Babywearing Lingo, Abbreviations, and Acronyms

Types of baby carriers and their
common abbreviations: 

  • Full Buckle aka FB: A custom made carrier (often a wrap conversion, WCFB), with waist and shoulder strap buckles.
  • Half Buckle aka HB: A custom made carrier (often a wrap conversion, WCHB), it adopts the style of the mei tai but with a buckle atthe waist instead of ties.
  • Mei Tai aka MT (e.g. Babyhawk, Melkaj): An Asian-style carrier that is tied, it has a body panel with two long straps arm straps coming from the top right and left-hand corners to tie with two waist straps coming from either base corner. Various sizes available: baby, toddler, preschooler etc. Some have padded waistbands, others not. Can be used for front or back carries.
  • Onbuhimo aka Onbu: Asian-style carrier, it is Japanese in origin. Similar to a Mei Tai, it has a panel with two arm straps, but it has rings at the waist through which the arm straps are threaded. Again, it is available in various sizes to suit the age/size of the child.
  • Podaegi aka Pod: Another Asian-style carrier, of Korean origin. The predominant style is similar to a Mei Tai, with a panel and arm straps but without a waistband. This often makes them a popular choice with pregnant moms who want to continue to carry their older child(ren), as waistband ties are often uncomfortable as they are tied across the bump.
  • Ring Sling aka RS: A length of fabric (can be made out of a woven wrap aka WCRS) with a pair of rings sewn into one end. Used for one-shouldered carries on front or hip, good for newborns up to preschooler. Great for quick up-&-down carries of a tired-legged toddler.
  • Simple piece of cloth aka SPOC: Functions like a woven wrap, but is not produced specifically for the purpose of babywearing, so some people have concerns about safety. Use would depend on your confidence about the suitability of the material. These are often homemade.
  • Soft Structured Carrier aka SSC (e.g. Manduca, Ergo, Rose & Rebellion): Similar in principle to a Mei Tai, but instead of having straps to tie, this carrier has buckles. Can be used for front and back carries. Avoids the problem of dangling straps in wet, muddy weather! Often thought of as being more ‘dad-friendly’, as *stereotype warning*dads are often reluctant to wrap/tie.
  • Stretchy wrap (e.g. Moby, Kari-Me, SaBe): A length of stretchy fabric that is tied. Great for newborns and little babies, but can become less useful as baby gets heavier (due to stretchy material). It is pre-tied onto the adult and the baby is then popped in and out throughout the day, without the need to re-tie. It is generally advised that this type of carrier is not suitable for back carries!
  • Woven wrap (e.g. Didymos, Girasol, Hopp, Oscha): A length of woven fabric, sold in a variety of sizes, which is tied into place. Can be used to carry from newborn to preschooler. Is suitable for front, back or hip carries - of which there are a number of different carries
  • Wrap Conversion aka WC (e.g. Ocah, Opitai, Softai): A carrier custom made out of woven wrap material. These are often done in the style of the Asian carriers mentioned, or a ring sling.
Common types of carries and their abbreviations:

Back Carries:

Double Hammock- DH:
Jordan’s Back Carry- JBC:
Rear rebozo reinforced rucksack- RRRR, Pirate carry (arrrrr!)
Reinforced Rucksack -RR
Ruck tied in front –RTIF
Ruck tied under bum- RUB
Rucksack Carry- Ruck
Secure High Back Carry-SHBC
Wiggle Proof Carry- WPC


Front Carries:

Front Cross Carry- FCC:
Front Wrap Cross Carry- FWCC:
Kangaroo Carry:


Hip Carries:

Poppin’s Hip Carry- Poppin’s
Robin’s Hip Carry- RHC, or Robin’s


Variations:
Candy Cane Chest Belt: CCCB 
Chest Belt- CB
Lexi Twist
Reinforced
Tied At Shoulder- TAS
Tied Tibetan- TT
Tied Under Bum- TUB


WOVEN WRAP SIZES:

Size 7: 5.2m long

Size 6: 4.7m long

Size 5: 4.2m long

Size 4: 3.7m long

Size 3: 3.2m long aka shorty

Size 2: 2.7m long aka shorty


There is a useful guide for what
size wrap enables what carries: http://didymos.com/index.php?s=groesse

Common babywearing acronyms and definitions:

  • *ABC: Action Baby Carrier (brand of SSC)
  • *ABC: Asian Style Carrier
  • Airy: An attribute given to a woven wrap describing how closely compacted the weave of the wrap is. (Opposite of dense).
  • *AP: Angelpack (brand of SSC)
  • *AP: Attachment Parenting
  • B'roo: Bamberoo (conversion maker)
  • BB: Beco Butterfly (name of SSC carrier)
  • BBI: Beco Butterfly I (name of SSC carrier)
  • BB2/BBII: Beco Butterfly II (name of SSC carrier)
  • BF: Breastfeeding
  • BH: Baby Hawk (Brand/name of MT carrier)
  • BHOS: Baby Hawk Oh Snap (name of SSC carrier)
  • BLS: Babywearing Love and Support, a Facebook group dedicated to babywearing
  • BN: Brand New
  • BNIB: Brand New In Box
  • BNIP: Brand New In Package
  • BNWT: Brand New With Tags
  • Bounce: An attribute given to a woven wrap to describe how much 'give' it has, or how much the baby 'bounces' up and down with walking motion.
  • BR: Birdie's Room (vendor)
  • Bump: A common thing to type when trying to push a post to the top of the page.
  • BW/BWing:Babywear/babywearing
  • B/W: Black and White
  • C&C: Colimacon et Cie (brand of woven wrap)
  • CCCB: Candy Cane Chest Belt
  • Chickens: Term used to refer to a series of wraps with peacocks on them made by Didymos
  • CISO: Casually In Search Of
  • Conversion: A woven wrap is used, or converted, to make a MT, SSC, or RS 
  • Cush: An attribute given to a woven wrap to describe how cushiony or padded the wrap feels on the wearer's shoulders.
  • DC: Dream Carrier (conversion maker)
  • Dense: An attribute given to a woven wrap describing how closely compacted the weave of the wrap is. (Opposite of airy)
  • Didy: Didymos (brand of woven wrap)
  • DISO: Desperately In Search Of
  • ETF: Easy to Find
  • EUC: Excellent Used Condition
  • *FB: Full Buckle
  • *FB: Facebook
  • *FB: Feed Back
  • Felting: Damage to a wool carrier caused by improper washing practices wherein the fibers are overly agitated and end up drawing together and matted.
  • FFS: Free for Shipping
  • Flannelly: An attribute given to a woven wrap used to describe a soft, fuzzy, warm feeling wrap.
  • FSOT:  For Sale Or Trade
  • FS: For Sale
  • FT: For Trade
  • Grad/Grad dye: Graduation dye style in which the carrier is dyed in an ombre style
  • GN: Gender Neutral  
  • GUC: Good Used Condition
  • Gira: Girasol (brand of woven wrap)
  • GMBB: Gypsy Mama Bali Breeze (brand of woven wrap)
  • Grippy: An attribute given to a woven wrap used to describe how much it sticks to, or slips easily over itself when trying to slide passes. The more it sticks, the grippier it is. (Opposite of slippery).
  • GSW: German Style Woven Wrap
  • HB: Half Buckle
  • Hopp: Hoppediz (brand of woven wrap)
  • HSA: Highly Sought After
  • HTF: Hard to Find
  • IHA: I have already/available
  • Indio: A woven wrap with a particular weave made by Didymos
  • ISO: In Search Of
  • ITW: In The Works
  • IVDSO: In Very Desperate Search Of
  • KP: Kinderpack (brand of SSC)
  • LE: Limited Edition
  • Leg Straightener: Some babies like to lock and straighten their legs, almost as if they are trying to stand up in the wrap. This can cause the baby to ‘pop’ their seat, which means the bottom rail of the wrap comes out from behind their knees, and rides up their back leaving them without a hammock to sit in, and their bums exposed.
  • Legacy: A term used to refer to a wrap that the wearer plans on passing down to their child for future generations of babywearing.
  • Lexi Twist: Can be used with a woven wrap or mei tai. A twist is created either under the baby’s bum, or low on their back to provide more support.http://bwiofpeoria.org/blog/2012/04/17/tip-tuesday-lexi-twist/
  • LL: Lenny Lamb (brand of woven wrap)
  • *MM: Marsupial Mamas (vendor)
  • *MM: Middle Marker. A tag marking the middle of the wrap.
  • MMAO: Make Me An Offer
  • MMARO: Make Me A Reasonable Offer
  • Moldable: An attribute given to a woven wrap to describe how it feels when wrapped. The more a wrap feels like a second skin, or feels like it forms to you and your baby like shrink wrap, the more moldable it is.
  • Mr. P: Pamir (a brand of woven wrap)
  • MT: Mei Tai (pronounced may tie)
  • MV: Market Value. The value given to a carrier generally based on its popularity, and how difficult to find it is.
  • Nati: Natibaby
  • Natty: Natural (undyed)
  • NIP: Nursing In Public
  • NM: Natural Mamas. A UK based babywearing internet forum. 
  • Nub: A lump, or thick place in the yarn of a woven wrap that occurs commonly in the weaving process.
  • O&A: Olives & Applesauce (conversion maker)
  • Obi: Obimama (conversion maker)
  • OBO: Or Best Offer
  • Onbu: Onbuhimos
  • OOAK: One of a Kind
  • OP: Original Poster
  • Oscha: A brand of woven wraps
  • O/T: Off topic. A poster often puts this in front of a post that is off the main topic of the group.
  • OTW: On the way.
  • Permacrease: A flaw of permanent creasing in a woven wrap.
  • Permastash: A designation given to a carrier that the owner never plans to sell or trade.
  • PFA: Perfect Fit Adjusters (In reference to Kinderpack straps)
  • PM: Private Message
  • PP: PayPal 
  • PPD: Postage Paid Domestic
  • PP Tree: A term used to refer to money in PayPal funds.
  • Pod: Podegai
  • Popped Seat: Some babies like to lock and straighten their legs, almost as if they are trying to stand up in the wrap. This can cause the baby to ‘pop’ their seat, which means the bottom rail of the wrap comes out from behind their knees, and rides up their back leaving them without a hammock to sit in, and their bums exposed.
  • Pull: A loop of yarn that has been pulled up in the fabric due to snagging.
  • RS: Ring Sling
  • Reinforced: When the cross passes are spread across the baby's back as opposed to remaining bunched 'straps'.
  • Rebozo: A form of tying a woven wrap which, in contrast to the ruck, takes the wrap over one shoulder (then back under), but, on the opposite side under the armpit and back over the shoulder.
  • Ruck Straps: The part of the wrap that goes over your shoulders like backpack straps. 
  • Saggy: An attribute given to a woven wrap used to mean that the wrap doesn't hold its shape when wrapped, and the baby changes position. Wrap sagging often becomes uncomfortable quickly for the wearer. (See: Supportive)
  • Slippery: An attribute given to a woven wrap used to describe how much it sticks to, or slips easily over itself when trying to slide passes. The easier the passes slide, the slipperier it is.
  • SB: Sakura Bloom
  • SBP: Sleeping Baby Productions (Ring Sling conversions)
  • Shorty: A short woven wrap, usually a size 2 or 3.
  • Sling Rings: Can be used to turn a short woven wrap into a No Sew Ring Sling
  • Slub: A lump, or thick place in the yarn of a woven wrap that occurs commonly in the weaving process.
  • SPOC: Simple Piece Of Cloth
  • Squish: A termused to refer to newborn babies. They’re just so squishy and adorable!
  • SS: Screen Shot or Stash Shot- a photo of all of your carriers.
  • SSS: Stash Shot Saturday
  • SSC: Soft Structured Carrier
  • STIH: Soft tapein hand
  • Storch: Storchenwiege (brand of woven wrap)
  • Sub: Subscribe. Something a poster writes in the comments when they want to follow the thread.
  • Supportive: An attribute given to a woven wrap used to describe how well it carries the weight of the child and maintains its shape during use. More supportive wraps allow the wearer to to wear a heavier baby for longer without discomfort (The opposite of supportive is: Saggy)
  • TBW: The Baby Wearer, an extensive and comprehensive internet forum dedicated to all things babywearing. http://www.thebabywearer.com/
  • TAS: Tied At Shoulder. Refers to where the knot is tied in a carry
  • TDF: To Die For
  • TH: ToddlerHawk (name of SSC)
  • TIOT: Try It Out Tuesday. A day where we try out a new carry and share pictures. 
  • The Swap: A common way to refer to Babywearing Swap, a Facebook group to buy, sell and trade baby carriers.https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebabywearingswap/?fref=ts
  • Thick/thin: Attributes used to describe a woven wrap.
  • Thread Shifting: A flaw where parts of the weave shift or move leaving thin spaces, or gaps in the wrap.
  • *TMD: The Mommy Dialogues (vendor)
  • *TMD: Two Mammas Designs (conversion maker)
  • *TT: Tied Tibetan: A term used to describe the way wrap tails can be threaded through the front of shoulder straps to create a chest belt – good for taking some of the weight off the shoulders, and for preventing strap slippage for those who have narrow shoulders.
  • *TT: Temporary trade. Sometimes a babywearer will temporarily trade a carrier with another babywearer.
  • TUB: Tied Under Bum. Refers to where the knot is tied in a carry. 
  • TV: Trade Value. The value given to a carrier in a trade transaction.
  • UMC: Ultimate Man Carrier
  • Unicorn: Used to refer to someone's ultimate dream carrier.
  • Uppy: Uppymama (brand of handwoven wrap)
  • v.1: the first release (usually more HTF/sought after)
  • v.2: 2nd release
  • Vat: Vatanai (brand of woven wrap)
  • VGUC: Very Good Used Condition
  • W&W: Warped and Wonderful (brand of woven wrap)
  • WAHM: Work At Home Mom
  • YGPM: You've Got a Private Message. Notifies someone to check their messages.
  • Zara: Name of an Ellevill woven wrap
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