Hello, I am going to talk about ergonomic porting and as such, a bit of human history.
As a good Educator of ergonomic carrying, you have to go a little further to know the benefits of carrying and the baby's needs.

 

We are mammals, leading primates, we need the care of our mother or caregiver to survive, we are not able to feed or move for a period of time after birth. Some of the processes of hominization (a process to which I progressively transform a lineage of primates into humans) are: bipedalism and increased cranial capacity.

 

Throughout our history, there has been an identifying growth of our cranial space. Thanks to anthropology and several scientific studies, it has been discovered that a human's pregnancy would have to last 18 months, but our body is very wise and if it were really like this the baby's head would have grown so much that it would not fit through the birth canal That is why we are born prematurely, hence the exterogestation, having exactly the same care as when we were inside our mother's belly, 9 months inside and 9 months outside.

 

If we talk about the pelvis, hip, tank, basin, belly and many other synonyms in Spanish, we can even reach Latin. The word pelvis in Latin means container or vessel. One of the functions of the pelvis is to transmit weight from the upper part of the skeleton to the lower part. The female and male pelvis differ in weight, measurements, orientation, etc. But ultimately they are made up of the same bones. In the lower part of the pelvis, we find the sitting bones, (pelvic bone), flat, narrow and curved. If we get used to sitting on these bones, with a straight back, they will ensure a correct posture and a good spinal position.

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Another change in human evolution has been the loss of body hair, so important for the grasp reflex.

 

The grasp reflex is the newborn's ability to grasp anything that touches his hand, hence the importance of carrying, the baby makes it easier to be carried, it will never be a dead weight. These reflexes are programmed by the nervous system and help the baby's survival.

 

These reflexes are usually greatest in the first four weeks of life.

 

Hair loss = weak grasp reflex = use of other means of carrying.

 

If we talk about the baby and the benefits of carrying, we make sure to promote the maintenance of the physiological position and to protect the development of the hip joint.

 

We have already said that our deliveries are premature, usually they are from a young, thus, they cannot heat each other, hence a newborn does not regulate body temperature, our survival is to be clinging to mother. Our food has to be constant, on demand, it is a biological need of the baby, to be close to his mother.
Carrying encourages both attachment and effective bonding, so that it is established in a healthy way between mother, father or caregiver towards the baby.

Do you still think that carrying is a fashion?

In many countries of the world, even today, porting is the only available means of transport. It can be made of many different materials, leather, wood, tree bark, plastic ... The carrying normally serves to transport the baby in addition to close attention, ease of feeding, attachment and a good family relationship.

Surely more than one of us, if you have carried your baby, you have seen the typical question, How modern are you going? Or what is not the child? And surely it has crossed your mind to answer, the modern thing is the stroller or the baby stroller, which has been in our history for much less than 200 years. Carrying either in arms or with a baby carrier device is as old as the human being.

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

        This painting is dated from the year 1400 BC.

        can see how a mom works while carrying

        his son helped by some gangs that seem to be

        they are of some kind of fabric.

                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Here we see mothers carrying their children in their

       arms and also helped by handkerchiefs. This painting

       is from the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

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When I was little I lived in a town where there was a lot of African immigration and I saw the portage on a daily basis. I did not understand how they could carry babies tied with scarves like that. We cannot stop thinking that we are mammals and our animal and protection instinct is not to leave the baby alone at any time, if that is why we have to carry him tied, because the truth is, where would he be better than with his mother?

                                              James J. Mckenna (2009):
                              "Human offspring have special contact needs,

                          emotional support, breastfeeding and transportation ".

 

 

What is ergonomic carrying?

When we talk about ergonomics, we talk about natural physiology. Ergonomics is not to modify the physiological posture of the body, both of the baby and the carrier. An ergonomic baby carrier has to collaborate, achieve and maintain a position that is not modified. Some of the requirements to achieve good ergonomics would be, the baby's perineum facing the carrier's belly, The baby's knees always higher than the bum and the legs placed in a "frog" type, in the shape of an "M", automatically if The above is correct, the baby's back will be curved in the shape of a “C”, the correct height will always be at the distance of a kiss from the carrier, the safety triangle must be taken into account, that is, that of the baby's face , to the body of the carrier and the baby carrier, a safety triangle is formed that will always be clear and will be seen by the carrier.
 

Carrying helps us in several aspects, both for the baby and the mother or caregiver, some of them are:
 

- Promotes the physical development of the baby.
- Promotes mother-baby attachment.
- Free provision of food (Breastfeeding)
- Reduces colic and reflux symptoms.
- Improves the quality of baby's sleep.
- Less rates of suffering postpartum depression.
- It gives the baby a feeling of security.
- The baby cries less.
- Muscle toning of the carrier.
- Mothers more receptive to the baby.
 

Carrying is especially suitable for newborns, but you have to know very well what type of baby carrier to choose and who to turn to for good professional help. A good educator has to have extensive knowledge in carrying and not only teach a baby carrier, but also give the option of choosing which one may be the most appropriate for us.
 

Today we have a wide variety of baby carriers on the market. The educator will teach you to choose especially which of all is the one you need for your baby. He usually demonstrates with different baby carriers, let them try and helps to find the most comfortable one for each family.
 

 

Some baby carriers that we can find in the market
 

 

Elastic scarf
It is a piece of elastic fabric about 50 cm wide and 5 meters long. It yields both vertically and horizontally. It is used by knotting first and then placing the baby. Normally it is recommended to use it until the baby weighs 7/8 kilos, if there is more weight it has to bounce.
 

Mei tai
The Mei tai is a baby carrier of Asian origin. It consists of a panel (evolutionary or preformed) and four knotted strips. The evolutionary mei tai are those that grow with the baby, adjust to the size and weight of the baby to have good ergonomics. Like the vast majority of baby carriers there are two sizes for a correct position. It usually lasts more or less until 18/24 months, always taking into account the size of the baby. The preformed mei tai consist of a fixed, non-adjustable panel, and their durability is shorter. Very important, never knot the straps on the baby's back.
 

Woven scarf
We have two types of woven scarf, Twill and Jacquard. Depending on how this fabric will have some functions or others. It can be made of different materials such as cotton, bamboo, linen, silk ... The comfort and support of the scarf will depend on the thickness, the pattern and the type of fabric. The Twill type tends to give a little diagonally, for greater comfort. There are different sizes from 2 to 7 and it will depend on the height of the carrier.

Evolving or preformed ergonomic backpack
It consists of a panel (evolutionary or preformed), a belt tied behind or to the side and two straps that go around the shoulders. There are several different brands with different widths, padding, prints and decorations such as brooches, pockets or hats. Some are even suitable for newborns, others have reducers or attached items (not very advisable) to promote good ergonomics. It is usually one of the best-selling baby carriers for its comfort and easy handling. The evolutionary ergonomic backpack is one that allows to adapt to the size of the baby both in width and height, it also allows cervical adaptation and its useful life is longer. The preformed backpack is one whose panel is fixed and does not grow with the child and its use is advisable when the baby begins to sit alone (sitting).

Shoulder strap
The shoulder strap is a baby carrier that consists of a fabric of approximately two meters and some rings at one end. Passing one of the ends through the rings creates a pocket to place the baby. We can find them in many different fabrics, they can be used from birth carrying in front, on the hip or behind on the back and until the end of carrying.

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