The safe way to lift and carry a baby car seat
We all know how difficult it can be to lift and carry around car seats with a baby inside. One chiropractor mum has shared her car-seat carrying hack to protect our backs, shoulders and knees...
Lifting and carrying around a car seat is not easy, especially as your baby gets heavier. It's all too easy to put strain on your shoulders, back, hips, arms and knees.
A report by the Professional Network of Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy (POGP) has also warned that lifting and carrying baby car seats may put your postnatal recovery at risk in the first few weeks after giving birth.
Car seats for newborns and babies (Group 0+) are designed to keep your child safe in the car, and are not well designed for carrying your child around.
“You’re carrying a heavy weight off to one side far away from your body often with your hand turned backwards or forwards,” explains Amanda Savage from POGP. “That’s not a comfortable or ergonomic way to carry something.”
So, we're thrilled to see that a mum/chiropractor at the Bridge Family Chiropractic has shared a handy how-to video, showing a safe way to get your child's car seat off the ground and into a comfy carrying position. It's designed to protect you from muscle strains, while being a safe way to cart your baby and seat in and out of the car.
Here's a run through of how she does it:
1. Crouch down with your palm out flat
2. Once you're crouching, loop your arm through the side of the car seat handlebar
3. Keep your arm through the handlebar, then put your forearm around the side of the car seat, using your hand to hold the corner.
4. Stand up carefully, and there you go!
Watch how it's done here:
The reaction
Naturally, the handy hack has gone viral (we're talking 5.3m views since April and 60,000 shares), with many parents saying they've found it really works.
"This is so much easier!" commented one mum. "My youngest is four now so obviously I don't use one anymore but yesterday at work I tried it out on one of my patients and the foster mum now thinks that I'm the smartest person ever! "
"I tried it yesterday. Defo easier," said another.
Not everyone was convinced. "That position wouldn't work for a c-section mum. It throws you off balance and would pull at staples and stitches," commented one, although we'd recommend that you try not to lift and carry a car seat around if you still have caesarean stitches in.
Another said, "Looks so awkward! I believe the handle would be more padded where the forearm is, if it was meant to be carried that way."
And one mum pointed out that trying the move herself caused her some discomfort, to which the chiropractor mum responded:
"I am sorry to hear that and so I wanted to share that due to so many different makes and models of car seats, it is likely that this method won't work for all seats.
"This was merely an attempt to pass along a creative idea that was shared and works incredibly well for the majority of those who attempt it."
Have you tried it? We'd love to hear whether you found this easier on our Facebook page.
Other products to help you carry a car seat
"There are a few products currently on the market to help parents carry car seats," explains MadeForMums reviews editor Hazelann Williams. These include:
- LugBug - portable easy-to-grip lightweight handle that clips on to the car seat handle
- Dooky Car Seat Carrier - over-the-shoulder strap
- Cocobelt Car Seat carrier - over the shoulder strap
Worth researching if it's something you really struggle with, or if this method's not right for you ?
Images/Video: Facebook/Bridget Family Chiropractic
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