Your structure determines your function. 

One way our spinal structure becomes compromised is through irregular, repetitive postures. This is something new parents are doing all. the. time! Lifting, feeding, changing, carrying, rocking – anything to keep the baby fed, sleeping, and happy… right? 

The frequent necessity of one free hand to use your phone, make coffee, drink a bottle of water, open a door, eat a meal etc. is one reason we adopt these irregular postures repetitively. Propping baby up on one hip (usually the same side hip) can set you up for a future of aching and burning in your lower and/or mid back. Especially pre-head control, needing to support baby’s head makes this even more challenging on your body. The awkward things we do to hold our babies and get things done at the same time can wreak havoc on our muscles, joints, and overall posture (and therefore our HEALTH!)

This is for anyone who spends a lot of time carrying a baby around – moms, dads, grandparents, caregivers. Below  are some tips to avoid back pain and improve your posture while carrying around a baby for seemingly endless hours (some tips actually help baby’s development in the process, too!). 

Here are some of our favourite tips and tricks to help you – and others who are carrying your LO’s – in those first few years:

1. The Cross-Body Hold

This method allows for one free hand while allowing you to keep a neutral, upright spine, proper core activation, and offers baby full spinal support from neck to pelvis. When using this type of carry you can even get into a deep squat, bend over to grab something, or cook a meal with your opposite arm. Sweet! 

Switching sides between right and left arm is important to keep both of your arms strong and balanced and engage your core muscles on both sides as well. 

 

2. The Inward Facing Midline Snuggle

With this method, baby is snuggled right up to your chest with their spine parallel to yours. This equally distributes force between your upper body and core. If your baby cannot yet sit unsupported then making sure their head is held is important. 

Although it doesn’t give you a free hand it’s ideal for transferring in and out of car seats, walking short distances (like from the car to the house) or when they’re sleeping and you want a little extra snuggle time. 

 

3. The Baby Wearing Miracle 

Two free hands? Yes please to that! Wearing your baby inward facing AT LEAST until they can sit up on their own (if not longer) is ideal. Wearing your baby is the best form of conditioning exercise for you postpartum – they are a slowly increasing weight and because they are propped high on your chest and midline it offers balanced weight distribution for you.

Why is it so good for your baby?  In a nutshell, the constant motion and touch of being carried affects the neurological and emotional development of your baby in super positive ways.

Babies are spending more and more time on their backs than ever before. The combination of sleep position, strollers, car seats, and swings has created an increased incidence of plagiocephaly. Plagiocephaly is a flattening of part of the baby’s skull and is not just a cosmetic concern; it adds to cranial distortions and neurological compromise. Strengthening and development of the neck muscles is also impaired or delayed with too much time spent on their back. Baby wearing helps to mitigate this. 

Not all carriers are created equal, though. Hip positioning in a carrier is really important when it comes to hip and pelvic health and development.  

Here is a link to the International Hip Dysplasia Institute’s list of Hip-Healthy Products. 

The Ergo and Tula have been our favourites! 

 

4. The Offload The Biceps Trick

Those biceps start to burnnnnn after a while holding a baby like this, right? 

This is what you do: rotate the lower part of your arm around so your palm is facing down and voila! This new position activates a different muscle group and gives a much needed break to those biceps. It should allow you to hold your baby a little longer without that bicep burn, especially if they’re just about to fall asleep and you don’t want to risk moving them too much yet 😉 

 

5. The Car Seat Carrying Correction

You have been carrying your car seat the wrong way this whole time!

 

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