Why posture matters when baby carrying

Posture, we hear it a lot.

But what is it and why does it actually matter when baby carrying?

Posture is the alignment of your spine and body that is ideal for you. We all have natural curves in our spine, but they are different for everyone. Your posture should enable you to perform every day tasks without any pain or discomfort.

Ideally, this would also allow the right muscles to be working when they need to, and not over compensate due to muscular imbalances or weaknesses.

Now, there are a few types of posture that aren’t ideal, especially long-term.

Let’s go through them:

• Lordosis - this is an excessive curve in the lower back that can look like an extreme anterior tilt of the pelvis. Sometimes it is called swayback

• Kyphosis - is a an excessive curve in the upper back that can sometimes look like really hunched shoulders

• Scoliosis - this is where the spine has curves or twists/rotates more than is needed. It may be described as a C or S curve

Whilst baby carrying, you may also experience:

• Leaning forwards - leaning too far forward at the hips, so the shoulders are closer to the floor than normal

• Leaning backwards - leaning too far backward at the hips, so again the shoulders are closer to the floor than normal

Whilst baby carrying, more load, so more demand, is being placed on your body than normal, so your posture is even more important. When more load is placed on your body, you still want the ‘right’ muscles to be working, without any imbalances or stronger muscles trying to overcompensate for weaker muscles.

When you are baby carrying next, try to feel your posture before, during and after, and see if it feels similar, or different to you. Even better, take pictures or videos for feedback.

Looking for core exercises to help your posture? Read this.

Looking for lower body exercises that you should be doing? Click here.

Happy walking and baby carrying!