Why you should choose soft cloth/ergo slings vs other carriers (eg. Baby Bjorn)

[Smoke Jaguar]

Kelly has ok'd for me to post this link:
http://www.continuum-concept.org/rea...nalStress.html
I had read a bit (can't even remember where) about soft slings being better for baby spines because they don't create spine compression, where the Baby Bjorn/Papoose style ones are not so ergonomically sound. I forgot where I read it and then I told my sister about this research - not content to just take my word for it, she looked it up and found the link! So I'm posting it here for everyone's reference
Baby Bjorns are commercially successful, as well as other types of carriers, and they promote that closeness with the baby, it's just unfortunate that they run a risk of compromising your baby's back, as well as your own (HAB and Ergo's distribute the weight over back and pelvis, making baby feel much lighter).
I do not intend to make mummies using Bjorns and Papooses feel negligent - as if you would get one in order to hurt your baby! I just want to add to the information pool, for those who want a change or are choosing a carrier.
Cheers

[johT]

i have pasted that article before aswell.....
isn't babywearing great!

[Smoke Jaguar]

Sorry, JohT, I definitely missed it when you did, or I could have directed my sister to it in the first place!

[johT]

great idea to sticky it!!

it was post 16 herea thread about BB's.
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...720#post605720

ETA- oh its not stickied can we please mods??

[widdly]

thanks for that info! My dad spent $120 on a carrier for me, deep down i really wanted a Hug-a-bub, but as i couldn't physically try the hab i just went and bought a carrier from target. I used it 3 times by the time he was 6 weeks old i ussdd it just to walk through some shops for 10 mins and i really hurt my neck, has only just got better. i thought it was just my weak shoulders but i lent it to a friend and she hated it too.

I will absolutely be purchasing my longed for Hug a bub with my next bub!

[Ara's Mum]

We use a wrap...long bit of cloth...bubba sleeps in it and the load is spread evenly over your back. DH loves the wrap as he can use it while mowing the lawn (no noise with mower its an environmentaly friendly one)
So you don't need to spend a lot of money

[sazzafrazz]

Good little article to read. I have been given a baby bjorn from my SIL who loved it but I have always wanted a sling. I dont likethe idea of the legs and arms just hanging out of the carrier and swinging in the breeze. Also ours will be a summer baby and the padding looks hot and I am worried about sun exposure on the newborn skin. I am definately going with my instincts on this one and looking for a soft cloth sling..... here I go now!

[MamaD]

I am so glad that you have posted this! Thanks! I have been looking for something along these lines to give to a mama who *wants* another carrier/sling other than the free one she got that is less than appealing, but cant justify buying one

[~Raven~]

I have a home made one MamaD

[MamaD]

Yep - suggested a big peice of fabric too as an option to not cost much - but she isnt the type of mum who wants something that isnt branded
Image is everything

[jdlady51]

I'm new to this site, and have just been browsing around. That article was written in the 1990's, after speaking to numerous different baby stores, as well as my midwife (who is FANTASTIC!!) they all inform me that the majority of carriers are much better for your baby than they were in the 1990's (as expected!) They tell me that it's purely up to different tastes whether a sling is better for you than a carrier. BabyBjorn are one of the best according to my sources that do keep your baby in an ideal position, not to encourage any back problems. Personally I will be getting a Synergy and a sling, as it is my first and I don't know what I will prefer!!

I just wanted to let you know that the article is extremely outdated according to what I've been told.

Thanks!

[suse]

jdlady51 - I'll be blunt - your sources are incorrect.

It's important to take the update to the quoted article in context, I'll quote it here for reference:

UPDATE: This article was written in the 1990s when the all of the popular upright baby-carrier designs had the harmful characteristics described below. Today, several new and improved upright carrier designs are available. The gold standard for carrying your baby should be your own arms. In other words, an upright carrier should hold your baby the way your arms would, e.g., facing you with legs in a frog-like, spread-squat position with the baby's weight supported across the buttocks and thighs. ?Ed.

The makers of the baby bjorn, and other 'parachute harness' type carriers, have not altered the core design since their inception, which was long before this article was written. The inclusion of the support belt in the active range does not improve the carrying position for the baby. They still have an extremely narrow crotch, which causes the baby's legs to dangle, and means that the baby is supported by the crotch and pelvis rather than by the bottom. This puts strain on the pelvis, and encourages spine compression. Carriers based on the design of a mei tai (eg, Ergo, Pikkolo, Patapum), conversely, forms a wide seat for the baby so that the are supported by the bottom and thighs, encouraging a natural posture. Optimal carrying position is for the bottom to be lower than the knees, and a baby bjorn does not support this.

So no, a baby bjorn is not 'one of the best' carriers for encouraging good posture, in fact, quite the opposite. The article may be old, but the research itself is not outdated and has not been superseded, and is still relevant because most mass produced carriers use the same design as when it was written. Some sources you may like to reference are: thebabywearer, and baby carriers downunder - these sites both have excellent and current information.

HTH!

ETA: Sorry if I came across as harsh, I just wanted to clarify. Manta Ray's point that a shop's main source of information about babywearing comes from the manufacturer of the products they sell is such a valid one - they often know very little about the benefits other carriers offer. One of the reasons baby bjorn sells so well and is so popular is because it sells so well and is popular, not because it is necessarily the best product out there iykwim. Having said that, they work fantastically for some people, and if that's the case for you, great. But if you find that it doesn't work for you, at least it's good to know that there are alternatives out there.

I hope that whatever you end up using, your babywearing experience brings you and your baby much joy!

[MantaRay]

jdlady, it is great that you are doing your research early. I hope that I can just add something to Suse's post without you feeling like you are being ganged up on? I just want to point out that most baby stores do not sell good quality slings (I got my ring sling which I absolutely loved from a baby carrier maker), and the only information they mostly have about baby carriers is from the manufacturers of the products they sell (such as BabyBjorn). So it is biased.

You will also find as you go through the new baby process, that the knowledge level of MCHNs varies greatly. Sadly, breast feeding and baby wearing are two areas that most MCHNs are not well informed about. The only reason I feel it important to tell you this, is that you will more than likely be given information about your new baby which might not seem right to you. I urge you to continue doing your own research after the baby is born, rather than relying on any one source - including MCNs and GPs. Sadly I, and many people I know, have learnt this from experience.

Best of luck to you hun.

[Lulu]

Yeah I forked out for a Baby Bjorn 4 years ago and it was just awful. It rubbed poor DS on his arms and I couldn't see it until a shopkeeper pointed out why he might have been crying .
It killed my back I could never get comfortable...I thought it was the best since there was bugger all available at the baby shop. Wish I'd found BB earlier!
I've seen so many different slings since meeting so many members, and they all look so comfortable!

[MamaD]

I had a customer from Germany into the store I work in today - (upmarket baby boutique) who was really disappointed in her BB she had bought when her son was a newborn. She was off to the beach and wanted to be more handsfree - but was unsure about her very heavy son (big baby at 5 months) I had a few of those, so knew where she was coming from.

She tried on a wrap and could not believe how light her baby felt in comparison to the BB - bought it and left the store a very happy woman pushing her pram with her son grinning his head off against his mama. Working in retail PT as a casual in this store I see this over and over again. Many people hate baby-wearing after a few months with the BB as it digs in their shoulders, they arent truly handsfree, and the skinny straps dont support their body or their babies well enough. I've never had someone complain or come back unhappy after buying a wrap.

[Visitor8]

I used a baby bjorn with both my older babies, I didn't actually discover other carriers until later! Now I have a Mei Tai, 2 4.7mtr wraps (storch and didy), sling I made and an ergo lol I just wish I had of discovered these carriers earlier. They are SO comfy!

[nishy03]

I am new to these forums but after reading some of the negative feeds about Baby Bjorn I just had to say something!
I have used the Baby Bjorn Carrier successfully through 2 babies and intend to use it again when my 3rd is due in sept.
I thoroughly researched baby carriers/slings before I had my children, just as I did with every product I ever bought.
I went onto Baby Bjorn?s website and found several articles relating to the safety and reliability of the product, and the fact that it is the only carrier that The AUSTRALIAN college of Midwives endorse, kinda sells the point to me.
I actually have 2 carriers, 1 that is active and 1 original....and I am contemplating going out and buying a new synergy because I love them so much.
I do realize that everyone is entitled to there opinions and some carriers/slings suit others but I just thought I'd let everyone know how much I love this product.
Happy Baby Carrying!
P.s - I think threes a reason why they are available and stores are knowledgeable about them when you go and ask questions. Clearly it?s because they are the best which is why they recommend them!!

[MamaD]

Perhaps it may be worth asking someone at the ACM why they ondorse the BB - and what monetary incentives are in place for this. There are mothers all over the world complaining about them - and all it takes is a shop assistant to demonstate a few different styles of carriers to show clearly to parents which ones the babies love the most. The proof is in the pudding I would say It's amazing how money talks - and how a carrier which is flogged in every magazine around the world 'looks' like it is the best. Just like Johnson and Johnson is the choice of skincare for Maternity Hospitals. But is it??? Is it the best, the most pure, the most effective? "NO!!!" is what you will hear most mothers screaming when they look at the list of ingredients with words that the most well versed wordsmith cant pronounce, yet because hospitals 'use' them (they are donated after all!!) and the big companies with big bucks to spend on giving stuff away, lead people to believe that if a hospital use them - they must be good. Um - nah. Huggies and their array of chemicals inside them to keep babies dry also play this game. Marketing is clever eh