January 26, 2006
When buying a Baby Carrier, consider the Leg Position the carrier provides.
Very often parents who want to carry their child in carrying devices are warned that it may cause spinal damage, especially if they want to start carrying before the child is able to sit unaided. A longitudinal study of the carrying methods of 192 children (Kirkilionis, 1989, 1992,), demonstrated that the daily duration of carrying and the start of carrying showed no relationship between carrying in the upright position and an increase in postural damage.
The study continued to follow the children to the age of 4 (Kirkilionis 1994a). The number of postural abnormalities in the children of the study did not exceed the percentage of such abnormalities in the children at school starting age. This showed that the fear of postural damage is unfounded.
Quite often there were questions regarding back problems for the mothers in the questionnaires. The strain on the back, which increases naturally with the growing weight of the child, intensifies previously present back problems of the mothers or develops them at that time. This is especially the case if the weight of the child is relatively high when the mother starts carrying. It is therefore a good idea for these parents to start carrying early, because the lower early weight of a baby limits the strain on the carrying person. The mother can slowly become accustomed to the increasing demand on her body by the growing weight of her child. This results in a kind of firming of the body that at least reduces the strain of carrying.
When carrying the baby in an upright position, the baby's hips should always be straddled around the wearer's body. The legs should be pulled up at a 90-degree angle. This is only possible if the carrier crotch piece is wide enough so that it will reach the hollow of the baby's knees. The legs are pulled up to support the baby's body and balance. When the baby's knees are pulled up to a 90-degree angle, the baby's legs are spread between a 90 and 120-degree angle around the wearer's body. This agrees with the baby's anatomical make up and supports proper hip development.
According to research by Dr. Jeffrey Hull, the best hip and hip joint position is with the knees up and away from the centerline, also called the frog leg position.
The Ergobaby Carrier was designed with this extensive research in mind, thus the name "Ergo" for ergonomically correct.
The statements by Dr. Evelin Kirkilionis of the University Freiburg, are excerpted from her book, "A Baby Wants to be Carried."