest belt similar to a Candy Cane Chest Belt finish. However, this one is what is refer to as a knotless finish—meaning the tails are not tied off with a knot. Instead, the tails are looped/wrapped around in such a way that tension from the carry secures them in place. Knotless finishes have two advantages. First they don’t have a bulky knot. Second, most can be done with shorter wraps. I am using a Soul Slings Parkeet Linen Wrap. This is a base -0.5 for me.

The variation starts just like a Tied At Shoulder Slip Knot. Measure about twice your basic often distance, place that spot on baby’s back, get baby up, and make a seat. Bring the longer tail under your arm and around your chest for a chest pass. Then spread the fabric over’s baby back for sling pass. Bring that that same tail around under your arm for a bunched horizontal pass over both of baby’s legs. 

Bring the longer tail over the short tail. Twist them over each other towards your body once. The longer tail will now be on the bottom and the shorter tail on top. Bring the shorter tail across your chest, keeping it bunched up, to your other shoulder. 

Loop the pass around your ruck strap starting from the outside (by your arm) in (towards your chest). 

Pull the tail down the ground. 

Pull both tails and adjust the loops so they are tight but comfortable on your chest.

And there you go, a Buleria Chest Belt Finish!

This a great way to still get the shoulder security of a Candy Cane Chest Belt when you don’t have enough tails to twist and make a knot.

Like with the other previously mentioned tied at shoulder finishes, this carry has no cross passes. So this carry may not work for seat poppers. The bunched horizontal pass does make it good for leaners though.

Good luck on this variation! Check out the others ones so far for a refresher as well!

Double Hammock Series

What can you do with your tails when you don’t have enough length to tie at your waist but more than you want to tie at shoulder? Or maybe you want something a little fancier. Or you want something to secure your shoulders together more, like a chest clip does in a SSC.

When then a Candy Candy Chest Belt is right up your alley! This a is fairly simple tied at shoulder variation. It’s a great way to keep your fabric from slipping down your shoulders, uses up tails, and can look SO fancy with even the most basic wraps.

The variation starts just like a Tied At Shoulder Slip Knot. Measure about twice your basic often distance, place that spot on baby’s back, get baby up, and make a seat. Bring the longer tail under your arm and around your chest for a chest pass. Then spread the fabric over’s baby back for sling pass. Bring that that same tail around under your arm for a bunched horizontal pass over both of baby’s legs.

Now both tails will be on the same side. The short one on top of your shoulder (it never moved). And the longer one underneath in your arm pit. Bring the longer tail over the shorter tail….Now start twisting the tails together tightly across your chest. The number of twists needed will vary depending on your body shape. The chest belt should be long enough to just reach your other shoulder. Too short and it will pinch your chest together. Too long and it won’t be supportive. 

When you get the right belt length, bring the tail that is twisted closest to your body underneath the other shoulder strap. Now tie a secure double knot around the shoulder strap.

Now you have a beautiful chest belt! You probably figured out that it is called a “Candy Cane” because it’s twisted around like the peppermint candy cane from Christmas time. 

The increased shoulder support is my favorite thing about this variation. I have a permanent back injury, and this chest belt takes just enough pressure off my upper back (where the injury is) and bring it to my front to make it extra comfortable.

This chest belt can be done with any density of wrap, but it can be hard to make thick wraps twist nicely. Not impossible, but harder to do. I used a thin Soul Slings Linen Wrap for this tutorial so you could see the twisting easily.

I love that this variation is fancy but can be done with a shorter than base wrap. I am using a base -0.5, but it is usually done with a base -1.

This variation, just like the other tied at shoulder ones, is great for leaners due to the bunched horizontal pass. But may not be the best for seat poppers due to the lack of cross passes.

Give this fancy but easy variations a try! Or check out my previous ones to build up to this:

Double Hammock Series

The next variation in my Double Hammock series is a step-up from my last post, Tied At Shoulder. We are venturing into the world of knots. Just like tying a robe off, there are so many ways to tie wrap off than a basic double knot. In this post, we will talk about the very versatile slip knot.

If you know how to tie neck ties, it’s essentially a Half Windsor Knot.

If you are into sailing or climbing, it’s exactly the same as tying a slip knot with a rope.

Some find it tricky to master….especially with a grumpy baby on your back. Why would you want to do this tie off variation? One simply reason: adjustability. The point is a slip knot is so you can remove slack or add slack as needed. Maybe you started walking around and work out some hidden slack. Now you can easily tighten baby back up without having to redo the whole carry. Baby too high up and hurting your shoulders? Add a little slack and lower them down to that sweet spot.

This carry can also be done with a wrap base size or base -1. I am using a Soul Slings Parkeet Linen Wrap. Slip Knot can be harder to do—especially while learning—with a thick wrap. So I opted for a thinner linen wrap for these photos. This wrap is base -0.5 for me.

This carry begins exactly like a Tied At Shoulder. Start with the wrap more often center than the basic Double Hammock length. Get baby on your back , pin the top rail, and make a seat. Tighten out the slack in your shoulders. 

Bring the longer tail under your arm while keeping the tension. Spread it across your chest and bring it under your opposite arm.

Bring it over baby’s leg, spread it across baby’s back, and bring up over your opposite shoulder. Now you have two sling passes on baby’s back. Now bring the longer tail (the one that made the chest pass) under your arm. Make a bunched horizontal pass by taking the gather up fabric over both of baby’s legs and pinning the seat down in place. Bring the tail to the front under your arm. Now you will have the shorter tail dangling down over your shoulder and the longer tail coming from behind under your arm on the same side. Now comes the Slip Knot. Basically, the shorter tails stays in place. The longer tail does all the work, like it has for this whole carry. Bring the longer tail over the shorter tail towards the right. Bring it behind the shorter tail and back towards your left making a loop. Bring the longer tail up through the center of the loop on the left of shorter tail.

Now bring the longer tail back over the shorter tail towards your right again. Loop it behind the shorter tail again. Pull it up through the center of the loop on the left side of the shorter tail again.  Essentially, you made of the same loops around the shorter tail.

Pull the longer tail to the right to secure the knot. You can tighten the carry by feeding the extra slack towards the knot and out the tail. It’s  best to tighten in three sections: the top rail (the one closest to your ear), the middle of the wrap, and the bottom rail (the one closest to you shoulder). 

And there you go! A Double Hammock Tied at Shoulder but with an adjustable knot! Check out this video if you need more help on Slip Knot

This carry is ideal for leaners due to the horizontal pass keeping baby even on their bottom. But it not the best for seat poppers as the horizontal pass does not totally secure the seat in place.From behind, the carry looks identical to the Double Knot variation. This is a great option for wearing during pregnancy when you don’t want a waist belt pushing on your bump.

Give this variation a try and continue to grow on your Double Hammock journey! Slip Knots are used in several other advanced variations coming up, so take your time learning the basics now with this simple variation!

Double Hammock Series:

*Special thanks to Soul Slings for donating this wrap my photos.

*Photo Credit to Alacrity Photography.

You can tie it in the front. You can tie it in the back. And guess what, you can tie on the side!

In my previous Double Hammock Tied Under Bum, I talked about contact points. These are places during the wrapping process where you could naturally tie the tails to secure the carry. We have addressed two of the three major spots already—waist (front) and back (under bum). The third major spot is at your shoulder. This is a big of a misnomer to me, because you are really tying somewhere around your collar bone and not really on your shoulder. I am not sure tying on/at your actual shoulder would even be possible…like it would just slide right off. Anyways, shoulder/ collar bone, the name isn’t that important.

What is important is learning how to tie your Double Hammock at this new contact point. Why would you want to tie at the shoulder? There are quite a few reasons! Similar to Tied Under Bum, this can be done with a shorter than base wrap. This way you can still get the support of a Double Hammock without needing to switch to a longer wrap. There is no bulky knot at your waist either.

In my photos, I am using the same base +0.5 wrap. This carry usually is done with a base -1. It’s usually not possible to do with a shoulder wrap, but can still be done with a longer wrap, it just as longer dangling tails like in my photos.

The carry starts off like a basic Double Hammock. Start off center, baby up, make seat, bring longer tail under your arm, torso pass across your chest, sling pass over baby with tail over your shoulder, and tighten.

I would like to add that if you are a stickler for perfection, you probably noticed that my tails are pretty uneven if you start off center at the basic length. If you want your tails more even, try doubling your off center distance. 

This is where the variation begins. Rather than bring the both tails around for two cross passes, you do a horizontal bunched pass. Bring the longer tail under your arm, and over both of baby’s legs, and to your front.

Remove any remaining slack and bring the longer tail up to your collar bone. Use the shorter tail as your base to tie off.

Tie a double knot by looping the longer tail around the shorter tail. Take your time and get it secure. 

And there you go, you tied the wrap off at shoulder…or collar bone…whatever!

This variation is really wonderful for leaners. The bunched horizontal pass helps lock baby in at the knees, making it harder for them to lean over and mess up your wrap job.

This variation, like Tied Under Bum, tends to go a little quicker. Making it easier to wrap up a fussy baby. You have all the support but a little less work to get that Double Hammock happiness.

I love doing this carry with a longer wrap. I think the tails hanging down the side looks more elegant. It’s a great way to show off a beautiful wrap.

Now we have done the three major contact points for a Double Hammock! We can move on to more intricate things! Check out the rest of my Double Hammock Series:

*A special thank you to Babylonia USA for loaning me this beautiful BB Slen Delicate Pink Size 6 Wrap.

*Photo Credit: Alacrity Photography

Once you get the basics of a double hammock down, you can begin to delve into the world of all it’s wonderful variations. A great place to your variation journey is by tying off a basic Double Hammock at a different contact point.

What is a contact point? Put simply, it is a place during the wrapping process where you could naturally tie off the tails. The most common place is in front at your waist, like in a basic Double Hammock. However, if your wrap is longer or shorter than your base size, this might not be the best option—or even possible.

In this post, will explore the contact point of Tied Under Bum. It’s pretty much exactly what the name sounds. You tie your tails behind your back, under baby’s bottom. You usually do with with a wrap shorter than base size because you do not have enough length to bring the tails back to your front. You can bring longer tails back around to under the bum to tie off, but that is less common.

This carry starts just like a basic double hammock. Start with the wrap off center, get baby up. Then make a seat. Bring the longer tail under your arm and across your chest, then bring it under your arm and over baby’s leg on the opposite side. Do a traditional sling pass across baby’s back, bringing the tail over your shoulder. Lastly bring both tails over baby’s legs in a bunched passes.

This is where is it deviates. Instead of bringing both tails under the opposite legs, simply cross them. It’s important that you still try to pin down the seat with each bunched pass.

Now tie a double knot right under baby’s bottom. I usually lean forward a bit for the first half the knot, then stand up straight and jump/bounce baby gently as a do the second half. This gets baby’s weight off the contact point so you can get a secure, firm knot with minimal slack.

That’s pretty much it! Nothing too fancy. A sling pass, a torso pass, another sling pass, and a double knot under baby.

The advantage of this carry is you get the support, but no bulky knot in the front. This a great option to show off the pattern your wrap in the torso pass without the knot obstructing the view. Also as previously mentioned, it’s a way to use a shorter than base wrap.

There are some drawbacks to tying under bum. First of all, if you have limited range of motion with your hands or arms, it might be difficult to tie behind you at this angle. Also, the knot is usually directly at the small of your back. It could become uncomfortable longterm. And make it difficult to sit. If you have seat popper, it may be easier for them to loosen the knot and kick out the seat.

Tied Under Bum is very worthwhile variation to try. It’s a quicker version of a great basic carry. Work on pinning that seat in place with the knot/bunched passes and you will be golden! This contact point is also used in other variations, so it’s a good idea to learn this skill for later.

For more advice on pinning the seat down with bunched passes, check out my Ruck tutorial.

More from my Double Hammock Series

Photo Credit: Alacrity Photography

Thank you to Babylonia USA for loaning me the wrap

“Begin at the beginning…”(Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland).

We can’t explore all the variations without first learning the basic Double Hammock. Why bother learning the “boring” version if there are so many other fun options? Because this version is actually anything but basic!

This carry has everything you need for maximum comfort for both you and baby. Two sling passes to support baby’s whole spine evenly. The torso pass holds baby’s weight off your shoulders, so minimum tugging or pressure points. The two bunches passes lock the seat in place so you don’t have to worry too much as you and baby move about. Plus, baby is lower on your back (as compared to a ruck pass), so baby’s weight is better distributed across your whole torso.

The torso pass is what brings this carry one-step up from other beginner back carries. You combine how to keep the tension while bring a wrap under your arms like in Back Wrap Cross Carry with the seat making skills from a Ruck. But now, you learn how to keep the tension as you guide slack around your body and out the tails. Let’s take a in-depth look at this basic carry.

Most basic carries can be done with your base size (learn more about base size here).Even those many wearers can do this carry with a true base size, others prefer to do this was a base +1. The extra length helps ensures you aren’t tying on the tippy tails as you perfect getting the slack out of the entire wrap.

I am using a Babylonia USA BB Slen 4.6 meters in Delicate Pink. This a pretty standard size 6. This is technically base +0.5 for Bear and I right now. Personally, I usually need to do this carry with a base+ length. My larger chest need more length for any torso pass carry. Individual body shape is good thing to keep in mind when picking a wrap size. One part of your body may be drastically different from another, so your “average” size might not fit over a specific area.

Double Hammocks are what are referred to as an “off center” carry”. This simply means the center of the wrap is not over the center of baby’s back.
The best way to do this is by having the middle of the wrap in the middle of your chest. Realistically, exact center of your chest doesn’t always happen. Some people do this by simply pulling an arm’s length off from center or measuring the exact spot on your back.
That spot then goes on baby’s back and up baby goes! Make a seat (check out Modern Babywearing’s post on making a deep seat).
While holding the tension on both tails, tighten the slack out of both shoulders.
Bring the longer tail under your arm, to your side. Bring the long tail across your chest, under the opposite tail. I do this with the pass bunched, then spread it out in later. Other spread it out from the start. It’s just personal preference. I like bunched because it’s one less time I have to let go of the wrap (potentially losing tension) before I get the pass tightened at all.
Bring the wrap under your opposite arm and across baby’s back. Make a second seat as well.
Take your time to get as much slack as you can. Work section by section.Bring then tail over your shoulder now and get out any more slack you can. This is when I spread out my pass and get all final adjustments.Then brunch up the tails and bring each one over the leg on the same side, across baby’s baby bottom and under the opposite leg. Now tie in a tight double knot at your waist.And there you go, the Double Hammock magic! Baby centered well on your torso.
No pressure on the shoulders. A reinforced and pinned down seat. What’s not to love?

Just as important as learning the carry is learning how to get baby down! Lean forward and keep a hand on baby’s bottom. Untie the knot and undo the bunched passes.
Bring the wrap around to your from and let the chest pass come undone. Slow and controlled, bring baby around to your hip with both hands.
Then set baby down and let them be free!

And there you have it, the basic Double Hammock. The vital foundation for all the amazing variations coming up in this series.

Here are few other things to keep in mind about this carry:

• This is usually not a high back carry.Nor is this a low back carry really. It’s a fairly centered back carry due to the two sling passes. See this graphic as to why.
• Even though the torso pass does take some pressure off the shoulders, this carry still has ruck straps so the potential to tug on your shoulders even when properly tightened is still there.
• This carry does put pressure on your chest. So if you have a chest or breast injury, including a clogged duct, this might not be the best choice for you.
• You will get better and faster at this carry over time, just like any other carry! Since this a multi layer carry, many do not find this to be a good choice for a quick up.
• Thicker wraps may be harder to get the slack out. The wrap I used is a thin/medium density all cotton. It was broken in and easy to tightened. While it’s not impossible at all the do with a thicker wrap, it might be frustrating while you are still learning. Try for a thinner, well broken in one to make your journey easier at first.

Don’t let any of this intimidate you! I promise with a tiny bit of practice and patience, you can master a Double Hammock and find the magic everyone talks about.

Need more help learning this or other carries? I do in-home and on-line consults!!

Once you master this basic foundation, you will be ready to start your journey into the fun variations!

*Photo Credit: Alacrity Photography

*Thank you to Babylonia USA for loaning me the wrap for these photos.

Your beautiful new woven wraps arrives.You pull it out of the package and start to wrap, but it’s a battle. The fabric is so stiff that that you can’t really work with it. It won’t glide across your body, you can’t pull the slack out, and the seat won’t stay under baby’s bottom! What is going on, is your wrap broken?

Your wrap is fine, it just needs to be broken in! What does this mean exactly? It means the fibers in the woven yarn need to be softened up so they are easier to use.

Most wraps are easy to break in. Some are soft right off the loom and don’t need much. Some needs lots of work to break in. It all depends on the weave and fiber used.

How can you break in your wrap? Here are a few tips!

Wash it. Most brand new wraps come to you in what is called “loom state”. This means it was pulled straight off the loom it was woven on, packaged up, and eventually mail to you. There are natural oils on the fibers that need to be washed off so the wrap will be soft and flexible. Check out this awesome post I did for Babywearing International of Portland on washing woven wraps.

Wear it. This is the best way to break in any wrap. This is how the manufacturer intended the fibers to be broken in. The correct spots will break in, without adding unnecessary stress to the fibers.This option can also be a pain in the butt if you are wrap is really stiff.

Braid it. Well, more like multiple slip knots. It’s a gentle but effective way to soften the fibers. Here is how I like to do it!

Work it. Run the wrap through some rings, twist it gently while you watch tv, or let your kids pretend they are mummies.

Hammock it. Tie a secure knot around your kitchen table and let your kids lounge in style! I wanted to note, this is best for toddlers and old who know how to get in and our easily. They also have more developed airways and can more easily remove fabric from their face. Also never leave a kid of any age unsupervised in a wrap hammock.

Give it time. Some wraps will not break in easily. These are sometimes referred to as “beasts”, because they are rough and hard to tame. Do not let this scare you off though! Give it some time and patience, and you may be surprised! My favorite wrap took over a year to break in. It’s my main teaching carrier now and I will never part with it.

If you try all these, and still are unhappy with the fibers, you can always sell it. And don’t feel bad! It’s okay to not like any carrier for any reason. There is a wide variety of wraps on the market today. It’s reasonable that you will not love many of them. Sell it, and try another one!