How to Tell if a Babywearing Exercise Class is Safe for You and Your Baby

Babywearing exercise classes can be a brilliant way to move your body while keeping your baby close. But how do you know if a class is actually safe for both of you?

In a world where mums are juggling families, work, relationships, and trying to fit in their own wellbeing, it is brilliant that babywearing exercise is becoming more popular.

It makes exercise more accessible by quite literally allowing mums to work out WITH their babies.

However, the world of exercise hasn’t quite caught up with this yet. At the moment, there isn’t a specific qualification that brings together safe babywearing and exercise. 

Because of that, the quality and safety of babywearing exercise classes can vary quite a lot.

Many mums understandably assume that if a class says it is babywearing-friendly or babywearing-safe, then it must automatically be safe. But that isn’t always the case.

Over time, I’ve started to notice some babywearing exercise classes, both online and in real life, where safety for both mum and baby doesn’t seem to be fully considered. I sometimes see vigorous movements paired with babywearing positions that don’t look well supported, at a time when your baby is actually going to be moving more than usual because you are exercising.

And when you are exercising while carrying your baby, that makes safety even more important.

A safe babywearing exercise class needs to think about two bodies, yours and your baby’s.

Both need to be supported. Both need to be safe.

So I’ve put together this blog to help empower you as a mum to recognise the signs of a good babywearing exercise class, and the red flags that might suggest a class isn’t thinking about safety as carefully as it should.

When you first come across a babywearing exercise class

One of the first places you are likely to come across a babywearing exercise class is on social media or a website. You will probably see pictures or videos of the class before you even think about contacting the instructor.

So these images can give you some early clues about how the class is run and how babies are being carried during exercise.

One of the things you want to be able to see is that babies are positioned with their body resting high up on their mum’s chest rather than sitting lower down around the breasts, and the carrier should be fitted so that their body is held snug against their mum’s body.

A pop-up babywearing exercise class I held in Newcastle.

You should also be able to see the baby’s face or the back of their head clearly, and the baby should look well supported in the carrier rather than loose or floppy.

If there are videos of the class, it is helpful to look at how the babies are moving while their mums exercise. When exercise is appropriate for babywearing, the baby should move with their mum’s body in a controlled way rather than bouncy or jarring.

It is also worth saying that photos and short clips don’t always show the full picture. Sometimes a baby might have been quickly popped into a sling for a photo, or a mum may be choosing to carry her baby slightly differently while still keeping them safe.

Honestly, there are pictures of my own that I look at and cringe a little. But as an instructor, I also have to respect how a mum chooses to carry her baby. My job is to make sure the baby is safe and offer comfort tips that she can choose to use if she likes. 

Take the picture below, for example. I see a forward-facing, sleeping baby. That is a big no-no when it comes to safety. But I know this baby literally just fell asleep before this picture, mum absolutely did not do class like this, and she removed him straight after the picture.

I can also see a couple of babies hidden in carriers. I can not see a face or the back of their baby's head. I had seen these mums before the start of class and explained the importance of having their babies' heads free. Both babies had a big gap between the back of their heads and the carrier, so they were not at all restricted. The mums were happy with this, and I felt like they were safe too.

So although pictures give us some great clues to the safety of babies in the class, they do not give us the whole picture, and so we can not judge an entire class based on one image that doesn’t look perfect.

But looking at photos and videos can still give you helpful clues before you even enquire about the class.

What to check before booking a babywearing exercise class

Once you’ve found a class you’re interested in, and you’re getting good vibes from the photos or videos, it’s a really good idea to have a proper nosey around their website and class information.

There are some bits of info I would like you to collect before you go to a babywearing exercise class. If you can’t find them on their website or socials, make contact with the instructor and ask a few questions before booking. A good instructor should be happy to receive and answer questions. This will give you some really useful clues about whether the class has actually thought about babywearing safety during exercise.

The aim here is to notice whether the instructor has considered babywearing as part of the exercise they are teaching, rather than simply running an exercise class and allowing mums to wear their babies while they take part.

A good babywearing exercise instructor should have a good understanding of safe and comfortable babywearing. A simple way to get a feel for this is to ask a few curious questions about babywearing during exercise. A good instructor should be able to talk about this confidently, give you some tips, or direct you towards useful information about carrying your baby safely during the class. 

For example. If a mum asked me about babywearing during exercise, I would direct her to my ‘Safe Babywearing during Exercise’ guide, which I wrote myself. And then I would offer for her to drop back into my inbox with any further questions. 

It is also worth looking to see whether the instructor has any babywearing training. In my opinion, an instructor should at least have a babywearing peer support certificate. But I do not think this level of training alone is enough. 

If that is the level of their training, I would also expect them to have some experience alongside it, for example, experience supporting other mums with babywearing, or having worn their own babies and developed a really good understanding of how carriers work and how babies move within them.

I hold a babywearing peer support certificate, which was a great refresher for me. But that would not have been enough if I hadn’t had years of carrying my own children, offering babywearing support in my community and in my previous role as a midwife. 

Even if you already know quite a lot about babywearing yourself, asking these questions can still be helpful. The answers will give you a sense of whether the instructor has really considered babywearing within the exercise they are teaching, and that can be very reassuring before you step into a class.

I am aware that I have not addressed how to know whether the class is safe for your own body in this section. I am going to address this separately further down this blog. For now, let’s have a look at what to expect during a class. 

What to expect when you arrive at a babywearing exercise class

When you arrive at the class, one of the first things you should notice is that the instructor cares about how babies are positioned in their carriers.

That doesn’t mean an instructor should be picking on every tiny thing that could be adjusted, because that could quickly become overwhelming for mums and might even put some people off babywearing altogether.

But they should at least be aware of what is happening across the room. If they notice anything that looks unsafe, they should absolutely approach that mum and offer some support.

When it comes to comfort, a lot of that is down to mum and her own preference for her and her baby. But I would expect that an instructor would offer to check carriers at the beginning of the class and give some tips if anything could be made a little more comfortable.

When I see a mum carrying their baby in a sub-optimal position but is not coming forward for support (as long as the baby is safe), I will mention at the end of class that they should have felt comfortable throughout and if any one felt any pulls or discomfort in their shoulders, back, neck or anywhere else to come and chat with me. That mum will then often come and approach me, and I can offer support now she has decided she would like it, rather than me forcing that on her. This is the level of care you are looking for, rather than babies all being perfectly worn. 

During the class itself, the movements should look controlled and smooth. Generally, these are movements where your feet are planted on the floor, things like squats, lunges and upper body work.

It is completely fine to move around a little more vigorously than feet planted, but as a rule of thumb, you probably don’t want to be moving much more vigorously than you would if you were fast walking while wearing your baby.

For example, you definitely do not want to be doing any movements that would be jarring to your baby or make them jump around in your carrier. 

The key to safe movement while babywearing is that the exercises set by the instructor allow your baby to move smoothly and fluidly with your body.

You should also hear the instructor giving cues throughout the class that continue to consider the baby. For example, they might suggest cuddling your baby in a little closer during certain movements, or offering some head support where there are movements where you lean forward. 

Overall, there should be a sense that the instructor is continuing to think about the baby throughout the class, not just at the beginning.

Babies of different ages will also need different things. Younger babies will often need movements to stay gentler, whereas older babies might be comfortable with slightly more movement.

A good instructor should recognise this and offer options so that mums can choose what feels appropriate for their baby, with some guidance.

In my opinion, babywearing should also never feel forced. A mum should never feel like she has to wear her baby during the class.

Of course, it does need to be considered that babies moving freely around the room during an exercise class could become unsafe. But if a baby is more comfortable sitting in a car seat or a pram next to their mum for part of the session, or if mum feels she needs to relieve herself of the weight of her baby, I personally feel that should be allowed.

How to Tell if a Babywearing Exercise Class is Safe for Your Postnatal Body

When you are looking at a babywearing exercise class, you mustn’t just think about whether it’s safe for your baby. You also need to think about whether it’s safe for you and your body.

Your body has been through a huge event in pregnancy and birth, whether that was a vaginal birth or major abdominal surgery like a caesarean section. So you want to make sure you are walking into a class with an instructor who understands the postnatal body and how to keep you safe while you exercise.

You do want to make sure that your instructor has some sort of pre and postnatal fitness training. However, I’m saddened to say that, having taken this training at Level 3 myself, it barely touches on postnatal recovery and what is actually needed to properly support a mum’s body.

So, although it’s good for an instructor to have that qualification, you also want to look for other signs that they genuinely understand the postnatal body.

For example, they should know about pelvic floor recovery, abdominal muscle recovery, and how to support a gradual return to exercise after having a baby.

Sometimes you can spot this through the things they share. They might talk about it in blog posts they write, on podcasts they appear on, or in the content they share on social media. You want to feel confident that they have really taken the time to learn about postnatal recovery, not just completed a basic fitness qualification.

The class itself should also reflect this understanding.

Movements should be controlled, not just because you are wearing your baby, but because your body in the early postnatal period doesn’t need the extra pressure and impact that comes from very bouncy or high-impact movement.

A good class should offer adaptations and natural progressions so you can choose the level that feels right for you.

You would also expect the instructor to be talking about pelvic floor and abdominal connection and breath within a postnatal exercise class, too. 

You should also feel comfortable taking breaks, modifying movements, or even taking your baby out of the carrier if that feels better for your body. Wearing your baby adds extra load, which is another reason why smaller, controlled movements are often more appropriate.

You should never feel judged for listening to your body.

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A safe babywearing exercise class should always be thinking about two bodies, yours and your baby’s.

That means considering how babies are positioned in their carriers, choosing movements that are appropriate for babywearing, and understanding what a postnatal body needs in order to return to exercise safely.

When those things come together, babywearing exercise can be a really lovely way to move your body while keeping your baby close.

And if something doesn’t feel right, remember that it’s completely okay to ask questions.

You and your baby both deserve to feel safe, supported and comfortable while you move.

If you would like to try an online babywearing exercise class, you can get a replay of one of my classes straight into your inbox here.

You can access these babywearing classes either on demand, on replay or live on a Monday morning on Zoom as part of my Online Postnatal Recovery Membership.

Right, I think that about sums up everything I have to say about how to tell if a babywearing exercise class is safe for you and your baby.

So I shall be on my way to now share this blog with the world. But if there is anything else you would like to ask, please do feel free to drop into my inbox on Facebook here or Instagram here or email me at hello@karenpostrehab.co.uk

Much Love

Karen Ellis

Postnatal Recovery Expert and Former Midwife