Belly Binding: How Much Fabric Do I Need?

Whether you're binding yourself or having a professional belly binder come to your home after you have your baby, it's important to have enough material to be properly bound.

The most common mistake I see being made, especially when women DIY traditional belly binding, is not using enough material when they bind. Whether they made it themselves or bought it online, so often they end up with something that looks like this: 

Uncomfortable and ineffective, even potentially harmful. And there's one main thing you can do to improve your experience belly binding - have enough fabric. A professional belly binder should provide the material for you. But what if you're planning to bind yourself? How can you know what kind and how much fabric you need? Keep reading!

There are two dimensions to be aware of with a traditional binding cloth: length and width. These must be in balance in order to have the optimal binding experience and results. So here are some tips from a professional, of things that are essential to be aware of when DIY belly binding. 

1. Never buy a binding from anyone (or make one) that is less than 9 inches wide. I prefer 12 inches wide, as it creates the absolute best structure. Think that's too much? It's not. Promise. Overlapping the layers is the way to avoid bulges and gapping, and to do that you need WIDTH. 
2. Don't skimp on length, either. Most women need at least 12 yards of LENGTH in order to have enough to bind. 10 yards is okay for petite, short women (size 6 or smaller, typically), and 12 yards is good for size 8 - 12. If you're curvier or taller, you'll need more length. For a size 16-18 woman use 14 yards, for size 20+ you might want to consider just using an extension - more on that in my online belly binding courses. 
3. Go by pre-pregnancy weight/measurement to determine size. Were you a size 8 pre-pregnancy? Unless you gained more than 35 lbs during the 9 months you carried your baby, you're probably pretty close to that same measurement now. So unless you've gone up more than TWO sizes, your pre-pregnancy measurements will be fine in determining your binding cloth size. 
4. Double check standards of measurement when you buy a belly bind online. Different length/width combinations make for different size recommendations. Always check with your seller. 
5. Remember, most women (between sizes 8-14) will be fine with 12 yards of 12 inch wide fabric in their bind. 
6. What about the belly panel? This one is trickier, but a standard size I use is 2 ft by 3 1/2 ft. This fits most postpartum women. If you're curvier, make it 2 1/2 by 3 1/2. 

This is what belly binding SHOULD look like! See the tight, close knots that go straight up the middle? It starts below the curve of the hips and ends right under the breasts. There shouldn't be excessive bulging or large gaps in the bind. I used an extension on this beautiful, plus-sized mama, to make sure she was bound just right.

​There are a lot of great belly bind sellers on etsy.com. Just search "belly binding" to find an entire shopping center of gorgeous, colorful, well-made belly bind fabrics. Some are pre-hemmed, some are raw-edged (hint: neither is better for single-use, but if you plan to use it after more than one baby, or if you want the easiest washing experience, go for hemmed!). Some are plain, off-white muslin and others are gorgeous, hand-dyed batik patterns (another hint: if you use traditional warming paste, it STAINS. So choose your bind carefully and have a plan for preventing stains on your pretty bind!).

A great price range is $50 - $80 for hemmed, dyed, 12 yard x 10-12 inch traditional binding fabric, and it's an amazing investment. And you know another great investment when you're DIY? Learning from a professional.

Check out my online "Self-binding for Postpartum Women" course today in order to learn how to do belly binding after you have your sweet babe!
​