I am told that even though baby carrier choices are expanding, the only obvious option to most parents, especially those looking to big box stores for guidance, is the Baby Bjorn and its various knock-offs. A lot of parents have ended up equating babywearing with the Bjorn, and I come across parents all the time who say that their children, especially their boys, hate babywearing, because they only encountered that one specific type of carrier.
Not every child dislikes them, because they don’t cause pain. But they might cause some discomfort, especially if a boy’s little penis gets squished as gravity puts pressure on the pelvic bone.
The real health problem with wearing a baby in a “dangling” narrow-bottomed carrier like the Bjorn is that it forces an unnatural and unhealthy stretching in the hip joints as gravity pulls the legs straight down.As it turns out, the International Hip Dysplasia Institute has an explanation–the bottom support fabric of these carriers is too narrow, which allows gravity to cause discomfort.
As the International Hip Dysplasia Institute explains, it can take a while before babies adjust to life with more space:
After birth, it takes several months for the joints to stretch out naturally. Babies that have been in the breech (bottom first) position may need even more time to stretch out naturally. If the hips are forced into a stretched-out position too early, the ball is at risk of permanently deforming the edges of the cup shaped socket (hip dysplasia) or gradually slipping out of the socket altogether (hip dislocation). Hip dysplasia or dislocation in babies is not painful so this may go undetected until walking age and may also result in painful arthritis during adulthood. – IHDI
How Your Carrier SHOULD Look
Here’s what you want your carrier to look like, when you look in the mirror:
You Have Choices
- Babyhawk is a much-beloved company that makes a Mei Tei and a soft-structured-hybrid-style carrier. They also have a fun feature that lets you pick the fabric to design your own carrier.
- My favorite carrier in the buckle category is the new Onya carrier, but the Ergo is great, too. And if you want to wear your newborn with either carrier, Ergo sells an insert that provides the extra support you’ll need–it even comes in organic! (Onya is developing an insert, but this family run company is fairly new and still growing, so they recommend using Ergo’s insert for now.)
It is 100% worth the time to try out the different types, because some are better on different body types. I hear more petite mamas rave about Mei Teis, while dad’s rave about the Ergo. If you’re going in for a buckle/soft-structure carrier, know that you’ll be spending a bit more; the engineering and construction behind these is pretty intense, so forgive the price tag. (Mei Teis use gravity to keep the knots you tie nice and tight, but gravity is not so kind to plastic buckles!) It’s more important with structured carriers than with any other type to try out a few different brands, because each one seems to work differently on different body types.
Read the Box Carefully
Baby Wrap
They don’t cover the wraps, but that’s easy: when wrapping a baby up in a Moby® Wrap or other fabric wrap, keep those legs in the shape of the letter M, with Baby’s bottom making the dip in the middle of the letter and knees making the two peaks.
This becomes less pronounced as Baby grows and can hug your body, but the “M” rule helped me a lot when I was wearing an eight-week-old. When she does get a bit older, you can use that illustration right there to help you tuck the fabric under Baby’s bottom to make sure she’s still getting good hip support
Anne-Marie Lindsey is a stay-at-home-mom, aspiring HypnoBirthing Instructor, mental illness fighter, wife, dog owner and auntie. She writes about everything, including the beautiful, fun, peaceful, scary, stigmatized and painful on her personal blog, Do Not Faint where motherhood meets depression and anxiety!
Thank you for this article. We have an infantino carrier and a moby wrap, and the infantino lets the legs hang straight down. I appreciate this information.
This is really great Anne-Marie! Hip dysphasia runs in our family and baby #1 had it and a full hip and leg cast for 3 months. I used the moby wrap with her and loved it and using again now with baby #3. This info on hip dysplasia and baby carrying is not widely known at all and difficult to find sources of good helpful information.
It is tricky to find, and many pediatricians don't accept it, yet. My sister's pediatrician says "it's not that big a deal." I guess I'm not a doctor, but the physics of all of this seem pretty basic to me! And I'm going to go with the specialists on this one!
I was wondering if there is a carrier where the baby is in the correct leg position but is back to chest with you? I tried the Ergo, but she spent the entire time trying to turn her head backwards to see where we were going. I tried a Jeep (like the Bjorn) and she LOVES it. Coos and smiles the entire time. What to do with a child like that? Any ideas? Thank you!
The “front-facing” position your daughter likes is, unfortunately, not one that’s very healthy for baby hips. If she’s got enough head support to face out, though, I bet she would love a ride in a sling! You can put her on your hip in a sling and still have hands free. I think they’re easier to use than buckle carriers, too.
I wore my kids facing out with the moby and ergo. The moby i would sit them butt first and squish their legs in a lotus position. That was usually fav way to sit. The ergo i just kept my hands low to support their thighs.
I’m just relaying the research–experts in pediatric orthopedics and in babywearing caution strongly against forward facing carriers or positions. Wearing a baby in any baby carrier, the Ergo included, in a way the manufacturer did not intend is definitely unsafe.
I don’t say this to criticize you, I simply feel that others reading this post and these comments need to know: to safely wear your baby, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. This is not a recommendation, this is necessary for SAFETY. It is not as dangerous as using your carseat improperly, but it’s absolutely UNSAFE.
If your carrier includes instructions about wearing the baby facing away from your body, just make your decision with the knowledge that some doctors caution against that position. That’s simply a recommendation.
Thank you Anne-Marie for this information. While at the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum last week I saw a mom with a popular ‘crotch dangling’ baby carrier with a NEWBORN FORWARD facing. I am still kicking myself for not finding that mom before she left to say something to her and to point her to this post as further information. When I saw her she was walking around holding the babys’ head back. I’ve been wondering if she happened to see the photo on the box that shows the baby forward facing and thought that’s how you use it.
Rachel,
While I disagree with your choice to wear your kids the way you did, I am not writing this to criticize you or try and make you feel guilty. But as the author of this article, I feel compelled to reply to your comment using strong language.
Soft-structured carriers like the Ergo that DO NOT include instructions for a forward-facing infant position (baby’s back to you, facing out). It is therefore UNSAFE to put a baby in a forward facing position. The buckles, straps and stitching are tested for safety only for the positions included in your instruction manual. By putting a baby in a carrier in a position it was not designed for, you are putting stress on it that could cause it to break or your baby to slip out of the carrier. To me, this is not as dangerous but is comparable to using a carseat incorrectly. It is a choice that puts your child at risk for serious harm.
(The Moby wrap does not include instructions for wearing a baby in a forward facing position, but because it is a wrap, the safety testing caution doesn’t apply in the same way.)
Some carriers do include instructions for wearing your baby facing out. This means that positioning an infant facing out does not put undue stress on the stitching, straps, buckles, etc; following the instructions also means that your infant will not slip out.
Many, but not all, doctors recommend against using forward facing carriers or positions, because they consider it a risk to orthopedic health if done frequently, over time. The more frequently a baby’s legs are pulled by gravity into a straighter position, the higher the risk. If you wear your baby every day, the risk may be higher that he or she will develop hip dysplasia over time. This is a recommendation, not a safety mandate.
Following the instructions for positioning and use of your baby carrier is a SAFETY MANDATE.
Recently I had my son in a baby carrier (the OnyaBaby as shown above) and the woman at the checkout said “That just doesn’t look comfortable.”
I said actually it’s very comfortable.
“No, I meant for the baby.”
My response “Actually, it is. If you think about the way that you hold a baby with no carrier their legs wrap around your stomach and they lay their head on your chest. It’s exactly how he is right now except I have my hands free so I can shop.”
Her response “Huh. I guess I never thought of it that way.”
The guy behind me in line had the same “ohhhh right!” look in his face!
That’s so funny! I wore my baby in our Onya at the BlissDom conference all weekend, and a waiter at the hotel told me he looked so comfy and cozy. Maybe because he was asleep?
My baby was also asleep. I think it’s because it was probably the first time she’s EVER seen a carrier at all. She was all “legs all spread apart like that”. Well duh. The legs wrap around you when you hold them in your arms 🙂
Hi there! Thanks so much for this post — I’m pregnant for the first time and looking into all the babywearing options (starting to create a registry). I didn’t look at all the comments so apologies if someone already asked this: do you know anything about CatBird Baby’s pikkolo carrier? I wanted to put that one on my registry, since it can be used from birth through toddlerhood (and include a front facing-out carry option), but I can’t really tell if it qualifies as a safe one as far as hip alignment for baby. Any input you could give would be great!!
Looking at the website the carrier looks to have a wide area for the rear of the baby and to allow for the legs to be supported and not dangle. Congratulations on the first pregnancy!!!!
I don’t know that carrier, but here’s how I think about it: hold your baby (with just your arms) on your chest facing out. Does the baby look comfy? Is it nice for you? Does it feel natural? My favorite thing about babywearing is that it feels just like holding my baby, just like I would otherwise, but I get to have my hands free. Front facing positions just don’t feel natural to me. And gravity pulls on dangling legs in unnatural ways, which is what those diagrams are trying to point out. If the baby faces you, his/her legs curl up against you or wrap around you, and gravity pulls him/her towards you.
Thank you Anne-Marie for that visual. I agree with forward facing positions – it seems awkward for both parent and child but the carrier mentioned did look like one with a wide base to support the babys legs and body.
Thanks so much for the response, and the congrats! With reference to the outward-facing position, I have since found this blog post on the CatBirdBaby website, which I found interesting (some of the comments are helpful too – one commenter, Tami, gives some good references regarding hip dysplasia info): http://catbirdbaby.com/blog/?p=256
Wanted to share this as BobaFamily just shared 9 Reasons NOT to Carry Your Baby FORWARD Facing
http://www.bobafamily.com/blog/2011/10/11/nine-reasons-not-to-carry-your-baby-facing-out/
I have a question about the hiking style baby carriers. Which would you recommend, if any? Where do you find your supporting information? I am looking to do some more widespread research on the topic. Thank you for any information you may provide.
Hi Justin! I’m sorry, I don’t know much about the carriers specifically for hiking. I do know a lot of people who love to use their “soft structured carriers” (Onya, Ergo) while hiking.
That said, by the time a baby is big enough to wear in a backpack-type carrier (six months), they are less vulnerable both because they are bigger and stronger and because being carried on your back is just ergonomic by nature. We fit together like puzzle pieces, that way!
I used our Onya Baby carrier which is a soft-structure for an two-hour hike around a lake. It was comfortable and with the back carrier I did not feel fatigued. I also felt him lay his head down on me and sleep. I just wish I could have seen him sleeping all cute. My son was 9.5 months at the time.