Baby wearing can be such a helpful tool, but walking into the store full of wraps and slings can feel like solving a puzzle with no instructions. In this Follow-Up, I’m bringing back my conversation with Laura Brown, a baby wearing educator and postpartum doula. We talk about why the right carrier depends on your body and your life and what matters most for safety.

In this episode, we discuss:

– The benefits of baby wearing

– How baby wearing can help parents read their baby’s cues

– Why a good fit can feel better than carrying in your arms

– The biggest mistakes

– Healthy hip positioning

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00;00;00;02 – 00;00;25;20

Dr. Mona

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the follow up. It’s Doctor Mona, and this is a series on the PedsDocTalk podcast, where we revisit a past episode in less time than it takes you to figure out how to put on a baby carrier without feeling like you’re solving a puzzle. I’m bringing this episode back because baby women can be such a helpful tool for parents, but with so many carriers wrapped slings and opinions out there, it can also feel incredibly overwhelming.

00;00;25;23 – 00;00;47;25

Dr. Mona

And I have to share something interesting from my own experience with my two kids. I barely baby were with my son because he would squirm so much. He just never seemed comfortable being contained like that. And looking back, it’s actually really fascinating because even now he doesn’t like tight spaces. And honestly, neither do I. But my daughter. Completely different kid.

00;00;47;27 – 00;01;07;00

Dr. Mona

That girl would climb right back into the womb if she could. And she’s three. She has always loved being held close, snuggled and carried. She was a huge fan of baby wearing and I loved baby wearing her, and I think it’s such a good reminder that even babies have their own preferences, sensory needs, and temperaments. What works beautifully for one child may not work for another.

00;01;07;00 – 00;01;32;00

Dr. Mona

Even in the same family. Baby wearing can be wonderful for bonding, soothing your baby and giving you a little freedom to use your hands. But comfort, proper positioning, and safety matters so much too, especially for hip health. And sometimes finding the right fit makes all the difference. On this episode, I welcome Laura Brown, a baby wearing expert and postpartum doula who you can find on Instagram at Mama Bird Los Angeles.

00;01;32;03 – 00;02;03;09

Dr. Mona

We talk about the benefits of baby wearing, the differences between wrapped slings and stretcher carriers, how to choose one that works for your body and lifestyle, and common mistakes parents make. We also cover important safety considerations, including hip positioning when babies can face outward, and how baby wearing can change as your child grows. Whether you’re expecting your first baby struggling with a carrier you already own, or wondering if baby wearing is even for you, this conversation is full of practical information to help you make the choice that works for your family.

00;02;03;12 – 00;02;23;02

Dr. Mona

And remember, the follow up is just a snippet of a longer episode. So go download the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. It’s in our show notes and make sure to share it on social. Tag PedsDocTalk the PedsDocTalk podcast and at Mama Bird Los Angeles. When you do.

00;02;23;04 – 00;02;35;01

Dr. Mona

So first of all, in your opinion, like what are the benefits of baby wearing when you consult with families or mothers and fathers approach you? What are you telling them in terms of the benefits and why you chose to do it also?

00;02;35;04 – 00;02;57;21

Laura Brown

So for me, I just found it to be really practical. I love to cook. I love to be in the kitchen. I love to be out hiking and in nature, and it just wasn’t very convenient for me to take a stroller. I laughed because my stroller collection rivaled my baby carrier collection, so obviously I like both. But for different activities, especially when you have a second child and you need to be there for them, let’s say at a park.

00;02;57;22 – 00;03;15;04

Laura Brown

Yeah. Having the baby on my body was really the safest place for the baby. It’s also so good. Obviously we touched a little bit on the bonding aspect, but I found my partner, my husband. It really gave him the opportunity to be close and help with the baby. As well as the extended family, grandparents and such.

00;03;15;06 – 00;03;31;18

Laura Brown

But really, babies cry less when they’re being held in and we know this, it really leads to more confidence, I think, in the parent, because they’re really connected and reading baby’s cues, which I think when you have your first child, it can be difficult to sort of learn all these little things that the baby is telling you.

00;03;31;20 – 00;03;44;05

Laura Brown

And then I always say, like, whatever feeding method you’re doing, a carrier can help. So if you’re breastfeeding, body feeding, or if you are bottle feeding. Yeah. And want to get baby introduced to a bottle, a carrier can help with that too.

00;03;44;07 – 00;04;01;10

Dr. Mona

Yeah. Awesome. And I think it’s definitely great to have these options for families. Do you see any limitations to baby wearing or. I guess my biggest question would be when people come to you or when you talk to families, what are some things that they tell you, well, it’s not working or they don’t like, like what are some things that may be limitations, if you will.

00;04;01;10 – 00;04;28;25

Laura Brown

For baby wearing? So my experience is most people choose the wrong carrier style for their body. So it can be hard to find the right carrier. And I would definitely call that a limitation is that there is no right carrier for every like there really is. It’s such a personal thing as far as how fit works. You may need different carriers for different stages that you’re in with their baby’s age and developmental stage, as well as the price factor.

00;04;28;25 – 00;04;51;22

Laura Brown

Carrier can be expensive, but I also think that we tend to put a high price value on things like car seats. Obviously important strollers, things like that. In comparison, carriers aren’t very expensive, but you can also buy used. This is one of the best ways to get to know carriers is to buy secondhand. While you can’t do that with car seats, you absolutely can with baby carriers.

00;04;51;25 – 00;05;19;09

Laura Brown

I would say that it can be hard on your body if you don’t have the right carrier for you, but we also know that often postpartum, you know, if you have separation distances, recti or anything like that, where your core is not very strong. Yeah, it can absolutely aggravate that. But I also think that people tend to carry in arms anyway, so a carrier can actually be a more comfortable way to transport their baby if given the opportunity to get fitted correctly.

00;05;19;11 – 00;05;29;19

Laura Brown

Definitely can’t sleep. I can’t sleep with a baby on you, right? You can’t, but the baby can. Yeah, and there’s also some medical conditions underlying where you need to seek out some help.

00;05;29;22 – 00;05;52;23

Dr. Mona

And so I think the next question is like okay so there are oh you’re right. There are so many different carriers different price point. And then there’s also carrier slings. Like if you can actually just kind of talk about terminology or maybe kind of break it down like what a parent should be looking for when they walk into a store or online trying to find a sling versus a carrier, like the terminology, all of that.

00;05;52;26 – 00;06;14;00

Laura Brown

Sure. So a carrier is an overarching term for something that carries your baby. So that’s really all it involves. A sling is actually a carrier that goes over one shoulder commonly called a ring sling. It is one piece of fabric that’s threaded through two rings. There’s also Asian inspired or Asian origin carriers like Mad Eyes or on behemoths.

00;06;14;02 – 00;06;33;29

Laura Brown

There’s also wraps, which is one long piece of fabric that you need to learn how to wrap. That’s really the most common terms they all have sort of pros and cons, just like anything else. So in the United States, bottle carriers are the most common, right? Something that buckles on to the body. The perception is that they’re easier.

00;06;34;01 – 00;06;54;02

Laura Brown

It’s actually my opinion that they’re the most complicated style of carrier. I know that that sounds, you know, probably outrageous, but they have so many features now that often parents don’t know how to use those features, and they get really confused, whereas something like a sling or a wrap is going to tell you when you’re using it correctly or not using it correctly, if that makes sense.

00;06;54;04 – 00;07;17;12

Laura Brown

So there really is, depending on activity, whether you’re going to be working from home and you need to sit if you’re active and hiking, if you want the option to face the baby out or wear the baby on your back, all these sort of ones are going to help you narrow down the style of care that you need or would work best for you, but really, there is no replacement for trying them on which is where baby wearing groups and communities come in.

00;07;17;12 – 00;07;20;05

Laura Brown

Or working with an educator in your community.

00;07;20;07 – 00;07;26;13

Dr. Mona

That’s great. So it really comes down to finding what works for someone’s body type, and then what the needs are for the family.

00;07;26;16 – 00;07;48;14

Laura Brown

Yeah, absolutely. And really, I try to remember that just like other products, like clothing, is that buckle carriers are based on us average dress sizes. Right. So they’re trying to cater to the masses. That means if you are plus sized, if you are petite, you may have a harder time getting fitted for a buckle carrier. But there’s definitely carriers out there for you.

00;07;48;17 – 00;07;54;23

Dr. Mona

Oh, this is so great. And in terms of finding like a list of resources, where can people go, like you said, to get started on that.

00;07;54;25 – 00;08;16;15

Laura Brown

So I always recommend if you’re from a culture that wears babies, this is a great place to start. So elders or folks from your community, but also most major cities have what’s called baby wearing groups or baby wearing communities where there are typically free nonprofit where you can go try on carriers and get help from educators. It’s a great resource.

00;08;16;17 – 00;08;25;18

Laura Brown

There’s also consultants like what I do. Yeah. Who can teach you one on one? Sometimes they have classes, and help you get fitted correctly.

00;08;25;21 – 00;08;32;19

Dr. Mona

So what would you say are the biggest mistakes you see people make when they start to baby wear?

00;08;32;21 – 00;08;55;02

Laura Brown

So carriers actually have to be compliant. They have to meet certain safety standards, just like corsets. Right. Is that we know that we meet these minimum testing standards. And I think what is happening with e-commerce and with buying things online is that people tend to listen to their friends and then go searching on sites like Amazon, where they are not necessarily required to be compliant.

00;08;55;05 – 00;09;12;02

Laura Brown

So I tend to see carriers who don’t pass testing standards. This is important, and they just don’t really know what features are important to them. And then they never try on a variety. And so they’re not able to compare and contrast.

00;09;12;05 – 00;09;29;15

Dr. Mona

And one of the biggest things also that from a pediatrician standpoint is I always get asked about hip placement because the hip placement is actually really important like that you’re putting the baby in correctly because of, something called developmental dysplasia of the hip. Do you hear that? Do you see that? Do you teach families how to correctly place baby?

00;09;29;22 – 00;09;32;25

Dr. Mona

Can you describe how they should be placed in like a carrier?

00;09;32;28 – 00;09;51;01

Laura Brown

Sure. So developmental dysplasia of the hip is really primarily genetic, right. So we do tiny bits of screening for it here. Most countries actually do a little bit more screening than we do. You know I can go on all day about that. But really most carriers now have the ability to adjust the width of the carrier, which is fantastic.

00;09;51;03 – 00;10;12;16

Laura Brown

So what that means is we can keep baby in a spread squat position where their knees are at or higher than their bottom. But most newborns or really all newborns are born in the squatted position. They have the expectation of being helped. Right. Or being worn also because of, you know, how we carry them in our bodies, how they’re born, but they are naturally in this spread squat position.

00;10;12;16 – 00;10;31;26

Laura Brown

And so really any carrier is going to be an ergonomic carrier in the beginning. And then over time, what’s nice is if you have a wrapper, a ring sling, which is custom always, that will maintain that position. But almost all Buffalo carriers now have the ability to gradually widen the carrier as the baby grows to support this position, which is wonderful.

00;10;31;28 – 00;10;40;02

Dr. Mona

That is great. And in terms of like how long you can baby wear for, I mean, I’m sure weight limits on these carriers. Correct.

00;10;40;04 – 00;10;54;18

Laura Brown

There are. But most of the weight limits now you’ll almost never reach. Right. It’s similar to infant car seats where it’s really just good marketing. Most of the weight limits on carriers are around 40 to 45 pounds. That could easily be a young toddler.

00;10;54;18 – 00;10;55;10

Dr. Mona

Yeah.

00;10;55;12 – 00;11;19;01

Laura Brown

And then there’s also toddler carriers and preschool carriers if you want to continue to wear. So you have lots of options to keep doing it. If you like. There are reasons to continue wearing for longer periods of time. If you have a child that has, limb differences or special needs or medical needs, a carrier can be an absolute, you know, godsend, amazing tool for you.

00;11;19;03 – 00;11;45;25

Laura Brown

I have children on the spectrum, and so a carrier really was incredibly important for us to keep my child safe. But really it comes down to personal preference of your family. Are you an active family? You may want to carry longer if you’re out hiking, you know your child gets tired. You may not be wearing them as many minutes or hours per day as they get older, but it’s still a nice tool to have for those days when they get tired or they just need a little closeness.

00;11;45;27 – 00;11;59;05

Dr. Mona

And one common questions parents asked about baby wearing is, is there a time where we go from facing you versus facing out, or is that a preference? I know a lot of it has to do with development as well, but what are your thoughts on when you switch them?

00;11;59;07 – 00;12;19;06

Laura Brown

So it definitely is about development. There isn’t a magical age, but for a baby to be able to face forward or face outward world face, they need to be able to have complete head and neck control and clear the top of the panel of whatever carrier that you’re using. So there really is no set age. Sometimes that’s four months, sometimes that six months.

00;12;19;06 – 00;12;38;03

Laura Brown

And the nice part is, is by that point, something like hip dysplasia is really less of a concern. So by the time you even get to that stage, we’re not as concerned about baby’s hips, which is nice, but it’s very cultural. The United States very much wants the option to face the baby out in other countries. They’re not interested in that.

00;12;38;03 – 00;12;59;26

Laura Brown

So I think it’s it’s good to remember that each country, each culture, has very different views of how a baby can be worn. But I see it as a natural orbit. The baby’s high and tight on your body, kissable height when they’re a newborn, and then they sort of move over to your hip. Right? You naturally start carrying a baby on your hip, and then you can face baby out if you want, if your baby’s curious, but also they can move to your back.

00;12;59;26 – 00;13;09;04

Laura Brown

So that’s also a great next stage. If you enjoy baby wearing and you want your front three.

00;13;09;06 – 00;13;30;15

Dr. Mona

And that’s your follow up. Just a small dose of the real, relatable and eye opening conversations we love to have here. If you smiled, nodded, or had an moment, go ahead and download, follow and share this episode with a friend. Let’s grow this village together for more everyday parenting wins and real talk. Hang out with us on Instagram at the PedsDocTalk podcast.

00;13;30;23 – 00;13;46;05

Dr. Mona

Want more? Dive into the full episode and more at PedsDocTalk.com. Because parenting is better with support. And remember, consistency is key. Humor is medicine and follow ups are everything. I’m Doctor Mona. See you next time for your next dose.