Are slings safe for newborns?

Slings and carriers are absolutely safe to use with newborns, even early or low birth weight babies, as long as:

• the sling or carrier is suitable for newborns

• your baby is positioned upright with clear airways

We strongly recommend seeing a babywearing consultant before purchasing a sling or carrier so you can try on a variety of options and learn how to monitor your baby's safety. You are welcome to book with us for either an in person or online consultation, or you can find your nearest consultant.

If you are ever unsure about your baby's safety, you can book a £5 Fit Check which can be in person with us or online via Zoom.

The main method of checking safety in a sling is using TICKS and that is what most people have heard of.

Here at MotherRucker we prefer the Circle of Safety as we find it more intuitive, it starts with the airways and it works for all positions of carrying. I go into this in more detail with my YouTube video all about safety and positioning in slings and carriers.

Whichever method you decide to use to keep your child safe, it can all be boiled down to 3 key points which give us the GOOD ENOUGH carry. Not every carry will be Insta perfect, but as long as it is GOOD ENOUGH then it's ok.

• Baby is breathing

• Baby is secure

• Wearer is comfortable

As long as all 3 of those conditions are met, then your baby is being safely carried. Babies may shift whilst being carried so you will need to keep checking that they're breathing and that they're secure as you wear them.

TICKS

Created by the UK Sling Consortium, TICKS is an easy acronym for families to use to help keep their baby safe.

• TIGHT

• IN VIEW AT ALL TIMES

• CLOSE ENOUGH TO KISS

• KEEP CHIN OFF CHEST

• SUPPORTED BACK

Circle of Safety

The Circle of Safety is easier for parents to learn and is more intuitive than TICKS. It also begins with your child's airways because if they're not breathing it doesn't matter if they're close enough to kiss! The Circle of Safety also works when back carrying ensuring your child is as safe as they can be at all times.