Can I wear my baby facing out?
If you are in a hurry…
This is a posture that we do not recommend because the baby needs to see the reactions of his parents. In front carrying, the baby is left to himself and to the great stimulation of what surrounds him. Opt for a hip or back carry instead, to satisfy his curiosity.
A major topic of debate in the world of babywearing. We take the floor on this divisive topic.
This is a posture that we don't really recommend because the baby needs to see the reactions of his parents (who interprets the world around him). The parent also needs to see his baby and analyze his state of fatigue. This is more difficult in front of the world because it does not allow eye contact. Baby is left to himself and to the great stimulation of what surrounds him without benefiting from the filtering of the gaze and facial expressions of the carrier.
With his poor visual acuity, baby will not be able to analyze the numerous visual stimuli in front of him, especially those he does not know. In fact, let's take a look at the visual acuity of a baby from 4 to 12 months, before he can walk.
4 months: baby has a visual acuity of 1/15 and a visual field of 110°. Baby perceives small objects at 50 cm from him
6 months to 1 year: visual acuity increases to 1/10 and his visual field to 180°, baby sees all the colors and distinguishes well the objects close to him but only the forms concerning the distant objects
He cannot therefore really analyze all this world in front of him as we imagine.
Even if he manages to fall asleep in this hyperstimulation, his head will be unsupported and his chin will fall against his chest, which does not favor breathing/ventilation.
In addition, in this position, baby has difficulty having his back rolled up. In some baby carriers, the knees are not always higher than the buttocks and the pelvis is not tilted enough. The hands and forearms are always open and not contained/gathered. Baby will not be able to reassure himself by putting them in his mouth. Putting the hands to the mouth is an important psychomotor function in the development of the baby.
Clearly, this carrying position does not really respect the baby's physiology (except for certain baby carriers that seem to be specially designed to be physiological even in this position).
If you still want to do it, we advise you to use this position:
Only indoors, in a quiet place, for example to eat with your family, do activities at home.
Not in places where there is a lot of activity
Only for a short time, not for long periods (20 min)
You must also be very attentive to the child's signs of possible stimulation that would make him/her uncomfortable
You know your child and will be able to see if this is appropriate for him or her.
At a certain point, it is certain that the baby becomes curious and wants to discover the world. It is necessary to satisfy his curiosity with the positions vertical seated or on the side in a sling or on the side/back in a physiological baby carrier. Baby will be able to turn his head and observe and then lean against the carrier when rest is needed. These positions are also very comfortable for the carrier.
Discover the physiological positions recommended for babies in all our babywearing tutorials.
(press the english subtitles)
To go further :
What is a physiological position for babywearing?
This is a posture that we do not recommend because the baby needs to see the reactions of his parents. In front carrying, the baby is left to himself and to the great stimulation of what surrounds him. Opt for a hip or back carry instead, to satisfy his curiosity.
A major topic of debate in the world of babywearing. We take the floor on this divisive topic.
Babywearing facing out: yes or no?
This is a posture that we don't really recommend because the baby needs to see the reactions of his parents (who interprets the world around him). The parent also needs to see his baby and analyze his state of fatigue. This is more difficult in front of the world because it does not allow eye contact. Baby is left to himself and to the great stimulation of what surrounds him without benefiting from the filtering of the gaze and facial expressions of the carrier.
With his poor visual acuity, baby will not be able to analyze the numerous visual stimuli in front of him, especially those he does not know. In fact, let's take a look at the visual acuity of a baby from 4 to 12 months, before he can walk.
4 months: baby has a visual acuity of 1/15 and a visual field of 110°. Baby perceives small objects at 50 cm from him
6 months to 1 year: visual acuity increases to 1/10 and his visual field to 180°, baby sees all the colors and distinguishes well the objects close to him but only the forms concerning the distant objects
He cannot therefore really analyze all this world in front of him as we imagine.
Even if he manages to fall asleep in this hyperstimulation, his head will be unsupported and his chin will fall against his chest, which does not favor breathing/ventilation.
In addition, in this position, baby has difficulty having his back rolled up. In some baby carriers, the knees are not always higher than the buttocks and the pelvis is not tilted enough. The hands and forearms are always open and not contained/gathered. Baby will not be able to reassure himself by putting them in his mouth. Putting the hands to the mouth is an important psychomotor function in the development of the baby.
Clearly, this carrying position does not really respect the baby's physiology (except for certain baby carriers that seem to be specially designed to be physiological even in this position).
Yes, but if I want to carry my baby facing out, what do I do?
If you still want to do it, we advise you to use this position:
Only indoors, in a quiet place, for example to eat with your family, do activities at home.
Not in places where there is a lot of activity
Only for a short time, not for long periods (20 min)
You must also be very attentive to the child's signs of possible stimulation that would make him/her uncomfortable
You know your child and will be able to see if this is appropriate for him or her.
Alternatives to facing out carry
At a certain point, it is certain that the baby becomes curious and wants to discover the world. It is necessary to satisfy his curiosity with the positions vertical seated or on the side in a sling or on the side/back in a physiological baby carrier. Baby will be able to turn his head and observe and then lean against the carrier when rest is needed. These positions are also very comfortable for the carrier.
Discover the physiological positions recommended for babies in all our babywearing tutorials.
(press the english subtitles)
To go further :
What is a physiological position for babywearing?
Updated on: 26/11/2024
Thank you!