1, 2, 3: Babywear, Feed, Combine

Feeding a baby in a carrier often gets reduced to a quick “hack” on social media. You’ll see someone latch their baby mid-walk or mid-chore, and it looks effortless. But what those clips rarely show is the process—and the preparation—that makes feeding in a carrier truly fluid.

At CBWS, we teach a different approach. We know people will feed while wearing, but here’s what we think is missing from the conversation:

1. Babywearing is a skill.

It’s not just about putting a baby in a carrier—it’s about understanding how positioning, tension, and baby’s development interact. A well-supported latch can’t happen if the baby isn’t well-supported in the carrier first. If a caregiver is still learning how to tighten their wrap or adjust their buckle carrier, layering feeding on top of that will only increase overwhelm and risks.  

2. Feeding is a skill.

However they feed their baby, it takes time to learn how to read baby’s cues, adjust positions, and find a rhythm. Both the baby and caregiver are learning this together. If one or both are still new to feeding, the carrier won’t magically smooth things over—it may actually make things harder without the proper foundation. Thus, increasing frustration for both. 

3. Combining Them Is a Separate Skill

That’s where the real magic (challenge and risk) lies—and where educators can make a powerful impact. Helping a caregiver understand that combining these skills is a new task—not a shortcut—is often the key to helping them feel confident rather than frustrated.

We encourage educators to share this three-step process with their clients:

• Step One: Practice babywearing on its own until it feels second nature.
• Step Two: Practice feeding on its own until it’s more predictable and established.
• Step Three: Combine only when both parts feel manageable and practice at home until it feels second nature.

And always—start at home, not at the park.

When families try feeding in a carrier for the first time in a chaotic or overstimulating environment, they’re much more likely to struggle, be distracted, feel like they are being watched. This will increase anxieties, and the chance for tears.

Instead, we guide caregivers to begin practicing at home when they’re both calm, supported, and fully focused. That’s how steady progress happens.

What Makes This Different?

Most tips focus on logistics: what shirt to wear, what buckle to loosen, what to do with big or small breasts. That’s helpful—but it skips over the more human, embodied experience of learning something new while meeting a baby’s needs. The focus should be on building skill and clarity around the practice. 

Feeding in a Carrier is not a Hands-Free event. It isn't an opportunity to focus on something else either. It's an opportunity to connect, distribute the baby's weight across your body, and also tend to the baby's needs. This takes practice and often guidance.

This means supporting caregivers with:

• Permission to slow down and practice in stages
• Language to describe what’s working (and what’s not)
• Body awareness and positioning cues rooted in real-life carrier use
• Recognition that frustration and risk often come from trying to combine steps too soon
• What monitoring baby while feeding means and distraction reduction techniques.

When you frame feeding-in-a-carrier as a developmental process—not a performance—you give families the space and structure to succeed.

Want to read more?

Explore these posts on making babywearing more accessible in every setting.