Same Carrier, Different Story: Why Infant Carrying Needs an Interdisciplinary Lens

Picture this:
Two new parents walk into a babywearing meet-up. Both have the same carrier model, bought from the same shop, adjusted to the same manufacturer settings.

Parent A puts it on, settles baby in, and breathes a sigh of relief. Their shoulders drop, their baby relaxes, and the walk home feels lighter physically and emotionally.

Parent B get the waistband clipped, baby starts fussing after three minutes, the straps dig into their chest, and instantly they feel a twinge in their lower back. By the time they get home, their neck aches, their frustration is high, and they’re already wondering if babywearing “just isn’t for them.”

Same carrier.
Same instructions.
Entirely different experience.

Why the Difference?

The same carrier can feel completely different on two people because it’s never just about the carrier it’s about the body, the baby, and the context.

Factors include:

• Anatomy & proportions – Torso length, ribcage angle, shoulder width, chest/breast tissue, lumbar curve, pelvic orientation, abdominal wall integrity, and scar adhesions all influence placement, comfort, and weight distribution.
• Movement patterns & posture – Habits like shoulder hiking, pelvic tucking, rib flaring, chest-dominant breathing, or favoring one hip change where load is absorbed and which muscles work hardest.
• Recovery status & tissue capacity – Postpartum timing, hormonal shifts, lactation demands, sleep debt, prior injuries, and overall load tolerance can make a once-comfortable setup feel taxing.
• Lifestyle & environment – Work demands, climate, daily movement (stairs, walking, standing), caring for other children, and clothing impact wearing duration and practicality.
• Baby factors – Size, tone, birth history, reflux, asymmetries, and sensory preferences affect position, motion needs, and comfort for both caregiver and baby.
• Learning history & expectations – Past experiences, confidence level, distractions, and learning environment shape how quickly comfort is achieved.
• Gear–body interface – Small details strap path, sling shoulder style, wrap elasticity, waistband angles can drastically change comfort without changing the carrier model.

Same gear, different system. This is why an interdisciplinary approach blending babywearing education, pelvic health, lactation support, and mental health perspectives can help each caregiver find the setup that truly works for their body and life.

When we only look at one piece of the puzzle whether that’s the carrier fit, the parent’s posture, or the baby’s preferences we risk missing the deeper “why” behind a caregiver’s success or struggle.

One Carrier, Many Entry Points

This is where an interdisciplinary approach to infant carrying changes everything. Imagine if:

• A babywearing educator can identify that a caregiver’s discomfort stems from a mismatch between the carrier fit and their baby’s stage of development.
• A pelvic health physiotherapist can address postpartum core weakness contributing to back pain during wearing.
• A lactation consultant can educate caregivers on how babywearing supports their breastfeeding goals, whether or not they feed while using the carrier.
• A mental health professional can offer babywearing as a therapeutic tool for enhancing bonding and easing the emotional load of caregiving.

Each professional brings their own lens and together, they can offer a caregiver the complete support they need.

Why HELD Champions This Approach

In most parenting spaces, support is siloed. Babywearing lives over here, lactation over there, mental health somewhere else. HELD exists to break down those silos bringing together experts from multiple fields to have conversations, share perspectives, and learn how their work overlaps.

Because when you’ve seen firsthand how two people can wear the same carrier and have completely different outcomes, you realize the truth:

The carrier is just the beginning. The person in it and the baby they hold are the real variables.

Moving the Conversation Forward

A well-fitted carrier can change lives but only if we’re willing to look at the whole picture. This means asking deeper questions:

• How is the caregiver’s body recovering from pregnancy and birth?
• What is their emotional state when they put the carrier on?
• How does their daily life shape when and how they use the carrier?
• What other professionals could be part of the solution?

When we approach infant carrying as part of an interconnected system of care, we stop treating it as a stand-alone skill and start treating it as a powerful tool for whole-family well-being.

And that’s the kind of perspective that changes not just how we teach, but how families thrive.

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