I can provide tips on wearing your baby safely from birth to toddlerhood. This can help babies be calmer, help you get out of the house, allow you to have 2 hands, bond, and so much more!

Babywearing is the practice of using a carrier to hold your baby on your body, while keeping your hands and arms free. This can start from the first day of life, and can continue until age 3 or 4! There are studies that have been done to show the effectiveness of keeping our baby close to us, holding our baby, and helping babies to thrive. This article from Babywearing International, breaks down some of the common benefits of babywearing

There are so many carriers available, soft structured carriers (SSC), Ring slings, woven wraps, handwoven wraps, stretchy wraps (moby, for example), and more. Making sure that your carrier is a good fit for you AND your baby is key.

Here are some things to watch out for:

• Close enough to kiss – you don’t want your baby to be too low on your body. You should be able to kiss the top of your baby’s head without moving too much
• Clear airway – you want your baby to have an unobstructed airway in any position. Plaese keep in mind that carrying your baby in a “craddle hold” is not safe.
• Body position – you want your baby to have a straight body position without any leaning or slouching. Using an infant insert with your SSC or having your wrap nice and tight will help with this and will maintain a good body position.
• Body position for the wearer  – you also want to have a good straight body position without having to overcompensate for the fact that you’re carrying a baby on your body. Don’t over arch your back or have to lean forward. Having your baby high and snug will help this.

In Victoria, we have a great group of people on the facebook group Victoria Babywearers. Consider joining if you have questions about carriers, looking for tips and tricks, or how to use a carrier you already have.