Gifting Homemade gifts

Posted by: Anna on: December 2, 2010

• In: Babywearing safety | Gifts
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Nothing shows a friend you love them more than spending precious time and thought creating a handmade gift.   Personally, I really love and enjoy my friends creativity and their thoughtfulness when it comes to home-made gifts.  I just want to throw out a word of caution when it comes to making a sling at home and gifting it to a friend (or using it yourself).  I too have made some of my own carriers, and some types of carriers I refused to even try but invested in a good brand instead.   First off, when you buy a name brand carrier (there are many), know that those carriers are insured.   This insurance is not at all cheap, and the reason carriers appear to cost so much (minimum insurance tops $5K annually).   The people making the carrier are dedicated to bringing you the best.   Over the years several ‘guidelines’ for safety have been discussed.  Very soon the ASTM will actually vote on a sling safety standard!   If you are going to gift a sling, please read it and make sure your sling at least abiding by the safety standards!   These safety standards are in place because we are talking about babies lives.  A poorly crafted carrier, no matter how much thoughtfulness or good intention was behind it, can put a baby’s life in jeopardy.  I am sure no one really wants to gift a friend with a purposefully poorly crafted carrier.

Here are some considerations by types of carriers:

Pouches:

I have myself seen some beautifully homemade pouches that were gifted.   From a construction standpoint, they are pretty easy to make with one seam.  The seam is double enforced.  The main problem with pouches is that you have to get the exact right size – the pouch should lay flat on wearers bad with the bottom of the pouch at waist level.  We all know new moms are hard to gauge when it comes to size because we change so quickly from pregnancy to loosing that pregnancy weight.  If a mom looses, or gains a few pounds, suddenly the pouch no longer fits (unless you added snaps or buttons to make it adjustable).

Ring Slings:

Maybe a better option would be to gift a ring sling.  These are adjustable so you do not run into the weight gain/loss issue and they can be used for a greater length of time.  But you can’t just go to your local craft store and buy rings.  You need rings that will not break/snap/buckle under the weight of a growing baby.   However, there is a place you can order them, and they are not too expensive.  The online shop SlingRings will take care of you!  With so many colors to choose from, it can actually be quite fun!  They can help you pick the correct rings for the type of fabric you use so that the fabric will not slip while baby is being worn.

The other consideration is the shoulder.  There are many ways to attach a shoulder, and SlingRings has an awesome page to links on how to do it properly.  (This page is not a how-to but safety considerations when you make one)

Wraps:

Warps are also fairly easy, as it is a piece of cloth with finished edges.  Wraps come in many different sizes and the size will determine how you wear them.  Typically, beginner wrappers do better with longer cloth because there are more ways to tie a child on.  Some will go on to learn how to use shorter pieces of cloth safely.

When sewing a stretchy wrap, make sure the stretch is not in the length of the fabric as this will not allow a user to tie it securely.  The stretch goes along the width of the fabric only.  Then please remind the user to not use stretchy wraps on the back. 

Mei Tais:

This has been a very popular gift item recently.   I have seen some well constructed, and some, well not.  This was one style I hesitated to make for myself.  As I said when asked why I don’t just make one “I don’t know the safety precautions and don’t trust my own seams, we are talking about a life here and it’s different to make a dress/pillow/blanket than to make a mei tai.”   That was a few years ago, and now more light has been shed on the topic so I have a better understanding of the issues.

Shoulder straps (padded or not) should be made of a no lighter fabric than a 10 oz canvas.  Straps NEED to be secured to at least one panel of the mei tai through means other than the edge seam (You will see boxes with an X in them in most well-known brands – known as X boxes).  To make these X boxes, straps MUST go into the body panel at least 5″.  Polyester thread is preferred because it doesn’t break as easily as cotton.   Edge seams at shoulder straps must be doubled for reinforcement.

Anybody using a Mei Tai should test it prior to each use by taking a strap, slightly twisting and pulling hard.  If the strap will come out, you want to do that in you hand, not with you baby in it.     The name brands have done a lot of research into the exact angles of straps that come out from the body as these make a huge difference in comfort for the wearer.  Depending on the size and shape of the body, this will vary from design to design.

Again, we are not talking aesthetics here, the child’s life may depend completely on how well the carrier was designed and sewn.  If you do not feel that your Mai Tie meets these safety standards, please do not gift it!  (if you really want to test it – have your husband or other strong person carry you around.  Kozy did it!  If that idea doesn’t appeal to you, then don’t gift it)

If you need a good tutorial, I am told this one is awesome.  A local mom has made one AND had her husband carry her around in it.

Soft Structured Carriers:

I have yet to come across someone making SSC’s for fun.  All the above Mei Tai strap considerations apply.  Plus and seams that are used in the construction of the body.  Also not all buckles are the same, make sure you find ones that can handle the stresses on a long-term basis.  Webbing/belting also needs to be able to withstand the pressures of constant wear with no fraying or pulling apart. (I will not spend a whole lot of time on here, as I really don’t know anyone with aspirations to try making one.   There are ASTM standards already in place for soft structured carriers.  If you wish to make one, please look them up before starting.)

This post is not at all to discourage you but to make you aware of the safety that goes into designing a carrier.   I have personally seen some very beautiful homemade carriers!!   If you aspire to make one, awesome!!   Happy gifting and remember to keep safety first!