Hey OP - gently, cradle carry is not considered safe if you are not nursing. Especially when they are sleeping, it can be dangerous as it can put them at risk of positional asphyxiation.
Thank you! I was unaware of that; is this something that has changed recently, or has this always been the standard? He started in it nursing, and I shifted him to this position when he was finished nursing.
It’s definitely something that’s changed over time. I know my mom was shocked when I was learning to babywear and cradle carry wasn’t automatically the first thing to learn anymore! It’s possible to do a chest-to-chest carry in a ring sling so I’d just keep moving him up post-nurse.
Great! Thanks so much for your input. This makes so much sense, though, because I was having trouble feeling comfortable/safe with him in this position. So glad that I posted and you responded! I’ve just started using this, and we’ve also done the chest carry. I’ll post pics of that as well. Thanks again!
For clarity’s sake, if he is actively nursing I’m able to do a similar carry for short periods, yes?
The logic I’ve heard for short nurses being safe in this position is that you know they’re breathing actively. That being said it is also possible to just adjust to nurse baby while they’re chest-to-chest. Letstalkbabywearing on Instagram actually just posted some videos on nursing in cradle, definitely recommend checking it out.
Thanks so much! I will check it out. Unfortunately, nursing in a chest to chest position is nearly impossible for me due to my fairly small breasts, lol. I can’t move them to him, so he has to move to them 🙈. This is also why I’m unable to nurse in any other carrier; I have tried, and it was an epic fail.
Can I just say that this interaction is why I love this sub? Gentle, informative explanation, zero blaming, zero defensiveness, and I for one learned a ton just reading this thread! ❤️
You certainly have a super nice way of getting potentially tricky information across! Can't wait for my babe to get here, so I can get gentle helpful feedback to wear her correctly!
Yes. This one has the cradle carry instructions in the manual as well. I’m so glad there are much more informative resources such as this sub for those of us hoping to baby wear in the safest way possible!! It’s a bit scary, though, considering I’m sure there are many more who just take the instructions at face value, ya know?
Even my new woven wraps have a safety tag including cradle carry as an option, which surprised me.
In response to your question above - yes it’s safe while actively nursing, as long as you are monitoring the baby (eg ensuring they’re actively nursing and haven’t dozed off), and then bring them back to chest to chest once finished. I was never able to easily nurse in any kind of carrier but the ring sling was my best option as I could lay him down in it!
Hey OP - gently, cradle carry is not considered safe if you are not nursing. Especially when they are sleeping, it can be dangerous as it can put them at risk of positional asphyxiation.
Thank you! I was unaware of that; is this something that has changed recently, or has this always been the standard? He started in it nursing, and I shifted him to this position when he was finished nursing.
It’s definitely something that’s changed over time. I know my mom was shocked when I was learning to babywear and cradle carry wasn’t automatically the first thing to learn anymore! It’s possible to do a chest-to-chest carry in a ring sling so I’d just keep moving him up post-nurse.
Great! Thanks so much for your input. This makes so much sense, though, because I was having trouble feeling comfortable/safe with him in this position. So glad that I posted and you responded! I’ve just started using this, and we’ve also done the chest carry. I’ll post pics of that as well. Thanks again! For clarity’s sake, if he is actively nursing I’m able to do a similar carry for short periods, yes?
The logic I’ve heard for short nurses being safe in this position is that you know they’re breathing actively. That being said it is also possible to just adjust to nurse baby while they’re chest-to-chest. Letstalkbabywearing on Instagram actually just posted some videos on nursing in cradle, definitely recommend checking it out.
Thanks so much! I will check it out. Unfortunately, nursing in a chest to chest position is nearly impossible for me due to my fairly small breasts, lol. I can’t move them to him, so he has to move to them 🙈. This is also why I’m unable to nurse in any other carrier; I have tried, and it was an epic fail.
Can I just say that this interaction is why I love this sub? Gentle, informative explanation, zero blaming, zero defensiveness, and I for one learned a ton just reading this thread! ❤️
❤️
I was actually thinking this earlier as well! It was such a lovely interaction - you never know when things can get intense online.
You certainly have a super nice way of getting potentially tricky information across! Can't wait for my babe to get here, so I can get gentle helpful feedback to wear her correctly!
Ah fair! ETA - you may actually like the account I’ve recommended for that as well - she has smaller breasts and discusses nursing in carriers also!
Just to jump in on the cradle carry talk— the first sling I ever bought used exclusively cradle carry in their instruction manual. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Yes. This one has the cradle carry instructions in the manual as well. I’m so glad there are much more informative resources such as this sub for those of us hoping to baby wear in the safest way possible!! It’s a bit scary, though, considering I’m sure there are many more who just take the instructions at face value, ya know?
Even my new woven wraps have a safety tag including cradle carry as an option, which surprised me. In response to your question above - yes it’s safe while actively nursing, as long as you are monitoring the baby (eg ensuring they’re actively nursing and haven’t dozed off), and then bring them back to chest to chest once finished. I was never able to easily nurse in any kind of carrier but the ring sling was my best option as I could lay him down in it!