Baby carriers: a comparison of traditional sling and front-worn, rear-facing harness carriers.

The baby sling is a traditional baby carrier in Asia and the front-worn harness carriers are adapted in modern society. We compared the baby sling with front-worn harness carrier in terms of the physiological responses of the baby caregiver. Ten females (aged 23-32 years) and 10 males (aged 23-35 years) were recruited to participate in this study. Each subject was asked to carry two different weight baby dummies (7 and 10 kg) using three different baby carriers. The electromyography (EMG), shoulder tactile pressure, skin temperatures as well as heart rate were measured during baby carrying. The traditional baby sling and the two front-worn harness carriers showed little differences in EMG activities, shoulder tactile pressure and exercise intensity. Carrying two different weighted baby dummies caused significant differences in EMG and shoulder tactile pressure. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations about the improved baby carrier design are proposed. Practitioner Summary: This study compared traditional sling and front-worn harness baby carriers using caregivers' physiological responses including electromyography, shoulder tactile pressure, skin temperature and heart rate. Differences found between the carriers provide valuable information for baby carrier design and recommendations for the baby-carrying task.