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I have seen lots of different baby carrying methods including:

  • Arms alone
  • Chest carrier in upright position
  • Back carrier in upright position
  • Carrying a car seat

and rarely:

  • Chest sling in cradle position

I figured that of all of these, the chest sling in cradle position would be best. It solves a number of common problems: Arms getting tired, thumb inflammation (in moms who have infants, this is sometimes called mommy's thumb), not seeing the baby (a problem I see with back carriers), or an unnatural position for a baby that can't sit (chest carriers).

Of course, spit up will decrease with upright carriers because gravity helps keep more milk in the stomach. But I think the disadvantages far outweigh this.

The one baby carrying method that I have seen that has little risk for these is a chest sling in the cradle position. Spit up will increase but unless the baby is vomiting, there is probably no concern.

And this position means that the baby is less likely to cry from hunger since the baby would be next to the breast. It would also help soothe the baby during the first few months of life when the baby wants to hear the mom's heartbeat like it did when it was in the womb. And being breastfed decreases the chance of obesity. Aspiration pneumonia from non-breastmilk sources is less likely.

So, should my Kepler Bb Humanoids use a chest sling in the cradle position or are there too many disadvantages to a baby being in the cradle position when carried in something other than a humanoid's arms?

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    $\begingroup$ This feels like such a irrelevant detail for a world. Pretty sure people carry babies in different ways based on their culture and it rarely has anything to do with physical advantages of any of the methods because they all have trade offs. $\endgroup$
    – A. C. A. C.
    Nov 2, 2017 at 23:30
  • $\begingroup$ Say what you will but I've seen plenty of people carry their baby in a chest sling in a cradle position. Perhaps it depends on where you live in the world. $\endgroup$
    – AngelPray
    Nov 2, 2017 at 23:34
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    $\begingroup$ Definitely kudos for the pico-level focus on worldbuilding details! $\endgroup$
    – elemtilas
    Nov 2, 2017 at 23:48
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    $\begingroup$ What does this have to do with world building? $\endgroup$
    – Slarty
    Nov 2, 2017 at 23:51
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    $\begingroup$ You don't even provide what your humanoid looks like to justify whether chest sling cradle is advantageous or not. $\endgroup$
    – Vylix
    Nov 3, 2017 at 8:19

2 Answers 2

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Just at the outset, I'd say that any government official or medical practitioner who is so deep into your personal life that he's dictating how you carry your baby really needs a good stiff telling off.

That said, all of the above methods have valid uses. Sometimes you might need to just pick the kid up and run --- no time for properly slinging baby: just grab n go! Eventually the kid's going to get heavy. Slinging him on the chest in either position will pull your upper back and shoulders out of alignment and cause pain.

Overall, I think the best physiological / biological / sociological / psychological position is chest-wrapped & upright with arms & possibly legs free. Mom & baby get loads of close skin contact, eye contact and behaviouraly contact. Baby is always close and always has a bit of a snack at hand. Baby is comforted by Mom's presence, he more quickly learns & perfects his native language as she sings and talks to him. He can exercise his arms and legs by pushing against her body. The upright position helps to strengthen his neck muscles.

Loads of other benefits. Take a look online for search terms like 'ideal baby carrying methods'. A quick google search can answer your immediate question with all the journal articles you care to read.

But there is a caveat: only you can really answer the question for Kepler Bb! You're more aware of their A&P, their culture, their history, their behaviours & technology.

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I see this Kepler Bb planet has 4x the gravity of Earth, so if your people are humans who just moved there then they might want to use the method that both distributes weight most evenly and is the most secure, i.e. the baby can't just fall out.

So maybe if they use a cradle-type sling carrier then it would have one or more belts inside to fasten the baby to it, and it would be a design which has straps over both shoulders.

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