Plus Size Babywearing
Welcome to our home for resources to support and celebrate plus-size / fat / big babywearers!
Do you struggle to know which carriers will fit your body? Which size you should look for and which companies might carry that size?
Doula Kaytee puts it thus: "The shame toward fat bodies that comes from the retail world is louder than it seems. When companies make things that don’t fit large bodies, it’s saying they aren’t seen or valid. Inclusivity could be as easy as 10 additional inches. Let’s start including everyone when we make products for wearing."
Representation matters!
Check out our Plus Size YouTube playlist of plus-size babywearers demonstrating woven wraps and ring slings!
Follow Bijou on Instagram, but also follow our friends at Plus Size Babywearing on IG! Their babywearing educator Maggie Estes @mag.estes often can be seen sporting Bijou!
Which size do I need?!
Please feel free to message us with any questions or ask for sizing tips and tricks in our online community Bijou Buzz.
We have some great info about ring sling sizing. The takeaway is that ring sling size corresponds roughly to your unisex t-shirt size, though particularly large busted or large rib caged wearers might size up. If you are quite short, you should check with a string to gauge how long the end of the sling will hang down because though your t-shirt size is an XXL, you might need a shorter sling to avoid a tripping hazard.
However, it's good to keep in mind that larger people can wear smaller ring slings and vice versa as each size is only five inches longer than the next. The only difference will be the length of the end hanging down from the rings.
Theresa says her preferred size is a Large, but "even with a big toddler I can use a Medium: the tail would stop mid-hip. With size Large it's to my knee, and in the winter with coats etc. it'll be a bit shorter."
Maggie prefers an XL not just for length but also because she likes the flair of the fabric hanging down: "The XL is more than enough but I always say the more tail, the better!"
We have woven wrap size info and a blog post to encourage you on your babywearing journey into woven wrap baby carriers, as it's TRUE that anyone can wear any size woven wrap!
You can do different carries with different sizes, but here's another way to think about it:
Check out this visual by Maggie Estes of what different size woven wraps look like in a basic way to tie a woven wrap (called Front Wrap Cross Carry):
Image collage of six pictures of Maggie, a white woman in a mustard shirt, wearing a baby on her chest tied Front Wrap Cross Carry. Each frame shows a different woven wrap in a different size. Size 4 is tied under bum. Size 5 is tied under bum with tails (a little extra fabric hanging down). Size 6 is just enough to tie in back. Size 7 is tied comfortably in back. Size 8 is tied in back with lots of tail. And size 9 is wrapped around and tied in front.
Many folks start using woven wraps in a size called their "base size." It's the size you can do the above FWCC tied off in back comfortably, so for Maggie it would be a 7 (though it's clear lots of sizes work for her!).
We have a super detailed body-positive infographic for determining your base size!
For further reference, if you've used a stretchy knit Boba or Moby wrap, they are about 5.5 meters long (6 meters for the long versions you special order). That's a longer than a size 7 woven wrap (a 7 is 5.2 meters) or something like a size 7.5 for the special-order plus-size Moby stretchy wrap version.
Since it is common for plus-size folks to run warm, it's of note that stretchy wraps require three layers of fabric over baby to be secure and they cannot be used for back carries. Woven wraps, like the ones Maggie is using above and Brittany is using below, are supportive enough to only need one layer over baby and be used for back carries if you like.
Image of babywearing educator Brittany Brown Marsh, a black woman, outside, turned over her shoulder to face the camera showing the baby wrapped on her back in a blue and white woven wrap.
Coming soon: Blog post about finding a carrier to suit your body and your needs.
Plus-size Bijou baby carrier buying options:
Woven wraps size 7, 8 and 9! Ring slings up to XXL!
Bijou is a big fan of big babywearing, of offering a base size for everyone, in a variety of colors and designs. We regularly stock 7s and 8s and sometimes 9s in wovens (that's sort of like XL, XXL, and XXXL). There are so many options in Bijou ring slings, our premium line, in XL -- see below!
We would love for these baby carriers to find a home with YOU!
Please feel free to message us with any questions or ask for sizing tips and tricks in our online community Bijou Buzz.
