hope&plum’s Most Frequently Asked Questions About Newborn Babywearing

Whether you're a first time parent or a seasoned veteran, newborn babywearing can seem challenging. You want to use your carrier to snuggle your baby, but you also want to make sure you’re doing everything right and that your baby is safe. Never fear! hope&plum has rounded up our most frequently asked questions about newborn babywearing (and the answers, of course!)

You can start babywearing your full term newborn in certain carriers right from birth! Make sure your newborn meets the weight and size limits for your carrier. You can start using our Sprout Newborn Carrier, ring sling, baby wrap, or meh dai when baby is at least 7 lbs. Also be sure to listen to your body. Postpartum recovery is no joke, and, even if your newborn fits safely in your carrier, you might not be ready to babywear yet. That’s okay! Follow the advice of our favorite OT for postpartum babywearing: start slow and use your carriers for bonding in the early days, rather than as a tool to get things done.

Your newborn is safe in the carrier if they meet the minimum weight limit, and you’re using a newborn-friendly carrier that’s set up properly. In any baby carrier, your newborn should be sitting upright and supported in a C-shape against your body. You should be able to see your newborn’s ears above the top of the carrier. If wearing baby legs out, your newborn should be supported from knee pit to knee pit. If wearing with legs in, all of your newborn’s weight should be on their bottom, not on their legs or feet. Our baby wraps and ring slings offer custom fits each time you put them on and should fit all babies who are at least 7 pounds and up. Our Sprout and meh dai have more structured panels, so make sure you’re adjusting the carrier features to fit your newborn safely. Scrunch the bottom of the panel in and make sure the top of the panel comes no higher than your newborn’s earlobes.

The time limit for babywearing does not exist - as long as both you and baby are comfortable! Most newborns can’t get enough of babywearing since it reminds them of the snuggly warmth of the womb. That being said, newborns need to eat and be changed frequently, so watch for cues from your newborn that they need a break from the carrier (if they’re hungry or need a fresh diaper). Also, listen to your own body. If you need a babywearing break, take one!

You can feed your newborn in the carrier, but it can be challenging at first. We recommend getting super comfortable with wearing your newborn in your carrier first before adding in the additional challenge of feeding them. When you’re ready to try, follow these steps:

1. Loosen the carrier just enough to get baby low enough to nurse or feed a bottle.

2. Feed baby.

3. Tighten everything back up once baby is done.

The most important step is #3 - tighten your carrier back up once baby is done eating. When baby is lowered into a feeding position, they’re no longer in a “safe” handsfree position: they’re not close enough to kiss and the carrier is loose. Be extra mindful when your newborn is feeding in the carrier and always, always tighten them back up when they’re done.

Your newborn can and probably will spend most of their time sleeping in the carrier. They can’t help it! Carriers are so warm and snuggly that most newborns calm right down and relax themselves into dreamland when they’re safely and securely strapped on. As long as your newborn is positioned safely in the carrier –

• Upright

• Supported by a snug carrier

• Close enough to kiss

• Spine in a gentle C-curve against your body

• Legs positioned in a spread squat with knees above bottom either out of the carrier and supported knee to knee or in the carrier with weight on bottom

• Visible airway with two finger-widths between chin and chest

– then your newborn can sleep safely.

To choose the newborn baby carrier that’s right for you, consider your family’s lifestyle, your babywearing goals, and your budget. If you’re a busy, on-the-go family and you know you won’t have time to dedicate to learning the ins and outs of a more complicated baby carrier, but you don’t mind investing in more baby carriers as your newborn grows, get the Sprout. If you’re busy, but looking for one carrier that can last you through toddlerhood, get the meh dai. On the other hand, if you are planning to take it slow during those first few months and you have the time to learn about a less structured baby carrier, and you plan to get another carrier as your baby gets bigger, go for the baby wrap. If you have time to learn, but want a carrier to last through toddlerhood, get a ring sling. We have so many options, you really can’t go wrong. Plus, if you're like many of our community members, you'll fall in love with babywearing and want to add to your baby carrier collection for your changing needs and growing babies.

Baby carriers that are designed for newborns without inserts are absolutely safe for your littlest wearees! In fact, newborn carriers that require inserts are usually carriers that are really designed to fit bigger babies, and the infant insert is the company’s newborn afterthought. Infant inserts can be hot, bulky, and hard to manage. We recommend choosing a newborn carrier that is designed with newborns in mind and that doesn’t need an insert to be safe like any carrier you’ll find in hope&plum’s newborn carrier collection.

The safest position for babywearing a newborn is on your front, upright, high, and snug against your body. T.I.C.K.S. is a helpful babywearing safety acronym:

• Tight - The carrier should be snug to you and baby with no loose fabric.

• In view - Baby’s airway should always be visible.

• Close enough to kiss - Wear baby high enough on your body so you can gently bend your neck and kiss the top of their head.

• Keep chin off chest - Baby’s head should be upright with chin at least two finger-widths away from their chest.

• Supported back - Set up your carrier so it’s snug enough to support baby’s head, neck, and trunk in an upright position, with baby’s spine making a gentle C-shape against your body.

We don’t recommend you wear your newborn in a back carry. Since newborns have such fragile airways and little head and neck control, you want to wear them on your front, upright, high, and snug against your body. This position allows you to always have a good view of their airway and frequently check their breathing and that their chin is off their chest. A front carry also allows you to see any issues with your newborn’s positioning and fix them before they turn into bigger safety concerns. When a baby is on your back, you can’t do these frequent check-ins. This is why we recommend that you wait for your baby to be sitting unassisted to try a back carry. This usually happens around 6-8 months. A baby that can sit unassisted has good head, neck, and trunk control. They can more easily protect their own airway and right themselves into an upright position if they begin slumping over in the carrier. Check out our Larks and meh dais when your baby is ready for a back carry!

We don’t recommend you ever wear your newborn facing out. The best position for your newborn is on your front, upright, high, and snug against your body. Wait until your baby has more head and neck control to try any other positions. We also don’t generally recommend facing out or world facing for any babies. None of our carriers are designed for this position, and we believe that curious babies do better in a hip carry. When babies are facing out, they miss out on key bonding opportunities with their caregivers, they can get easily overstimulated, their cues are harder for their caregivers to read, and they need to be repositioned if they fall asleep. We think you should try a hip carry in a ring sling or meh dai instead!

Best practice is to wear your newborn with legs out from birth. It’s safe for them, and most babies are fine with this position. All of our newborn carriers can be worn with your baby’s legs out. Legs out allows you to more easily monitor any circulation changes in your newborn’s legs or feet, and it’s easier to make sure they’re in the proper spread-squat position with their knees above their bottom and their weight on their bottom and not on their legs or feet. What’s more, you’ll have to move to legs out eventually once your baby starts pushing against the carrier to stand, so it’s good to learn this from birth. There are a few newborns who are so curled up that they complain or cry with their legs out. For these babies, you can try legs in with our ring slings or baby wraps. Always make sure your baby’s weight is on their bottom and not their legs or feet, and that their knees are still in a spread squat position above their bottom. Switch to legs out when they start trying to stand up in the carrier.

If your newborn’s feet are changing colors, it may be a sign your carrier is too tight. Try loosening a bit, but make sure your newborn is still upright, close enough to kiss, and supported by the carrier. If their feet don’t return to normal or they’re no longer in a safe position, take them out and try again. If your newborn’s feet change colors every time you use your carrier, get a fit check for some one-on-one support with your carrier.

Babywearing should be handsfree! If you feel like you can’t take your hands off of your newborn while they’re in the carrier, it’s likely your carrier is too loose and isn’t offering your baby the proper support. Snug up your carrier, removing most if not all slack. Make sure you’re both comfortable and your newborn is upright, close enough to kiss, and snug against your body. A properly tightened carrier will support baby’s head, neck, and spine, and your newborn should be curled against you in a C-shape.

Your newborn needs to be close enough to kiss in an upright and snug position for safety. If you’re using a Sprout or meh dai, bring the waistband up higher on your torso and tighten more slack out of the straps. If you’re using a baby wrap, make the “X” where baby’s bottom should be if they were to be close enough to kiss and tie the wrap on so it feels like a tight t-shirt. If you’re using a ring sling, start with a pocket that’s smaller than you think you need and tighten out the slack. If baby is still too low, book a fit check for some one-on-one support with our educators.