Do you have a baby or toddler and are experiencing neck or shoulder pain? If you answered yes, you are far from alone. Once you had your baby, you likely thought the pain was completely behind you. After all, growing and birthing a tiny human is the hard part, right? But then those perfect little babies want to be held. And while this is easy enough when they are tiny newborns, they grow at a rapid rate. As much as you love carrying your little one, it can be a pain. Literally. 

How to Prevent Shoulder Pain from Carrying Baby

We’re sharing our best tips with you on how you can prevent neck and shoulder pain while still carrying your baby. Which includes an easy-to-use hip carrier called Tushbaby that will absorb the weight of your child for you. 

Table of Contents

• 5 Reasons Why Caregivers Feel Neck and Shoulder Pain from Carrying a Baby
• 5 Solutions to Carrying Your Baby Without Neck and Shoulder Pain
• How Tushbaby Can Prevent Your Neck and Shoulder Pain
• FAQ's

First, let’s talk about why neck and shoulder pain is so common in new parents.

5 reasons why caregivers feel neck and shoulder pain from carrying a baby

Being a parent to a baby is hard work...but you already knew that. What you probably didn't expect was the physical discomfort that comes along with holding and carrying your baby. You may not notice it at first, but the same repetitive motions done with improper form will leave you sore and with a body that feels out of whack.

Here are some reasons why it happens:

1. Picking up your baby incorrectly

When your baby is small and wiggling is the most they do, you can pick them up with ease. But when your little one starts toddling around and scurrying away from you, you’re much more likely to scoop them up in a hurry. This causes extra strain and weight on parts of the body that shouldn’t be bearing the brunt of your baby’s weight.

2. Carrying your baby on your hip

Once babies reach a point where they can hold their head up on their own, they are usually held on the hip. The older a child becomes, the more difficult it is to carry them. It doesn’t take long before you notice yourself leaning over to be able to carry them and we often carry our children long after it’s become uncomfortable. In this article from Precision Pain Care Rehab, they say not to favor one side of the other. I don’t know about you, but it feels completely unnatural for me to carry my kiddo on my right side. Not to mention I then no longer have use of my dominant hand. This is much easier said than done.

Also Read: 4 Ways to Carry Your Baby With Tushbaby

3. Hunching over while nursing or bottle-feeding your baby

Even though you’re generally sitting down while feeding your baby, this is still a time where you might notice pain in your neck. Constantly bending down toward your baby to feed them or stare into those sweet little eyes can cause this type of discomfort.

4. Incorrect use of a sling or front carrier

This is something I noticed a lot when my children were small. I loved having a sling for my youngest when she was a newborn as it helped calm her down, but I never seemed to get the fit quite right. It was always pulling on my shoulder. Front carriers also need to be fitted and tightened properly, otherwise they put a lot of unnecessary strain where they shouldn’t.

Also Read: When Can My Baby Face Forward in a Carrier?

5. Carrying a car seat on one arm

When babies are small, we often leave them in their carseat (with a newborn car seat insert if they're really small) to bring them inside and run errands. Although this is a wonderful option to have, especially when your baby is fast asleep, if it’s done too often it can put you in a lot of pain.

Add in the use of a heavy diaper bag on your shoulder and it’s not hard to see why so many new parents or other caregivers experience constant neck and shoulder pain.

Not only does the repetitive motion of picking up and carrying your baby cause neck and shoulder pain, but it also can cause back pain. In our article, “How to Carry Your Baby Without Hurting Your Back”, we gave our top tips to avoid this type of pain. We have similar tips to share here, in hopes that carrying your baby can be completely pain-free.

5 Solutions to Carrying Your Baby Without Neck and Shoulder Pain

Holding your little one is one of the joys of parenting. It creates a bond like you’ve never known before. And that’s certainly something you’d never want to lose. Often parents just push through pain because their little one wants to be held and they want to hold them close, too. But it doesn’t have to be this way!

These are our top solutions to prevent unnecessary neck and shoulder pain while carrying your baby.

1. Get a baby carrier

One of the best ways to prevent shoulder and neck pain is to utilize a baby carrier often. But what kind? There are many different types of baby carriers to choose from and we listed our favorite ones in our “Best Baby Carriers” article. Some are better than others when it comes to preventing pain when carrying a baby, but when used correctly, they’re almost always better than using nothing at all. The problem here is that many caregivers don’t use them correctly and then the pain actually becomes worse. So you’ll want to choose one that you can use easily and correctly every time. Our top recommendation in that article was the Tushbaby hip carrier and it’s the best for eliminating pain, as well. That’s because there's a minimal learning curve on how to use it, where others take a ton of practice to get it right. Read on to find out more about this amazing carrier!

2. Lift with your legs

We know that sometimes you get rushed or you just don’t think twice before picking up your little. And maybe it doesn’t hurt at first, but done over and over again it can have lasting negative effects on your body. But it’s really important to lift with your legs. In order to do this, you’ll want to kneel down on one knee. Then lift your baby while holding her close against your chest before standing up. Then push to standing from your legs while keeping your core muscles tightened and back straight.

3. Stand tall

While holding your baby, pay attention to your posture. You should not be leaning to one side or hunching forward. If you’re carrying your baby without the support of a carrier, you should be carrying them in the center of your body so that their weight is evenly distributed making it easier for you to stand up straight with head, neck and pelvis aligned.

4. Feed with support

Using a supportive system to lay your baby on while you breastfeed or bottle feed them will help immensely. This is because you can position the pillow high against so that you’ll be bringing the baby up to you or your breast instead of hunching over to get closer to them. The Tushbaby works great for this as it can be strapped around you with your baby laid across for feeding time.

5. Stretch often

Though prevention is key, if you do find yourself with some unnecessary kinks in your neck or shoulders, you’ll want to work those out as soon as possible to get relief. Bright Side gives 11 stretches that will help relieve your neck and shoulder pain. 

How Tushbaby can prevent your neck and shoulder pain

Isn’t it the greatest feeling to receive affection from your child? So when they want you to hold them, you don’t want to have to turn them down. But parents often experience so much discomfort that they have to tell their little ones that they can’t or they end up only being able to hold them for a few minutes before the weight is too much to bear. This is especially true as your toddler grows. 

And if you know toddlers then you also know how they love to run around just as much as they want you to hold them. This leaves you in an endless up, down, up, down situation and that’s only going to make your pain worse.

The solution is the Tushbaby hip carrier.

Unlike other carriers that can be difficult to use and get the right fit, this will never be a problem with Tushbaby. Its simplicity is what makes it such a perfect choice.

And think about how you carry your baby the most. On your hip, right? Tushbaby allows you to do this while maintaining perfect upright posture and with zero discomfort. How is this possible?

Tushbaby is like the fanciest fanny pack you’ve ever seen with a seat right on it for your baby. Once you’ve fastened it snugly high around your waist, you’ll be able to hip carry your baby like you always have. Essentially, the carrier holds up the weight of your baby instead of you! All you have to do is put your arm around them to keep them safe. 

Here are some other characteristics you’ll love about Tushbaby:

• One size fits most - You don’t have to buy multiple carriers to fit different caregivers!
• Stashes all your stuff - There are so many pockets and hooks making it easy to store everything you’ll need for yourself and your baby while out and about.
• Hold your baby four ways - You can see how you can carry your baby with Tushbaby in this article, and that includes a way to feed your baby without straining your neck and shoulders.
• Easy up and down - With other carriers, your baby pretty much has to stay put once they’re in there. But that’s not true with Tushbaby!

And if you’re wondering how long you can carry your baby like this for, the answer is ALL DAY! It’s perfect for around the house, short errands or a full day excursion. (It’s even great at Disneyland, which we talk about here!)

FAQ's

Why do my shoulders hurt when I hold my baby?

Mom Shoulders are a real thing, as many moms often hold their baby for most of the day. While holding or nursing a baby, naturally, our shoulders want to rest in a forward or rounded posture because of their added weight.  As we try to offset the baby's weight, we end up moving them from hip to hip and trying other carrying positions. It can be surprising how heavy your tiny little baby can feel after holding them for extended periods. While you can make a conscious effort to improve your posture, mom-brain may take over—life with a newborn can be overwhelming!

The best way to promote better posture while holding or feeding your baby is to use a baby carrier and breastfeeding pillow for support. The Tushbaby is a hip seat carrier with four carrying positions, including a feeding position. With an versatile design and multiple uses, the Tushbaby can make life with a baby easier as they grow from infancy through toddlerhood. 

What does Mom Shoulder feel like?

While we each may have our own sensitivities throughout our body, carrying a baby for long periods day in and day out can worsen those sensitivities. Mom Shoulder results from just that—holding and feeding your baby with imperfect posture (which is completely normal, by the way). As you care for a needy baby, your sleep-deprived body may naturally want to try to relax. Mom Shoulder can include neck, back, and shoulder pain in equal parts. It can result from overuse of muscles and surfaces due to physical and emotional stress. We know you have to care for your baby, but don’t forget to take care of yourself, too—it's okay to ask for a break or help as needed. 

Can a chiropractor help Mom Shoulder?

Chiropractors can help with pain stemming from Mom Shoulder. As you repeat the activity that caused the pain in the first place, though, it may be hard to find long-term relief. Consult your primary care doctor or chiropractor for personalized and professional medical advice to help you find the right avenue for relief.

How do you treat a mother's shoulder?

As you try to find relief from Mom Shoulder while keeping up with your baby's demands, it can be challenging to accommodate both needs. Some can find relief from ice, heat, and anti-inflammatory treatments or medication. These pain relief tactics may only provide temporary relief, though—if the pain persists or is bothersome, contact your doctor for medical advice. Some will recommend chiropractic treatment or physical therapy.

Other repetitive motion, stress-related injuries to prevent while carrying baby

Carrying a baby and caring for a baby takes an emotional and physical toll on your body and mind. A long list of injuries can occur as a result of carrying a baby: your body is stressed, tired, and overused when you’re raising a newborn. To prevent injuries, prioritize time for yourself to promote mental and physical well-being—whatever that means for you. Additionally, focus on carrying your baby in a balanced position as much as possible.

Babywearing with a carrier can provide support while promoting good posture, making carrying a baby much easier on your body and theirs. The Tushbaby is our best-selling hip seat carrier recommended by pediatricians, chiropractors, physical therapists, orthopedists, pelvic floor therapists, and spine surgeons. Its built-in lumbar support protects the wearer’s body, while the memory foam-lined seat keeps the baby’s hips in the pediatric-recommended “M” position. With four carrying positions evenly distributing baby’s weight across the wearer’s body, Tushbaby offers comfortable and supportive babywearing for you and your little one. 

If you’ve been experiencing shoulder or neck pain that you know is a result of carrying your little one, we highly recommend following all of the tips laid out above. The Tushbaby hip carrier, along with safe lifting practices, can be your best preventative measure against any unnecessary pain developing.

Related Articles

• How to Carry Your Baby Without Hurting Your Back
• Best Posture for Breastfeeding