Carrying a baby

Babies get heavier every week, and they are carried, lifted and rocked many times a day, often on one hip or in one arm. That load adds up. There are no trials of carrying methods for back pain, so the advice is practical: share the load between sides, keep the baby close and high, and build strength back gradually.

Why carrying adds up

Back pain is common after birth, and most of it carries on from pregnancy.¹ Carrying adds a load that is offset to one side, repeated through the day, and growing. In workers, the cumulative load on the lower back over time is studied as a risk factor for back pain,² and new parents effectively take on a new physical job overnight.

How to carry

• Close and high. The closer the baby is to your chest, the less your back has to work.
• Switch sides. Swap hips and arms often, on purpose, not just when one side hurts.
• Use both arms for longer carries, or a carrier.
• Stand tall. Avoid pushing the hip out to make a shelf for the baby for long periods.

Slings and carriers

A well fitted carrier spreads the weight across both shoulders and the hips.

1. Baby high enough to kiss the top of the head.
2. Waist belt on the hips, not the waist, for front carriers with a belt.
3. Straps snug so the baby does not sag away from you.
4. Switch to a back carry when the baby is old enough and the carrier allows, for heavier toddlers.

Follow the manufacturer’s guidance on age, weight and positioning, and the airway safety guidance for slings.

Lifting in and out

• Bring the baby close before you lift, sliding them toward you first.
• Bend your knees and hips for low lifts such as car seats and cots; a rounded back is not dangerous in itself, but keeping the load close is easier. See lifting technique.
• Lower the cot side or use a changing table at waist height to reduce bending.
• Car seats: carry them close in front with both hands, or click them onto the pram rather than carrying them far by the handle.

Prams and pushchairs

Set the handle at about waist height so you can walk tall with your arms relaxed. Pram walks are good for you: walking is one of the best supported habits for back health. See walking for back pain.

Rebuilding strength

Exercise helps back and pelvic pain around pregnancy, with benefits that take weeks to show.³ Start gently, as advised by your midwife, doctor or physiotherapist, and build up. See postpartum posture and restarting core work after birth.

When to get help

See a doctor or physiotherapist for pain that keeps getting worse, pain spreading into a leg, numbness or weakness, and urgently for any change in bladder or bowel control. See red flags.

Footnotes

1. Low back pain and disabilities among postpartum women: prevalence, severity and associated factors. 2025. ↩

2. Cumulative low back load at work as a risk factor of low back pain: a prospective cohort study. 2013. ↩

3. Exercise for the prevention of low back and pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. 2018. ↩