«Lying position» with a pareo
This position is suitable for newborn babies.
Note: I took the following photos when I was 7 months pregnant. My Vasilis was 16 months old back then, already much too big for this position! I am using a special model-doll for the instructions!
1. You can use a pareo or a wide scarf or a pashmina. Prefer fabrics that “breathe”.
2. First you need to “measure” where you should tie the knot on your pareo! Spread your pareo over your shoulder (if it is too wide, fold it in half, with the opening towards your neck).
3. Hold your baby on your shoulder (as if you wanted to burp them) and “cover” them with your pareo diagonally.
4. Tie a knot above your hip (on the opposite side from the one on which you are holding your baby), roughly at the height of your navel.
5. While always supporting your baby on your shoulder, move the pareo around your body (and over your baby) so as to bring the knot below your shoulder (alternatively, behind your back if that suits you better).
6. Now you have a “pouch” made to your measurements!
(In this photo I have set the “baby” aside, just so that the “improvised pouch” shows better! You can continue with the next steps without needing to put your baby down!)
7. You can now place your baby inside the “pouch” (“pocket”) that has been created. Hold them in your arms (with the head towards the knot)…
8. … and place your baby into the “pocket” that is in front of you, taking care that there is enough fabric on both sides (both between you and the baby and around the baby towards the outer side).
9. Make sure to support their head correctly if they are a newborn and that there is at least one finger’s distance between their chin and their chest! Also be careful that their face is not covered by the fabric of your pareo!
10. You are ready for a stroll! Your baby is in a very comfortable and safe position and you didn’t need anything complicated to wear them!
Important note: In this position, when you have done it correctly, the baby’s legs are once again folded like a little frog and not stretched out and closed. However, if your baby has a predisposition to hip dysplasia, or some issue of tight or loose hips, or if you have instructions from your doctor to put two diapers on them to keep their legs open, then it might be preferable to avoid this position and to prefer an upright position.
read more: Open legs in babies – Hips and hip dysplasia
