wraps consists of a very long piece of material that is wrapped around the parent and child and then tied. There are many many different ways to tie wraps, enabling your baby to be positioned almost any way you require. Most of the ways you would wrap your baby the fabric goes over both of your shoulders and around the waist, giving very good support, great security, and spreading the baby's weight to the your hips, back and shoulders. Many babywearers consider wraps to be the most comfortable carrier style. Wrap carriers are not new! They have been around for generations!
 

Advantages and Disadvantages

Wraps are extreemly versatile.  This is the reason I fell in total love with wraps. You can wear your baby in practically any position (just not upside down!!! ).  Wraps are extreeeeemly safe as well. Your baby can be as bundled up as you need inside a wrap. They can be completly under the fabric or just kinda sitting in it .  From personal experience, I have bent completly over to pick up something off the ground with my baby completly inside my wrap, and never once been afraid of him falling out. Wraps are also very very comfortable.  When wearing a wrap correctly, you will hardly notice the child in the wrap. The fabric spreads completly over both shoulders, your hips and waist area, making your whole body the source for supporting your child, not just a small area.  A wrap can be used from birth (My son had his first wrap experince just five days old) till toddlerhood or beyond (I have carried my four year old daughter in a wrap, just to see if I could, with success!)

Wraps however, can be a little complicated to learn how to use.  They do require a few test drives!