babywearing terms, part 1
babywearing (BW): any method of wearing your baby
carrier: something you use to carry your baby, homemade or otherwise.
carry/carries: various ways to tie or buckle a carrier on to position your baby
front carry: a carrier position so that your baby is in front of you,
against your chest, typically facing you.
forward-facing front carry: a carrier position so that your baby is in
front of you, but facing away from you, looking out.
back carry: a carrier position in which your baby is on your back,
piggyback-style.
wrap: a piece of fabric, 2-7m long and of varying width, used to
'wrap' your baby against you
simple piece of cloth (SPOC): a type of wrap featuring a relatively
"simple piece of cloth", that fits certain standards in weave and
fabric type for safety.
soft structured carriers (SSC): a type of carrier that can be as
simple as an asian baby carrier, but often has a more "structured"
shape than a piece of cloth and sometimes adds features such as buckle
clasps, seat and shoulder padding, pockets, etc. Examples are the
Ergo, Patapum, Beco, Calyx, etc.
asian baby carrier (ABC): a type of asian (or asian-inspired) baby
carrier, based on a rectangular piece of cloth that may fasten with or
without rings or straps. Examples are mei-tais, podaegis,
mei tai (MT): a type of asian-inspired baby carrier that resembles a
square piece of cloth and long straps extending from each corner of
the square. The typical way of wearing is to tie the lower two straps
around your waist; your baby sits with their back to the square and
the upper straps come over your shoulders, cross over your back, come
forward at your waist and tie either under-the-bum, or behind your
baby's back.
onbuhimo: traditional Japanese carrier with one long strap and rings
on the bottom of a square panel.
podaegi: traditional Korean carrier composed of a long rectangle of
fabric with two long straps.
sling: a type of carrier often resembling a circular loop that forms a
pouch. The pouch that is formed is versatile and can hold a newborn or
small baby in the cradle position, or support a toddler being carried
on your hip, and everything in-between. Slings are excellent “first
carriers” for new parents learning babywearing, as well as being easy
and handy for toddlers that want to walk one moment and be carried the
next.
pouch sling: a sling carrier made by sewing a rectangular piece of
fabric into a loop. Most pouch slings are sized-to-fit.
ring sling: a sling carrier made by securing a long piece of fabric
through two rings to form an adjustable buckle.
poppable: the ability to “pop” your child in and out of a carrier.
