Babywearing has been practised for centuries as a practical and hands-free way for parents to carry and settle babies, including while caring for older children.
Experts are calling on the Government to introduce safety standards for baby carriers and clear advice for parents after injuries in New Zealand and deaths in Australia and the United States.
As talk of the practice of babywearing surges on social media and among new parents, figures from ACC reveal dozens of claims every year for injuries related to baby carriers, slings and wraps in New Zealand.
Most are for adults who injure themselves, but eight ACC claims so far this year are for injured infants or toddlers and last year there were 11.
Louise Tanguay is the founder of Auckland-based The Sleep Store, an award-winning online shop that offers sleep advice and baby products.
One of the store’s most popular product categories is baby carriers – a search on her site brings up more than 100 products – but Tanguay told the Herald she’s increasingly worried by the unsafe baby carrying she’s seen rising on TikTok.
She is calling for the Government to introduce safety standards in New Zealand, similar to those for car seats and cots; as well as more education around how a baby should be safely positioned, ensuring their airways are always visible.
“Social media has definitely normalised and made it very visible that people can go about their days ... and keep their baby close,” Tanguay told the Herald.
“There’s so much unsafe babywearing being shown on social media, without checking baby’s airways are clear. It’s common to see the baby carrier right over baby’s head.”
She recently sent a private message to a well-known Kiwi influencer after seeing them carrying their baby unsafely in a video – the infant’s face was covered.
They didn’t respond, but their child has been shown in a safer position since then.
Tanguay has been distressed by baby carrier-related tragedies reported overseas, and she’s been training staff on the safety message around babywearing since reading about them.
“I think it was the one in Australia that really made me think: ‘We sell carriers. What should we be doing?’ I get upset,” she said, tearing up.
In that 2019 Australian case, an Australian mum taking her 3-week-old baby for a postnatal check-up found him dead in a horrifying scene when she unwrapped him from a sling to hand him to a nurse for his examination.
A coroner later said the baby had most likely suffocated to death while pressed against the fabric sling.
Despite CPR, the boy could not be saved. The sling manufacturer was cleared of any liability over the child’s death.
That was one of at least five deaths in Australia related to baby slings or carriers since 2004, and there have been many more in the US.
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At the same time, babywearing using cloth wraps, capes, baskets, and cloaks has been common across many cultures for centuries.
It can be a practical and hands-free way for parents to carry and settle their babies, or care for older children while keeping their baby close.
Plunket encourages babywearing in New Zealand, saying it helps ease strain on parents’ arms and lower backs as they carry their babies.
Plunket praises carriers for giving parents lots of skin-to-skin contact with their babies, suggests carriers can strengthen the bond between caregivers and babies, points out that carriers let babies see the world from up high, and that the walking and rocking motions may help babies fall asleep more easily.
As a result of the Australian baby boy’s death in 2019, New South Wales Health updated its babywearing advice and started promoting the Ticks rule to help parents remember the safety message.
Ticks stands for Tight – hold baby tight and high, In view – baby must be seen by the parent at all times, Close – baby should be close enough to kiss, Keep – baby’s chin off their chest, and Supported – the baby’s back should be supported in a natural position.
Ticks has been adopted in New Zealand by Whānau Āwhina Plunket as official advice on safe babywearing practice.
But still, there are no official regulations.
Consumer NZ has warned people not to use a “bag sling” for babies – a bag-shaped sling with a narrow strap that is banned in some countries for being a suffocation risk.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) also advises against using them.
Consumer NZ also publishes a baby carrier buying guide. It advises parents to look for the US standard ASTM F2236 or EU standard EN 13209-2 to ensure their carrier has been rigorously tested.
Tanguay would like to see New Zealand formally recognise the European Union and US safety standards for baby carriers – which would also prevent the importation of unsafe baby carriers from overseas.
“New Zealand families should have confidence that the baby carrier they buy is tested and safe.”
In the meantime, Tanguay has established the charity Babywearing Aotearoa, which helps parents learn about babywearing safety.
Coralie Archer is the national co-ordinator and the face behind the group’s popular TikTok page, which features video demonstrations of many types of slings and carriers.
Both Tanguay and Archer have trained with the Centre for Babywearing Studies based in New York. As part of that training, they had to read coroners’ reports from the US into the deaths of babies in carrier-related incidents.
Their advice for parents choosing a carrier includes buying from a retailer who ensures their carriers meet international safety standards.
They also say the carrier should support a baby in a natural in-arms position, with hips supported.
“We would like to see regulation passed in New Zealand, requiring carriers sold here to meet an international safety standard,” said Tanguay.
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