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Ergonomics and head support
Before your child is able to hold their head up unaided, it’s vital that the baby carrier offer the proper support to help keep the head in an upright position. The neck muscles of an infant are not sufficiently developed for the child to be able to hold their head up. Moreover, a baby’s head accounts for about one quarter of their body weight, which is more than twice as much as an adult’s. So, it’s easy to understand why a baby’s neck needs support in the first few months. Most babies are not strong enough to hold their head in an upright position until they’re about five months old.
This is why head support is such an important part of an ergonomic baby carrier. When an infant is being carried in a baby carrier, they must be able to lean their head against their parent’s chest while enjoying good neck support.
Some parents and babies prefer having the head support fully extended, so it covers the baby’s entire head. Others are happier with the head support folded down, which still provides good neck support. Generally speaking, the support should be high enough to prevent the baby’s head from tipping back.
All baby carriers from BabyBjörn offer adjustable head support that you can adapt to your baby as they grow.
If you’d like to read more about ergonomic baby carriers and leg position, you can do so here.