The BCIA Babywearing Education Committee generally meets the third Tuesday of each month at 12pm Eastern time. The next meeting will be November 18.
The October meeting of the BCIA Babywearing Education Committee focused on potential organization for an updated white paper/position paper (or series of position papers) on babywearing and the ways in which the use of baby carriers keeps babies safe.
We also discussed ways to address both the myths and evidence-based issues that come up when discussing babywearing.
Our original position paper was written in 2010. It was written during a period of time when the US government had threatened to outlaw broad categories of baby carriers, putting infants and families at major risk of losing access to the life-saving practice of babywearing.
In the 15 years since this paper was written, there has been more research, data, and information, but the messaging in the original paper remains relevant today. “Keeping babies close and under direct supervision, such as when they are carried in a sling-style carrier, is the best way to ensure their well being.”
At this month’s committee meeting, we identified a potential skeleton outline for our updated work. The goal of this work is to create an evidence-based framework for discussions around optimal babywearing and the necessity of baby carriers as a public health tool.
We also identified some resources for gathering additional incident data for baby carriers. It has been difficult to obtain objective data in many areas of the world. If you have concrete data related to baby carrier incidents or if you have participated in carrier-related research, please contact us at bcia@babycarrierindustryalliance.org. Compiling this information has been central to our mission since our organization was founded in 2010.