Baby slings: what the evidence says about benefits, risks and safe use |
Human babies are born more dependent on their caregivers than most other mammals. They need close contact with an adult for feeding, comfort, warmth and protection. Parents and caregivers around the world have carried their babies for thousands of years using slings and carriers.
Today, many babies spend some of their daytime sleep in a sling or carrier. In a recent UK survey that my colleagues and I conducted, 96% of the 1,470 parents and carers of babies under one who responded said they had used one, often to soothe their baby or remain mobile while keeping them close.
Slings and carriers can be useful, but babies need to be positioned carefully, particularly when they are very young or are being fed. In a systematic review, my colleagues and I found reports of infrequent accidental deaths and injuries associated with poorly fitted or incorrectly positioned carriers.
Following the death of a seven-week-old baby who was being breastfed hands-free in a carrier while his mother moved around her home, a coroner warned that parents were not being given enough information about how to position young babies safely and called for consideration of industry standards. The Lullaby Trust, a baby-safety charity, has also published advice urging parents not to feed babies hands-free in slings or carriers.
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