Baby Carrier Safety Tips
Hello Mamas!
It’s natural for us to be constantly worried about our baby’s safety and of course, it’s a good thing! When in the market for a baby carrier, or any other baby product for that matter, your baby’s safety while in that product should be top of mind. But equally important to buying safe products is using them safely, which is not always easy when one is rushing to and fro as we moms tend to do. So, I put together this list of essential baby carrier safety tips! Hope these help and if you have others, please add them below.
How to Wear a Baby Carrier
1. High and Tight. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Your baby needs to be high and tight when in your carrier! Ideally, your baby’s back is straight and their chin is safely off their chest. You don’t want them crouched over with their chin hitting their chests, as comfy as that might look. To that end, make sure that every strap is as tight as it can possibly go. Repeat after me, “high and tight, high and tight, high and tight.”
When a baby is in a crouched position, you could run into the problem of positional asphyxiation, God forbid. This means that the baby’s airflow is being off because he or she is not in the correct position in the carrier. Always make sure there is enough space between their chin and their chest for air to pass through! The general rule is two fingers but I go for even more.
2. Hip and Leg Positioning. In general, you’ll want your baby’s bum to be lower than their legs and knees, a more advantageous distribution of weight. This is called the spread squat position.
Depending on the age of your baby, they can be in a seated position with their legs inside the carrier or with their legs outside the carrier later on.
3. Neck Support. This is crucial, especially for younger babies. Some carriers come with extra padding for the baby’s neck.
Other times, you’ll need to add support by twisting a cloth or piece of the carrier itself behind the baby’s neck for extra support. Never let your baby’s head hang back. Think of this as being akin to how you hold your baby, always supporting the neck.
4. Tightness. Going along with what was said in the first point, you’ll want to make sure that the carrier is so tight and your baby is high enough that you can easily bend your head down and kiss the top of their head.
Also, one way to determine if the carrier is tight enough is if you yourself feel you’ll start crouching over if you adjust it any tighter!
5. Nursing. Some carriers are really convenient when it comes to nursing in public.
However, when you’re done nursing your baby on one side of your chest, make sure to tighten the straps to the original position before you even touch the other side. Good idea to do this while your baby is burping (and remember to put a burp cloth underneath their little mouth to keep mama’s shirt clean).
I hope this video on baby-wearing safety is helpful to you all! If you have anything to share, please comment below!
Want more info and how-to videos on baby carriers? Check out our other baby carrier videos here:
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