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Strollers, Baby Carriers, and Infant Stress:

Horizontal Versus Upright Transport in Early Infancy

Elizabeth Antunovic (2008 NAP, Inc.)

Countries in Europe seems to host the most pediatricians who recommend that babies should
lay flat on their backs in a stroller in early infancy and not be carried due to avoid pressure on
their underdeveloped bodies. Yet, laying a young infant on his back alone in a stroller is actually
stressful both physically and emotionally and can be developmentally inhibiting. Being carried or
worn in an upright position with proper leg support is not only developmentally sound but the
preferable way to bring the baby along with you throughout your day. Upright carrying optimizes
the physical, emotional and intellectual growth of your baby.
Spine Development in an Infant
forming an elongated "S" shape. These curves help keep us flexible and balanced. They also

walking, running and jumping.
We weren''t born with these curves. Normal curves of the spine develop gradually. "They are
formed as a consequence of adaptation to the external environment (gravity)"(Morningstar,
2005). At birth, babies are in a state of flexion, still curled up, with their spine in a natural long cshaped (convex) curve. At first, a baby does not have the strength to hold his head up, nor the
At Birth

The spine of an infant is C-shaped (a convex curve). He has neither the balancing curves nor
the strength to his head upright.

First Several Months

As your infant works against gravity his muscles start to develop. Strong neck muscles help an
infant hold up a heavy head forming the neck (cervical) curve of the spine.
Six Months to One Year

As an infant learns to crawl and stand, the lower back (lumbar) curve and his muscles develop
so that he can stand upright. When he walks away from you on his own, only then are all of his
curves developed.
Laying Flat is Stressful on Spine and Hips
As shown above an infant's c-shaped spine doesn't stretch out immediately after birth. On the
Laying your young infant flat on his back is not gentle on his spine. In fact, it is stretching the ccurved spine into a straight line. It is actually stressing the infant's spine instead of supporting its
natural shape. Research shows that keeping an infant's spine straight is not a sound

physiological position. In addition to stressing the baby's spine it can also negatively influence
the development of your baby's hip joints (Kirkilionis, 2002).
Laying Horizontal Causes Physical Deformities
Not only is spending most of the day flat on your back bad for your hips but infants who lie
frequently on their backs in a stroller may end up with plagiocephaly (deformed skulls, flattened
on the back or side) and deformed bodies with poor muscle tone (Bonnet,1998). Research
backed by the American Academy of Pediatrics states that "with prolonged immobilization on a
firm mattress or a flat bed (as in a stroller), the constant influence of gravity flattens the body
surface against the mattress producing positional disorders and infants with decreased muscle
tone (Short, 1996)".

Plagiocephaly in an infant corrected by helmet to reshape her head

Existence in Containers
reek havoc on your baby''s physical development. But the truth is that the average Western
container*. Sometimes from there to the swing that we can click right into without touching the
baby so we can make dinner, into the bouncy seat while we eat, and soon after to sleep in a
crib. The west has diverged from eons of child rearing and have gotten to the point so that
objects are defining our baby's existence more so than our bodies.
surface, often uncovered is to fail to understand the newborn's great need for enfoldment, to be
world". (Montagu, 294)

Sometimes containers may help us out for short periods of time and free our hands. Yet, no
container can replace a mother's arms.
*Please note that the author does not mean to imply that a baby carrier should replace your car seat for transport
while in the car. Never drive or carry your baby in the baby carrier while in a moving vehicle.

The Fetal Tuck


when sleeping straddled and bent in a frog position. "The fetal tuck, the natural position of
babies is the most calming and the most adaptive.
receptor and vital organs (Montagu, 1986).
are adapted to be carried upright and oriented toward their mothers.

By holding your baby with his knees flexed flat against your chest and supporting the his bottom
you are supporting your baby in the natural position that his body instinctively assumes to
ensure that he is comfortable, warm and safe.
If the stroller positions the baby in a somewhat upright position (like in infant car-seats) it may
be gentler on the baby's c-shaped spine in that it is not stretching it flat. However, although it
may seem like gentler option for transporting your little one around, research by the
International Chiropractic Pediatric Association shows that car seats are not the ideal transport
for your infant due to "restricted postural options which can impact your baby's developing
cranium and spine" (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association).
By keeping and maintaining the spine in a c-shaped configuration these contraptions can
actually prevent and inhibit the natural curves forming. Babies can have a hard time acquiring

adequate muscle strength to hold their big heads up if they don't get much of a chance to deal
with gravity.

This baby is enjoying a nap outside near the peonies. Although the car seat does support her
spine and head and neck while she is napping, when she is awake the straps prevent her from
working her muscles to hold up her own head. Many babies spend most of their waking hours in
restrictive seats like these.
Carrying Upright Allows for Positive Physical Development
When infants are held upright, however, they are allowed to practice compensatory movements
enhancing muscular strength and allow them more control over their fine motor skills. When the
mother walks, stops, or turns an infant's body naturally works against the pull of gravity to
maintain his position. The force of gravity is a positive element in infant development allowing
infants to learn from early on to hold their heads up and keep their bodies clinging to the mother
and balanced in equilibrium.
Discord with Upright Carrying

So why do some still claim that the horizontal position is better for your infant? The physiological
arguments as to why a baby should be transported in a horizontal position for his first months of
life seem to stem from the assumption that the upright position may be stressful to his
underdeveloped spine and pelvis.
Although some pediatricians are advocates of natural parenting, many don't have that much
hands on experience with baby carriers. They may be acquainted with the upright carriers from
the eighties and nineties with the typical lack of adequate head/neck support, tight or chaffing
leg holes, leaving babies to dangle from the crotch due to complete lack of leg support. Perhaps
they have seen so many babies facing out when carried upright that they assume all upright
carrying is nonsupportive.
It may be that the studies of the Inuits and their high prevalence of spondlylolisthesis or the
Navajo Indians and their high prevalence of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is
enough evidence from babywearing cultures to close the book- deem all upright baby carriers
harmful-and recommend strollers as a safer option of transport.

The images above are perhaps the carriers that many doctors imagine and classify as unsafe or
harmful. Both are nonpysiological carrying devices. These front facing carriers unlike, wraps,
slings, mei-tais and soft structured carriers, do not provide proper leg support which can make
their pelvis' tilt backward and place them in the dangerous "hollow back position".
Not facing the carrying adult, and facing out their center of gravity is off. Pressure is placed on
the baby's shoulders and the chest area, often retracting the shoulders and hollowing the back
even more. Facing out is a nonphysiological position that places pressure on the inner thighs of
the baby and the base of the spine. Upright carrying facing out is stressful on babies.

The wider base of the above carrier would provide some spinal support (maintaining the natural
convex "c-shape") if the baby was turned facing the mother and his bottom was seated in it.
Instead the baby's spine is straightened and often hyperextended (concave "hollow back"
shaped)due to weak abdominal muscles and lack of leg support.
When an infant is carried in a baby carrier he should be oriented toward the mother and ideally
the fabric should extend to the back of the knee to adequately support the legs, which in turn
positions the pelvis, and then supports the spine properly. Although the baby does benefit from
being carried close to his mother, facing out in this position there no leg support, improper spine
and hip support, and no head or neck support if the baby falls asleep.

Swaddling Infant Legs linked to Hip Dysplasia

Although there is a myriad of psychological, emotional and physiological benefits from the
swaddling style of the Navajos, there is clear evidence that swaddling the legs, so that they
were bound together and not allowed to flex at the knee or at the hip, lead to hip abnormalities
(Crisholm, 1983). In the case of the Navajos, stress to the hips of the infant was not caused by
the upright positioning but from improper leg support, by not allowing the legs to spread or the
knee to freely bend (Van Slewen, 2007). By not allowing the head of the femur to sit in the
socket, due to forced straightening of the legs, the socket often did not develop properly causing
Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip or DDH (Crisholm,1983).
Although carrying your young infant laying in the horizontal position with legs together in a baby
carrier (like a sling or a wrap) provides adequate spinal support, it is not the optimal nor the
preferred position for hip development or prolonged carrying, especially if there is congenital
dysplasia present in the infant.
The American Academy of Pediatrics released a review of swaddling under Van Slewen in 2007
that reaffirmed that infant's legs should not be tightly swaddled. In 1965, the incidence of DDH
(developmental dysplasia of the hip) was high in Japan when a swathing diaper was used
widely by the population. The swathing diaper kept the hips together. However eight years later
in 1973, doctors advised mothers to avoid prolonged extension of the hip and knee of infants
during early postnatal life. Soon after experts reported a marked decrease in infants with DDH
(Van Slewen, 2007) .

Babies love to be contained and enclosed but straightening their legs goes against their
instinctual position of flexed widespread legs. This baby is swaddled so that the legs are
wrapped loosely and not forcefully straightened.
Harmful Hollow Back Position
The Inuit's use of papooses, which also inadequately support the legs and retract the shoulders,
places the spine in a compromising "hollow back" or hyperextended position. With unsupported
legs and very weak abdominal muscles the pelvis tilts back in the infant and hyperextends his
back. Taking in the pressure produced with each step the mother takes on his hyperextended
spine is stressful on an infant.
The development of spondylolisthesis, the slipping of the vertebrae to compensate from
repeated stress (usually on a hyperextended spine)is pretty common in gymnasts and weight
lifters. It is also unusually high in the Inuit and Athabascan populations- where nearly half may
be afflicted.

Yochum and Rowe suggested that the Eskimos, who carry their infants in a papoose, place
undue amount of premature stress on the pars (part of the vertebrae) and explains the high
prevalence of (isthmic) spondylolisthesis in their population. Since no one has ever been born
with spondylolisthesis Yochum and Rowe dismiss the possible genetic element as the cause
instead favoring the papoose (a nonphysiological carrying device) as a more favorable
explanation to the cause of the disease (Wong, 2004).
Although different in appearance, any modern baby carrier that does not support an infant's legs
(in a flexed abducted position oriented toward the wearer), any front facing carrier with leg holes
is no more developmentally sound than a papoose, as these carriers retract the shoulders and
create the stressful "hollow back" position. Lacking proper leg support infant biomechanics
when worn in papooses, cradle boards and front-facing baby carriers with leg holes are very
similar, pinning the shoulders back and placing all the child's weight on his crotch or the base of
the spine.

Navajo Cradleboard Inuit Papoose on left . Baby with swaddled legs in a nonphysiological
position to the right.
Flexed Abducted
arms do not compromise a baby's spine or hips (Kirkilionis, 2002). When an infants legs are

at the same time (Kirkilionis, 2002). DDH does not occur when an infant's legs are supported.
Actually this is the position that doctors advocate as treatment for babies with hip dysplasia.
Interestingly enough the Netsilik Eskimos who are big babywearers don't use papooses but
their mother's back inside their coats (Montagu, 1986). There have been no studies indicating
Their hips and spines develop normally.

This baby's spine, hips, and legs are supported. A mother using either her arms or a simple
piece of cloth, supports her baby's legs in a flexed (with the knees bent) abducted (away from
midline) position supporting the hip and the spine. Instead of fabric at the crotch which
what nature intended- legs spread around the mother's hip, back or torso with knees bent in a
seated position.

A mother's arms supports the baby's bottom and legs. Subsequently, pressure is taken off the

The fabric is pulled to the back of the baby's knees offering proper leg support. The legs should
be pulled to at least hip level for optimal positioning and proper hip development.

The photo above shows proper spine position, oriented toward mother, proper leg support,
proper head/neck support.
Improved Respiratory Patterns
Proponents of horizontal positioning in early infancy may be concerned with whether the infant
actually receives adequate levels of oxygen while being carried as compared to in a stroller.
According to Dr. Maria Blois, premature infants placed in an upright position on their mother's
chests had improved respiratory patterns and are more regular than in an incubator.
They also showed "reduced episodes of sleep apnea (temporary cessation of breathing) and
bradycardia (slowing of the heart rate). Transcutaneous oxygen levels do not decrease
indicating that oxygen saturation is not compromised". These studies were done on premature
infants some weighing as little as three pounds, placed upright on their mother's chest. The
preferred position for these tiny three pound babies is upright- usually secured by a piece of
cloth. They thrive upright on their mother's chest and are almost allowed to leave the hospital
earlier than little preemies left in incubators.(Blois,72). If the upright position is the preferred
position for a three pound preemie, it doesn't make sense that it could be harmful to a newborn.
Prevents Ear Infections
Laying horizontally is not only a poor option for your baby's spine, hips, and cranium, it can also
be a major contributing factor inner ear infections in infants. Gastric reflux of contents into the
middle ear causes ear infections. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD can be pretty
prevalent in infants as spincters tend to take a while to fully close.
Infants diagnosed with GERD are advised to be carried upright to ease the symptoms. Yet as
infants are frequently placed lying in the horizontal position, not only are the symptoms
exacerbated, but gastric juices can enter the immature Eustachian tubes easier making reflux
from the throat into the middle ear more probable. The same may occur when bottle fed infants
are fed positioned flat on their backs and not slightly upright as milk may enter into the middle
The build up in the Eustachian tube can cause inflammation and a build up of bacteria and
subsequently an infection. Wearing your baby upright can actually be a preventative measure
against ear infections and can help ease the symptoms of GERD(Schon, 2007).
Upright Position Tunes Vestibular System
An other benefit of carrying your baby is that carried babies receive a lot of vestibular
stimulation whereas lying babies do not. Our vestibular systems helps us out with our sense of
balance and our security in space. When a mother holds her baby, the baby moves back and
forth with mom's walking and side to side from her swaying or rocking. Mom may stop and turn
and reach to grab something or she may moves gently smoothly. All of these varied movements
force her baby to respond appropriately to keep himself balanced. All of these movements tune
her baby's vestibular system.

When pushed in a stroller the movement is either forward or backward planar movement and
not very varied. When changed from the upright position and the containment of his mother's
arms to the horizontal position laying down uncontained a baby may produce random
movements and suddenly flail his arms and legs as if to save himself from falling. This is called
a baby's Moro Reflex. It acts as a baby's primitive fight/flight reaction and is replaced later in life
by an adult 'startle' reflex.
Carrying, rocking and swaying stimulates an infants' vestibular apparatus and helps them to feel
secure in space. Most babies today spend most of their day apart from their mothers in a
container or in a stroller leaving them prone to vertigo, and a feeling of physical insecurity in
space in general. Native Americans are typically very secure in space are actually known for
their comfort with heights and apparently tend to have little problem washing skyscraper
windows. Most Native Americans were swaddled or spend most of their infancy either in
cradleboards or on their mothers hips owing to enhanced vestibular development. Interestingly
enough, the fear of flying and the fear of heights which plagues many of today's adults can often
be traced back to not being carried as an infant. Carried babies feel secure and are less apt to
develop space related phobias. (Montagu, 1986)

Upright on Mother's Chest- Learning all the Time

Babies have reason to feel secure. They physically need to be in close contact with their
mothers. They giggle and coo and drink in all of our expressions. Upright on mother they are
able to view the world unobstructed from a safe place and can learn about all around them at
their own pace. Not only are babies better off physically, in the upright position they are happier
and calmer when held upright. Dr Sharon Heller states,
"The more time that babies spend vertical, the more time that they are alert and calm. Even
newborns who spend most of their time sleeping, stop crying and perk up when picked up and
placed on our shoulder. Interestingly, how alert a newborn is relates to where he is. Upright in

an infant seat, he is less alert than when upright in arms... Vertical positioning as optimal in
infants makes perfect sense. Think of how much time our infants spend horizontal- flat on their
back in a crib or a buggy. Might this affect their alertness? There's a good chance...
Researchers found that infants too young to sit independently learn more when placed in a
vertical position."(Heller, 94)
Upright on Mom's Chest Stimulates all the Senses
And what an incredibly stimulating environment. Not only can the infant learn about the world
around her from all the different sights she sees, she is in the state of mind to do so. When an
infant is calm but alert, that's when all the information is allowed to permeate into his being. He
finds out about the world and his place in it.

"Our body is a sensual cornucopia where smiles, aromas and laughter mingle amid undulating
caresses that put the entire sensory world at our baby's fingertips. Our baby gets tactile or
cutaneous stimulation from our skin touching hers and proprioception from the pressure of her
limbs flexed into our body. She gets tactile, olfactory, and gustatory stimulation if we nurse, of
our milk, and vestibular stimulation from the gentle stimulation of our movements and, when
held upright, from her efforts to right her head and maintain her balance. She gets visual
stimulation when she looks all around her, auditory impulses as we whisper endearments, and
kinesthetic stimulation as we change her to the other side... when we put our babies in a
container, and especially if out of sight all of this sensory nourishment is lost." (Heller,112)

Autonomic System Regulation Easier

The mother/infant relationship actually provides physiological regulation of the infant's
experiences a "decreased heart rate, temperature decreases, sleep disturbances and EEG
changes"- representing an impairment in the regulating processes of his own little body (Archer,
1986). An infant's body physically needs his mother present to help regulate his own body.
Mechanistic Child Rearing and Dissuasion of Infant Carrying
With all the studies and the clear physical benefits of carrying a baby upright on mother's chest
hard to understand a pediatrician's ambivalence on the matter or outright scorn when his
patients choose to do so. Perhaps the reason for not supporting upright carrying may be that
they want to discourage mothers from spoiling their babies or to prevent the mother and baby
from getting too close or attached to eachother.
Straying from wearing our babies may be linked to the old school of thought in which dates back
to 1928 when the famous behaviorist Doctor Watson set out to change the course of humanity
and make infants independent, strong and tough. His theory was that we were all born basically
a blank slate- ignoring any evolutionary hard wiring or any inborn biological tendencies- and that
in order to "form" an independent child it was necessary to prevent the newborn baby from
creating dependent habits. In other words, if you hold on to your baby he will cling to you and
never let go. He will be needy. Not only should you withhold from carrying your baby but
cuddling, kissing and rocking him too; if you show affection, your baby will expect it.
So many of our grandparents and parents were influenced by this mechanistic train of thought,
pressured by the experts to believe that if we picked up their babies when they cried that we
would create a tyrant of a child and become enslaved. Unfortunately this psychology had has a
profound effect upon pediatric thinking and practice and even pervades into conversations
between mothers and doctors today. (Montagu,1986)

Evolutionary Need For Touch

Most mothers are still pressure to carry out the harsh parenting methods that were inculcated
into our grandparents and our parents. Yet, these mechanistic methods only go back so far.
Anthropologist James McKenna claims that with our babies more often in a type of container
than in our arms, they are at "odds with evolution". "Virtually all of our biochemistry and
physiology are fine-tuned for the conditions of life that existed when we were hunters and
gatherers, in which babies were held by their mothers. Our culture may be changing, but our
evolutionary need for touch remains the same.
Babies' brains have evolved to expect closeness and proximity-to be held- for their safety, their
psychological growth, physical growth, mental growth, to aid and stabilize their physiological
processes and keep their immune systems strong" (Field, 69-74). "Touch is not an emotional
fringe benefit. It's as necessary as the air we breathe" (Heller, 5).

Making Carrying the Rule of Thumb

Even though most Western parents cannot conceive of life without a stroller, they are not as
gentle on an infant to as we assume them to be. Placing an infant alone on his back for long
periods of time is not what we as humans are hard-wired to expect. Laying horizontally in early
infancy is not easier or less stressful on an infants spines, skulls, or necks. Upright on mother's
body, mom adjusts to all her baby's movements, and he to hers, moving like perfect dance
partners. The two create a rhythm together, physically, and psychologically and move together
in sync. Even the most state of the art strollers can't provide the warmth that a mother's body
does, her comforting smell, the varied movement, and the sensitive motherly responses that are
so essential to her baby's healthy growth and development, especially during such a critical
period when his brain is growing more than any period in his life. No toys can match the joy that
an infant gets from his mother's face. Alone, gazing up at a fabric liner with which the
manufacturer chose to line the stroller, is no comparison to the rich environment he witnesses
and observes himself when he moves together through the day with his mother.
Strollers are not "bad" per se. To go further, babywearing and strollers need not be mutually
exclusive as long as an infant is content and his cues are responded to when he signals that he
needs to be held (seated and facing his mother is preferable to encourage interactions and
communication) (Zeedyk, 2008).
Laying babies flat on their backs in a stroller is actually not easier on their necks, spines, hips,
or their minds. Nature intended for babies to be carried. Upright positioning with proper leg
support is the preferable position for your infant and is gentle enough not to physically stress
even tiny three pound babies. A mother should trust what her heart tells her, by holding baby
close to her heart she will not only be choosing the most beneficial and physically supportive
method of bringing baby along with her, she will be providing the optimal environment for his
psychological and emotional growth as well.

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