Pouch Slings: Babywearing with Hip Carry and Back Carry
As a baby gains core strength and can sit up for extended periods of time, you can begin babywearing with the baby on your hip. For most people, the hip carry is truely the most useful babywearing position of all because it coincides with the time when your baby starts to be really heavy to hold unasisted. Many babies are carried in the hip carry from around 9 mo's, some as early as 4 mo's, all the way through toddlerhood.
Hip Carry:
1. Put your sling on, shoulder fabric cupping your shoulder, middle of pocket lined up between your navel and hip. Pick up your child.
2. Get a good grip on your child's legs and hold the child up against the shoulder above the sling's pocket. With larger babies, you will be tipping the child over your shoulder, great fun for easily amused toddlers.
3. Place your baby's body in the sling, threading the baby's legs through the sling. Pull the pocket down, over the baby's bottom, continuing up behind the baby's knees. The baby's knees must be higher than the baby's bottom. With smaller babies, you may keep their legs tucked in the sling.
4. Hold the sling and baby with one arm and scoot the baby and sling over to your hip. The baby's bottom must be firmly seated in the sling and there should be enough fabric on the baby's back to hold the child in place if he or she tips backwards a bit.
5. To keep yourself comfortable and safe, ensure that the shoulder fabric cups your shoulder. Rings on ring slings should be no farther south than your breast. The pouch pocket seam should line up with your baby's spine. Switch shoulders every once in a while to keep your back healthy.
2. Get a good grip on your child's legs and hold the child up against the shoulder above the sling's pocket. With larger babies, you will be tipping the child over your shoulder, great fun for easily amused toddlers.
3. Place your baby's body in the sling, threading the baby's legs through the sling. Pull the pocket down, over the baby's bottom, continuing up behind the baby's knees. The baby's knees must be higher than the baby's bottom. With smaller babies, you may keep their legs tucked in the sling.
4. Hold the sling and baby with one arm and scoot the baby and sling over to your hip. The baby's bottom must be firmly seated in the sling and there should be enough fabric on the baby's back to hold the child in place if he or she tips backwards a bit.
5. To keep yourself comfortable and safe, ensure that the shoulder fabric cups your shoulder. Rings on ring slings should be no farther south than your breast. The pouch pocket seam should line up with your baby's spine. Switch shoulders every once in a while to keep your back healthy.
*Babies on your hip have an extraordinary reach and at hip level, they can get ahold of almost anything you can. Lightswitches are a very popular target.
*A pouch with padding along one rail may help prevent chaffing against the baby's legs in hot weather. Several layers of rolled up ring sling fabric help too.
*Most people find a shorter pouch more comfortable for wearing heavier babies. Try twisting the fabric of your pouch once to "cinch" it up.
*Soft shoes, bare feet or feet in socks make it easier to tuck a larger toddler's feet through a sling.
*A pouch with padding along one rail may help prevent chaffing against the baby's legs in hot weather. Several layers of rolled up ring sling fabric help too.
*Most people find a shorter pouch more comfortable for wearing heavier babies. Try twisting the fabric of your pouch once to "cinch" it up.
*Soft shoes, bare feet or feet in socks make it easier to tuck a larger toddler's feet through a sling.
Carrying a baby on your back: (Roll-over images with your mouse for more detail.)
1. Start from a hip carry & lift up under the shoulder of the sling to release tension.
2. With a good grip on your child and sling, swing the child and sling over your hip and to your back.
3. The baby's bottom must be firmly seated in the sling, legs higher than rump, fabric spread as close to the baby's armpits and knees as possible. There should be enough fabric on the baby's back to hold the child in place if he or she tips backwards a bit. The sling must be so taught that there is no way the baby is going to slip through, arch out, or squirm out.) Switch shoulders every once in a while to keep your back healthy.
4. You can also try this position with a non-mobile very young baby in the cradlehold.
2. With a good grip on your child and sling, swing the child and sling over your hip and to your back.
3. The baby's bottom must be firmly seated in the sling, legs higher than rump, fabric spread as close to the baby's armpits and knees as possible. There should be enough fabric on the baby's back to hold the child in place if he or she tips backwards a bit. The sling must be so taught that there is no way the baby is going to slip through, arch out, or squirm out.) Switch shoulders every once in a while to keep your back healthy.
4. You can also try this position with a non-mobile very young baby in the cradlehold.
Leah's thoughts on this postion:
Leah's thoughts on this postion:
For people who get the knack of the back carry, it's a truely useful position. I, however, never really have enjoyed it much; by the time that a baby is old enough for a back carry, the baby is old enough to really put their minds into serious squirming. Even though I know that I have the baby securely positioned, part of me just can't relax. But then, that's just me.
I've found a postion on my hip with the baby scooted behind my arm but not quite all the way to my back to be very useful on occassion.
I've found a postion on my hip with the baby scooted behind my arm but not quite all the way to my back to be very useful on occassion.
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Copyright 2006: Sweet Things Baby Slings, LLC.