Babywearing Safety
Happy fall! Did you know that October is Babywearing month? Babywearing has blessed my life in many ways and I am deeply grateful. I began wearing my son at 4 days old and still wear him (although admittedly not as much – at almost two and a half). Babywearing has carried us through good times and bad and helped my husband and I bond with my son in ways that I only dreamed of. Every time I hear about a friend having a baby I can’t wait to share what I know about babywearing with them. But in light of babywearing month, I feel that it is not only important to discuss the “why” and “how” of babywearing but also how to do it safely. We all know (at least I hope we do) that things like putting a baby car seat on top of shopping cart is dangerous and yet, every week at the grocery store I see someone do it. Similarly, I often see people wearing their little ones incorrectly and it makes me cringe. Inside I’m drying to say something but I also don’t want to butt in or offend anyone because it’s really none of my business how anyone else cares for their child. However, I have occasionally offered help to someone who looks like they might be receptive to the suggestion and I have found that in almost every case, the caregiver has been more than happy to hear me out because they honestly had no idea. To this end, I’d like to share a little bit about the basics of babywearing safety.
*Disclaimer: I am not a formally trained babywearing educator. My only training comes from attending some babywearing workshops, personal experience, reading and researching (which I have done a lot of), and volunteering with Babywearing International (unfortunately now defunct).
I don’t want to insult your intelligence… much of babywearing safety is common sense. If you are nervous or feel unsure, if you are concerned, I highly recommend seeking out help from a local babywearing retailer or from a local babywearing group or club. If you need help locating one please comment below and I would be MORE than happy to reach out to my contacts across the country to try to help you locate one! Also, practice makes perfect. Practice at home when you aren’t feeling stressed, pressured, or under a time crunch. Once you feel comfortable and get the hang of it, babywearing will become second nature. I promise.
Before you use ANY carrier, I can’t stress enough how important it is to read the instructions that came with it. Each carrier is different in terms of baby weight minimums and maximums and in terms of what types of carries the manufacturer has designed it for. For example, some carriers are designed for forward facing in carries only while others can be used with baby forward facing out. Some carriers can be used for back carriers while others are unsafe to use in that capacity. Make sure that you understand the limits of your carrier. If you need help do not be afraid to ask either the manufacturer or a babywearing professional.
In addition, I also can’t stress enough how important it is to maintain your carriers properly. Make sure to check each time that you use it for tears, stitching that has come undone, or any other defects that could affect the safety of your carrier. Similarly, when buying make sure that you are buying from an authentic retailer/manufacturer that is compliant with current safety regulations. Not every carrier on the market is up to the same standards and there are many knockoffs out there.
Lastly, as a volunteer with a local babywearing organization (Babywearing Connecticut) one of the things that we always stress at our meetings is the important of the babywearing ABC’s. These general rules are easy to remember and cover most of the general guidelines for babywearing safety. They are as follows:
A: Airway – Always keep baby’s chin up and away from his/her chest. You want to make sure that you keep airways accessible and airflow around baby’s head. Baby should always be “close enough to kiss” so that you can monitor baby’s position and keep an eye on his/her face. Sometimes babies will nuzzle their faces into mom’s chest and that is OK as long as you can closely monitor baby to make sure that their airways are not compromised.
B: Body Position – Again this refers back to knowing your carrier as well as your baby. Make sure that you baby is positioned safely for the carrier. Double check to make sure that both baby’s torso and neck are properly supported and that baby is not “slumped.” Ideally, baby’s knees and bottom should also form an “M” shape – where knees are higher and their bottom makes the point of the M. In most carriers, you want the fabric of the carrier to support baby’s legs from knee to knee unless they are young enough to be carried “legs in.” Again, it’s important to know the specifications of your particular carry and it’s a REALLY good idea to check with someone who has experience to make sure that you have proper fit and positioning.
C: Comfort – Both you and baby should be comfortable. If you aren’t, either you are not using the right carrier for you and your baby or it isn’t adjusted properly. No carrier fits everyone the same. In fact I can personally attest to trying to several soft structured carriers when I was looking to buy one almost two years ago. Some of the carriers I tried on I loved but my son hated, some I l hated but he instantly fell asleep in, and finally we found a couple of options that seemed to suit us both. I can’t stress how important it was for me personally to try on carriers before buying. If I had blindly bought off Amazon I know for a fact that I would have ended up with a carrier that was not a good fit for me or my son. If you can visit a local babywearing retailer or resource group I highly recommend it. I doubt that you would find it a wasted trip. Lastly, if you aren’t comfortable with how your carrier is fitting or with how to get baby in and out/adjusted properly please practice and seek out help. Don’t just assume that it’s fine and “live with it.”
I hope that you all enjoy babywearing month (and do so safely) and if you aren’t already a babywearer I hope that you consider trying it!
Image Courtesy of Google