Baby Wearing
Baby Wearing: Suggestions for Carrying your
Baby
Baby Carrying Overview
Car seats are for the car and their
frequent use as carriers outside of the car are known to
cause undue postural distortions to both the mother and baby.
Although
strollers seem to be most convenient for the mother's body,
it is well known and documented that close contact between
baby and parent is important for your baby's physical, emotional,
social and neurological development. Additionally, strollers
and car seats offer restricted postural options for the baby's
developing cranium and spine which further affects all aspects
of their health and well-being.
Therefore the carriers of
choice are the baby slings, sacks, pouches and wraps. Because
each carrier may cause a repetitive posture for both mother
and baby, we advise that parents have a variety of carriers
on hand for various stages of baby development, weight gain
and mutual comfort for carrying.
Considerations for the Mother:
The hormone relaxin may remain
in your system up to nine months after delivery and so postural
adaptations may adversely affect your spinal joints while
trying to perform new activities such as carrying your baby.
Regular chiropractic check ups are a must during this period
to help you maintain a healthy spine and nervous system.
Being conscious of your spinal posture is also very important
after you deliver your baby and so choosing ways to carry
your new baby may be one of the most important decisions
you make to support your regular, postpartum chiropractic
adjustments.
Considerations For the Baby:
In addition to having your baby's
spine checked by your family chiropractor right after birth,
it is important that you discuss variations of postures for
your baby's optimal development. This includes sleep, play
time, breastfeeding and
baby carrying positions.
With modern living came the use of strollers and other
infant back lying carriers. The numerous and not so beneficial effects
of these more modern carriers is being noted and there is
a growing concern and return to using cloth, body carriers
that provide varied baby positions and keep the baby closer
to the parent.
The importance of varied baby positions:
Ever since the "Back
to Sleep" program of placing babies
on their backs to reduce the incidence of SIDS, babies
have spent more time on their backs then ever before. Combined
with the additional use of strollers, infant seats, car
seats and other similar reclining carriers, doctors of chiropractic are noticing
a significant increase in flattened spots on the backs of the heads of infants.
Since an infants head is so soft and impressionable by position, it is vital
that parents offer numerous positions for the baby during waking and carrying
hours.
Strollers, car seats and the many infant back lying carriers
add additional time spent in this compromised and limited
posture. The resulting fattened heads have more than cosmetic
concerns though, they add to cranial distortions and therefore
neurological compromise for the infant.
Additionally, these
back lying seat carriers offer little neck support and those infants with even
slight side neck and head tilt usually spend too much time in their distorted
postures, resulting in additional spinal compensations.
The
importance of parent baby contact:
Many organizations and grass
roots groups are encouraging a return to baby wearing because
of the effects the constant motion and touch has on the neurological
and emotional development of the baby.
When
choosing a carrier, consider the following:
. Does the carrier offer various carrying positions for the baby on the wearer?
front, sides, back?
. Does the carrier offer numerous positions for the baby? Forward facing, chest
facing, vertical, horizontal, legs folded, straight or frog-like position?
(A carrier with limited positions affect your baby's postural development)
. How long will the carrier accommodate the child's growth and postural development?
(For several months, the entire first year, into the toddler years?)
. Can a child be transferred from one wearer to another without disturbing the
baby?
. How comfortably can the baby be laid down or removed from the carrier without
disturbing their sleep?
. Can the baby be breast fed while being carried?
. Is the carrier easily cleaned?
. Does the carrier require the wearer to support the baby with one hand or are
both wearer's hands free?
. Can a baby be put into all carrying positions by the wearer, or is another
person's help necessary?
. Is the weight of the baby evenly distributed for the wearer's comfort while
using the carrier?
. Does the carrier cause repetitive stress and postural compensations to one
area of the wearer's spine?
Links to sites that explain the importance
of wearing your baby:
http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading.html
http://www.instinctiveparenting.com/
http://www.thediaperhyena.com/advocating_babywearing.htm
http://www.naturalchild.com/guest/pam_leo.html
The following links will offer you personal experience and
professional recommendations in choosing the carriers for
your infant's first years:
Baby Carriers FAQ's:
http://www.pburch.net/carriersFAQ.html
Baby Carrying Resources:
http://www.tccmaven.com/resources/sling.html
A Review of Baby Carriers:
http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading/carriersReview.html
Advise for Carrying Babies:
http://www.mothering.com/sections/experts/ohm-archive.html#careofback
Baby Wearing Info: http://www.earthbaby.com/babywearingindex.html
Infant Carriers and Spinal Stress:
http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading/spinalStress.html
Guide to Baby Carriers:
http://store.peppermint.com/
Cuddle Up! Slings and Baby Carriers: http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/slings.asp
Links to Baby Carriers:
ICPA Preferred Carriers:
(These companies support on-going research via our Pathways magazine advertising)
Maman Kangourou Inc. www.mamankangourou.com
Additional Carriers:
Baby Bundler - www.babybundler.com
Baby Mine www.babyminestore.com
Baby Wrap www.babywrapinc.com
BabySling www.babysling.com
Rebozo Way Carriers http://www.rebozoway.org/
BabyTrekker www.babytrekker.com
CDM-Over the Shoulder Baby Holder www.babyholder.com
Maya Wrap www.mayawrap.com
New Native Baby Carrier www.newnativebaby.com
Tough Traveler www.toughtraveler.com
Ergo Baby Carriers http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/
Baby Carriers Catalog: http://baby-carriers.babycatalog.com/
Sutemi Pack Baby Carrier: http://sutemigear.com/
Slinglings Baby Slings: http://www.slinglings.com/