Louise Tanguay, owner of The Sleep Store, is passionate about babywearing and helping parents to do it correctly, to keep children safe.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cSocial media has definitely normalised and made it very visible that people can go about their days … and keep their baby close,\u201d Tanguay told the Herald.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much unsafe babywearing being shown on social media, without checking baby\u2019s airways are clear. It\u2019s common to see the baby carrier right over baby\u2019s head.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recently sent a private message to a well-known Kiwi influencer after seeing them carrying their baby unsafely in a video \u2013 the infant\u2019s face was covered.<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t respond, but their child has been shown in a safer position since then.<\/p>\n
A baby in Shanghai. Different types of carriers have been used as practical options for parents around the world for centuries. Picture \/ Kenny Rodger<\/p>\n
Tanguay has been distressed by baby carrier-related tragedies reported overseas, and she\u2019s been training staff on the safety message around babywearing since reading about them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was the one in Australia that really made me think: \u2018We sell carriers. What should we be doing?\u2019 I get upset,\u201d she said, tearing up.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> from a sling to hand him to a nurse for his examination.<\/p>\n A coroner later said the baby had most likely suffocated to death while pressed against the fabric sling<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite CPR, the boy could not be saved. The sling manufacturer was cleared of any liability over the child\u2019s death.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n At the same time, babywearing using cloth wraps, capes, baskets, and cloaks has been common across many cultures for centuries.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Plunket encourages babywearing in New Zealand, saying it helps ease strain on parents\u2019 arms and lower backs as they carry their babies.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n As a result of the Australian baby boy\u2019s death in 2019, New South Wales Health updated its babywearing advice and started promoting the Ticks rule to help parents remember the safety message.<\/p>\n Ticks stands for Tight \u2013 hold baby tight and high, In view \u2013 baby must be seen by the parent at all times, Close \u2013 baby should be close enough to kiss, Keep \u2013 baby\u2019s chin off their chest, and Supported \u2013 the baby\u2019s back should be supported in a natural position.<\/p>\n Ticks has been adopted in New Zealand by Wh\u0101nau \u0100whina Plunket as official advice on safe babywearing practice.<\/p>\n But still, there are no official regulations.<\/p>\n Consumer NZ has warned people not to use a \u201cbag sling\u201d for babies \u2013 a bag-shaped sling with a narrow strap that is banned in some countries for being a suffocation risk.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) also advises against using them.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Tanguay would like to see New Zealand formally recognise the European Union and US safety standards for baby carriers \u2013 which would also prevent the importation of unsafe baby carriers from overseas.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNew Zealand families should have confidence that the baby carrier they buy is tested and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n In the meantime, Tanguay has established the charity Babywearing Aotearoa, which helps parents learn about babywearing safety.<\/p>\n Coralie Archer is the national co-ordinator and the face behind the group\u2019s popular TikTok page, which features video demonstrations of many types of slings and carriers.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 reports from the US into the deaths of babies in carrier-related incidents.<\/p>\n Their advice for parents choosing a carrier includes buying from a retailer who ensures their carriers meet international safety standards.<\/p>\n They also say the carrier should support a baby in a natural in-arms position, with hips supported.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would like to see regulation passed in New Zealand, requiring carriers sold here to meet an international safety standard,\u201d said Tanguay.<\/p>\nThe Ticks acronym reminds parents about the rules for safe babywearing.<\/p>\n
A baby in a carrier should be able to be seen at all times and be close enough to kiss, according to Plunket. Photo \/ File<\/p>\n
Coralie Archer is the face behind the popular Babywearing Aotearoa TikTok page, where she demonstrates for parents how to use all the different kinds of baby carriers correctly.<\/p>\n