Baby Carriers Research Articles

Design and validation of a questionnaire on habits, health and exercise in the use of baby carriers.

Understanding the characteristics and implications of the use of baby carriers can help health care providers understand the habits of their patients and provide guidance to improve quality of life in both children and caregivers. The aim of our study was to design and validate the first self-administered questionnaire to assess babywearing habits and their impact on health and physical activity as a means to monitor musculoskeletal complaints in caregivers. 350 individuals who currently used or had used baby carrying systems in the last 10 years completed the questionnaire, which was previously subject to a pilot study in a panel of experts. We used exploratory factor analysis to assess the validity of the internal structure of the questionnaire. The Cronbach α coefficient was used to assess reliability. We used varimax rotation to improve the interpretation of the extracted factors. The factor analysis showed that the questionnaire is appropriate for measuring the dimensions or carriage factors established a priori. It extracted 3 factors each for the constructs of duration and weight of carriage, motivation, exercise habits and effects on infant health and 2 factors for caregiver pain that explained between 55% and 72% of the variance in each construct. The Cronbach α values were greater than 0.5. The results support the validity of the questionnaire and demonstrate that it is useful for its intended purpose.

Infant and parent heart rates during a babywearing procedure: Evidence for autonomic coregulation

Babywearing is the practice of carrying an infant in a baby carrier, which may provide an inexpensive, nonpharmacological intervention for the parent-infant dyads to handle mental stressors, such as pain and anxiety, especially among vulnerable infants. This study investigated the influence of babywearing on parent-infant autonomic coregulation based on the changes in the HR of mother-infant and father-infant dyads for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Guided by the Calming Cycle Theory as the framework, the correlation between parent HR and infant HR and the difference in the mother-infant dyad (n = 17) compared to the father-infant dyad (n = 8) were examined. Although only the mother-infant HRs reached statistical significance during babywearing (r̅ =.52, p = .03), both parent-infant dyads had strong correlations during babywearing (compared to pre- and post-babywearing conditions), indicating that babywearing, for parents and their infants with NAS, may influence autonomic coregulation.

Discover Use Linen Back Baby Carriers in Ancient Egypt

Egyptological Research of the hieroglyphics of Linen back baby carriers specifically used in ancient Egypt, there is a depiction from a tomb dating back to 1500 B.C. that shows women carrying children in what appears to be white fabric carriers on their backs. Objectives of This article present a thought-provoking perspective on a possible link between ancient Egyptian design and ergonomics. Remember that this is an ongoing field of research, and new discoveries or interpretations may challenge or refine the presented ideas. Always strive to critically evaluate sources and consider alternative perspectives when exploring historical topics. Egyptians were resourceful people and linen was one of their most common textiles. And It's highly they used linen for a variety of purposes, including carrying children. However, since most Egyptians were farmers and laborers, they used simpler methods for carrying their children, such as slings made from scraps of fabrics. The Pharaohs of Egypt innovate the science of ergonomics and the design of infant carriers the value of our pictures for the earliest history of art. Definitive proof of photos ancient Egypt, the explicit evidence does of back baby carriers being used in ancient Egypt, even within the royal household. Considering the cultural context, practical advantages, and potential adaptations for royalty, further research holds promise in unlocking this fascinating aspect of childcare in a bygone era. This article is intended for research informational purposes and should be depended of research professional ergonomics medical advice. And this research paper is a starting point and can be further expanded upon by including specific citations, additional research findings, and personalized discussions based on your specific interests and areas of focus.

Effects of a Baby Carrier Intervention on Fathers’ Sensitivity, Involvement, and Hormonal Levels: Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Study

SYNOPSIS Objective. Fathers are of great importance for healthy child development. This randomized controlled study investigated the longer-term effects of an intervention using a soft baby carrier on fathers’ observed sensitive caregiving, involvement, and oxytocin and cortisol levels. Design. First-time fathers were randomly assigned to use a baby carrier (n = 41) or baby seat (n = 39) and were asked to use the carrier or seat for at least 6 h per week for 3 weeks. Pretest (M child age = 2.67 months), posttest (M child age = 3.99 months), and follow-up (M child age = 8.25 months) father data were collected. Results. No intervention effects of baby carrier use on fathers’ sensitivity, involvement, and oxytocin or cortisol levels at follow-up emerged. Unexpectedly, fathers in the baby seat condition reported an increase in the amount of time spent with the infant. Fathers’ sensitivity and oxytocin levels decreased over time, while cortisol levels increased over time, irrespective of condition. Conclusions. This study showed less optimal hormonal levels in fathers over time, suggesting that support during the first months of fatherhood is needed. Furthermore, use of a baby seat may have contributed to fathers enjoying their time with their infant and consequently their involvement in child caregiving.

1F1-2 Comparison of appropriate wearing rates of baby carriers by childcare experience and reasons for this comparison

1F1-2 Comparison of appropriate wearing rates of baby carriers by childcare experience and reasons for this comparison

Tailoring Modernity and Wrapping Tradition: Chitenge [African Print Fabric] Class and Culture in Zambia

This study delves into the historical and contemporary significance of African print fabric known as chitenge in Zambian dress practices, critically scrutinizing sartorial choices and developments. We explore and unravel chitenge’s multifaceted meanings for contemporary Zambians, in terms of gender, class, religion, and urbanity vs. rurality through a critical cultural hybridity approach with oral history, ethnographic, and digital qualitative methods. Our research reveals conflicting perceptions—from being labeled as backward to its proud representation as national dress during special occasions, chitenge in Zambia reflects wider global trends of local dress positioned as “traditional” contrasting with Western styles perceived as “modern.” Chitenge is desirable when tailored into Western-style attire customized for individual use, highlighting its role as a sign of conspicuous consumption, instead of its more versatile wrapped form that could be worn in multiple ways, shared, and repurposed into various other uses ranging from a baby carrier to household décor. Beyond our findings, this study also contributes to epistemic justice as one of the first studies on sartorial practices in Zambia by a Zambian scholar.

Discover Use Linen Back Baby Carriers in Social Science of Ancient Egypt

Discover Use Linen Back Baby Carriers in Social Science of Ancient Egypt

The Combined Influence of Infant Carrying Method and Motherhood on Gait Mechanics.

Postpartum mothers are susceptible to lumbopelvic pain which may be exacerbated by loading, like carrying their infant in arms and with baby carriers. Nulliparous women carrying infant mannequins may biomechanically mimic mother-infant dyad, but this has not been studied. The purpose of our study was to investigate biomechanical differences of 10 mothers carrying their infants and 10 nulliparous women carrying infant mannequins under 3 gait conditions: carrying nothing, carrying in arms, and carrying in a baby carrier (babywearing). Spatiotemporal gait parameters, peak ground reaction forces and impulses, and lower extremity and trunk kinematics were collected using motion capture and force plates and compared using a mixed 2 × 3 (parity × condition) analysis of variance (α ≤ .05). The largest differences occurred between carrying conditions: carrying in arms or babywearing increased vertical and anteroposterior ground reaction forces, trunk extension, ankle dorsiflexion, and hip and knee flexion. Kinematic differences were identified between arms and babywearing conditions. Together this suggests alterations in joint loading for both groups. Our study also contributes a novel understanding of postpartum health by demonstrating alterations in step time, anterior forces, and ankle and knee mechanics, suggesting that during gait, mothers carrying their own infants choose different propulsive strategies than nulliparous women carrying mannequins.

Effects of a Soft Baby Carrier on Fathers’ Behavior and Hormones: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Increased father–infant physical contact may promote early paternal caregiving. This randomized controlled trial, preregistered on https://osf.io/qwe3a, tested the effects of a soft baby carrier intervention on fathers’ parenting behavior and hormonal levels. Eighty first-time fathers of 2- to 4-month-old infants were randomly assigned to a baby carrier intervention group (n = 41 fathers) or a control group receiving an infant seat (n = 39 fathers). Fathers were instructed to use the baby carrier or seat for 3 weeks. Fathers’ sensitive parenting behavior, involvement, salivary oxytocin and cortisol basal levels and reactivity to interacting with the infant were assessed at pre-test (on average 2 weeks before the intervention) and at post-test (on average 1 week after the intervention period ended). The results showed that the intervention did not enhance fathers’ sensitive parenting or involvement. Involvement operationalized as hours spent with the infant decreased over time for fathers in the carrier condition compared to fathers in the control condition. The baby carrier intervention had no effect on fathers’ basal oxytocin or cortisol levels, nor did it affect fathers’ oxytocin or cortisol reactivity to interacting with their infant. Our findings indicate that 3 weeks of using a baby carrier does not have immediate beneficial effects on fathers’ parenting behavior or hormonal functioning as assessed here. Future research may examine whether infant carrying has beneficial effects on the longer term or in different groups of fathers, and how fathers’ infant carrying affects their infants.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of infant hips in the Pavlik harness compared to body-worn commercial baby carriers.

While many factors contribute to development and subsequent correction of developmental hip dysplasia (DDH) in infants, hip positioning and muscle activity play a significant role. Lower-limb restrictive extension positions, such as with swaddling, are detrimental for hip development, and some baby gear leads to reduced lower limb muscle activity. Yet how baby gear impacts hip position during wear remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare the Graf's alpha angle and femoral head coverage of healthy infants and infants with mild DDH (instability) in the Pavlik harness and baby carriers. We obtained coronal hip ultrasound images of 10 healthy full-term infants (13.5 ± 3.4 weeks, 5F/5M) and three full-term mild DDH infants (8.9 ± 4.0 weeks, 2F/1M) in three conditions: Pavlik harness, wide-base baby carrier, and narrow-base baby carrier. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare Graf's alpha angles and femoral head coverages across the conditions (p < 0.05), with post hoc pairwise tests (p < 0.0167). The Graf's alpha angle in the narrow-base carrier was 6.9° lower than the Pavlik harness, while the wide-base carrier was not different. Femoral head coverage was 10%-12% lower for the narrow-base carrier. The three mild DDH infants exhibited lower Graf's alpha angles and femoral head coverage in all measurements, with the Graf's alpha angle in the narrow-base carrier measuring 49.0°. This research demonstrated that wide-base baby carriers held hips in a position that was not significantly different from the Pavlik harness, meaning that babywearing in a wide-base carrier may have benefits for healthy hip development.

Carrying lactation to new heights? Baby carriers may increase breastfeeding at six months

James Thiel, Derrick MD; Hall, Ashley U MD, FACOG; Marshall, Bob MD, MPH, MISM, FAAFP, FAMIA Author Information

Assessment of child safety on bicycles in baby carriers – The importance of evaluating both head and neck injuries

Introduction: The paper addresses an important accident type that involves children in bicycle seats – the bicycle fall over. It is a significant and common accident type and many parents have been reported to experience this type of “close call.” The fall over occurs at low velocities and even while a bicycle is standing still, and may result from a split-second lack of attention on behalf of the accompanying adult (e.g. while loading groceries, i.e. while not being exposed to traffic per se). Moreover, irrespective of the low velocities involved, the trauma that may result to the head of the child is considerable and may be life-threatening, as shown in the study. Method: The paper presents two methods to address this accident scenario in a quantitative way: in-situ accelerometer-based measurement and numerical modeling approaches. It is shown that the methods produce consistent results under the prerequisites of the study. They are therefore promising methods to be used in the study of this type of accident. Results: The importanance of the protective role of a child helmet is without discussion in everyday traffic.However, this study draws attention to one particular effect observed in this accident type: that the geometry of the helmet may at times expose the child's head to considerably larger forces, by having contact with the ground. The study also highlights the importance of neck bending injuries during bicycle fall over, which are often neglected in the safety assessment – not only for children in bicycle seats. The study concludes that considering only head acceleration may lead to biased conclusions about using helmets as protective devices.

Compatibility of the 'Fun and Fit with Baby Exercise Programme' for mothers

Background: The positive effects of physical activity on health have been extensively recorded; however, mothers with young children often face difficulties when it comes to engaging in exercise. Aim and Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the programme's suitability for mothers with young children. Materials and Methods: A programme called 'Fun and Fit with Baby' was created, consisting of 5-week exercise routines. The programme included weekly gatherings, and participants were given assistance in following the guided exercise routines while carrying young children in a baby carrier. These routines were as follows: (1) exercises for balance and posture, (2) exercises for muscle toning, (3) exercises for fat loss, (4) exercises for core pelvic muscles and (5) cardio exercises. Twelve mothers with children under the age of 6 years volunteered to participate in this programme. The compatibility of this programme was measured through body composition measurement, questionnaire after the participants completed the programme and participant observation. Results: The findings indicate that the programme provided an acceptable and supported opportunity for mothers with young children to participate in physical activity. Conclusion: This initiative demonstrates that a group exercised with similar goals have a key role in influencing, enabling, and supporting people to participate in health activities.

SMART HUMAN FOLLOWING BABY STROLLER USING COMPUTER VISION

A baby stroller is a vehicle that is used by people to carry their toddlers making their life easier or carrying out other activities. However, such a vehicle still requires human labor to carry from one place to another place. Moreover, carrying such a vehicle can be troublesome for elderly people, disabled persons, or pregnant women. We live in an era where every aspect of human life is becoming simpler with the use of an autonomous machine. The recent development in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) has allowed us to achieve autonomous surveillance robots to autonomous self-driving cars. This advancement of AI and ML can also be implemented in such a way that can help a person carry their babies for them which reduces their labor. This paper proposes a human following baby carrier car that can follow a human without any kind of help from the person. This reduces the labor work for a person and provides much freedom to carry out their activities. Such a carrier can be operated by elderly people, disabled people, pregnant women, or by any other without the need for much labor. The proposed system relies on the computer vision analysis that uses the camera feed to detect the person to be followed and sends a command to a microcontroller that operates the Carrier.

Clustering of baby carriers user by their needs and their characteristics

Clustering of baby carriers user by their needs and their characteristics

Plötzlicher Kindstod von zwei Säuglingen in Babytragehilfen.

Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), previously termed sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is the second leading cause of death in infants beyond the neonatal period in Germany, and a major cause of infant mortality in economically well developed countries (OECD Health Statistics, 2019). The risk of SUDI peaks at the age of 2-4 months and then decreases continuously till the end of the first year. A complex multifactorial cause, rather than a single characteristic factor, may cause SUDI within a critical period of infant development (Guntheroth WG et al., Pediatrics 2002; 110: e64-e64). Risk factors include prematurity, male gender, bottle-feeding, prone sleeping position, overheating, as well as exposure to smoke amongst others (Carpenter RG et al., Lancet 2004; 363: 185-191). Thus, health professionals consistently advise and educate parents about avoidable risk factors of SUDI at routine well-baby examinations. Since the advent of SUDI prevention strategies in the 1980s, the incidence has decreased 10fold, from 1,55/1.000 live births in 1991 to 0,15/1000 in 2015. This number seems to have reached a steady state (Statistisches Bundesamt Germany, 2015).

Infant Injury Prevention Education for Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Class: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

It is important to educate caregivers in order to prevent infant injuries. However, there have been few studies on the effects of education on pregnant women. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of injury prevention group education on this group. Study participants were recruited from a group of pregnant mothers attending an antenatal class in Tokyo. Participants were assigned to either the intervention or control group based on the month in which they attended the existing antenatal class. Both groups received a leaflet on injury prevention, but only the intervention group received an additional short one-shot lecture. The implementation of each of the nine safety practices was assessed during home visits after childbirth. Of the 131 study participants (56 in the control group and 75 in the intervention group), 106 (80.9%) received home visits after birth. Mothers in the intervention group implemented three practices significantly more than those in the control group: Keep soft objects away from the baby’s head (38.3% vs. 13.0%), Do not place your baby on a high surface (74.6% vs. 52.2%), and Use the baby carrier correctly (93.3% vs. 76.1%). In the future, we plan to follow up the participants to evaluate the program’s long-term effects, and to continue to improve the program.

A soft baby carrier intervention enhances amygdala responses to infant crying in fathers: A randomized controlled trial

New fathers may grow into their parental role through active involvement in childcare. Spending time in physical contact with the child may promote an adaptive transition to fatherhood. In this randomized controlled trial, we tested the effects of a baby carrier intervention on fathers’ hormonal and neural functioning. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined whether infant carrying affects neural reactivity to infant crying in first-time fathers, taking into account the role of the hormone oxytocin as a mediating mechanism and fathers’ own childhood experiences as a potential moderating factor. Sixty first-time fathers (infant age M = 11.18 weeks, SD = 2.08) were randomly assigned to a baby carrier intervention group (n = 32 fathers) or a control group (n = 28 fathers). Fathers in the intervention group were instructed to use a baby carrier for three weeks, whereas fathers in the control group were instructed to use a baby seat. Before and after the intervention salivary oxytocin was measured and neural reactivity to infant crying was assessed using fMRI. Results showed that the infant carrier intervention increased amygdala reactivity to infant crying compared to the infant seat users. This effect was most pronounced in fathers with experiences of childhood abuse. The carrier intervention did not affect fathers’ oxytocin levels. Our findings indicate that spending time in physical contact with the infant may promote attention to and accurate perception of infant signals, in particular in fathers with more adverse childhood experiences. Soft baby carriers may, therefore, facilitate an adaptive transition to fatherhood.

An innovative oxygen delivery method with the help of pacifier assembly for infants

Infants have an intense need to suck since birth and often cry because of various reasons including cry, anger, frustration etc, the situation become more challenging when kids are admitted in hospitals. Some babies may cry more often than others, even when there is nothing wrong. They are not mature neurologically and are often calmed by sucking. Some of the suggested methods to soothe infants include holding up, rocking in baby carriers, talk a walk in a stroller, breast feeding, get support from family, or trying a baby pacifier. Pacifiers are referred to any object which helps children adjust to new situation or calm them or relieve their stress. 75-85% of kids use pacifiers in western countries and hospital nurseries commonly give them to newly born babies. Although breastfeeding is the most effective way to calm infants, and often kids have reflex to place their hands or thumbs in their mouths, pacifiers can be very helpful for discontented or cranky babies who cannot or will not suck their thumbs or fingers.

Factors in Ergonomic Design of 6-to-18-month Baby Carriers for Elderly People

The main objective of this study was to formulate an ergonomic design factor for 6-to-18-month baby carrier from simulated loading point data and physical parameters of an average Thai elderly person. The research steps were as follows: (1) reviewing the literature on 6-to-18-month baby carrier designs; (2) simulating the forces acting on a few selected baby carriers and on the body of an average Thai elderly person carrying them; and (3) synthesizing ergonomic design factors based on load-bearing data as well as the physical parameters of an average Thai elderly person. Four ergonomic design factors were synthesized: 1) their shoulder and hip posture while they are using the carrier, 2) the seat and backrest of the baby carrier, 3) the load-bearing points on the body of the carrying person, and 4) the type of baby carrier. Our findings may benefit designers of cushion seat and baby stroller.