Safe Babywearing

While you are getting used to wearing your baby, support him with your hands. As you go through the learning phase of moving and reacting, the urge to support your baby with your hands is instinctive. After you become a babywearing veteran, you can safely carry your baby in the sling with one or both hands free.
Wear baby cautiously in the kitchen. Do not wear baby while cooking or working with sharp or hot objects.
Do not drink hot beverages when wearing baby, although wearing baby while eating is safe.
When wearing your baby and stooping over, bend at the knees, not at the waist, and hold baby in the sling with one hand.
Toddlers, if worn are at your reaching level, can grab dangerous or breakable objects off shelves. Keep an arm’s distance away from potential hazards.
When going through doorways or around corners, be careful that baby’s body does not stick out past your arm and strike the wall or doorjamb.
Do not ride a bicycle or other moving vehicle while wearing your baby. Baby carriers are not substitutes for an approved carseat.

August 29, 2013 August 29, 2013 Dr. Bill Sears