How to carry your baby safely and comfortably by Juliana Hounsfield

Yesterday, I (Eva) shared what osteopath Juliana Hounsfield of The Family Practice in Bristol told me about how babywearing benefits parents and babies. I also asked Juliana how we can be sure that we're carrying our babies safely and comfortably. She gave her thoughts:

"At the Family Practice, we see many adults who come in as a result of caring for children.

There are so many ways in which adults hurt their backs or necks while caring for their babies and young children, especially as parents are often tired, lacking time to stay fit, strong and flexible.

However, there are a few ways in which we can make life with babies and children easier and help them avoid hurting themselves.

Make sure your sling is well-fitted
I believe that using a well-fitted sling that goes over both shoulders, with the baby or child facing the parent, can reduce injury, pain and fatigue suffered by parents.

The adult can then carry their child all day if they desire. The sling helps distribute the babies weight evenly. By keeping the baby close, the postural muscles of the body work less hard to keep you upright. The further away a baby is from the adult's centre of gravity, the quicker the adult will fatigue and suffer from strain.

The sling must be fitted so that the baby doesn't wobble when you lean forward. It must be high enough to support the baby's head. Only then will the parent and child move freely and symmetrically, so they can be symptom-free.



Your carrier must satisfy your baby's criteria
1. High and supportive enough to hold the head well
2. Tight enough to hold the baby close to your chest
3. Allowing knees and hips to be at approximately 90 degrees

The baby has a heavy head in comparison to its body. At first, it is unable to hold the head by itself. As a child gets older, the sling must still be able to hold the head if the child falls asleep, to prevent straining the neck.

The spine needs to be supported so that the baby doesn’t slouch and compress its chest and abdomen.

A baby in your arms will naturally pull its legs up and straddle your body. The legs get pulled up to support the baby's body and balance. When using a sling, the same should be possible. This agrees with the baby's anatomical make-up and supports proper hip development.

(Eva: The TICKS Rules for Safe Babywearing * is a great reference guide for anyone wanting to carry their baby)

A special note about hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia is a comprehensive term that has been used to include a spectrum of related developmental hip problems in infants and children, often present at birth.

It can be either congenital (CHD) or developmental (DDH). It occurs when the top of the femur (leg bone) is not properly located in the hip socket or not located where the hip socket is expected to develop.

It is well-known that in cultures that practice infant swaddling and using cradle boards to carry their babies, the incidence of hip dysplasia is very high.

On the other hand, cultures that carry their babies astride the mother's backs have a low incidence of hip dysplasia.

Hence, it appears logical to discourage putting the baby's legs in the extended position and to keep baby's hips spread apart. This latter position places the head of the femur (the ball) against the acetabulum (the socket), and encourages deepening of the socket.

A good sling will give you a tool for enabling your child to journey painlessly with you throughout the day, passively going where you go, doing what you do, hearing what you say, seeing how you react and feeling your heart beat.

Your child will be part of your life but protected from it too. The sling will give your baby the chance to wake up slowly, to become aware of the world in its own time, whilst learning the rhythms and movements of life through the parent."




Love, Eva.

* TICKS was co-written by Born's Buyer Becky Ward

Why is babywearing so good for you and your baby?

Babywearing Week started yesterday so I (Eva) had a quick chat Juliana Houndsfield, osteopath at The Family Practice on the Gloucester Road in Bristol about the benefits of babywearing.

Juliana is a mother of three young boys. She treats women in pregnancy as well as post-birth, and treats their babies too. Here's what she had to say about how healthy babywearing is:

Babywearing promotes successful breastfeeding
"At The Family Practice, we often see mothers with a lot of tightness between their shoulder blades. They go on to have problems with engorged breasts or problems breastfeeding.

If they are carrying their baby one-sided, they get stiff on one side which means that the drainage is not so good.

For breastfeeding mothers, it is my opinion that it is most important to keep the neck, thoracic spine, shoulders, pectoral muscles mobile.

They need to have free hands and be able to swing arms to improve the blood supply. This promotes good drainage of the breast tissue for good milk production and successful, pain-free feeding, without mastitis or blockages.



A supportive carrier balances parents
"A sling allows parents to have their arms and shoulders free. They move their whole upper body much better and do things in a balanced way.

If you cannot move your arms when you walk, everything is uneven - you cannot move symmetrically or mobilise your shoulders back and neck. Pushing a pram or carrying a car seat has the same effect. We can’t use our arms if they are holding on to a pram.

When we are holding something, we cannot swing our arms and get that even flow of blood we need. We are prone to giving ourselves little problems that can become bigger problems.

By using a sling, adults can carry their children all day if so desired. The sling helps distribute the baby's weight evenly. By keeping the baby close, the postural muscles of the body work less hard to keep you upright. The further away a baby is from your centre of gravity, the quicker you will fatigue and suffer from strain.

We see a lot of people with tight upper, mid and lower back issues after carrying car seats or from putting them on their hips (the pectoral muscles are clenched the whole time). When carrying their baby on the front or back these muscles are free to move."

Carrying your baby helps you psychologically
"Having free hands is quite important psychologically. It makes people feel like they are coping a little better. They can do so much more. When your baby is happy and on you, it makes a difference to your mental health to know that you are managing OK.

Slings are incredibly enabling. I still use my ERGObaby carrier with my three-year-old, and my Moby Wrap was fantastic when my boys were small."



Wearing your baby in the right sling promotes good growth
"If they are in a car seat, they, their spine and their muscles are still. They can move their arms and legs but not terribly much.

Osteopathy is all about movement. When a baby is in a sling, it is constantly being moved around. Muscles are being moved. A body needs movement to grow. In a car seat they aren’t moving. As they can’t move themselves they need to have it done for them which is why baby carrying in a good sling is so important.

A tight sling, like swaddling, is good for a baby. A little compression gives the baby’s muscles something to do and that’s important for growth.

Babies can’t hold their head, neck, spine and pelvic floor themselves so the sling needs to do it. It’s really important that the sling does this well.

Parent-facing in a sling benefits your baby emotionally
"When babies are in carseats, they are not being shielded from anything. They are often at fume-level of cars if in a stroller and overstimulated. It’s important to keep baby inward-facing for the same reason.

Most babies love being carried in a sling. If they aren’t comfortable it’s important to find out why. It could be because of their birth or just that you have the wrong sling.

For babies, it's important to be close to mum for those first nine months. During that time they are still part of you and need the reassurance of a heartbeat, voice and body warmth.

I feel that there are so many advantages to using a sling to carry babies and children. As long as the adult is well advised in the choice of sling and helped when first using it to make sure that the baby is held high and close enough, there should not be any discomfort."



Tomorrow on the blog, Juliana will tell us more about healthy ways to carry our babies.

Remember, we've got offers on for Babywearing Week and a giveaway on our Facebook page to win brilliant sling accessories. Happy Babywearing Week!
Love, Eva.

10 things to do before the baby comes

This may not be the kind of list you fully appreciate until your baby's second or third week. It's certainly not prescriptive. You have enough people with opinions on what you should and shouldn't do from the time you announce that you're pregnant.

Take from it what's useful, smile at the rest and tell us what you think.

1. Turn the television off
There are a lot of programs on at the moment which seem designed to scare women. Turn them off and look for something that helps you think positively about birth and your body. You might consider taking an antenatal class, for instance.

2. Celebrate pregnancy
This will be the only time that you are pregnant with this baby. Why not make a memory of it? There are so many options for celebrating, from bump henna to maternity photoshoots.

3. Consider your birth options
Think about where you'd feel most comfortable giving birth and discuss a “plan” with your birth partner but stay open to change.

4. Sleep!
Enjoy your weekend lie-ins. Any of us with small children miss them.

5. Read
Read about pregnancy and birth, breastfeeding, and the baby months. There's a lot of information out there. Take what feels good to you. Take what makes you feel strong.

6. Stock up on snacks
Specifically, you'll want to have lots of snacks that you can eat one-handed. If you're breastfeeding, you might want to distribute them in places you're likely to be sitting for a while.

7. Get the nursery ready
Even if your baby doesn't end up sleeping there, now is your chance to get it all organised so you're not hunting madly for muslin cloths the first time he brings his milk back up.

8. Find your “tribe”
Think about where your support system is going to be. Parenting, like most things, is better when you've got a community around you.

9. Go to the cinema
Go see something loud. Go out late into the night. It might be a while. That said, look out for mother and baby viewings at your local cinema.

10. Make a baby list
Or look at ours. To save even more time and money, book in a personal shopping slot. We'll take you through everything from bra fitting to sorting a gift list to chatting about appropriate practitioners to support your parenting journey.

To be honest, we could easily have continued this list to two hundred . Ten seemed a good, solid figure to stop at. What would you add?

Six things every parent should know about cloth nappies

Thinking about giving cloth nappies a go but still a little unsure? With our Nappuccino coming up, we thought we'd chat real nappies.

Eva used washables with her own children when they were babies and spends a lot of time thinking about cloth here at Born. She's even written "The Real Nappy Guide" used by councils across the country. So, we'd say she knows a thing or two!

When we asked her to tell us what every parent considering cloth nappies needed to know, she came up with these six golden points:

"1. Changing cloth nappies is easy

They have moved on leaps and bounds from the old-style terry squares, pins and PVC pants that were used a generation ago.

Modern real nappies are fastened with Velcro or poppers, or are shaped so no folding is required and waterproof covers are polyester and breathable.

They can be made from a variety of fabrics including cotton, ultra-absorbent bamboo and hemp or fast drying microfibre.

2. Cloth nappies will save you money (even if you only use them part time!)

On average, you will save £600 using washables over disposable nappies. That's just with the first child. The more children you have that use the nappies, the more you save.

3. Cloth nappies are stylish

There are so many trendy designs of nappies that, nowadays, they are a fashion statement. Brands like itti bitti are sought after for their bright colours, prints and cuddle factor.



 5. A few extra bits can make cloth nappies even easier

There are three parts to a real nappy, 1. The outer waterproof but breathable wrap, 2. the inner absorbent part and 3. the paper liner, usually made from strong but flushable paper.

The only other bits you might need are a nappy bucket and net, and a waterproof bag to store your wet nappies in when out.

 6. Washing cloth nappies is a breeze

Throw away or flush the paper nappy liner. Wet or soiled nappies get stored in a bucket with a lid and transferred to the washing machine for a rinse and spin to flush out the wee. Then put in other whites and wash on a 40 or 60 degree cotton wash. No need to boil!

Those are a few of the really important bits I've picked up along the way!

Love, Eva."



All our nappies are extensively tested by mums and babies who tell us what they really think, so we just know that you'll find something in our selection that suits both your budget and your lifestyle.

Come and meet other cloth nappy mums at our Nappuccinno. It hits our Bristol store on Thursday 14th October, 11.30-1.30. Bring your friends, grab a coffee and ask your hardest nappy questions. You'll meet Andrea from itti bitti and leave with a gorgeous free wet nappy bag, special offers and a couple of hours well-spent.

See our Nappuccino Facebook event for more details.

Essential Trading Bristol Open Day

[caption id="attachment_1307" align="alignleft" width="300"] Pasta Making at the Essential Trading Open Day[/caption]

On Sunday I took Maya and Jacob to the Essential Trading Open day. Essential are a wholesaler of mostly food items but we use them for Natracare, the brilliant Mooncup, Nappy Fresh and a few other non-food items.

Most of the stands were food suppliers and unlike other Trade shows I've taken them too, this time it was them telling me to wait as they took great pleasure in trying out all the samples of chocolate, juices, snacks and other treats.

We watched a pasta making demonstration that took ages - about an hour! Luckily there was a talk on at the same time from Sekem an organic producer in Egypt that I found interesting to listen to. They grow the ingredients for Essentials organic teas.  Whilst I watched the pasta making and listened to the talk I realised why I like coming to these events.  Talking to the suppliers it was clear that the ingredients, the farming, the manufacturing - the whole supply chain is important. Like us they believe that it all DOES make a difference; the appreciation of quality over quantity and all that means to the wellbeing and health of the planet and ourselves.

You can find Essential branded foods in good health food stores (Harvest and Scoopaway on the Gloucester Road). You can find products for you and your baby sourced with love, care and attention from Born.

 

Celebrating the amazing Tripp Trapp

It's great to see that one of our all time favorite products, the Stokke Tripp Trapp, is being celebrated at the prestigious Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The Tripp Trapp is featured in the current MOMA exhibition called 'Century of the Child - growing by design'.  For those of us who can't jump on a plane to NY to see the exhibition here's a great multi media walk through



here is it

The exhibition will bring together areas underrepresented in design history and often considered separately, including school architecture, clothing, playgrounds, toys and games, children’s hospitals and safety equipment, nurseries, furniture, and books.  it's a fascinating look at the products that may well have defined your childhood.

A fantastic image of  two boys dressed in spaceman suits certainly took me back to my own eighth birthday in the 70's and my new silver spaceman suit.

As part of the exhibition tribute is paid to the Tripp Trapp and there's a great video interview with the chairs inventor Peter Opsvik - it's really worth a watch, giving both the thought process behind the chair and a quirky explanation of how the Trapp Trapp gained it's famous name

you can watch the video here!

The exhibition shows some fantastic pieces of past toys and educational pieces, here are just a few!

1. Barbie’s Dream House, 1962, manufactured by Mattel
Here's the original Barbie Dream House from 50 years ago!



2. Teaching Materials conceived by Maria Montessori, 1925
Many children still attend the well-known Montessori-method schools, which developed as an activity-based teaching method that stimulated children’s senses with material objects. This is one of the first original sensory kits.



3. Child’s Rocker, 1970, designed by Gloria Caranica
This great piece still looks fresh and highly desirable.



5. The Bamboozler, 1953, designed by Richard Neagle
This child’s clothes tree is another example of how some pieces aren’t merely design fads and are as coll today as when they were designed (nearly 70years ago)

BBC's Fake Britain feature on ERGObaby counterfeit carriers

Last year I contacted the producers of the BBC TV show Fake Britain because it was clear to me that not only had the infiltration of fake ERGObaby carriers become widespread but people were just not aware of the dangers carrying a baby in a fake carrier posed to their baby.

[caption id="attachment_1198" align="alignleft" width="462" caption="Eva, duped customer who bought a Fake ERGObaby carrier and Researcher filming for Fake Britain in the Stoke Newington Store"][/caption]

The researcher took me up on the offer for support with making the feature and we filmed part of it at the Stoke Newington shop earlier this year. Here's us filming with a customer who inadvertently bought one online.

 

If you think you may have bought a Fake ERGObaby carrier read this Blog I wrote last October that explains what to look out for.

The program will be shown on BBC1 at 9.15 on Monday 28th of May, but if you missed it you can watch it on BBC iplayer at 32 minutes in.

To find an authorised UK retailer see www.ergobaby.eu

Or call their helpline on +353 818 227 069