There are hundreds of baby carriers out there. And there’s no “right or wrong” when it comes to choosing one. It’s all about the fit. The best baby carrier for you is the one that fits you well, supports your baby or child and enables you to get out and about.
As a mum, nurse, and sling and babywearing consultant, these are the basics – the ABCs of babywearing – that I apply to every person I serve and every sling or carrier I consider.
Airway
A baby’s airway must always be supported. This goes for sleep, car seats, being held in arms, and – of course – in the sling.
For an airway to be supported the babies back needs to be supported so baby doesn’t slouch. Any carrier or sling where baby can slouch and get “chin to chest” is dangerous. This includes not fitting a “good” carrier correctly or forgetting to reposition after feeding.
How high should baby be?
Where does baby’s face end up on the adult’s torso? If a baby is close enough to kiss on the top of their head, then we know for most adults that their décolletage (between neck and breasts) is generally a flat non-squishy surface. If baby is too low on the chest it has a possibility of covering their nose or mouth with soft breast tissue. As comfortable as those pillows are, we prefer babies to sleep on a flat surface. And if you’re particularly well blessed with ample breasts – we have some carrier options that work really well – just book a private appointment and we can help you in person or via a video call.
And finally, your clothing, jewelry, bibs and even hair. Do a quick risk assessment – are you wearing a beaded jumper? Will my necklace snap? Is the baby wearing a bib? Is anything covering the baby’s nose and mouth? Look out for choking hazards and loose cloth that could cover the face. Normal clothing is usually fine, or if you are worried you could stick to a t-shirt or sweater for a while until baby is bigger and your confidence grows. Remember I only have 1 rule – and that’s airways, everything else is about optimising for comfort and longevity of wearing.
Body Positioning
In babywearing groups or from searching online, you may notice the terms J shape and M shape being mentioned.
This is to do with the position of baby’s back and legs.
A baby spends 9 months curled up in the womb and then comes out into the world and starts to find space to unfurl. Much like the opening of a fern, a baby unfurls slowly going from a C shape, to a J shape. The J is the shape from under the bum to the nape of the neck. It is the normal shape of the spine, and the muscles babies develop as they grow will eventually help hold the spine in the S shape that we know as adults – this comes in stages around as baby starts to lift their head, crawl and eventually walk.
As babies don’t have the core strength to have a straight back our baby holders (chairs, beds, carriers, slings, car seats, rockers) need to consider the developmental age of the baby and supporting them appropriately – we don’t want them put into positions they’re not ready for.
The carriers we suggest provide most comfort will support the back, so baby can comfortably move their arms and head, and have the closeness of a care giver for reassurance.
The next thing we think about is the position of the legs – more the hips. The Hip Dysplasia Institute suggests that
“Inward-Facing Carrying may be healthier for hip development, especially during the first six months if infancy. For this reason, the IHDI recommends inward-facing during this period of rapid hip development. During the second six months of life the hips are developing more slowly, but there may be additional benefit for inward-carrying until age one year.”
The “M” shape is all about the positioning of the legs and the bottom. So knees should be above the hips with the femur pressing evenly into the hip socket. This promotes better hip stability, reducing the likelihood of hip and back problems in later life.
For you, the adult, we look to make sure the carrier can help you keep a neutral position. Think about different ways you carry your kids without a sling or carrier:
- Firstly, think of a piggy back – the adult curls their bum outwards and their lower back forwards, creating a hyper arch in the lower back. You also take a lot of the child’s weight through your arms, helping keep the child in a comfortable cling position.
- Carrying them on your shoulders – we would bend our neck forwards and our chest backwards, creating a shelf on the shoulders that can bare the weight of the child.
- A child on the hip – the adult bends their lower back to the side where baby sits on the hip, and the mid-back away to create more space for baby to be close.
- And finally in arms on our front, we need to roll our chest and mid-back out, bringing the hips forwards and rounding the back and bring our arms around the baby to hold in arms, or in cradle position.
These changes to our normal S shape of our spine uses additional muscles in a way that we are not used to, and can cause aches and pains from needing to hold our body in a way that is not our normal stance.
Using a sling or carrier means that we’re securing them to you – giving you the freedom to stand and move in neutral alignment. The weight of your baby is supported through the whole body, rather than the arms – so you can carry a much heavier weight.
Comfort
I wish I had a pound for every person who told me that their baby was too big to be carried, maybe I should have asked for a fiver if they said that whilst I was carrying 5 year old on my back, and a 3 year old on my front whilst pregnant with twins….
Comfort is a personal thing. Our bodies unique, our life experiences, fitness and resilience are all individual.
I have been pregnant, or carrying babies or toddlers in slings for 10 years now, and much like the gym, you don’t walk in and start lifting the heaviest weights straight away. We build up our strength and stamina every day managing a little more. The wonderful thing about babywearing is – as your baby grows and gets heavier, you get stronger! There’s no jump from 10kg weights to 15kg weights – its incremental and it happens every day. I started small, growing strength through pregnancy and then my first carry in a stretchy wrap at about 3.5-4kg, and every day as they grew so did my strength. So if you’re new to carrying then please, remember you can build your strength with patience and practice.
Also in comfort is making sure you and baby are not too hot, or too cold.
A health visitor once told me “cold babies cry, hot babies……”. A baby that is too hot will be lethargic and unresponsive. Overheating is much more of a cause for concern because we’re not aware of how warm the baby might be. With very young babies – it’s good to check the nape of the neck or upper back regularly. If they seem to warm or a bit sweaty, it might be good to take them out for a break. If you’re babywearing in summer – make sure you plan your day, use a hat and take regular breaks.
Some people simply keep a sling under the pram for the times that baby is fussy, others never use a pram at all, and of course the majority of us are somewhere in between. Babywearing can be a tool in anyone’s parenting tool kit, my job is to help you find the sling or carrier that suits your body shape and meets your needs.
At Parent Sanctuary, we’re all about creating a warm and inviting space for parents. Rest assured, if you’re looking for expert advice on babywearing, we’ve got you covered. Meet Rachel, our incredible nurse, mother-of-four, and a trained babywearing consultant. She has worked with such a diverse range of parents, from dads who just need a little brush-up on their wrapping skills to individuals with unique physical needs. Our goal is to give every parent the perfect sling or carrier that fits their lifestyle and caters to their individual needs.
Find out more about the babywearing support that we offer by coming along to one of our sessions – alternatively you can email us to book a private appointment or video call.