As I was healing from my homebirth, keeping to my bed for a few days, and otherwise enjoying the afterglow, my partner joined in the bonding big time. We practiced skin-to-skin with our little one pretty much non-stop for the first two weeks, my partner included—he absolutely loved wearing our little girl in the wrap. She snoozed while he helped around the house and made me yummy food. He spread the joy and babywearing love so much that we have four other male friends and family who, having welcomed new babies into the family this year, discovered the joys of babywearing their wee ones in the wrap, too. It's so sweet to see them at parties with their babes in wraps! Just melts my heart.

After I was up and around after birth, I kept our little flower in the wrap at least a few hours a day. It was her favorite napping spot and my favorite snuggle spot. As my daughter grew, her view from the wrap, snuggled in heart-to-heart, became a calming and joyful vantage point from which to view the world. From beach strolls to farmer's markets to family gathers, hanging together in the wrap made getting around with her easier and sweeter than I can imagine having her in a buggy (not that there is anything wrong with a buggy, but we just found it so much easier to use the wrap than to haul around a stroller). My daughter was a happy, confident newborn and I know our bond, our closeness contributed a lot to that.

I've seen a lot of bigger babies carried comfortably in the stretchy wrap, and it's plenty supportive for them. We love our Boba X so much, though, that we pretty much switched to that exclusively after 6 months.

Although I'm pretty sure that if you're here, reading this, you're already sold on the wrap - but still, here are my key points for wrap success:

1. START EARLY
Mothers of older babies sometimes report a bigger learning curve for their babies if they aren't used to being snuggled close in a wrap carrier. These babies usually get the hang of it after a few times and settle in for the joys of a snug fit, but if you can start early it will help get your baby used to being held this way, in addition to providing the myriad health and bonding benefits of babywearing.

2. GET A SNUG FIT
Baby should sit high and tight heart-to-heart so you can kiss the top of their head. The fabric hugs them (knee pit to knee pit with all three layers crossing at the back of the baby's neck) and harkens to the safety and containment of the womb. The fabric should be spread out across your back smoothly for the highest level of comfort.

3. ACTS AS A PIECE OF CLOTHING
As I used the wrap often throughout the day, I put it on in the morning as a part of my outfit when dressing. This gave me a leg-up on sudden babywearing needs, and let me put on the wrap in a relaxed way. A few times, when we were doing a lot of skin-to-skin, I just wore the wrap as my shirt (made nursing extra easy). I also acquired the skill to get the wrap on fast and seamless after just a few times using it. It may seem like a lot of fabric, but once you do it up a couple of times and discover your tricks, it's quite easy. Watch a video here.

4. NURSE IN THE WRAP
I learned from the Boba founder Elizabeth how easy it is to nurse in the wrap. I loosened the tail a little, stuck my hands in to the seat area, pushed the seat down to bring the baby lower, lifted my breast with one hand to help my little get a good latch, and held her head with my other hand. I could stick a rolled up dish towel under my breast to keep it at a good level so I had one hand free to do all sorts of other things.

5. SUPPORT THE LITTLE LEGS
Always keep the fabric panels that make up the seat pulled to the back of the knee for full hip and leg support. When your baby is a newborn, it's important to keep their legs in that hip-loving "M" position by putting them in with "frog" legs or in the fetal position. This popular Boba post about why not to carry babies facing forward offers a lot of insight into proper child alignment when babywearing (and what not to do).

6. KNOT & TAILS FORWARD
If no. 3 above (wrap as a piece of clothing) suits you, or you're just taking your wee one out long enough for car seat time on the way to somewhere where you'll slip her back in, etc. it's helpful to tie your tail in the front so it doesn't bother you when you sit down and lean back into your seat. The Boba Wrap is long enough to accommodate a wide range of body types, so front ties can leave a bit of fabric for moms with thinner middles. I'm not thin, but I do have a little extra fabric left over when I front tie. I don't mind my tails hanging down a little (it's not long enough to trip on or anything), but I've seen some moms tuck them in, tie them in a bow, or even cut them after they figure out what length they need (in addition to an extra wrap around for a back tie).

7. DOUBLE UP IF YOU CAN
If you happen to be gifted two Boba Wraps at your baby shower, I suggest keeping them both (or exchanging for your fav colors, of course). It's nice to have an extra to keep in the car and for laundry days. Spills, spit-ups and hormonal forgetfulness are par for the course in the first months, so it's nice (but not necessary) to have a backup.

8. SAFETY FIRST
Last, but never least, always be certain your baby's airway is clear, there is space between chin and chest (insert two fingers to check), and that you can kiss the top of your baby's head. Like with any baby product, please read Boba's baby wrap safety documentation.

I think what sets Boba Wrap apart from other wraps is three-fold:

1. Boba Wrap is extra soft. It's amazingly cozy.
2. Boba Wrap is nice and long, so it's great for bigger moms and offers more options for tying preferences of all moms.
3. Boba is an awesome family company that does a lot of advocacy and outreach for the health of children. I am happy to support them and their work.