Children not carried correctly in slings have greater chances of suffocation. Yet, supporters of babywearing tout its benefits, including better bonding between mother and child. So, what should you pay attention to?

Some parents still are not aware of the risks of using slings. Australia had its first sling-related infant death recently, and as a result, the Australian Competition and Consumer Committee (ACCC) issued a safety warning. According to newspaper The Age, a mother was carrying her 2-day-old boy in a sling under her clothing and noticed he went cold and stopped breathing. As a result, the ACCC is also developing safety standards for baby slings.

Slings and other similar baby carriers are popular alternatives to strollers. Nevertheless, carriers in which the baby faces forward to pose some risks, and a few basic points need to be kept in mind. A child should never have his chin and chest touching and his mouth or nose should never be covered. The New York Times’ Motherload gives some more points to watch for:

• A baby in a sling must be in the same position as in your arms once you let go. A baby should never move away from the parent once in the sling.
• A parent should be able to kiss the baby’s head without bending his or her neck.
• The carrier needs to be tight enough so that no space is between the parent and baby.
• A baby’s face must always be visible.
• Parents should not feel back or neck pain when using slings. Otherwise, the carrier is being worn incorrectly.

If you need better visualization of how to put on and wrap a baby in a sling and how to carry your child, watch the video below for a few babywearing methods:

When a mother leaving a baby in a stroller outside of a restaurant for 10 minutes makes the news and babywearing is a growing trend, where’s the middle ground for being watchful of your child without being overprotective, indulgent, or selfish?

Parents may never know, but a child health expert out of Australia gave them another facet to worry about: carrying children forward. So, what’s the big deal? According to Professor Catherine Fowler, sourced in a Daily Mail piece, a child “suffers” in such a position and may later turn into an anxious adult:

“Imagine if you were strapped to someone’s chest with your legs and arms flailing, heading with no control into a busy shopping center – it would be terrifying. Outward-facing baby carriers and prams give babies a bombardment of stimulus, creating a very stressful situation. In not considering our baby’s perspective, we are inadvertently quite cruel to children.”

Who knew that such a slight action could scar a child into adulthood? But not everyone is impressed. In fact, other experts cited in the Daily Mail’s piece are incredulous to Fowler’s statements and, rather, think that a child facing its mother all the time gets bored.

Parents may never find the fine line between suffering and boredom for their children, but some are getting on board with the theory that a child close to and facing its mother bonds well. Babywearing is the result. Profiled in a piece in The Lufkin Times, babywearing allows a child to be close to its mother at all times, helping with bonding, and her hands are free to do ordinary tasks. Additional supposed assets of babywearing include calming fussy or colicky babies, less crying, and a more restful child.

Regardless of which experts you agree with, there are many options for baby carriers, including wraps, slings, and even strollers, that allow a child to face forward or backward.

What’s the best way to carry a baby? Some parents ardently say that having a baby closer to you is beneficial for their development, while others argue that strollers are safer for a child. The argument in favor of infant slings focuses on the relationship between parent and child, specifically that when a child is physically closer to their parent, they build a stronger bond. Other benefits include helping fussy babies adjust better and having a baby in a better position for breastfeeding. However, a recent news item regarding a recall of Infantino baby slings may be a slight blow to this preference for taking a child around.

The news item mentions that baby products manufacturer Infantino recalled one million baby slings sold between 2003 and the present due to three related deaths. The specific models being recalled are the Wendy Bellissimo and the SlingRider, both of which will be replaced at some point with better designed slings. Parents who own these products are told to stop using them immediately, mainly as the issue prompting the recall focuses on babies inside the sling being suffocated. This can occur when even a piece of cloth blocks a child’s airway for more than one to two minutes.

Suffocation is a significant risk to babies who are four months old and younger. As explained in the linked article above, a baby should be kept in a certain position inside the sling to prevent any suffocation. In this case, as displayed by the pictures accompanying the article, the ideal way is for the child to have a flat back and to be somewhat upright. Positions that may result in suffocation are having the child face you or having him or her in a curled position. Both will result in a child’s airways being blocked.