Babywearing Safety Checklist

At Fitmama Strong Online, we love babywearing! It's such a wonderful way to feel close to your baby and soothe your baby when required. Babywearing while exercising is also a great way to help you become strong and fit after having a baby, since your resistance increases as your baby grows!

We want to promote babywearing in the safest possible manner both during our classes and in your everyday life. The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance has put together a great safety checklist that we'd like to highlight for you when using any baby carrier:

  • Read and follow all manufacturer’s instructions for use, and look for videos online that show you how to use your specific carrier.

  • Ensure you can see your baby’s face at all times. Do not let your baby’s face press into your body. Do not cover baby’s face with a blanket, sling fabric, nursing covers, etc.

  • Baby’s head and neck must be gently and completely supported, with chin off chest. If baby’s chin is pressed tightly to baby’s chest, this can restrict baby’s airway. Check to ensure you can slip your finger between baby’s chin and chest to check for correct positioning.

  • Consult an expert if your infant was born with a low birth weight, such as a preemie or twins, or if your infant has respiratory illness or other respiratory problems. Extra vigilance is required with these babies.

  • After nursing in a carrier, remove baby from breast and return baby to proper carrying position with head above the breasts and face free of fabric and turned away from the mother’s body.

  • Attend to and check on baby often, especially those under 4 months of age.

For more information about babywearing, including FAQ's, please see the BCIA website.

Recommended Baby Carriers for Fitness Classes

At Fitmama Strong Online classes, we recommend that you use a soft structured carrier (such as an Ergo, Manduca, Beco, Tula, Lillebaby or another similar carrier), a Mei Tai or a non-stretchy wrap. We also recommend wearing your baby on your front facing towards you, or in a back carry, to reduce the impact on both your spine and your baby's spine as well as your core muscles. For a fitness class, it's ideal to select a carrier that has support at the waist, so that the weight of your baby is shifted from your shoulders to your hips.