Babywearing has been proven to promote bonding and allows many freedoms in everyday life. Therefore, there are hardly any parents who do not own a carrier.
It is important to adapt to the different needs of the child and the wearer. In the beginning, the very small ones have to be taken care of - with a soft, elastic sling or a suitable carrier that is small enough. Later when head control is there and the children become more robust, the carrier too will change, used daily it now belongs to the standard kit.
However, as the end of the first year approaches, the little ones are no longer so small and light. This means that you can no longer look over your child so easily and see what is in your path. Your child becomes heavier in front of your body and some children are bored because they can't see a lot of what's going on around them.
This is the ideal time to try back-carrying, because it allows you to continue carrying in a very relaxed way for both of you until your child is walking safely.
The advantages of carrying your child on your back are great:
- it is much easier to carry the weight on your back
- you have a clear view of the front
- less risk of tripping on unsafe paths
- your child is in your line of sight and can see more of the surroundings - many children find that they enjoy carrying their child again!
- don't worry, even if they can NOT look over your shoulder, they have more visibility from the side than if they are carried in front and look backwards - you know the effect when you ride backwards on a train.
The following tips can help you when switching to the back:
- practice: practice with a stuffed animal or doll in the carrier until you know the moves
- well rested and ready to go: the first attempts with a child should be positive for both of you, so try it when your child is well-rested, full and ready to go, then he or she will be open to new things
- practice on the bed: a good option is to practice on the bed, this gives you the security of knowing that nothing can happen to your child if you put him or her out of sight
- mirror or partner: the first few times it makes sense to be together or to check in the mirror that your child is sitting well, you will then develop a sense of how to do it properly, which will help you later when you are alone or without a mirror
In addition to "How do I get my child on the back properly", your own attitude will be especially important. Don't be afraid to stop seeing your child when he or she is on your back - you will certainly find ways to communicate with each other. After all, you are still closely connected. And once you've tried it a few times, it will open up a whole new carrying experience for you and your child that will stay with you into toddlerhood.
And when everything is in place and you want to get out? It's easy: grab your mamalila jacket, remove the hood and zip the baby insert into the back zip - and then swing:
The easiest way is to swing the jacket to the side or over your head and let it slide over your baby. Make sure the neck opening on the insert is suitably wide open. You will know the adjustment once you have done it once. For older children or in the beginning, you can increase the head opening by not zipping the insert all the way up.
Alternatively, you can put the jacket with baby insert over your baby when he or she is still sitting on your hip. Then slip the baby and jacket onto your back and close the carrier as usual. The jacket is already hanging over your baby, you just have to slip into the sleeves.
If you are wearing a sling you can also put the jacket over your baby before you swing him onto your back.
Here is also a video tutorial that shows you the different techniques, it's not that complicated 😉
Is everything in place?
For a check-up if everything fits, ask someone to take a look, if you are alone use the selfie function of your smartphone or a mirror. After a few practices you'll get the hang of it, we promise!
Roll backwards
This is the easiest part. You grab your jacket at the bottom of the zip and pull it from behind, over your baby's head, to the front. Now just turn the jacket right side out again. That's it! Also works great with sleeping babies.
