Are slings safe for babies' spine?

[clucks]

Reading the double buggy thread and someone's suggestion of sling/single buggy use. I did not use a strappy sling last time, had a hippy across your body cloth one which was awkward for me as I had to have my hand over it and made baby hot.

I know from other threads that the baby bjorn is most popular and people love it. I am concerned that with these slings, babies entire weight is on the bottom, sort of upright. It is not as you would hold the baby and not spread along the spine. I know they are endorsed for physios, but I think that it might be for the wearer of the sling rather than the baby.

Does anyone know better or had similar reservations? Thanks

sorry, meant to say endorsed BY physios, rubbish typist.

Hi Clucks. I've never really thought about this but do agree that it's not how you would naturally hold a baby when standing/walking. On the other hand my sons always seemed quite comfy in their upright ones and don't have any back problems. They often fell asleep in their slings when tiny. It does feel quite nice to have a warm sleeping curled baby with a soft head just under your chin, I think.

Wilkinet claim their sling is better than others for babies as the baby isn't suspended by its pelvis, iyswim. It kind of holds the baby close to your body with the weight distributed evenly. Huggabubs also keep the baby close to you and leaves both hands free, though I've no experience of that one personally.

My friends are now turning away from the Baby Bjorn and preferring the Hug-a-Bub .

On their site it says that the way the carrier is worn doesn't allow the baby's vertebrae to be compressed and that its coccyx won't be under pressure.

You can order from the site for Australian $95, plus p&p or you can order in the UK from \linkwww.nctms.co.uk/NCTMS{}.

I cannot manage to put more than one link in a post even with the commas someone else suggested. It drives me mad!

Aaaaargh - and now I've typed it wrong!

You can order from the site for Australian $95, plus p&p or you can order in the UK from NCTMS .

Wilkinet also seem to be approved by physios. You beat me to posting the Hug-a-bub link, Suew - just as well, if it's only possible to post one link per message!

Don't know about babies spines but they definately are not safe for mine!
Maybe I am old and decrepit but I always marvel at women who carry anything other than tiny newborn babies in a sling. My sister passed on her much used sling to me and by the time I could walk comfortably post giving birth my baby was too heavy for me to carry for more than a few minutes.

Thanks all.

Not sure how I'm going to cope with the transportation thing. My DS is too lazy to do without buggy altogether and the double ones seem such a hassle.

I don't personally know any sling users but see people wondering around quite confidently with rather large babies in them. On the sling thread there were some wilkinet fans but I had not heard of hugabub. Will start my research. This is all assuming I can deliver naturally and will be allowed to use a sling... another long, dull story.

I'm absolutely sure they are fine. After all monkey babies just cling on upright, don't they? I think the fact that my ds slept so peacefully in his babybjorn meant he was very, very comfortable indeed. He has a beautiful spine now and lovely posture. I wish I was half so elegant.

I had a c-section and was using my sling the minute my son was heavy enough. Can't remember the weight he had to be but it can't have been long - he weighed 8lb 8oz at birth. Don't believe everything you read about sections - I was absolutely back to normal in two weeks - yes, driving, running up and down stairs and everything.

I used a Baby Bjorn for my Big babies and loved it. Once my kids could hold their heads well we went on to a Bushbaby backpack, which they don't have to be able to sit up for as it supports the entire upper body. Loved it!

I have just read about the wilkinet being better for babies spines. I used the baby bjorn from when dd was 3 weeks old until she was about 5 months old. We then moved onto an old lightweight backpack. Dd is 9 months now and still being carried rather than pushed and her spine seems fine with that beautiful posture babies posses. She used to fall asleep very rapidly in the BB and will still fall asleep upright in the backpack. So would have thought it must be comfortable for them.

I always wondered the same question as this thread; I know the maya wrap killed my back...

Good for you Aloha, about the C-section. My step-sister had a festering infection from her C-section that probably prevented her from successfuly breastfeeding.

Mmmm interesting thread. Suppose that babies lie in the womb upsidedown for several months. We'd never consider carrying them like that but they obviously don't mind. My own view is that so many mums use them now and there doesn't seem to be a major problem developing with spinal problems. Presume all these things a pretty well tested. Also certainly with the baby bjorn the baby is kind of pressed against you so I'm sure not all of the weight is on the babies hips/ spine/ bum. I suppose the best thing is to vary it - its probably not good to keep them in any one position all the time whether that be crib, sling, buggy or whatever. As long a the baby moves around and changes position a bit then there is unlikley to be a problem. I'd just go with whatever works for you. Babies are very flexible so I can't beleive they suffer long term damage at all.

In many other cultures babies have always been carried around on the mother in some sort of upright sling or backpack and they seem to turn out OK. I suspect it's prams and pushchairs that are unnatural (though that's not to imply there's anything wrong with them either!)

I am a big BB fan (see other posts) and agree with Katherine, the weight seems to be distributed evenly and I'm not aware that the babe is as it were sitting up unnaturally. Both mine would sleep when tiny and loved to look out once bigger. I carried mine until 9mo (DS) and 10mo (DD, slightly smaller) but admittedly for max 3/4 hr (that's three quarters not 3-4 LOL) by the end. Maybe I'm quite strong? But it's certainly worth a try. Could you perhaps borrow one Clucks in case you don't get on with it. Lots easier than a double buggy I reckon.

Dads seem to really like slings for some reason. Macho cuddling, I think, like having children on their shoulders.

Almost no one in Indonesia has a buggy because they are prohibitively expensive and the roads are far too rough for them. Babies are carried in a sling made from a length of fabric which is just worn across the carrier's body and tucked in, no knots or anything. You see even quite large children being carried in this way, maybe 3 or more years old. I must ask someone to show me how, on DD's dolly!

I don't know if being carried when young is connected, but people here have wonderful posture. The women walk so elegantly and gracefully no matter how poor they are. I wonder if it is something to do with the muscles developing more when carried as a baby? I'm also amazed at the balance people have - the way the men seem to be able to sleep on just a plank of wood without falling off is truly astonishing!!

I would have thought a lie-down buggy would be good for the back??? Suedonim, I think I heard somewhere that the reason our posture is generally so crappy is because we sit down, and use chairs all the time. Plus typing, TV viewing, reading etc encourage hunching/slouching. In the 3rd world, this is much less likely to happen (they stand or squat), and so their posture is much better.

Crouching is fantastic for posture (babies do it all the time) and helps prevent hip fractures etc in later life as balance is so good that you don't fall over in old age like old people do here.

squatting etc. is also good for bowel-emptying and pelvic floor. We should all be peeing into holes, my DH keeps telling me. Probably why our house was such a building site for almost 2 years.

Back to slings, I will probably try some on and buy one, if not happy will discard later. Just anything to avoid those double buggies.

Thanks, Florence, Aloha & Clicks, that's interesting to hear. Certainly people are great 'squatters' out here. No chair? No problem! I love it when I see an adult (usually a man, I have to say!!) squatting and watching the world go by and beside him there is a little two yr old dot also squatting and watching - so cute. One advantage of 'squat' loos is that nothing except your feet comes into contact with anything and they are easier to use than I imagined. Most places now have a mix of asian and western-style loos in the city, so you have a choice.

Re the sleeping on planks - yesterday I saw a man asleep on the parapet of a bridge with a 30ft drop on the far side into a river!!! Gulp!