Elizabeth Noble, PT and Leo Sorger, M.D.

Carriers on the back are the most comfortable for the parent. However, for the first couple of months, before your baby gains head control, you may prefer him or her in a front pack. In reality, most infants can go on the back if they sink right down in the carrier, as they typically do. Let out the straps so that the baby sits around your waist, taking his or her weight near your center of gravity. Most people place the back pack too high: instead have the baby ride you as you would ride a horse.

Supporting your baby on one hip causes your spine to twist in compensation. Similarly, carrying your baby over one shoulder increases the hollow in your lower back. Avoid using these positions on a regular basis.

When lifting Baby out of the back seat of a two-door car, climb in and sit beside the infant seat. Lift your baby on to your lap and emerge as a unit, supporting Baby from his or her base.

The side rails of a crib drop only part way and you must reach over the top. Take a wide stance and raise your back leg with your knee straight to keep your spinal alignment.

The baby, when lifted conventionally, is a dead weight dangling from the armpits, with the ribcage squeezed and no possibility of using either the trunk or limbs.A child who through infancy is lifted, supported (and thus affirmed) from his or her base, as illustrated, develops an expanded sense of his or her self through the body. Amazingly a baby held at his or her base can and will hold the spine and head erect-from the moment of birth. It may take a few minutes, but rest assured that a head has never fallen off! Dads, being stronger, can hold babies much longer in this position, but Moms who learn to lift Baby from his or her base are spared wrist and thumb pain, which is treated commonly by physical therapy. When Baby is supported under the buttocks, postural reflexes keep him or her upright making it much easier for you, the parents.

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