How to Properly Babywear
Babywearing can be such a lifesaver during those first few months when you’re feeling ready to do more physically, but want (or need) to keep baby close to you. There are so many different products and styles out there for babywearing, but this blog is going to focus on two types in particular - a more structured fit and a looser fit. This blog post will dive into how to properly fit and wear these two different types of carriers as well as things to be aware of when it comes to your posture, body mechanics and some tips and tricks for alleviating discomfort that may pop up after an extended amount of babywearing.
Postural Awareness & Body Mechanics With Babywearing
Babywearing can be such an amazing way to multitask while also keeping baby close for a contact nap or just to keep baby from fussing while getting a few things done. Inevitably, babywearing can also lead to some uncomfortable or even painful side effects if you’re not careful, which is why postural awareness and paying attention to your body mechanics is so important while babywearing.
The extra weight from the baby being in front of your body can cause you to compensate in a few different ways, just depending on your tendencies. Some may find that they jut their hips forward (or push their belly out) and throw their shoulders back in order to keep baby’s head on their chest. A less structured or poor fitting carrier can contribute to this position in particular if you are fearful of your baby’s head going back and not being properly supported by the carrier itself. This position for you can cause pinching in the lower back from shortened muscles as well as irritation in the neck and upper back due to elongated muscles. Aside from that, it’s also a seriously poor position for your core and pelvic floor leading to increased pressure down into the pelvic floor muscles.
Another common postural compensation is shoulders rolled forward. This can occur from babywearing over an extended amount of time where your postural back muscles fatigue and no longer allow you to remain in a neutral position, or it can occur naturally while you are walking around multi-tasking and using your upper body to get things done! Either way, that rolled forward shoulder position can also lead to an achey neck and painful mid to upper back as well.
Neutral positioning
If we are going to talk about posture, let’s first start with understanding what position we want to aim for! Here are a few postural tips to be aware of when babywearing:
Keep your shoulders over your hips. If you happen to have a long enough mirror, turn sideways, and ensure that your shoulders are not slowly making their way behind your hips…as much as you can, you really want them to be lined up with your hips.
Keep your ears lined up with your shoulders. This is obviously not the position you will be in at all times, especially as you move about the house and get little things done, but as much as possible, if your shoulders are in alignment with your hips, then you also want your ears to be in alignment with your shoulders. Every so often, tuck your chin straight back and pull your head back towards your shoulders getting those ears back in alignment with the shoulders!
Keep your hips in a neutral position. Place your hands on your hips and try to rock your hips forward and backward causing your low back to arch, and then remove the arch. Do this a few times back and forth and then try to find the middle of those two extremes. That would be your neutral position, not overly arched in the low back, but also not flat, just a slight arch.
Remember, these are tips for being in a neutral position, which is of course ideal, but not always realistic when you are moving around and doing various things. Overall, just make it a goal to be aware of neutral positioning and return to neutral in the moments that you are able to!
properly fitted carrier
No matter your best efforts at postural awareness and returning to neutral positioning, it will all be for not if you have a carrier that isn’t fitted correctly to you or is put on incorrectly! With all the different types and styles of baby carriers out there, you want to make sure that you don them in a way that encourages optimal positioning for you and support for the baby as well. Here are a few things to consider when looking at various styles of carriers -
Does it fully support baby’s head? Remember that baby doesn’t have developed neck muscles early on, so the carrier (even if it’s less structured), needs to come up high enough to support the baby’s head and neck, especially if you are planning to use your hands for other tasks.
Is the baby carrier the right size for your baby? You don’t want to be using a baby carrier that is more meant for a larger baby when your baby is on the smaller side. Ideally, you want a baby carrier that is adjustable and can support your baby as they grow. On the lower half of the baby, you want to look for an “M” shape from the legs and pelvis, and then neutral alignment up the spine.
Does it give you upper and lower back support? Depending on the style of carrier this may be more or less support, but a criss-cross pattern in the back can help to keep your upper back postural position in check and for more structured carriers, a nice thick bottom strap can help support the low back as well!
Different Carrier Types
A looser/less structured carrier
There are different types of baby carriers for a reason! We have different needs and different reasons for using a less structured or a more structured carrier. For a looser or less structured carrier, one reason may be comfort. These types of carriers do tend to be more comfortable to wear and a little more breathable. They are great for wearing around the house and when you plan to have baby in the carrier for just a short amount of time. It’s also a great way to have a contact nap and if you’re not planning on doing a ton of other things using both arms at the same time.
The downside to a looser or less structured carrier is that they can slowly stretch over time and you may need to readjust if baby is in there for a longer period of time. It also can make you feel like you need to have at least one hand on baby to keep baby supported when you move around or if you need to bend over to do anything.
As far as fit goes, you want to make sure baby is high enough on your chest that you could kiss your baby’s head. This will keep the weight of your baby off of your stomach which then puts added pressure down onto your pelvic floor. You also want to make sure that you’ve properly donned this type of wrap and have it supporting you as much as it is meant to do.
For me personally, I LOVE the Solly Baby wraps. These types of wraps can require a little practice for making sure you’ve put it on yourself correctly and also placed baby in there correctly as well! If you’re needing a quick tutorial on how to don the Solly Baby wrap, I have a story highlight that shows how to put it on and make sure baby is in there correctly.
A MORE structured carrier
I’ve personally used a few different types of structured carriers, and this time with my second baby, I’ve chosen to use a Wildbird carrier this go around.
A few benefits to using a more structured carrier is the added support. As long as it is fitted correctly, there should be enough support for baby’s head and neck as well as added support through the straps for both your upper and lower back. The criss-cross strap pattern with the Wildbird carrier is definitely beneficial for cueing those shoulders to stay back and keep your upper back in a more neutral position. A more structured carrier can be really nice to have for going on longer walks or hikes or when you are working around the house and know you will be using both arms for the tasks you plan to do.
A few things to be aware of when using a more structured carrier is that typically the material is a little less breathable due to it being a sturdier material. This can lead to it being less comfortable for you to wear and you’ll want to ensure your baby is in a good position for breathability as well.
If you’re wanting a quick tutorial for how to don a Wildbird carrier and some things that I look for when putting it on and having my baby in it, click here for my story highlight.
How to Combat Upper Back Irritation with Babywearing
As I mentioned earlier, it is almost inevitable that you will develop some sort of irritation, discomfort or pain when babywearing. Anytime you’ve altered your normal body’s state there will be some muscle adaptations and some soreness if you’re not used to that position. The most common irritation with babywearing is that upper back/neck discomfort. Again, this happens because all those muscles back there tend to be overly stretched out with the shoulders drawn forward as you are moving about the house and using your arms trying to avoid bumping your baby and compensating for the extra weight in front.
In order to combat this position, one thing you can do when you start to notice any discomfort in your mid to upper back is to stop, return to neutral position, and perform external rotation and scapular retraction exercise to ACTIVATE those muscles…which is the opposite of lengthening. For a visual of this, click here for a demonstration of this exercise.
Ready to ditch postpartum back pain?
If mid to upper back pain or discomfort has become a recurring trend for you since having your baby, my Mind Body Core program has a whole section covering just that either as a stand alone or as part of the full 12 week postpartum rehab program. Make sure to check it out by clicking below for further information!