The Close Caboo is an excellent and very popular newborn specialist baby carrier. I have blogged before about its pros and cons and compared the different models available. Here I wanted to focus on what you can do with it! Most people only ever use the Caboo in one way. The one and only carry that is shown in the manual that comes in the box. This is a carry that works for most, but not all and even those it does work for sometimes another carry might be a nice option from time to time. While the manual shows only one, there are more suggested on the box and more on their website and even more that are possible according to individual needs.
In fact I can do 9 different carries with a Close Caboo! And I am sure this is by no means an exhaustive list but rather a comprehensive starting point for you to get creative and find options that work for you! Let’s take a look at each in turn:
#1 Double Cross Carry – aka the normal one, the one in the manual. The key features of this carry are that the carrier goes on with logo upright on your back, rings and the side and baby’s legs straddle the cross at the front. The material is then spread so it supports from knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder on both sides and the tie on 3rd layer completes the carry.
This position is one that works for most adults and most newborns. It works best for babies in the ‘fourth trimester’ (newborn to 12 weeks). Babies older than this can often grow out of this position developmentally – often finding it too enclosing when they start to become more awake and more naturally inquisitive (at this point one of the hip positions below can work better). Smaller, more curled up babies and those who are born prematurely may prefer not straddle the cross (if they do not yet open their legs this wide) and for these babies position #2 is usually a better option. Likewise there are other positions that change the fit for the adult below.
#2 Double Hammock Carry – Very similar to the first carry, this main difference with Double Hammock is simply that baby sits on the cross rather than straddling it. Carrier goes on exactly the same way for the parent and feels broadly the same for them, but for the baby both legs go through both straps. The material is then spread so it supports from knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder on both sides, and twists at the shoulder helps keep the top of the carry snug and face clear of material. Finally the tie on 3rd layer completes the carry.
This position can feel better for a very new baby. Particularly smaller babies or those born early. Or simply those that love to sleep really curled up. Sometimes for these very tucked up babies it can feel wrong to try to tease them apart to get one leg either side… instead using the double hammock variation allows them to remain very tucked up and doesn’t change their position at all and doesn’t open their legs any wider than they would by themselves. This is a position I teach regularly to parents of babies born early, or parents of babies who have low muscle tone. Not every baby needs it, and some who are born at term just prefer it anyway. Or at least for the first few weeks and then they might progress to using the Double Cross carry instead. Again like the double cross carry this position works best for the 4th trimester/newborn position.
#3 Seated sideways – In this position baby literally sits sideways in the sling. The carrier goes on the same way, and distributes the weight the same way for the adult but again what has changed is how the baby sits within the carrier. In seated sideways baby sits at a 90 degree angle to the adult within one layer of the sling with their legs together sticking out of the sling, and then the second layer comes up and over the legs to support baby’s back and to close the gap, and finally the 3rd layer completes the carry.
Because baby is not chest to chest with the parent and instead has no pressure on their chest or tummy at all this can be a great position for babies with reflux, or any baby where pressure on these areas might want to be avoided (i.e. post surgery or for any other reason). It can also be a great position for babies who simply don’t seem to like the chest to chest position, or find the double cross or double hammock positions too confining. Or for those babies who simply seem to just want to have a better view! Seated sideways allows babies to see their care givers faces better and see outwards a little better – while still giving plenty of support – hence it can great option for babies who are starting to want to look out more but maybe aren’t ready for a hip position yet.
Or simply any baby who just needs a change of position (because lets face it we all like to change our position from time to time to stop us getting too stiff!). This position is also one of the best options for a baby who is wearing a sleeping bag or sleep sac! Generally it’s pretty difficult to put a baby in a sleeping bag in a sling but because the legs are together and stick out to one side, Seated Sideways is one of the few positions that does work well with a sleeping bag.
Seated Sideways can be used right from newborn for as long as it is still comfortable for you and baby – as long as care is taken to ensure baby is upright within the sling and that the sling is tight enough to keep them upright and to keep them from slumping. I do like to stress that it is key to ensure baby is upright, because when upright their airway is protected by supporting their head and neck in a neutral position, while if more horizontal/cradle it is more difficult to ensure this neutral position and there is an increased risk of baby adopting a chin to chest position which can restrict airflow. But as long as baby is seated up right and sling is well-adjusted this can be a fab position for any baby.
#4 Upside Down – This position completely changes the fit for the adult. Turning the carrier upside down doesn’t alter baby’s positioning, but will feel very different for the parent. Specifically, by putting the carrier on upside down the rings are now at the parents shoulders rather than under the arm at their sides.
So why might you want to wear the Caboo upside down? A small number of parents find the rings dig into their sides. I should stress that most parents don’t notice the feel of the rings at all but a small number of parents do. It really depends on body shape and where those rings end up on you. For most, the rings sit at the parent’s side over a relatively fleshy part of their torso and as such the parent doesn’t notice them at all. But for a few parents, often those who are particularly petite the rings come more to the front of their body and maybe sit over the ribs or less fleshy part of their body and dig in. For these parents the solution is simply to turn the Caboo upside down. This gets the rings off the ribs and up onto their shoulders where they feel more comfortable. It is worth noting that while this position does tend to work really well for more petite frames, it doesn’t work as well on broader or longer torsos because having the rings at the shoulders constrains where the cross sits on your back. On a more petite frame this will still be mid back whereas on a longer or stockier torso it will be higher up on your back and this maybe less comfortable.
Another advantage to wearing the Caboo upside down is it changes the direction in which the sling is tightened: loose material is moved upwards toward the rings and then pulled downwards through the ring. Compared to moving downwards and then pulling forward when wearing the Caboo the rightway up. Many parents find moving loose material upwards more intuitive and thus find tightening easier in this position.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the Caboo can be used upside down to acheive either a double cross carry (as shown in the photos) or a double hammock carry – depending on how you thread baby’s legs. Either position for baby works equally well in combination with wearing the Caboo upside down.
#5 Double Cross Carry Shifted to the Hip – as the name suggests this position is really similar to #1 Double cross carry the only difference is the fabric is simply shifted over towards the hip first and then baby placed in the fabric now off to one side near the hip.
This carry is good for fairly young babies who still need a fair amount of head and neck support but are starting to become more interested in the world and want to have a better view of what’s going on… or at least while they are awake! It can be a tricky age … where baby fusses to get a better view but they aren’t yet developmentally ready to go into a full hip carry carry or to forward face. So this position, which still has all the same support for baby can be really useful for those couple of weeks while their neck strength plays catch up to their noseyness levels!! It’s also a good option for adults with weaker backs because it is still is a two shouldered carry (most hip carry’s are one shouldered only) so it still spreads the weight across both shoulders and across the back evenly. So the adult doesn’t usually feel more strain on one side than the other despite baby being on one side.
#6 Hip Carry – More of a true hip carry than #5, the carrier goes on sideways across one shoulder with baby on the opposite hip.
This carry is a great option for slightly older babies who have reasonable head control and have gone through that developmental leap from a sleepy newborn into the “nosy, must see everything” baby phase! This is often the age many parents move away from the Caboo as they start to find baby gets frustrated with too much material near their face and an obstructed view in the standard double cross carry. The hip position usually solves all this frustration by giving baby a much better view while still feeling secure and supported. In fact, assuming baby does have good head and upper torso control, they can even have their arms out, which again can make this carrier much more fun for them while they are awake and alert. Generally this position works best from about 4 months (give or take) for as long as it is still comfortable for the parent.
#7 One Shouldered Front Carry – While most parents prefer a 2 shouldered carry, there are sometimes circumstances where this is non ideal – shoulder injury, weakness on one side, etc. Or even temporary factors – maybe you slept funny last night and now have a massive crick in your neck and can’t stand having weight on that side… or maybe you sat out in the garden and managed to sunburn on shoulder… either way you’ll be alright in a day or two but still need to use your carrier in the meantime. In any of these circumstances it is useful to know that the Caboo can work just as well as a one shouldered carrier.
To do a one shouldered carry you simply slip one shoulder strap under your arm instead and then retighten the carrier as need. For the baby the carry is much the same as positions #1 and #2. And much like both of these positions, this carry works really well with newborns as it’s a really snuggly comfortable position for baby.
#8 Torso Carry – Continuing on the theme from #7, it is also possible to do a “no shoulders” or Torso carry with a Caboo. For most parents this is nowhere near as comfortable as the standard double cross or double hammock variations… BUT on just a handful of occasions I have met a parent with terrible neck pain or shoulder issues that mean any pressure at all on their shoulders is unbearable. And on these very rare occasions a torso carry was the answer.
Additionally, without any fabric on the shoulders, the Torso carry is a lot cooler for the parent than other positions so great for those absolutely boiling days (or great if you’ve got absolutely terrible sunburn across your shoulders and/or back). This is a position that can work well for newborns and older babies alike. It works particularly well for babies who don’t like any fabric anywhere near their face!
#9 Twin Carry – last but not at all least the Caboo can actually be used as a tandem carrier to carry newborn twins! This carry works best for twins under about 8 weeks (give or take depending on their size), and gives them a lovely snuggly carry which helps ease their transition from the womb by providing closeness not only with their parent but also with their twin – with whom they are used to spending the last 9 months closely nestled to!
Babies are positioned similarly to how they are in carry #1 but instead of sitting astride the cross, each baby straddles one of the two straps only and then the final layer acts to close the gaps and provide overall support and stability to the carry. You can also use the Caboo upside down to carry twins too, and some parents find this easier to tighten.
All in all the Caboo, like many baby carriers on the market, offers a huge range of flexibility and the possibilities go much farther than a manual ever does. I hope this helps inspire you to have a play with your carrier and try new carrying positions and find the things that work for you. Whether you have a Caboo or another carrier entirely, this is something a Sling Consultant can help you with – help you assess your needs and see if your carrier can meet them. See if there is a way to use that carrier differently to get more out of it.
-Madeleine
It arrived in probably the most beautiful packaging I’ve ever opened, and inside was this absolutely gorgeous pink wrap. I am not normally a pink fan but I will make an exception here – their “Piglet Pink” is absolutely beautiful and Rachel and I have had so many positive comments while wearing it out and about. In fact in the 3 weeks its been here several clients have picked it out and asked to hire it…! Its been a real shame to have to say, I am really sorry that one isn’t mine to hire out. They come in a range of ultra-chic up to the minute shades, all of which are quite different to the normal blacks, greys, and dark blues that stretchy wraps most commonly come in.
How easy is it to wrap with? Like most stretchy wraps its pretty easy once you’ve got the hang of it and done it a few times. Ease of wrapping with a stretchy wrap all comes down to the stretch. In general wraps that stretch in 2 directions (both vertically and horizontally) are much easier to get the hang of than wraps that only stretch in 1 direction (vertically only). The Fornessi is a 2 way stretchy, however, it stretches more vertically than it does horizontally… so more like a 1.5 way! Consequently, its a little stiffer than brands with true (equal) 2 way stretch such as the Hana Baby, Boba or JPMBB. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself but it also has very little “ping” back. A true 2 way stretchy wrap can be stretched outwards to give more space as your putting baby in and then “pings” back around baby and giving a characteristic bounce as your walk. The Fornessi doesn’t have much elasticity, which means it is more supportive as baby grows but means the window between too tight and not tight enough is a little smaller. And I mean only a little smaller … its still very easy to use and still a much much wider window than 1 way stretch brands (such as the Moby, Liberty, ByKay etc), and thus much much easier to use than these. Plus the lack of ‘bounce’ compared to others is certainly something I appreciate while walking with my 9kg 10 month old! In fact considering how thin it is, I was pretty surprised by just how supportive this wrap is. Deceptively strong! While I would say stretchy wraps are best from birth to around 4-6 months, the Fornessi is certainly strong enough to continue used to around a year if you have a baby like Rachel who likes to take her daytime naps snuggled in!
The real selling point of this wrap, compared to others on the market is the fabric its made of. Modal is a semi-synthetic fibre made by spinning cellulose extracted from beech trees into a fibre. The resulting fibre is a type of rayon/viscose – an artificial silk like fibre. Its a good choice for a stretchy wrap because like silk it is soft, thin, strong, has natural elasticity and heat regulating properties. But better still it has serious ecological credentials… beech trees can be grown sustainably and the solvents used to extract the cellulose are used over and over and over in a closed loop system which means very little wastage and no disposal of potentially harmful solvents. Which means this fabric has a much smaller ecological foot print compared to cotton or bamboo viscose. Interestingly, Tencel is also produced from wood pulp via the same process, resulting in a very similar fibre that shares the same advantages.
The second thing to consider is where baby goes relative to your layers – under your coat or over your coat?? In general, unless you have a confidently walking toddler who will be alternating a lot between walking and being carried, it is better to have baby close to your skin and then put layers around you both. By having baby close to your skin, you’ll intuitively know if the baby is too warm or too cold because you’ll feel it, and your body will subconsciously respond to raise or lower your skin temperature accordingly as well as consciously signalling you to adjust your own layers. Amazing, huh?!! Additionally, by having layers around you both, when you do come in out of the cold it is really very easy to remove layers from baby without waking them up. Finally, by having baby close to your skin you are both able to more efficiently heat share, so efficiently in fact that you’ll most likely both need 1 less layer just from each others body heat! I love babywearing in winter because its like walking around with your own personal hot water bottle tucked into your coat!
Then protect their extremities – any parts not covered by the sling. Think hat for their head and socks/tights/booties to keep feet and lower legs warm. Slings can often cause trousers and leggings to ride up so its often worth thinking about tights under trousers, leg warmers or long socks to compensate. My personal favourite solution are
First sign of Autumn always brings a flurry of questions about keeping warm while babywearing and so I was so excited when 
The second thing that stood out, was just how warm it is. This coat is WARM! Super snuggly and extra warm. In all honesty, it is too warm for London in September. I did get out a few times with it but particularly while wearing my daughter I was roasting. However, this isn’t a criticism at all because it is still pretty darn mild in London this year… so I took the Wallaby up to Derby with us for the weekend. Here, several degrees cooler… the Wallaby was perfect – kept me nice a cosy while standing around waiting for fireworks on a brisk hillside! So I’d say this coat is a great choice for the coldest months, or for late Autumn to early Spring if you live somewhere a bit cooler than London and its weird micro-climate that makes it 2-3’C hotter than anywhere else in the UK. In fact I found myself wishing I’d had this coat back when I lived in New York and winter meant walking to work in temperatures of around -10’C!
Being able to use as a normal coat is a huge draw for me as it means it will still be useful when I am no longer carrying my children and, more immediately, that I don’t need to swap coats on a day out if I set out wearing our our daughter but my husband carries her home. Nor do I need a separate coat for the rare baby free evening.
While front carrying my daughter, I liked how high the panel reached on her and I liked that you can close the neck of the coat with poppers if you’d like to, or even employ the huge faux fur collar to keep extra warm. Although as it was September and still fairly mild I mainly just work the neck completely open. But I could see how this coat would really keep us both warm and the wind and rain out in the cooler and wetter months to come. One thing I didn’t like as much was that this coat doesn’t come with a hood for baby. There’s a lovely big hood for the adult, but nothing for the baby. While the panel does reach up very high, Rachel’s head still got a little wet on the one day we went out in rain. And I seriously regretted not thinking to pack a hat for her.
Finally a word on the all important sizing. I am a size 16. Well my top half is probably a 14-16 but I usually err on the side of size 16 for coats in case I need to wear layers underneath. They sent me a size 12 – it was a bit snug on me but by no means too snug. I think their size 14 would be perfect for me. Based on this I would say their sizes run slightly on the bigger side. Thus, if like me you are a bit between sizes err on the side of the smaller one. Also if like me you allow a size up for wearing jumpers under coats…. this coat is soooooooooooo warm you’ll never need to wear a jumper under it, unless you are going to the Arctic Circle or somewhere similar, so you can feel free to size down! Sadly though, Wombat&Co don’t currently offer these coats in a huge range of sizes – at the moment just UK size 6 through to 14. I am told they do also offer a size 16 but this is currently sold out. As someone who is a size 14-16, I find having to buy the biggest size available a bit disheartening, and considering that the average UK dress size is a 16 – there will be many who are simply not catered for in the current sizes offered. I really hope this is something that Wombat&Co will look into further and offer a more realistic range of sizes in the future.
When can I start forward facing my baby? When a) they have excellent head control and upper back strength and b) they are big enough to comfortably fit the carrier you have for them.
Its also worth noting that forward facing is not the only alternative for a nosy baby. Most slings and carriers also offer positions on the carers hip or back. In general, for a buckle carrier, the hip position can be used once baby has good head control. From here baby can see outward and get just as good a view of the world as they would forward facing, but they can also see the parents face for social referencing. They can easily tuck in towards the parent when they start to become tired and naturally fall asleep, and they are fully supported in a very ergonomic position. Its also possible to wear a younger baby on the hip in a ring sling or woven wrap or even a stretchy wrap, provided that the sling is worn in a way that supports the baby’s neck. Often a muslin rolled into the wrap or sling is perfect for this – providing support behind the babies neck but still allowing them to move and be as nosy as they like!
The other alternative is to wear baby on your back. Once they are tall enough to see over your shoulder they can get the same view as forward facing on your front, but it is more comfortable for you the parent as we load bear much better placing weight on our back verses carrying weight on our fronts. Like the hip carry, it also gives the child the option to tuck in and fall asleep when needed. For a buckle carry, this position can be used once the baby is able to sit independently or is very very close to being able to sit independently. So in theory often from 6 or 7 months old, however, most 6 or 7 months old can’t see over their parents shoulders yet and thus are usually less impressed with this position. Instead back carrying in a buckle carrier comes into its own from around 1 year old. However, it is possible to carry younger babies on the back – my choice for this is a woven wrap because it is possible to wear babies up much higher so they can see over your shoulder right from the beginning and because they can be tightened to give better support enabling a baby who is not yet able to sit independently be worn on the back without fear of slumping etc.
This is fast becoming a favourite. Released in December last year, the Lifft Stretchy is pretty new to the market and I first tried one at the Northern Sling Exhibition earlier this year. As I already had 7 different brands of stretchy wraps in the library, a new stretchy wrap definitely wasn’t on my shopping list for the day… However, before the exhibition Alex from Lifft had been in contact and I’d promised I’d try it. I was pretty certain, I’d try it, shrug and decide it wasn’t significantly different from those already in my library, make polite comments and then be off on my merry way. Nope, wrong,… I immediately absolutely loved it and bought one for the library on the spot.
It is very easy to tie and use. It has both lovely stretch and great elasticity so it is very easy to pop baby in and out without worrying about baby slumping over time.