Hello, and welcome to Baby Carriers 101!
I have been wanting to write this post for awhile, but going to the baby store the other day to look around really fueled my fire!
What happened you ask?!
I was walking by the baby carrier section. Of course, the biggest end display was Baby Bjorn. The sales lady was talking to a family about how great they are. She said, 'it's great that your baby can face out and see.' The lady said, 'I heard it's bad for their hips?' The sales lady said, 'oh no, that's not true.'
WRONG WRONG WRONG.
My blood is boiling at this point. I am looking at her young daughter who is very pregnant, and thinking, OH MY GOSH what if she has to go through what we did with hip dysplasia?
I couldn't take it anymore.
Like a psycho stalker, I waited for the right moment and went over to them. I said, 'I am SO sorry to bother you, and I don't mean to be weird, but my daughter was born with Hip Dysplasia. These are the WORST carriers for any baby to be in. It can cause their hips to dislocate.'
I went on to explain to them that my daughter has spent close to 1/3 of her life in casts and braces due to hip issues. Thank goodness they didn't punch me in the face, and they were very receptive and asked a lot of questions... WHEW! I led them to the good baby carrier section of the store, and they bought a BOBA carrier. YAY! Made my day.
So, let's get to WHY the front facing-crotch danglers are bad for your baby.
1. Overstimulation. A baby is learns from mom or dad's facial clues, and overstimulation of the world around them is NOT good.
2. HIPS HIPS HIPS! When a baby is facing forward, there is no support around the knee or thighs. They are simply 'dangling' from the crotch. With no support, the hips can slip out of socket.
3. It's awful for the parent's back! Front facing carriers are not good for the person wearing them, or the little person in them.
Remember Lucy's cast? Well, the cast keeps the baby's legs apart, in a frog leg position. Why? That is the best position for hip growth. It forces the femur in to the socket of the hip, which makes for a happy hip joint.
Harnesses and braces that are used to treat hip dysplasia also keep the baby's legs frogged apart.
Any carriers, bouncers, slings, chairs that keep your baby's legs together or 'dangling' are NOT good choices for healthy hips.
With that said, do we use a bumbo chair? Yes. My 6 month old with good hips is allowed in there for about 10 minutes a day to watch me do dishes. :) No more than that.
Same goes for jumperoos, excersaucers, and especially walkers. Those contraptions do not allow the legs to be free, therefore can cause hip issues. Again, if your baby is doing well at his/her hip checks with the doctor, a little bit of time in one of these things isn't going to hurt... just not for long.
If a baby carrier has support for the baby through the back of the thighs to the knee, most likely it's a good one! Carriers that keep the baby's legs together are not good. Even though there may seem like the baby can move if he/she wanted to, usually a baby won't fight against the material. You want the legs to be able to fall open, aka good hip position.
Baby's hips and joints as newborns are very laxed due to the hormone, relaxin, that the mother produces and passes on. The more you can support the joints at the hip, the better your baby will be.
TAKEN FROM THE IHDI SITE:
After birth, it takes several months for the joints to stretch out naturally. Babies that have been in the breech (bottom first) position may need even more time to stretch out naturally. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. During the first few months of life the ball is more likely to be loose within the socket because babies are naturally flexible and because the edges of the socket are made of soft cartilage like the cartilage in the ear. If the hips are forced into a stretched-out position too early, the ball is at risk of permanently deforming the edges of the cup shaped socket (hip dysplasia) or gradually slipping out of the socket altogether (hip dislocation). Hip dysplasia or dislocation in babies is not painful so this may go undetected until walking age and may also result in painful arthritis during adulthood. The risk of hip dysplasia or dislocation is greatest in the first few months of life. By six months of age, most babies have nearly doubled in size, the hips are more developed and the ligaments are stronger, so are less susceptible to developing hip dysplasia.
The most unhealthy position for the hips during infancy is when the legs are held in extension with the hips and knees straight and the legs brought together, which is the opposite of the fetal position.
The risk to the hips is greater when this unhealthy position is maintained for a long time. Healthy hip positioning avoids positions that may cause or contribute to development of hip dysplasia or dislocation. The healthiest position for the hips is for the hips to fall or spread (naturally) apart to the side, with the thighs supported and the hips and knees bent. This position has been called the jockey position, straddle position, frog position, spread-squat position or human position. Free movement of the hips without forcing them together promotes natural hip development.
I really wish pediatricians would have this discussion with new parents. Or at least pictures describing good and bad carriers in their office. Since they don't, yours truly is here to help:
I have been wanting to write this post for awhile, but going to the baby store the other day to look around really fueled my fire!
What happened you ask?!
I was walking by the baby carrier section. Of course, the biggest end display was Baby Bjorn. The sales lady was talking to a family about how great they are. She said, 'it's great that your baby can face out and see.' The lady said, 'I heard it's bad for their hips?' The sales lady said, 'oh no, that's not true.'
WRONG WRONG WRONG.
My blood is boiling at this point. I am looking at her young daughter who is very pregnant, and thinking, OH MY GOSH what if she has to go through what we did with hip dysplasia?
I couldn't take it anymore.
Like a psycho stalker, I waited for the right moment and went over to them. I said, 'I am SO sorry to bother you, and I don't mean to be weird, but my daughter was born with Hip Dysplasia. These are the WORST carriers for any baby to be in. It can cause their hips to dislocate.'
I went on to explain to them that my daughter has spent close to 1/3 of her life in casts and braces due to hip issues. Thank goodness they didn't punch me in the face, and they were very receptive and asked a lot of questions... WHEW! I led them to the good baby carrier section of the store, and they bought a BOBA carrier. YAY! Made my day.
So, let's get to WHY the front facing-crotch danglers are bad for your baby.
1. Overstimulation. A baby is learns from mom or dad's facial clues, and overstimulation of the world around them is NOT good.
2. HIPS HIPS HIPS! When a baby is facing forward, there is no support around the knee or thighs. They are simply 'dangling' from the crotch. With no support, the hips can slip out of socket.
3. It's awful for the parent's back! Front facing carriers are not good for the person wearing them, or the little person in them.
The pic on the left! YIKES!
Remember Lucy's cast? Well, the cast keeps the baby's legs apart, in a frog leg position. Why? That is the best position for hip growth. It forces the femur in to the socket of the hip, which makes for a happy hip joint.
Harnesses and braces that are used to treat hip dysplasia also keep the baby's legs frogged apart.
Any carriers, bouncers, slings, chairs that keep your baby's legs together or 'dangling' are NOT good choices for healthy hips.
With that said, do we use a bumbo chair? Yes. My 6 month old with good hips is allowed in there for about 10 minutes a day to watch me do dishes. :) No more than that.
Same goes for jumperoos, excersaucers, and especially walkers. Those contraptions do not allow the legs to be free, therefore can cause hip issues. Again, if your baby is doing well at his/her hip checks with the doctor, a little bit of time in one of these things isn't going to hurt... just not for long.
If a baby carrier has support for the baby through the back of the thighs to the knee, most likely it's a good one! Carriers that keep the baby's legs together are not good. Even though there may seem like the baby can move if he/she wanted to, usually a baby won't fight against the material. You want the legs to be able to fall open, aka good hip position.
Baby's hips and joints as newborns are very laxed due to the hormone, relaxin, that the mother produces and passes on. The more you can support the joints at the hip, the better your baby will be.
TAKEN FROM THE IHDI SITE:
After birth, it takes several months for the joints to stretch out naturally. Babies that have been in the breech (bottom first) position may need even more time to stretch out naturally. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. During the first few months of life the ball is more likely to be loose within the socket because babies are naturally flexible and because the edges of the socket are made of soft cartilage like the cartilage in the ear. If the hips are forced into a stretched-out position too early, the ball is at risk of permanently deforming the edges of the cup shaped socket (hip dysplasia) or gradually slipping out of the socket altogether (hip dislocation). Hip dysplasia or dislocation in babies is not painful so this may go undetected until walking age and may also result in painful arthritis during adulthood. The risk of hip dysplasia or dislocation is greatest in the first few months of life. By six months of age, most babies have nearly doubled in size, the hips are more developed and the ligaments are stronger, so are less susceptible to developing hip dysplasia.
The most unhealthy position for the hips during infancy is when the legs are held in extension with the hips and knees straight and the legs brought together, which is the opposite of the fetal position.
The risk to the hips is greater when this unhealthy position is maintained for a long time. Healthy hip positioning avoids positions that may cause or contribute to development of hip dysplasia or dislocation. The healthiest position for the hips is for the hips to fall or spread (naturally) apart to the side, with the thighs supported and the hips and knees bent. This position has been called the jockey position, straddle position, frog position, spread-squat position or human position. Free movement of the hips without forcing them together promotes natural hip development.
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| See how bent and flexed the baby's legs are? Forcing them to stretch after birth can hurt their hips! |
I really wish pediatricians would have this discussion with new parents. Or at least pictures describing good and bad carriers in their office. Since they don't, yours truly is here to help:
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| See how the baby's crotch is the only thing supported in the bottom left photo? See how in the slings the baby's legs are forced straight and together? Please don't! |
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| YIKES! I can't believe this company can make these with a good conscious! BAD BAD BAD! Zero hip support. Crotch dangling. |
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| Zero support anywhere for the legs and hips. Even though these are inward facing, they still have NO support! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO |
OK, Now let's get to the good ones!
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| HIP HIP HOORAY! See how the baby is supported through the back of the thigh? Total support for baby. |
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| YEP. Good ones! Support! I can't imagine being dangled by my crotch! This looks way more comfortable. |
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| Super cute wraps and carriers. Right on. |
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| She's got it! GOOD JOB mama. |
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| Thank you to my beautiful model, BRIER and her amazing daughter Jocelyn for this photo! Carrier shown is my fave, BOBA |
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| See on the right how the baby's legs can wrap around mom or dad? WAY better than the one on the left! |
Buying a good carrier may cost $20-$30 more than a crappy one. But trust me. Surgeries and hip issues for life will cost you way more. Mentally and physically!
Here is a list of brands I recommend:
BOBA- rated best baby carrier 2012
So the reason I like the Boba is this.
It doesn't require an infant insert.
Super easy to put on. It can support an infant all the way up to a big kid!
I hope this post has helped! I also hope you will share it and pass it on!
- Karen
aka Lucy and Lily's mama!
