Babywearing:

A Chiropractor’s Point of View

As a chiropractor who works with a lot of expectant women and children, I am a huge fan of babywearing. It seems that babywearing, which means carrying children in some sort of soft carrier that is worn close to the body, is becoming very popular with mothers in recent years. Many dads can also be spotted on the streets of Ottawa wearing their babies.

There are so many benefits to carrying your baby close to you, although there is one very clear benefit from a chiropractic perspective: the heavy infant car seats get left in the car, where they belong! Wearing your baby makes much more sense than carrying a heavy car seat from an ergonomic perspective, as the baby's weight is held close to the body. There is so much less potential for injury.

Moms are especially vulnerable to joint injury in the months following their births due to the fact that the hormone "relaxin" is still present in the body. This hormone loosens up joints in order to help a mother's body prepare for birth, but it can also increase the incidence of joint injury.

Britt Pegan, the owner of Milkface Nursingwear in Ottawa and a mother of three, strongly encourages babywearing to her clients.

"I think that the most important thing we tell parents prenatally is that the baby should be in an upright position – many parents think of carrying their babies in a cradle position, but that's not advisable in slings or anywhere else for that matter," she says. "We also tell parents that there is not one perfect carrier. It's important to ensure that the carrier is comfortable for them and that as long as they're able to carry their baby in that upright position, babies will adapt and be happy in that carrier."

A key factor about baby carriers is that they should not cause pain or discomfort to you or your baby. A properly designed carrier will allow weight to be distributed evenly on your body, and will not cause strain to your baby's joints.

"We caution parents to look at the ergonomics of carriers – for both the baby and the wearer," adds Britt. "Many of the more mainstream carriers don't have great ergonomics and parents think that they have to give up babywearing at three months as they're getting too sore!"

For parents, I like to see a carrier that distributes weight in a symmetrical way over the shoulders. This avoids fatigue and muscle strain. Look for wide shoulder straps or a wide piece of fabric that goes over the shoulders, as this will aid in distributing weight.

As for baby, legs should not hang straight down from the carrier as this can cause a lot of strain on those little hips and pelvis. Baby's knees should be pulled up at least 90 degrees in order to avoid undue strain. Also, your baby should be held up against you tightly enough and the carrier should offer adequate back support for baby.

Even when sleeping, your baby should be able to maintain an upright position without slumping over if the carrier is fitting snugly enough. A baby's head should be properly supported from all angles and this is especially true for infants. As children gain neck strength over time, head support should still be a consideration as they will probably be taking regular naps in the carrier.

There are many benefits to babywearing. From ergonomic considerations and ease of use to just the simple joy of snuggling your baby close, I think babywearing is an option every new parent should explore.