How Long is it Safe to Carry a Baby in a Carrier?

Key Takeaways

• There’s no strict time limit for babywearing; as long as both you and your baby are comfortable and the carrier fits safely, you can continue for as long as it feels right.
• Safety should always come first, so keep your baby upright, snug, and supported in the hip-healthy M position, with their face visible and airways clear at all times.
• As your baby grows and develops, their needs will change, so be sure to take breaks for feeding, play, and movement, and transition to back carrying once they can sit independently.
• Always be mindful of temperature and your own posture; your carrier acts as a layer of clothing, so dress appropriately, choose breathable fabrics, and adjust for ergonomic comfort.

Baby carriers make life easier for parents, allowing you to comfortably carry your little one while keeping your hands free. Beyond convenience, baby-wearing can also help strengthen your bond with your child, with immense overarching benefits for both of you.

It's reasonable to wonder how long you can baby-wear safely and comfortably. If you're following baby-wearing best practices and using an appropriate carrier for you and your baby's developmental stage, you can have your baby in the carrier for as long as you are both comfortable.

There are no official time limits, but you do need to pay attention to markers of safety. Additionally, your baby's development and your lifestyle may also impact how much time they should spend in the carrier, or how often you should take breaks. In this post, we'll cover it all, so you can find the right balance for you.

Table Of Contents

1. Benefits of Baby Carriers
2. Health and Safety for Long Baby-Wearing Periods
3. Other Factors Influencing Carrying Duration
4. Baby-Wear Safely for as Long as You Like

Benefits of Baby Carriers

Baby carriers offer immense physical, emotional and mental benefits to both caregivers and babies.

Soothing and Bonding: Baby carrying facilitates close contact and connection between caregivers and babies, which is incredibly beneficial for soothing your baby. Studies show carrying can reduce baby crying by 43% and that it promotes more secure attachment in the long term.

Hip-Healthy: Studies show that baby-wearing in the hip-safe M position may reduce the risk of hip dysplasia.

Ergonomic and Hands-Free Carrying: For parents, hands-free carrying offers a lot of convenience. The right carrier will protect your body by healthily distributing your child's weight. It'll allow you to participate in activities, do chores, or tend to other children easily while maintaining your bond with your baby.

Promotes Breastfeeding: A well-designed baby carrier offers the option to breastfeed while baby wearing, which can be more convenient when out and about. Please note that it is important, however, if adjustments are made to the carrier to accommodate for breastfeeding, that the baby is repositioned into the correct, upright, safe position after breastfeeding and the carrier is adjusted back to the original fit.

Engage With The World: As your little one gets a little older, baby-wearing allows them to gain exposure to new experiences while being held close and securely in contact with you, which allows you to explore, discover, and reinforce new experiences together.

Health and Safety for Long Baby-Wearing Periods

If you're planning to have your baby in the carrier for long periods, it's incredibly important that you know all of the safety guidelines:

• When initially securing your child in the carrier, make sure the fit is tight and secure, with your baby positioned high enough that you can kiss the top of their head. Be aware that certain carriers or baby carrier wraps may begin to sag or loosen after longer periods of wearing. If this occurs, be sure to lift your baby up, reposition higher, and tighten the carrier back up to achieve a secure fit.

• Babies should be sitting with their legs in the M-position, meaning with their bottom in a deep seat and their knees positioned higher than their bottom, to create an M-shape. Check periodically that your child's position hasn't shifted when baby-wearing for a long time.

• Your baby's face should be visible at all times without anything obstructing their airways. Check frequently when baby-wearing for longer periods of time, especially in the early months and ensure that your baby's chin is lifted up off its chest as opposed to tilted forward and down, which could potentially restrict airflow.

• Make sure your baby has appropriate head and neck support, especially if they haven't developed their head control yet. Wearing the carrier correctly, ensuring that the carrier fully supports your baby’s back with the top panel positioned at the mid ear or at least the nape of the neck, should provide sufficient head and neck control. If you are bending, turning, reaching, or moving about more quickly, be sure to provide added support of your baby’s, especially with newborns, by palacing your hand behind your baby’s neck. If your baby falls asleep after wearing for a long period of time, you can make use of the extra head and neck support options provided by the carrier. However still be aware not to cover baby’s face and airways.

• Be aware of temperature regulation. Babies are not able to regulate their body temperature and even up to their first year of life, temperature regulation is still developing. It is important therefore to make sure that the carrier is made from breathable materials, and consider your local climate when choosing fabrics and dressing yourself and your baby. Think of the carrier as a layer of clothing. Throughout the day, be aware of the temperature so as to dress your baby accordingly and avoid overheating in the carrier. Signs of overheating would be hot skin, flushed or pale skin, excessive sweating, damp hair, rapid breathing, fussiness, irritability.

For a more in-depth guide on how to use a carrier, review our baby-wearing 101 guide or check out our video tutorials. Wildbird offers free virtual babywearing consultations and fittings. Feel free to schedule an appointment here.

Other Factors Influencing Carrying Duration

While basic safety is key, here are other factors that may play a role in how long your baby can be in the carrier.

Baby's Age and Development

Newborns (0-3 months)

Your newborn can be worn in a carrier for extended periods as long as you are still attending to the baby's needs of feeding. A newborn typically needs to be fed every 2 hours.  The topic of breastfeeding in the carrier often comes up. Breastfeeding and babywearing are two separate skills that need to be learned and practiced. It is important to gain confidence in each skill separately before combining them.  It is crucial that a baby is repositioned to an upright position in the carrier after nursing. Refer to our blog post on how to successfully breastfeed in a carrier, where this is discussed in more depth. 

The Aerial buckle wrap is a wonderful option to consider in this newborn phase, as it is designed with the newborn in mind and is intended for full-term babies under 15lbs. The ring sling is also a great option for wearing your newborn.

WildBird recommends caregivers always consider their baby's overall size and readiness to ensure a safe and comfortable fit. Baby's head and airways should sit above top panel of the carrier.

Infants (3-6 months)

Babies at this age become more aware of their surroundings and babywearing can become a wonderful tool to incorporate into more of your daily activities. Wearing your baby throughout the day with more frequent breaks, allowing for increased play and tummy time is also encouraged. Keeping essentials close, like a pacifier clip set, can make those transitions even smoother.

The Aerial Buckle Carrier is a good option during this phase, as it is recommended from 2 months of age up to 24 months. Caregivers should always consider their baby's overall size and readiness to ensure a safe and comfortable fit. Baby's mid-ear and airways should sit above top panel of the carrier. If your baby does not yet meet this recommended position in the carrier, then the Aerial Buckle Wrap might be better suited until your baby has grown a little more.

Older Babies (6-12 months)

At this age range, your baby may spend less time in the carrier as they learn to crawl and eventually stand and walk. You'll want to alternate carrying them and letting them down to explore and move freely. Since they'll be a little larger, taking breaks for your comfort and physical safety is also very important.

That said, you can still use the baby carrier, especially when out and about, or when your baby is tired and needs some comfort and more contact with you. Contact naps work well in the carrier as well as breastfeeding on the go as long as baby is repositioned to the upright position in the carrier after breastfeeding.

A great option at this age is to back carry. Having a carrier that can adjust to a back carrying position is very useful from 6 months when your baby is sitting independently. The Aerial Buckle Carrier has this adaptability and can be a great option for hiking or cooking.

Toddlers (12+ months)

The need for a baby carrier doesn't disappear, even once your child reaches toddlerhood or learns to walk! Depending on your physical health and strength, it might be difficult to baby-wear for long periods of time, so having an ergonomic carrier is especially important for a comfortable experience for both you and your baby.

The Aerial Buckle Carrier is designed to accommodate babies from 2-24months and has the option to back carry as already mentioned, so is a great option in this toddler stage. The Ring Sling is a quick go to for short up and down carries and has a weight capacity up to 35lbs so it can also be a good choice of carrier during this phase.

Baby's Mood and Activity Level

Babywearing can assist with regulating baby's mood and emotions. Keeping baby held close in a carrier can help to calm and soothe a tired or fussy baby as you go about your day. Gently rocking or swaying can help baby fall asleep for a contact nap in the carrier. 

It can also help to activate your baby by engaging in a more playful activity such as dancing around the house while wearing baby close to you, playing a game with other siblings or going on a hike and engaging with nature and communicating with your lil one about the sights you see and senses you feel.

It is important to be aware of your baby's cues, so if he starts to fuss in the carrier, he may be hungry, tired, hot or uncomfortable. If some movement like walking or rocking while in the carrier doesn't help, its a good idea to take him of the carrier to identify the reason for fussing. Respond to that need (perhaps remove a layer of clothing, burp, feed or check for a diaper change) and possibly allow for some down time out of the carrier (maybe some tummy time) before bringing your baby back into the carrier.

Weather

Prolonged baby-wearing may not be comfortable in extreme weather. Always check your little one for signs of overheating, especially if it's a hot day or if it's a cold day and you're both wearing a lot of layers. Take your baby out of the carrier if you think they're too hot or too cold so you can make the necessary adjustments. A good tip to remember is that your carrier acts as a layer of clothing and you will also give off body heat while babywearing, so take this into account when dressing your little one and in your choice of clothing too.

Caregiver's Comfort

You might experience strain and fatigue if you don't consider your own well-being when baby-wearing. Carriers with sturdy shoulder straps and waist belts offer a much more ergonomic fit that's more suitable for prolonged use, especially as your baby gets heavier. Spend time fitting and adjusting the carrier so it fits your body snugly and distributes your child's weight evenly. Being aware of your own posture while babywearing and taking breaks and doing small stretches between carrying your little one can be helpful. Also being aware of how you bend and lift objects while babywearing is important. Be sure to bend at the knees to avoid extra strain on your back.

Type of Carrier

Technically, the type of carrier isn't necessarily a factor; however, it is important that it is Hip Dysplasia Institute-approved, follows safety regulations, and suits your baby’s developmental stage and readiness to be worn. There are, however, a few aspects of different carriers that may impact comfort during prolonged wearing:

• Ring Slings and Wraps may need more frequent adjusting. As your little one grows, you may also find that baby-wearing in a wrap or sling for a long time puts strain on your back and shoulders due to lack of a waist belt or lack of lumber support.
• Buckle wraps or soft structured carriers are usually more suitable for longer periods of babywearing, as they're less likely to need adjusting and they provide parents with better back and shoulder support.

Baby-Wear Safely for as Long as You Like

There are no set recommended limits on the length of time you can babywear, as long as you use a safe, hip-healthy carrier, follow the babywearing safety guidelines and recommendations for the carrier, and consider your baby's readiness and developmental stage. It is also important that you regularly check in with your baby to ensure he is positioned safely and correctly in the carrier with head and airways always visible (refer to TICKS safety rules for babywearing). At WildBird, we've set you up for baby-wearing success with our flexible range of baby-wearing options!

From our Ring Sling and Aerial Buckle Wrap to the Aerial Buckle Carrier, all of our designs are CPSIA and ASTM-compliant and acknowledged as 'Hip-Healthy' by the Hip Dysplasia Institute. To keep your baby comfortable, they're made with breathable, temperature-regulating natural materials like 100% linen or our custom CloudBlend™ blend.

Whether your baby likes to spend hours in the carrier or is constantly in and out, any one of our carriers will support you throughout your baby-wearing journey!