Baby wearing 101

Attention all parents, caregivers and parents to be….

I’m a big fan of baby wearing but not all carriers and positions are healthy for you and your little ones. Read on if you want to learn more about my top recommended carriers and learn what position’s are healthiest for your baby.

My son was a premie, born just over 5 weeks early and so he was truly only happy if he was being held. (He had a lot of catching up to do, so it makes sense looking back). After a few weeks I was going a little stir crazy, I could only lay around with him glued to me for so long. Insert baby wearing and it was a lifesaver! It kept my son happy because he was close, encouraging bonding and healthy attachment but also gave me my freedom and sanity…. I could move about and get “stuff” done with the bonus of being “hands-free”.

It’s important to know not all carriers are created equal. It’s really important to have a carrier that is supportive for you, the parent and also one that offer’s good support for your little one’s. I’m a fan of slings when baby’s are newborn and I recommend moving into a carrier once they have developed some neck control. My 2 favourite carriers are the Baby Beco or the ErgoBaby. If you invest in a good quality carrier it can last for years and potentially through multiple baby’s.

What position is best for your baby?

Before we talk baby wearing positions I think it’s important to know a little bit about a baby’s spine and how it develops. At birth, babies are in a state of flexion, their whole spine is in a natural long C-shaped curve. If you’ve ever held a newborn baby you know what I’m talking about. They are in a “curled up” fetal position and most new parents will give the disclaimer “make sure you support their neck!”. Babies are not born with the ability to hold their head up, they start to learn to master that skill when they do “tummy time”. Tummy time is key to helping form the cervical curve (neck curve) and it is the first spinal curve to form in a baby. From a chiropractic stand point, the cervical curve is the most important region of the spine. WHY? It sets the tone for the whole spine. Do you remember that nursery rhyme that moves through the body, bone by bone and highlights the fact that each bone is connected to the next? “The hip bone’s connected to the knee bone, the knee bone’s connected to the ankle bone…..” Well guess what, it’s true! Every joint in our body is connected to the next and if one area has more tension or an imbalance, it can have a big impact on the movement, alignment and function of the next.

For the above reasons, It is really important when you put your baby in a carrier to ensure they have proper neck support, until they have fully mastered holding their head up on their own. If you see them bobbing or shaking it is a clear sign they still need some assistance.

Another important thing to consider when you first introduce your baby to a carrier is their hip position. Take a look at the photo below.

Hip position: Frog leg or “M” position of the hips. Correct positioning in the photo on the left.

The photo on the left is a great visual of the proper position for the hips. It is known as the Frog Leg or “M” position. The key is to make sure your baby’s knees are higher than their hips. This ensures there is no excess stress on the baby’s hips and gives them more time for the bones to develop outside of the womb. If we just let their legs hang (picture on the right), it can be uncomfortable but can also lead to problems with their hip joints later in life.

The BEST POSITION in regards to which way the baby is facing is front inward facing (baby facing in towards you) and this is the ideal position whenever you wear your baby. At every age. It supports all the reasons I mentioned above. It is the best for supporting the cervical curve and hips and will not force excess weight into the lumbar spine. The lumbar curve starts developing when a baby learns to crawl and move around. It is not fully established until they are able to stand unassisted and have mastered walking, generally around 12-18 months. Other positions, particularly outward facing (baby looking out into the world) forces excess weight into the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine. It forces a baby’s cervical spine (neck region) to pull down and forward (much like what happens to us in when we use a cell phone or computer). A lot of parents think that outward facing is great for the stimulation a baby gets. And I totally understand. Babies are curious and love to see what’s going on. To appease this I recommend trying a side carry position and alternating which hip you carry them on so that it brings balance and healthy movement for both you and the baby. Another great option once your baby has mastered walking is the back carry position. They still will have all the benefits of an inward facing position but will also be able to see what is going on in the world.

Why is this important?

For those of you that don’t know, I see a lot of newborns, babies and toddlers in my practice. A big question I get asked is how do babies get out of alignment? Or why do babies need adjustments? The number one reason babies need a spinal tune-up is birth. IT IS HARD ON MOM’S & BABIES! It’s a big journey and sometimes interventions are used to help bring them into this world. They are necessary but often come with side effects. Secondly, some of the positions we may hold or carry or put our babies in can cause some tension to build and accumulate. Lastly, there is an immense amount of growth and development that baby’s will go through over their first 2 years of life. A babies brain grows 2.5-3x it’s size in the first year alone. All the milestones they need to accomplish, holding their head up, sitting, crawling, rolling, standing and walking are laying the ground work for the learning we accomplish later in life. Those milestones that many parents fret about (totally normal by the way, I was there with you) are building brain connections, pathways and synapses. And all of that is done by movement. If their body is not moving properly or they have limited movement or too much tension in one area it can affect their ability to achieve those milestones and in my opinion, can have life long consequences. An adjustment is simply about bringing healthy movement to the body, eliminating tension and helping bring the body into a more balanced state.

Questions or comments? Comment below. If you know someone who is pregnant or has a little one, share this post!

Your family’s chiropractor,

Dr. Lindsay