Natural Nursery Blog

Earlier, we started giving tips and information on carrying your baby on your back. Here is the second part of this article. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to continue adding your babywearing advice.

The manufacturer of your child carrier often recommends one back carrying position as the easiest to learn. Read that carefully and try that first. For example, tying a knot in the front with a baby wrap makes the rest much easier.

Baby should be sitting deeply in the baby sling. His legs should be spread wide apart, his knees flexed and slightly higher than his bottom. This is called the frog position and will be essential both for your baby’s comfort and yours.

Make sure the fabric of the child carrier is stretched widely across his back and stretching from the thighs to the neck.

The baby sling should feel snug and baby should be carried high. If it is well adjusted, you don’t need to lean forward or backwards to compensate for your baby’s weight. You should be able to carry your baby for a couple of hours without the need to tighten your baby sling along the way.

Once you’re more confident back carrying, you can experiment different positions. It is always surprising to parents and professionals that children seem to have their favourite position. Some children like to have their arms out, other their arms in, some will only tolerate to be carried high on your back in order to see above your shoulders while others won’t mind. Some parents like carrying high on their waist, others lower on their hips…

You could also email us a photo of your baby in the baby sling so we can help you adjust it. It helps if you send a photo of the back, the side and front.

Keep in mind that some baby slings are easier than others to use on for back carries. Baby wraps are a bit more complicated to learn to use but very comfortable once you’re used to it. A soft structured child carrier is easier to learn but offer less flexibility. If you need any help choosing your baby carrier, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Remember you can also find experienced ‘babywearers’ locally on SlingMeet.co.uk. They will be delighted to help you learn to carry your baby on your back.

Keep trying, the pleasure of carrying your baby on your back is worth the effort.

These are our tips. Have you found something that works for you and your baby? We’d love to hear from you and share them with other babywearing parents…

With so many baby slings to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which child carrier to buy for your baby. To decide which child carrier will suit your baby most, you need to think about how your will be using it. Answering these simple five questions will help you think about what you expect from your baby sling and how you would like to use it.

1. How old is your baby? If you’re shopping while you’re pregnant or while your baby is a newborn, make sure that you child carrier is suitable from birth. If your baby is already a year old, check how long you can use it for.
2. Do you suffer from back pain? If you suffer from back pain, focus on a child carrier that will spread the weight of the baby efficiently across your back, shoulders and hips. To avoid having to lean forward or back, make sure that the baby can be held snugly against you.
3. Will you be using your child carrier while feeding your baby? Bottle feeding or breastfeeding can be made a lot easier using a baby sling. Some are easier than others, read the product description carefully or ask us for help.
4. What’s your lifestyle? Do you live in a city or the countryside? Do you take long hikes in the country, or are in and out of the car several times a day. Do you have older children to look after?
5. Does your baby have any health condition? For example, babies will reflux will need to be held upright in their child carrier for long periods of time.

Most baby slings can be used in all situations but each have their strengths and weaknesses, things they will be more adapted for. Choose your child carrier well and it will be much easier to use.