Ergonomics - Why we wear and how -

It's Saturday again, Midlands Babywearers!

That means it's Blog Day, and it's also our first official Saturday Meeting at Expecting Well on Gervais St. We have some exciting things in store for all of our followers in the week ahead, including a giveaway!

Your Babywearers of the Midlands Admins LOVE what is happening in this group. We have been hard at work this last month planning awesome things for you and working on a great way to celebrate our first month. We will kick off a WEEK OF LOVE starting Saturday morning at our 10:00 AM meeting at Expecting Well.


This LOVEFEST will run through Valentine's Day (only fitting, right?) Come back and enter daily for a chance at one of our great prizes! We've had some generous local and national vendors make donations. 

Our first prize that will be given away Saturday morning at the meeting is a Hape Push and Pull Galloping Zebra toy.  Attend the meeting and enter for your chance to win!

The focus today is Ergonomics. What is Ergonomics and how does it apply to babywearing? We are glad you asked!

From About.com: "At its simplest definition ergonomics literally means the science of work. So ergonomists, i.e. the practitioners of ergonomics, study work, how work is done and how to work better. . .
It is used in design in many complex ways. However, what you, or the user, is most concerned with is, “How can I use the product or service, will it meet my needs, and will I like using it?” Ergonomics helps define how it is used, how it meets you needs, and most importantly if you like it. It makes things comfy and efficient."

Ergonomics, in other words, has everything to do with babywearing. From the carrier you choose, to why you choose to babywear, and what you do while babywearing. It can be the reason why you got into babywearing, and it might be the reason why some of you gave up trying to babywear (if the ergonomics were not working for you).

Ergonomics for You: the parent (or grandparent, or caregiver)

Chris - wearing her newborn

The main reason why many of us first choose babywearing is that we want to be able to get on with life and get things done, while having our hands and arms free for tasks other than just holding our baby. We want to do that in a way that is comfortable for us, is user friendly, and is accessible. One reason why there are so many different types of carriers out there is that what may be comfortable for one person and fit that individual perfectly may not work at all for another person. The wide variety of carriers out there ensures that there is a carrier available that meets your needs and wants. If you have narrow shoulders, are full busted, are petite framed or a tall babywearing dad, you want to find a carrier that works for you.

When considering ergonomics for the parent, you want to consider how well the carrier distributes the weight of the baby on the wearer.  Spreading the weight of your child to shoulders, back and hips takes the pressure off specific muscle groups. What you want to look for is a carrier that holds your baby in nice and close to your body, rather than one that allows your baby to lean away. This is particularly important if you have pre-existing lower back issues as you don’t want to be leaning backwards to compensate for this. Woven wraps, ring slings, SSCs (soft structured or buckled carriers), and Mei Tai are all designed to hold your baby in close, therefore minimizing the strain on your body. They each have different ways of helping to disperse the carrying weight of the baby appropriately on you, the wearer.  Of these, Ring Slings are probably the least ergonomic for long periods, as they are worn on only one shoulder. Ring Slings are great for quick trips, toddlers who want up and down often, and newborns. Wearing a Ring Sling for a long period of time can become uncomfortable for some wearers due to the one-shouldered nature of the carry. Many parents gravitate towards woven wraps due to their versatility. They can be worn with baby on your front, back or hip and can be wrapped in many different carries to vary how the weight of the baby is dispersed. SSCs and Mei Tais are perhaps the most user-friendly option but are less versatile. Still, baby can be worn on your front or back (or even hip, if you prefer) - and different brands of SSC and Mei Tai fit individuals differently.

Wearing your little one should be as easy on your body as it is for baby.  The support of a well-designed carrier helps prevent exacerbating old injuries, creating new injuries, or causing headaches.  Pain while carrying should not be ignored.  You may need to evaluate the weight distribution of the carrier itself.  Exercises can be done to strengthen the muscles that take most of the weight. Starting off wearing for short periods of time and building up to longer periods is another method of achieving muscle strength.  Having multiple carrier options (yes, you have our permission to get more carriers!) can help decrease repetitive stress to muscles and joints.  Whenever possible, use a carrier or carry that distributes to both shoulders and hips or alternate sides if using a ring sling or hip carrier to keep more balance in the muscle groups. 

One of the more common comments I get when I'm wearing one of my children out and about is "I

wore mine in a Bjorn (or other narrow based carrier) or stretchy wrap but had to stop because it got uncomfortable" Or "we tried but my baby HATED it". Baby Bjorns, and other narrow based carriers that allow for front facing, are less ergonomic for both you and your baby. They are not unsafe carriers and using them for short periods does no harm for most babies. (Caveat: if your baby already suffers from hip dysplasia, or is otherwise prone to hip dysplasia, narrow based carriers can exacerbate that issue).  The problem with these carriers for the wearer is that when baby is facing out, their body weight is pulling against your center of gravity as they lean forward, which throws of the wearer's center of gravity. Especially as baby gets bigger and heavier, that can cause the wearer to lean backwards to compensate and eventually will likely become very uncomfortable, if not painful. Past a certain weight (usually 15 lbs or so), stretchy wraps have the same difficulty. They sag, stretch to far, and begin to pull on the wearer's shoulders, causing the wearer to lean back to compensate and eventually become uncomfortable, and sometimes even painful. There is nothing wrong with either of these carriers - I know people that use them and love them, and the babies are happy to be worn! But if and when they become uncomfortable for either of you, just know that there are other options out there that will be more ergonomic for both of you.

If all you have is narrow based carrier, and no budget for a new one, there are ways to make it more comfortable and ergonomic for both you and baby. We'll demonstrate this at the meetings this month, and here is a blog post on how.

Ergonomics for Baby

Babies love to be held. One of the cardinal rules of babywearing is you want to wear your baby (especially your newborn) in a position similar to how you would hold them in arms. There is a wealth of information out there on why babywearing -ergonomically- is great for baby. You can learn more by reading here, here, and here, just to start. I want to cover two basic, easy to remember principles: TICKS  and the M position.

TICKS stands for:

Katrina with 3 day old Theo in a ring sling

Tight - slings and carriers should be tight enough to hug your baby close to you as this will be most comfortable for you both. Any slack/loose fabric will allow your baby to slump down in the carrier which can hinder their breathing and pull on your back.
In view at all times - you should always be able to see your baby’s face by simply glancing down. The fabric of a sling or carrier should not close around them so you have to open it to check on them. In a cradle position your baby should face upwards not be turned in towards your body.
Close enough to kiss - your baby’s head should be as close to your chin as is comfortable. By tipping your head forward you should be able to kiss your baby on the head or forehead.
Keep chin off Chest - a baby should never be curled so their chin is forced onto their chest as this can restrict their breathing. Ensure there is always a space of at least a finger width under your baby’s chin.
Supported back - in an upright carry a baby should be held comfortably close to the wearer so their back is supported in its natural position and their tummy and chest are against you. If a sling is too loose they can slump which can partially close their airway. (This can be tested by placing a hand on your baby’s back and pressing gently - they should not uncurl or move closer to you.) A baby in a cradle carry in a pouch or ring sling should be positioned carefully with their bottom in the deepest part so the sling does not fold them in half pressing their chin to their chest.

M Position:

There is an ideal leg position which centers the leg bones in to the middle of the hipsocket and thus aids the development of baby's hips. It's described as M-position, frog-position or spread-squat-position and means that baby's knees are higher up than his bottom and that his legs are spread apart. Babies automatically assume this position when lifted up, because it's also ideal for being carried on the mothers hip. Also babies treated for hip dysplasia using a harness or pillow have their legs in this position.

A baby carried in the M-position will have a rounded back because the tilt in the pelvis causes the spine to become rounded and vice versa.
In a cradle carry (baby is lying on her back in a hammock-style sling) a correct M-position cannot be achieved because her legs cannot be spread. So this position is not recommended at all by hip dysplasia specialists. Instead upright positions, especially on the mothers hip are better for the hip, if a carrier supports correct positioning and a round back.

Here are some pictures showing the M-position in a newborn, a 4-month old and a toddler:

Pictured are all babies in woven wraps, but this ideal M position can be achieved in Soft Structured Carriers, Mei Tai, Ring Slings, and even stretchy wraps (with young babies), as long as the fabric is supporting baby from knee to knee.











Ergonomics is important for both you and your baby, to keep you both comfortable and happy, and wearing for as long as you both would want to. With an ergonomic carrier, I have, and you can, easily wear your growing toddler and even your preschooler, when they are wanting to be held. It has saved my arms from growing numb holding my children in arms, and helped my back stay pain free. I hope you have learned a lot from this, and wear your babies ergonomically for many months, and even years, to come!

Happy Wearing!

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