Here is the promised health and carrier safety post!
A large proportion of people will worry about the safety of baby carriers and the health implications they may have – and rightly so. If you are new to ‘baby wearing’, it can seem a strange idea until you furnish yourself with the knowledge and facts. I will detail here, the main health benefits and safety findings – it is unbiased research and I will provide links for the various papers and reports.
Spinal stress and Spondylolisthesis Type II/isthmic – Spondylolisthesis is a spine alignment defect resulting in great pain and sometimes a visually mis-shapen back. It is often defined as ‘the forward displacement of one vertebra over another’. This means one vertebra slides forwards (inwards) over the top of the adjoining vertebra. It can be caused by impact or weight bearing sports, continual overstretching/arching of the back and research has also suggested carrying a child by his crotch places the same stress on it’s back, therefore producing Spondylolisthesis in the infant. There are obviously specific types of carriers that place a child in this position – namely the ‘leg danglers’ where the infant’s legs are unsupported. The majority of carriers and slings hold your baby in a different way. Ring slings and pouches lie very young children back and support the whole length of their bodies. Wraps support the whole weight of the child, depending on the wrapping method used. For positions using a wrap, whereby the child is in a seated position, the material supports under the bottom and the back of the thighs which means the entire weight is distributed over a wider area, negating the possibility of spine damage. This weight distribution is also true of mei tais, which have the added benefit of supporting your child very close to your body so gravity is not pulling the baby into a position where the weight distribution shifts into the baby’s spine.
Vestibular stimulation and SIDS reduction – Vestibular stimulation is basically stimulai used to encourage a newborn to continually breathe. These stimulai are not usually conscious acts – examples include the regular breathing a child feels when carried against it’s parent’s chest, the feel of breath from the nose or mouth of it’s parent, continual touch, motion and noise. There is widely accepted thought that vestibular stimulation can reduce the likelihood of SIDS in infants. This excellent article from Dr. William Sears, MD and his wife Dr. Martha Sears, RN explains it in depth.
The easiest way to provide this continuance breathing stimulation is by ‘baby wearing’. The child is up against your chest and can feel your breath on him; he can hear the world around him and feel your movement, even smell you.
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer as to what makes one baby succomb to SIDS rather than another but research, logical thinking, child physiology and looking at other cultures and history have hopefully provided the correct basic understanding and we can use this to safeguard our children.
Hip problems and dysplasia – Carriers such as wraps and mei tais lend themselves to ensuring the correct position for hip development in infants. This position is variously called ‘spread-squat’, ‘frog-legs’, ‘natural-sitting’, ‘squat-straddle’... the list goes on but the position stays the same; the legs should be bent up towards the tummy and out at a 45° angle. This is the natural position a baby will pull his legs to when you pick him up under the arms. The baby should be placed on you tummy inwards and his knees should still be turned out and pulled up.
The next thing to check is the curve of his back. At birth, the back is in a ‘C’ shape – this is called a Kyphotic spine – and is descriptive of shape, not a disease. Once the infant starts sitting unaided and standing, the lower back forms a Lordosis curve which turns the spine from a ‘C’ to an ‘S’ shape (looking from the right side). To enable the optimum development of the back and hips of a baby, the spine should still be in this Kyphotic shape when being carried in a sling or carrier. The child’s bottom should be lower than the knees, allowing the spine to curve easily without strain.
Wearer health – There are benefits to the wearer as well as the child including alleviating the symptoms and causes of PND (Post Natal Depression) and safe ways to carry your child for the health of the wearer’s back and joints. I will write a post on this soon!
Links:
Easy to understand explanation of Kyphotic and Lordotic spines
Organisation for Spondylolisthesis
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