Insert or Not to Insert?

Does your carrier require an infant insert to fit your newborn, having you wonder if that is good for your baby? As a certified babywearing consultant and founder of carry.coach, I’ve spent more than a decade helping parents find their way through the maze of baby carriers - including the infant inserts.

Let’s take a closer look at why these inserts are used, why they’re far from ideal, and what to do instead - especially if you want to support your baby’s natural development from day one.

Several wider based growing carriers on the market use an infant insert (also called booster), a small pre-shaped pillow, sometimes accompanied by taco-shell shaped insert for the entire body of the baby to make the newborns fit the buckle carrier. This is how newborn is positioned in the carrier with an infant insert.

Using the infant insert not ideal: no insert can guarantee your baby's hip-healthy position in the carrier, aside of giving you extra work and extra heat.

Healthy newborn's position

Stuffing a wide-based carrier with a sitting pillow means forcing a sitting position on a baby that can't sit yet. Newborns do not have the core strength, muscle tone and joints developed yet enough to sit. The sitting position puts pressure on your baby's spine, joints and ligaments, makes your baby slump and requires reinforced head and neck support. The sitting cushion isn’t capable of creating a wide enough seat, the smile. Remember? Only the smiling seat is pulling up evenly baby’s thighs knee-to knee, into their natural spread squat position. Read more about a hip-healthy, smiling carrier here.

Make your carrier smile with your baby's bum in it

The spread squat position supported by the smiling carrier is your goal, especially with a newborn. Knees of your baby ideally end up above the level of the bottom, pelvis tucked in, the lower back of your baby curves mildly, without any effort. With the smiling carrier - or a wrap - find a hip-healthy and comfortable position for both of you.

Remember, safe babywearing is beneficial for parents and babies at all times, including any less-than-ideal hip healthy position. Check The one rule of babywearing to find out the babywearing basics.

How about this: If your carrier is too large for your baby, skip the insert and reach for a better option - something that adjusts to your baby, not the other way around. A wrap, a carrier with a truly adjustable seat, or one designed to support a newborn’s position without props or padding. One that helps your baby settle into that natural, supported “smile.”

That’s been my mission from the start. After years of watching parents struggle with workarounds that shouldn’t be necessary, I co-created babyloop: a carrier that makes healthy, comfortable positioning automatic, right from the start. No guesswork. No inserts. Just simple, safe babywearing for every body.

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Hi, I’m Michaela. Certified babywearing consultant, founder of carry.coach, and mom of 3. After watching parents wrestle with every carrier out there for a decade, I stopped recommending and started designing. Join me at babyloop, where we are redefining babywearing with style, safety and simplicity. Let’s make carrying your little one the easiest - and coolest - part of your day. Ready to loop in? Visit babyloop.com and let’s get started!