Beginner Babywearing: Carries

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Babywearing Safety

I can not stress enough how important safe babywearing is. It is by far the most important thing we teach as educators.

Here are the guidelines Babywearing International teaches. Its a nice and simple acronym and easy to remember ABC.

Airway
Making sure your baby can breathe is the #1 thing we teach. Make sure your baby does not fall chin to chest. If a baby's chin falls to their chest it can cut off their airway causing them to suffocate. Another way to make sure the airway is not restricted is by making sure that there is not any type of fabric covering their face. This is especially important when you're wrapping your baby in a stretchy wrap or woven wrap.

Body Support
You want to make sure that your baby is properly supported. You don't want them slouching down in the carrier (which can cause problems with airway) as this can cause the weight to be wrongly distributed. You want your baby to be supported knee to knee. This should make their bottom look like an M position. This will cause the weight to be placed on their bottom and not their feet. Your baby should always be high enough that you can kiss the top of their head.

Comfort
Babywearing isn't fun or helpful if it isn't comfortable for wearer and baby. Making sure that your carrier is properly put on and adjusted can help correct that. If you're having a difficult time using your carrier or learning a new carry use a spotter or check out your local group for help.

Wrapping Tips

Babies should be arms in until they get proper head control
Never never NEVER using a stretchy for a back carry.
The tighter you are able to get the wrap while you are wrapping, the comfier its going to be for every one. Take your time wrapping and get a nice and tight wrap job.
If baby is on your back you should be able to lean your head back and touch the top of their head. (this has exceptions)
To get wrap more comfy on the shoulders you can always spread the rails and make them wider.
Back wrapping can be very intimidating. It is best to master front carries before you attempt a back carry. The first time you try a back carry have a spotter to help you and do it away from hard surfaces.
Use a mirror

SSC Tips

Babies should be arms in until they get proper head control
Make sure you do not have a counterfeit carrier.
Always check carrier for signs of wear and tear.
Master front carriers before you attempt back carries.

Ringsling Tips

Make sure your sling has weight tested rings. Rings from a craft store are not safe. Slingrings.com is a great place for rings.
Always check sling for signs of wear and tear.
Make sure you're not using a recalled sling. Bag style slings should never be used for risk of suffocation.
Master from carries before you attempt back carries.

You should only wear your baby while doing activities you would do when holding your baby.

Don't cook while wearing
Don't jump around, go jogging, ride horses, etc.
Watch to make sure baby wont grab anything dangerous
Never wearing your baby in the car

ATTENTION

Narrow based carriers (Bjorn, Snugglie, Infantino, etc.) are NOT considered dangerous. They are weight and safety tested to the same standards as carriers like Ergo, Boba, Beco, etc. There is information being spread that these carriers cause Hip dysplasia. This is not true, there are no studies out there to confirm this. There are a few studies out there showing that it can cause issues for babies who are already susceptible but they do not cause it. Narrow based carriers are not dangerous and they were a stepping stone for many of us.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Wrapping Basics

Basic Wrapping Guidelines

Just like with any baby carrier you want baby to be supported knee to knee. Babies bum should be lower than knee making an M shape.
Make sure babies air ways are ALWAYS clear. The wrap should never cover babies face and chin should always be away from chest
Babies should be arms in until the get proper head control
The tighter you are able to get the wrap while you are wrapping, the comfier its going to be for every one. Take your time wrapping and get a nice and tight wrap job.
When baby is on front you should be able to kiss the top of their head. This is how you know that baby is high enough.
If baby is on your back you should be able to lean your head back and touch the top of their head. (this has exceptions)
To get wrap more comfy on the shoulders you can always spread the rails and make them wider.
Back wrapping can be very intimidating. It is best to master front carries before you attempt a back carry. The first time you try a back carry have a spotter to help you and do it away from hard surfaces.
Youtube is a GREAT source!
Practice, practice, practice it gets easier!!

Sizes

Woven Wraps come in all different sizes. If you are new to wrapping you are probably going to want to aim to get a longer wrap, because more options will be available to you. Picking out the right size long wrap tends to go by shirt size more than height. However size has nothing to do with the wrap sizes that you can or can not use. Anyone can use any size wrap. The only thing that will very is the about of carries you can do with a specific wrap.

size 1 - 2.2 meters

size 2 - 2.7 meters

size 3 - 3.2 meters

size 4 - 3.7 meters

size 5 - 4.2 meters This is the size I use for my long wrap. I'm petite

size 6 - 4.7 meters This is the standard long size wrap for an average sized person

size 7 - 5.2 meters Plus size moms or daddies tend to use this size for their long wrap

Common Carries

This is no where near all the possible carries but are basic or well known ones. Most of these carries also have a ton of variations. This enables you to be able to do the carry using different size wraps. I have linked a video of each carry as well. Most videos linked are by babywearingfaith. All her videos are amazing and I highly recommend them.