Ergonomics for Mothers of Infants and Toddlers

1. Don't pick up the baby under the armpits. Put one hand under the head/neck and the other under the bottom.
   

2. Put the height of the crib as high as possible (based on development of the child). Move mobiles and toys out of the way for easy access.  When lowering rails, use two hands.
   

3. If nursing and need to express, use an electric pump.
   

4. When removing disposable diaper, cut the tabs with baby scissors. Don't pull them off.  You also need to be careful of those with Velcro.  Frequent checking of the diaper with Velcro will put extra stress on the thumbs/fingers from pulling on the tabs.  If using cloth diapers and putting a plastic cover over them, look for those that open up with Velcro versus those that would pull on.
   

5. When nursing, use the devices available to help support the baby (i.e. Boppi). Sit in a reclined position so baby's weight can be held by your body and larger joints.
   

6. When burping the infant, put over your shoulder. If unable to do it this way and you need to support the head, try to keep fingers and thumb together. Don't straddle the chin with thumb on one side and fingers on the other.
   

7. When holding the infant, try to keep your wrists straight. Hold the head closer to their neck versus higher on the head. If sitting, use lap pillows to help with support.
   

8. When buying clothing, purchase pants that snap (for infants) rather than pull-on.  Having shirts that have snaps to open up the neck is also better than trying to pull it over the infants head.
   

9. When bathing and the baby is old enough to sit up, use one of the bath tub rings to help support the baby. 
   

10. For toddler clothing, try to get pants that have a zipper rather than the pull on. If using the pull on, using slow precise movement is better than quick jerky motions (obviously difficult to do with toddlers).
    

11. Do not lift toddlers. Squat down and let the child grab on to you as you slowly stand up
    

12. Car Seats/Carriers-Make sure the handle is lengthwise with the carrier so the hand/forearm is in neutral (thumb forward) position versus palm of hand facing forward.

Contact your therapist if you have any questions or problems.