Kitenge – African wrap

This is my newest baby carrier. It is called a Kitenge, and it is a traditional African wrap. My friend Sarah brought it back for me while she was in Malawi, she got this one in the village of Nsaru, Malawi, and it is a print that was made in Tanzania.

I had looked at how these wraps were put on in the past when my dad went to Africa last year (though he failed to bring me back one…), anyway it looked TERRIFYING to put on.

The picture to the right is my first real attempt at putting it on with Capri actually in it. I practiced with one of her stuffed animals first 🙂

Though let me just say her stuffed dog stayed still a lot more than her. Also I noticed in all the videos I watched to learn to secure it properly that little African babies stay still on their mothers backs, unlike Capri who is like a wild monkey. So I made Stefan help me by holding her while I secured it.

So again the picture on the right is my first attempt. I didn’t get it wrapped high enough though (it is supposed to be wrapped across your chest not below it), so I had to keep practicing.

As you can see in this picture I was able to secure it properly. Again I had the help of my wonderful husband who was tired of me asking for another picture to be taken 🙂

It is kind of scary at first, but after jiggling around like the African ladies did in the videos I realized she was secure back there. I loved that all her weight is on my hips and not on my shoulders. It is scary though because there are no knots involved. You tuck the top ends and you twist the bottom ones and tuck them under. I love it. I cannot wait to try it out places, after I practice some more in the house. I can’t wait to get to the point where I can put her on by myself (though if she held still I would be able to). Also I really want to go to Africa and have them show me there how to do it.