Ask The Doctor
ERGObaby carrier > Ask The Doctor > Attachment Parenting > How long should a baby be in a baby carrier?How long should a baby be in a baby carrier?
Dear Dr. Markel,
Just wondering if there's a recommended time limit to carrying a sleeping baby? Is it ok for their back/spine, development, and breathing etc., for them to be in a carrier for hours asleep (or awake)?
Thanks for the help!
Li Ling
Just wondering if there's a recommended time limit to carrying a sleeping baby? Is it ok for their back/spine, development, and breathing etc., for them to be in a carrier for hours asleep (or awake)?
Thanks for the help!
Li Ling
Dear Li,
Many supporters of baby carrying say that babies should be carried constantly for the first few months of life.
Jean Liedloff author of The Continuum Concept: Allowing Human Nature to Work Successfully, based her work on spending several years with the people of the Yequana tribe in South America. She noticed that the Yequana babies were content, happy and well behaved. She put this down to the benefits of baby carrying and from it she developed the Continuum Concept which she says, "Consists, simply, of the infant having 24-hour contact with an adult or older child. For millions of years newborn babies have been held close to their mothers from the moment of birth."
Of course, the baby’s positioning is important in all carriers. Ideally newborns should be positioned lying on their backs in a cradle position, like a hammock, or tummy-to-tummy with the head and the spine supported along its length.
Older babies who can sit by themselves can enjoy sitting in a front or backpack-style carrier. Backpack styles are only suitable for use with babies over the age of six months old, when infants are able to sit up on their own and have fully developed neck muscles to support the head properly.
Parents must make sure that the child is supported all along the baby's body to reduce spinal compression. This includes support around the thighs and buttocks. All Ergo baby carriers, whether the baby is in the sitting or lying position, afford excellent support for the developing hips and spine.
Many supporters of baby carrying say that babies should be carried constantly for the first few months of life.
Jean Liedloff author of The Continuum Concept: Allowing Human Nature to Work Successfully, based her work on spending several years with the people of the Yequana tribe in South America. She noticed that the Yequana babies were content, happy and well behaved. She put this down to the benefits of baby carrying and from it she developed the Continuum Concept which she says, "Consists, simply, of the infant having 24-hour contact with an adult or older child. For millions of years newborn babies have been held close to their mothers from the moment of birth."
Of course, the baby’s positioning is important in all carriers. Ideally newborns should be positioned lying on their backs in a cradle position, like a hammock, or tummy-to-tummy with the head and the spine supported along its length.
Older babies who can sit by themselves can enjoy sitting in a front or backpack-style carrier. Backpack styles are only suitable for use with babies over the age of six months old, when infants are able to sit up on their own and have fully developed neck muscles to support the head properly.
Parents must make sure that the child is supported all along the baby's body to reduce spinal compression. This includes support around the thighs and buttocks. All Ergo baby carriers, whether the baby is in the sitting or lying position, afford excellent support for the developing hips and spine.
-----
Dr. Susan Markel, MD, is a Board Certified Pediatrician, and Attachment Parenting Advisor. She is also the author of, "Ask The Doctor," in partnership with ERGObaby.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to visit her website at http://www.AttachmentParentingDoctor.com and request a private consultation.
