Baby carrier: does it exist?

The million euro question! Is it recommended to carry a newborn in a structured support such as the pouch from the first days of life? The answer is yes and in this article I will try to explain clearly and exhaustively why reality of things as always is not black or white but rather a broad gray scale!

As a babywearing consultant and owner of an online shop that sells baby carriers I often find myself on social networks comparing myself with other mothers and many seem to go to the rhythm of this drum: The baby carrier does not it is used from birth! Obviously the sentences are the most varied: from birth only sling, no pouch before the child is six months old, The pouch from birth hurts, damages the back, causes hyper-splitting, etc. Sometimes reading the mothers' answers on social media reminds me a bit of the telephone game, where perhaps the advice starts with full knowledge of the facts and then, after being handed down to and interpreted by dozens of mothers, its initial meaning completely changes .

The super customizable long band

There is no doubt that the long band is rigid band or elastic band , is an ideal support to carry from the first day of life. Super customizable on the individual characteristics of the newborn with respect to height, weight, muscle tone and personal predisposition, it is an invaluable resource that I advise all wearers to try at least once in their life. For the newborn it creates containment equal to few and for the bearer it helps to discharge the weight in an optimal way and keeping the center of gravity almost unique. However, the choice of the long band is simply not for everyone! It may be that some find it difficult to handle, others fail to learn the binding, others find it hot, some oppressive, some uncomfortable to go out. In short, the world is beautiful because it is diverse. And then what?

New generation baby carriers and what they entail

If 8 years ago, when I was carrying my son, someone had asked me if it is advisable to carry the baby carrier from birth with him, I would certainly have answered no, that it is not possible . At the time, the few baby carriers on the market were not adjustable, they were made of a hard fabric material and had a rigid structure that did not adapt well to the shapes of the carried and the bearer. In just a few years, the world of babywear has made great strides and has evolved. Today most of the new baby carriers have several characteristics that make them suitable for use from the very first days of life.

1. They are very soft and very light in structure, a model we call soft-structured.
2. They are super adjustable and therefore adapt perfectly to any height of the newborn and to its growth over time. Among other things, the adjustments leverage the cummerbund, limiting its impact on the body of the newborn.
3. They have the shoulder strap that connects directly to the cummerbund and not to the panel, avoiding strain on the child's back.
4. They have a type of texture (diagonal weave) that is much more respectful of the shape of the newborn, it accommodates the weight by modeling itself and not responding with rigidity.
5. They are ergonomic, of course. You should always consider this factor when using a stand. However, this variable must always be sought and not only during certain evolutionary phases. Eight years ago it was much more difficult to find ergonomic supports than today.

In the shop we have a pouch that perfectly reflects these characteristics, the Isara Quick Full Buckle!

You will ask yourselves: “But why are we talking about what could be recommended 8 years ago?” Here, I'm actually trying to dispel the myth of "The fanny pack is only good after six months!". This speech is no longer valid today, precisely because of the wonderful evolution that the world of babywearing has made. However, I would also like to accompany you on another path that does not talk so much about theory but a little about practice.

Theory and practice

Okay, we have determined that the notion of the "unborn baby carrier" is just a myth and that a babywearing professional not only does not disdain it but even recommends it!

Often for the most disparate topics we talk about theory and give advice based on information based more or less on scientific concepts published by professionals in the sector. We always thank the people who, with the necessary skills, carry out the necessary research, to explain to us how the world works. But life is not just theory, far from it! Life is pure practice and we can't always achieve perfection or even hope to get close. We are human beings, each with our own experience, our beliefs, limitations and difficulties that we face on a daily basis. Unfortunately, especially in the perinatal sphere, there is a great tendency to look in the mother for that figure of perfection who sacrifices herself for the good of her child and if she deviates very little from the idea of ​​the woman who sacrifices all her she accuses herself of being distorted. Honestly, this attitude doesn't help anyone, perfection is unattainable and unrealistic expectations will only end up being disregarded, creating strong feelings of guilt and inadequacies in mothers who already have an immense physical and mental load to manage.

Often a mother doesn't have the head to learn a binding with a band, she is often so tired that even just one more notion is too great a load. He is often just trying to make life easier and this is not the time to learn new things. Maybe he has other children besides the newborn, and a house to run, maybe he doesn't sleep at night and hasn't taken a shower for five days. The fascia is a wonderful support and is easy to learn but you have to get familiar with it. The carrier is faster, has fewer adjustments, and many moms simply find it easier than the sling.

Now, does telling a mother with these characteristics that the band is "the best thing" make sense? Do you know what a very common result of this attitude is? Mom ends up not bringing! I've seen hundreds like this and that's really a shame.

Listening to mom's needs

I am a great supporter of the importance of focusing on the needs of a child, it is a very delicate period for him and we must remain listening but here we cannot only take the child into consideration, we must consider the dyad. Even the mother must be welcomed and listened to, she is as important as the child. Helping her means helping her child to be looked after better. Judging her and leaving her alone won't help anyone. Every woman has a different experience and if a mother comes looking for help, in my opinion, solutions must be provided. Finding the optimal solution by listening is a duty of every babywearing consultant, and it should be a duty of any figure who helps a mother, whether she is a partner, a relative, a friend or a professional in the perinatal. To participate in the giveaway, comment below the post on facebook or instagram which help you would have liked to receive from a new mother and which you have not received. Good luck!

Benefits of being carried for the baby

It must be said that the child enjoys innumerable benefits in being carried which in my opinion far exceed the importance of being carried in one support rather than another. The need for contact and containment that are satisfied with babywearing are crucial and there is no perfect session that holds. Even the basic need for food can be stimulated through babywearing, since skin-to-skin can stimulate the production and ejection of breast milk. Babywearing stimulates the relationship (bonding) in the dyad and given that babies tend to cry less, sleep more and breastfeed better, this helps the mother feel more competent in his role and to live it all with more serenity. Furthermore, for her to have hands free to do other things while keeping her little one close to her is a great help. It follows that, if the solution is not to be carried much better than a fanny pack, it was also the least optimal support.

To wear well and to wear badly regardless

There is no doubt that the band allows for greater customization than the support. But it is equally true that one can "wear badly" also in the band, indeed perhaps in some cases a more structured support can help to wear better, because its structure outlines a beginning and an end of the fabrics and gestures, where the band leaves ample freedom, even to make mistakes. For example, a newborn in a loose sling that goes into hyperkyphosis will not be safer than one in a baby carrier where it is perhaps more intuitive to create tension in the fabric. I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

Safety in babywearing vs comfort

We cannot avoid talking for a moment about safety in wearing. I'll go back to the telephone game for a moment. There is great confusion in my opinion about what it means to impact the comfort of the child with respect to his safety. When we talk about ergonomics, respect for physiological kyphosis, knees that must go above the line of the bottom, we are talking about comfort. No child has ever died or been crippled because they were carried in a non-ergonomic baby carrier, let alone because they were carried the wrong way.

Security is another matter, a support, regardless of which one it is, should meet some parameters. The Consortium of UK Sling Manufacturers and Retailers has drafted the T. THE c k St , a list of rules for safe babywearing.

1. Band and baby carrier should be tied tightly against the body to prevent the baby from collapsing inside with the risk of affecting the air passage.
2. You should always have the baby in view by simply taking a look without having to move the support fabric.
3. The baby's head should at kiss height and that is as close as possible to the chin of the bearer who should be able to kiss it.
4. At least one finger should pass between the baby's chin and chest to ensure that the air passage is free.
5. Adherent bodies and supported back in its physiological position help to keep the air passage open.

Alternatives to the baby carrier from birth

Obviously there are many valid alternatives also to the baby carrier from birth:

1. The rigid band is an extremely versatile and customizable support both in terms of the duration of use and the bindings made.
2. The elastic band is super cuddly and suitable for newbies since it allows you to make a pre-knotted binding.
3. The ring sling is quick to put on and take off, making it perfect for quick trips. It takes a while to get used to it but it gives great satisfaction. Since there is little fabric, it is also particularly fresh, can be easily stored and is easy to wash.
4. The mei tai is a cross between a sling and a fanny pack, perfect for those who love a little structure but a homogeneous weight distribution over a larger surface area.
5. The half buckle pouch has the padded waistband of the pouch and the wide shoulder straps of the mei tai. Also excellent for creating lateral containment which, for example, is lacking in the classic full buckle pouch.

My advice is always to use common sense and find your own way, make an informed decision that makes sense to us, that fits with our lifestyle and our expectations, regardless of what it may be the theory or the opinions of others. We mothers' days are already difficult enough, let's try to make it easier for us without too many unnecessary worries!

I hope my article was helpful to you. If you have questions, doubts or would like to offer feedback, if you want advice on which purchase may be the most suitable for you, you can write to us below or view the supports we sell!