Pouch Baby Carriers Safe use of, troubleshooting

Putting on Your Hotslings Pouch

Fold the pouch into itself to make a 2 layer tube. Find the curved-seamed end. This will be at your hip and toward the front. No matter what positionyou are using, the baby's bum will be in the curved seam.

Put the folded edge over your head and rest it on your opposite shoulder. The curved, padded end should be down, directly under the opposite breast from your shoulder. The open side of the tube should be facing UP.

For the Cradle and Front Carries, the padding should be flipped on the outside. For the Hip Carry, padding will be on the inside.

Putting on your Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Pouch


Unfold your Adjustable Fleece Pouch so that it looks like this (this is a right-dominant pouch).	Put your right arm through the opening on the side away from the open edges.	Slide the pouch over your head onto your shoulder of your dominant hand. The open edges (the bound edges) should be UP. The folded edges should be over your shoulder. Center the width of the pouch over the ball of your shoulder.

Place the seam where you want the baby's bum to be. This seam provides the deepest part of the pouch and is where the bulk of your baby’s body will always be.For the tummy to tummy, cradle and kangaroo carry, position the serged pouch seam across the center of your body. For the hip and back carry, this seam will be along the side of your body.	When wearing your pouch, make sure you are not wearing it inside out. When worn correctly, the snap "flap" (fabric with the unused rows of snaps) should be flat against your back. You should not see the Kangaroo Korner label. This is a left-dominant pouch.	Your pouch has now created a "pocket" similar to a piece of pita bread. Your baby will always ride inside of the pocket. Please ensure that there is always fabric behind and in front of your baby. In addition, there will almost always be fabric between your baby and your body (except for when nursing).

Tummy to Tummy Carry

(birth - 4 months with legs in, 2 months - 35 lbs with legs out)

This is the position we recommend you begin with when wearing your new pouch, no matter what your child’s age. It is the easiest toget baby in and out of and takes up the least amount of room. It is also one of the best positions for newborns and premature babies as baby is wornsnug against your chest, close to your heartbeat.


Put your pouch on. The seam of the pouch should be positioned across the center of your body and the snaps will be behind your shoulder or in the middle of your back, regardless of what shoulder you are wearing the pouch on.	Hold your baby in burp position, over your shoulder.	Tuck her feet underneath her bottom or slightly in front of her stomach.

Insert her, bum first, into the bottom of the pouch. Ensure that there is fabric between the bottom portion of baby’s body and your stomach and that her feet are comfortably tucked inside the bottom of the pouch.	Pull the upper edge of the pouch high up over her back. Small babies need extra support so make sure you pull the pouch up high enough to support the back of their head and neck	All done! In this position, it is okay if the lowest part of your baby’s body is an inch or two below your naval, but you should be able to easily bend down to kiss the top of your baby’s head. If you cannot, this indicates that the pouch is too big for you and you need to tighten it up at least one row of snaps.

Front Carry (2 months -8 months)


Put the sling on. Put the padding on the outside. Put the seam at the midline of your body.	Hold baby up high on your chest, his back to your front, slightly facing sideways (away from the pouch shoulder).	Find pouch opening. Cross his legs and put them on top of his body. Grab the pouch rail.

Lower his bottom in. Bounce him on down.	The seam should be in front of him. His weight should be tipped toward you and resting back against your body.	Let go! Baby's arms can be out or in.

Kangaroo Carry (2 months-8 months)

We recommend this position for babies under 22 lbs and/or 29-30”. Babies over these limits can cause you lower back pain as the pouch will notdistribute their weight evenly.


Put your pouch on. The seam of the pouch should be positioned across the center of your body and the snaps will be behind your shoulder or in the middle of your back, regardless of what shoulder you are wearing the pouch on.	Hold your baby in front of you with her legs crossed.	Insert her, bum first, into the bottom of the pouch.

Your baby’s feet should be crossed in front of her stomach/chest.	Pull up the fabric in between the front of your body and your baby’s back, high up on your chest.	All done!

Hip Carry (4 months - 35 lbs)


Put the sling on with the padding on the inside. Line up the seam with the opposite breast.	Toss your kiddo up onto your shoulder, in the burp position or higher.	Put child's feet all the way through the sling. Slide the seam around so the seam is lined up with his spine.

Open the folds of the pouch to make a seat. Drop him into the seat by lowering his bottom between the layers of fabric.	The bottom rail (or padded rail) should be under his knees and the top rail (unpadded) can be pulled up under his armpits or up above his shoulders for more snuggle. Flip the top layer of shoulder down for more support, if desires.	Ta Da! All done!

Taking Baby Out of the Pouch

Pull sling up onto shoulder to make room underneath for baby to come through. Slip his head out of the bottom/back into yourarm. Grab his back and bottom with your arm and hand. Now go change his diaper.

Having Trouble Getting Comfy?

Troubleshooting Your Pouch

Size matters! Make sure your pouch is correctly sized for you. Without a doubt, the most common mistake we see with pouches is that the pouch is improperly sized for the wearer. In general, people have pouches that are too big for them. Many people are surprised at how snugly a baby should be worn. But if your baby is too low in the pouch, her safety is compromised and you are likely to experience neck, back and/or shoulder pain.
How to tell if your pouch is the right size for you: When your child is in the pouch, she should be snug and secure against your body (as if you were holding her), not swinging in the pouch. Her bottom should be around the level of your belly button (slightly higher or lower is fine).

Too big: If your babys' bottom is much lower than your belly button and/or she does not feel secure in the pouch, it is likely that your pouch is too big.If you have an adjustable pouch, snap it to a tighter setting. If you have an unpadded pouch, you may wish to flip the shoulder or do the pouch twist to tighten the top rail and get a snugger fit (see tip 6). Some pouches, like Hotslings, can also be shrunk by putting them in the dryer for 10 minutes at a time until they are the right size. If these tips do not properly size the pouch for you, then you will need to get a smaller pouch.

NO	YES!

This pouch is too big. Baby resting on mom's stomach not on her chest.	Much better! Baby is snuggled up on chest, similar to in-arms position.
NO	YES!

This pouch is also too big. Maddy is able to lean far away from Mommy's body. Does not feel or look secure.	Much better! Maddy is snugly held on mom's hip. Pouch is up behind her back - not much room for leaning.

Too Small: If it is very difficult to get the baby into the pouch/sling due to its tightness, if the baby’s movement seems constricted or if you or he seems to have trouble breathing while he is in the sling, it may be too small. However, if your baby is simply snug against you, this means the pouch is fitting correctly. We have rarely found that people have pouches that are too small for them, but it does happen. Really, the only option for solving this problem is to buy a size up.

Center the fabric of the pouch over your shoulder. We generally find that having the ball of your shoulder in the center of the fabric is the most comfortable. However, if you prefer not to have any of the fabric down your arm, you can center the fabric evenly on your shoulder. Don't let it scrunch up towards your neck - this will quickly become uncomfortable, causing neck and shoulder pain.

NO	YES!

Pouch scrunched up towards the neck. This quickly becomes uncomfortable!	Pouch centered over shoulder distributes weight more evenly and doesn't strain the neck. Fabric can also be centered on the shoulder, as in the shoulder flip picture, below.

Spread the fabric smoothly across your back. Smoothing and spreading the pouch as far down your back as possible is key to your comfort. This distributes baby's weight evenly across your shoulders and back. A pouch that is bunched up or twisted causes pressure points and back strain. If you are feeling any discomfort in your back, reach up behind your back, grab the pouch and give it a good yank, as low as you can. If you can do this, while also pulling the fabric away from your neck, you will hit two tips with one stone!

NO	YES!

Pouch bunched and twisted on back. This causes pressure points and strain on the back and neck.	Pouch spread across the back, evenly distributing weight.

Check baby's leg position. When carrying baby with legs out of the pouch (hip or tummy to tummy positions) her legs should be wrapped around you, with baby's knees up and her bum lower or at the same level as the back of her knees. Legs should not be dangling down, they should be parallel to the floor, or angled up. To achieve this, pull the fabric up and under herknees. If there is extra fabric, bunch it up behind his back rather than under his knees. This position is both most comfortable and most safe for your baby, as it keeps him securely in the pouch and reduces red marks behind his knees.

NO	YES!

Legs dangling down, knees lower than bum. Umcomfortable for all.	Child's legs are wrapped around mom's waist, knees higher than bum.

Center the seam of the pouch up the midline of baby's body. The seam marks the deepest area of the pouch and that is where the bulk of your child's body should be positioned. In a tummy-to-tummy, hip carry or back carry, the seam should be aligned with your baby's spine. In a foward facing carry, center the seam under baby's chin. If, when you first put baby into the pouch, something feels "off'" check the seam!

NO	YES!

Pouch seam off center, allowing less room for child's body. This is less comfortable for both child and mom.	Pouch seam centered and aligned with child's spine. This is the proper position.

Do a shoulder flip or a pouch twist, if necessary, to give additional stability and support.

The Shoulder Flip

For the shoulder flip, take the top layer of the pouch and flip it down over your shoulder. This offer additional stability and support to the upper rail of the pouch.

The Pouch Twist

1. Put the pouch on upside down. Arm goes through the pouch with the pouch rails/opening facing you.	2. The opening of the pouch will be facing away from you and towards the floor.	3. Now grab the rails/pouch opening with your hand and bring it through so that it the opening is facing upwards, as usual.

4. Now the pouch is ready for you to wear your child. Insert child as usual.	5. All done! The twist is great for adding a bit of stability to your pouch. It is also handy for making your pouch just a little smaller, if needed.