Carrying an infant car seat around can be very painful and awkward. You basically have two options: The one arm-hook or the cradle carry. You can cradle the car seat with both hands, but then you won’t be able to do anything else with your hands. This is why most parents tend to hook it over their arm and carry it like a huge picnic basket, walking around until the pain in your arm spends down your hip, and you need to switch to the other side. There is good news, after all. There is an easier way to carry the baby’s car seat, and it so obvious that you will be mad for not figuring it out sooner.
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So, what have we been doing wrong?
For me, it came a bit later, after my child was out of the car seat, when I came across this amazing advice. I wish I found this sooner it would save me from so much back pain. We all know about the two basic ways to carry a car seat; one is carrying it with one hand, and the other one is by cradling it over your arm. You will see the most pain when you are carrying it with one of your hands. The extra weight will cause some additional stress on the muscles, ligaments, joints, and discs. Carrying one car seat is the equivalent of carrying four cans of paint with just one hand.
If you choose to cradle the car seat with both hands, you won’t be able to do anything else with your hands. Say you have a toddler who needs a hand to hold. In this situation, you won’t be able to do that. Therefore, you are left with the other option, which is hooking the car seat over your arm like a big picnic basket. By the time you have reached your destination, your arm will be in so much pain that you can’t wait to put it off of you. But there is a way to eliminate all this trouble. This article will show you the easier and better ways to carry your baby’s car seat.
How to properly carry a baby car seat?
Some experts have found these easy ways to carry a car seat, and we would love to share them with you. We have Dr. Emily Puente, who is a chiropractor from Mansfield, Texas, who was nice enough to help with this issue. Dr. Emily Puente is also a mom, so she really knows the struggle parents experience with carrying the car seat.
Luckily, she came up with the idea that helped her and hopefully will help you as well. She suggests squatting or kneel near the baby carrier and then loop the arm through the car seat’s handle. Next, turn the hand in a way that the palm will be facing down and supporting the weight of your baby car seat.
This way, getting up will be much easier, and by using this technique to carry the car seat, the posture of your body will be more protected. This method will distribute the weight of the car seat in such a way that it won’t stress your hips, arms, and back. This is certainly an easy way to help yourself but bear in mind that there are car seat models on which this method might not work after all.
1. Think about your limits
Don’t forget that postpartum women, especially those with post-c-section, must not be carrying items that are heavier than 10 or 15 pounds. Most doctors will suggest not to lift anything heavier than your baby. Therefore, if the car seat, with the baby in it, is heavier than 10-15 pounds, just avoid it. But sometimes you just have to use the car seat, especially if you are alone and don’t have someone to help you with it.
When you use the car seat with your baby in it, make sure it is properly strapped in. Having your baby unbuckled or if the straps are loosened will let the baby move into unsafe positions, thus putting the baby at risk of asphyxiation or strangulation.
2. Carry the baby car seat in the center
If the technique we shared above doesn’t work for you, you can try holding the car seat in front of your body with both arms. This way, it will be closer to your core, and it will help you maintain the posture without causing strain. We mentioned that with both of your hands on the car seat, it would be tricky if you need to hold something else or if you have a toddler. But, aside from that, this is a good technique that you should give a try.
3. Add straps to the baby car seat
Some manufacturers make the car seat in such a way that you will be able to a strap or two, which will certainly make carrying it a lot easier. With the straps, you can either carry it over your shoulder or just like a backpack. This method will leave your hands free, and you will be able to carry other things or hold your toddler’s hand. There are brands that include these kinds of straps with the car seat when you buy it, if not you buy the straps separately.
