Mythbusters: babywearing facts versus fiction

People seem to love being the voice of doom around parenting choices and one particular subject attracts strong opinions from those around you.

So let's look at the most common beliefs around using baby carriers.

Babywearing is dangerous

False. All equipment, baby-related or not, can be dangerous when misused or used incorrectly. Baby carriers are too. Follow the T.I.C.K.S guidelines for keeping babies safe when using a baby carrier.

Keeping babies upright and with their airways free is important for infant safey

Babywearing is newfangled

False. Baby carriers are likely to be one of the earliest tools created by humans and have been in constant use around the world since the dawn of time! All humans are descended from ancestors who used baby carriers!

Simple baby carriers have been used for thousands of years

Babywearing is bad for hips

False. Research has shown that babies who are prone to hip dysplasia are best supported in the ergonomic position achieved by wide-based baby carriers.

Babywearing is bad for independence

False. Although infants begin walking around their first birthday, they are unable to walk long distances for many years. Whether sitting in a stroller, held on the hip or using a baby carrier, humans have always reached independence despite being carried in infancy.

Independent children are raised from secure attachment in infancy

Babywearing is for “poor people”

False. This fallacy harks back to the introduction of perambulators (early prams) amongst European aristocracy in the 1800s, when wealthy families employed nannies to walk around parks with infants in prams, showing off their affluence. Prams soon became a status symbol. In the 20th century, prams remained an expensive purchase and magazine articles on “buying for baby” often suggested a baby carrier was a cheaper alternative. These days, some parents who babywear invest huge amounts buying bespoke, “hand-woven on the side of a mountain” designer carriers to display heir affluence, when a simple carrier would do the job for much less!

Babywearing is unnecessary

True. While some parents choose babywearing as part of an attachment-based style of parenting, using a baby carrier is not essential to any parenting practice. Babies do, however, need physical contact with primary caregivers and baby carriers are an effective tool to enable it.

Babywearing spoils babies

False: Babywearing is practiced by most traditional cultures around the world and has been for thousands of years. The concept of spoiling children comes from the Bible (spare the rod and spoil the child), still enforced by some fundamentalists. Strict parenting became a trend amongst wealthy families in the Victorian era and is unsupported by science.

Babywearing is expensive

False. While you can spend hundreds of dollars on the latest trends in baby carriers promoted on social media by influencers and celebrities, the simplest carrier designs continue to work as they always have. Babies on the African continent are still carried with strips of brightly coloured fabrics, as are babies in South America. Asian babies are supported in various fabric carriers - the most familiar to western parents is the meh dai. Modern soft-structured carriers are all variations of this simple design. Safe and comfortable carriers are available to buy pre-loved.

Babywearing is complicated

False: Any new technique takes time to learn. Watch a small child with their first lace-up shoes and see how complex this simple practice becomes in the early days! Some designers have added unnecessary features to carriers which can add to confusion! But the basic skill is a learned one and practice makes perfect! Look for babywearing groups and consultants for hands-on support and always choose reputable sources online for educational videos and graphics.

Advanced babywearing skills like getting your toddler on your back come after time and practice