Have you ever looked at a babywearing post online and thought to yourself, “What language are they speaking?” Trust me, we have all been there. With all the abbreviations and special terms used in babywearing, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Here is a list of some commonly used babywearing terms and abbreviations. This is by no means an all-encompassing list! However, after reading through this you will be well on your way to understanding the language of babywearing!
Carriers
Stretchy wrap: A length of stretchy knit fabric that is tied similar to a woven wrap. Great for newborns, but sometimes uncomfortable for older and heavier babies. Some common brands of stretchy wraps are Moby, Baby K’Tan, and Solly.
Woven wrap: A length of fabric made from handwoven fibers, which is tied into place. Made in several different sizes and is suitable for many different carries (front, back, and side) and all sizes of babies.
MT – Mei Tai: Asian-style carrier with body panel, waist straps, and wrap-style shoulder straps
RS – Ring Sling: Sling style carrier with rings used for adjusting at shoulder
SSC – Soft Structured Carrier: A carrier with a structured body panel, arm straps, and a waist strap (usually fastened with a buckle). Some common SSC brands are Tula and Ergo.
PFA – Perfect Fit Adjusters: These cinch down the straps of a SSC more than the regular buckle straps to further customize the fit of the carrier.
Onbu (Onbuhimo): A carrier with a body panel and arm straps. The body panel curves up and under the child to form a wrap-style seat.
ABC – Asian-Style Baby Carrier: Includes mei tais, onbus, podaegis, etc.
TC – Table Cloth: A woven tablecloth used as a wrap (commonly referred to as TCMT, TCRS, or TC Shorty).
Pouch sling: A sling carrier without rings. Most come in multiple sizes.
WC – Wrap Conversion: A wrap converted to another type of carrier.
WCMT – Wrap Conversion Mei Tai: a Mei Tai converted from a wrap
WCRS – Wrap Conversion Ring Sling: a Ring Sling converted from a wrap
WCHB – Wrap Conversion Half Buckle: a SSC style carrier converted from a wrap with a structured body panel, arm straps, and waist straps. A half buckle only has one set of buckles and the other set of straps are wrap-style straps.
WCFB – Wrap Conversion Full Buckle: a SSC style carrier converted from a wrap with both sets of straps (waist and shoulder straps) fastened with buckles
SPOC – Simple Piece Of Cloth: Similar to a woven wrap, but not made specifically for babywearing. Could have safety issues.
Wrap Carries and Finishes
Descriptions for the wrap carries will not go into great detail, as it is much easier to learn a carry in person (through a video tutorial or from a VBE). Attend a meeting and we can help you learn any of these carries!
FWCC/PWCC – Front Wrap Cross Carry/Pocket Wrap Cross Carry (Moby)
RRR – Rear Reinforced Ruck
DH – Double Hammock
FCC – Front Cross Carry
RTIF – Ruck Tied In Front
RTUB – Ruck Tied Under Bum
TAS – Tied At Shoulder
TT – Tied Tibetan: a knotless type of finish
CB – Chest Belt: a finish with one or both wrap tails running across the wrapper’s chest
CCCB – Candy Cane Chest Belt: a finish with the wrap tails twisted (like a candy cane) across the wearer’s chest
Wrap Passes
Ruck pass: Goes over baby and then over both of the wrapper’s shoulders.
Cross pass: Crosses over the baby diagonally, with one end going under the baby’s leg and the other end going over the baby’s shoulder and usually over the wrapper’s shoulder.
Torso pass: Goes over the baby and then under both of the wrapper’s arms. Frequently used in a FWCC.
Reinforcing pass: A reinforcing pass comes under the wrapper’s arm and across the baby horizontally or diagonally.
Bunched pass: For a bunched pass, the wrap is gathered or bunched together and then passed under/over the baby. Frequently used as safety crosses.
Wrap Qualities
Airy: Term used to describe a wrap of looser weave (opposite of dense).
Bounce: Term used to describe a wrap with some give in the fabric.
Cush: An attribute given to describe the cushiness a wrap has or how padded it feels on the wrapper’s shoulders.
Dense: An attribute given to a wrap of tighter weave.
Felting: Damage caused to a wool wrap from improper washing. Results in a wrap shrinking in width and getting very fuzzy. A felted wool wrap is not safe to use.
Grippy: An attribute given to a wrap to describe how easily it slides when wrapping.
Moldable: An attribute given to a wrap to describe the way it forms to yours and baby’s body when wrapped.
Natty: A natural or un-dyed wrap
Saggy: An attribute given to a wrap to describe a wrap that does not hold it’s shape when wrapping and baby changes positions. A saggy wrap can become uncomfortable quickly.
Slippery: An attribute given to a wrap that slides very easily when wrapping (opposite of grippy).
Shorty: A short woven wrap, usually your base size minus 2 or 3.
Pull: A loop of yarn that has been pulled up in the fabric as a result of snagging. Cosmetic flaw that can be easily fixed.
Nub: A lump or thick piece of yarn in the weave. Common cosmetic flaw, especially with handwoven wraps and certain wrap blends.
Slub: Similar to a nub
Supportive: An attribute used to describe a wrap that carries the weight of the baby very well without becoming uncomfortable (opposite is saggy).
Thread Shifting: A flaw where parts of the weave shift, causing the wrap to become very thin in places. Can cause safety issues if it turns into a hole.
Permastash: A term used to describe a wrap that will be staying in your permanent collection.
Unicorn: Used to refer to a person’s ultimate dream carrier
Brand Abbreviations
Didy: Didymos
Gira: Girasol
Nati: Natibaby
C&C: Colimecon et Cie
Buy, Sell, Trade Terms
Buy, Sell, Trade groups have LOTS of acronyms and terms. We will just go over the basics here. Watch for a future post with more BSTing details.
BST – Buy, Sell, Trade
BNIB – Brand New In Box
BNIP – Brand New In Package
DISO – Desperately In Search Of, (VDISO = Very Desperately In Search Of)
EUC – Excellent Used Condition
FS – For Sale
FSO – For Sale Only
FSOT – For Sale or Trade
FTO – For Trade Only
GUC – Good Used Condition (VGUC = Very Good Used Condition)
ISO – In Search Of
NWT – New With Tags
NWOT – New Without Tags
PPD – Pay Pal Domestic
MMARO – Message Me A Reasonable Offer
TV – Trade Value
Other
BWI – Babywearing International: An organization with locally-run branches that promotes babywearing and assesses educators for teaching others.
VBE – Volunteer Babywearing Educator: A volunteer who is assessed in writing and with a practical demonstration of their knowledge in all areas of babywearing by Babywearing International representatives. Want to learn more about VBEs?
ABE – Advanced Babywearing Educator: An educator who is trained in advanced babywearing studies.
CSV – Chapter Support Volunteer: A volunteer who assists with the administrative tasks of running a BWI branch. Want to volunteer? Contact us for more information or click here!
BW – Babywear
BF – Breastfeed
Leg straightener: Used to describe a child who frequently locks or straightens their legs when wrapped. This makes it difficult to wrap well.
Seat popper: Desribes a child who likes to straighten legs and “pop” their seat in the wrap (when bottom rail comes out from underneath baby’s bottom).
LL – Lending library: A library of baby carriers used for lending out to members (could also be used for Lenny Lamb – a brand of carrier)
LO – Little One: Refers to child.
Squish: Used to refer to brand new, newborn babies.
ASTM – American Society for Testing and Materials: Organization that sets standards for testing carriers.
BCIA – Baby Carriers Industry Alliance: An organization that helps maufacturers meet standards.
Resources
http://babywearing102.tumbl.com/post/56693717507/the-babywearing-glossary
Photo Credits
Jessica Duffy
Cat Anderson
BWI of Central Iowa 