About Babywearing » Forward Facing Out

I’ve been asked many timeas about facing babies outwards. so many of the carriers available pride thamselves on being able to be worn this way. and so many people are excited by the idea of facing their child out to see the world. However we DO NOT recoomend this for a number of reasons.

• When facing outwards it is extremely difficult to maintain a proper seated position for the baby, meaning that the child has most of their body weight resting on their crotch, and their legs dangling. This is not an ideal position!
• A forward facing child has their centre of gravity pulling away from the wearer. this means that the child will feel heavier and more pressure will be put on the wearer’s shoulders and back.
• A child facing outwards is unable to disengage or switch off if the world becomes overwhelming, which it so often does. There is no way for the child to cover his/her face in this position
• There is no way to support the baby’s head if the child falls asleep while in the carrier.

That said we are aware that some children (particularly between the ages of 3 and 6 months) are determined to face the world and fight inward facing carries. If this is your child there are a few options open to you. We suggest switching to hip carries and seeing if this helps. We also reccomend learning a high back carry in a woven wrap or a mei tai, which allows the child a view over your shoulder. For front carries, it is possible to use the ring-sling and face the baby out in a buddha carry for short periods.