How You Move Your Child’s Car Seat Matters
Lifting and carrying a car seat with an ever-growing infant in it can be difficult for anyone, but especially for mothers as they tend to perform these tasks often!
If you frequently have poor posture while moving your child’s car seat, you are at increased risk of experiencing pain from the repetitive stress placed on your muscles and joints…and no parent needs that! Therefore, it is important to know how to have good posture and movement mechanics for carrying and lifting your child’s car seat. Keep reading for tips on how to avoid injury or pain!
Common Areas of Pain
Pain due to the repetitive stress from poor posture when moving a car seat can occur in many areas. However, I most commonly have seen pain develop in the low back, shoulders, and hands.
New Moms – Pay Attention!
Many new moms have either had a c-section or suffered pelvic floor trauma during labor and delivery. To allow for healing of their abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, new moms are frequently given lifting restrictions for a short time.
However, that car seat isn’t going to move itself when you need to bring your child to their first check-up or when you need to make a quick trip to the store. Therefore, new moms especially should be aware of how to best lift and carry a car seat to avoid placing excessive stress on their healing tissues.
Placing Your Child in the Car Seat
When placing your child in the car seat, it can be helpful to make sure that the car seat is placed on an elevated surface BEFORE placing your child in it—this is very important for new moms! By placing the car seat on a table or countertop, you can avoid unnecessary bending while strapping your child in and it will be easier for you to lift the seat, helping to protect your healing pelvic floor and abdominal muscles.
If you are unable to place the car seat on an elevated surface, place your child in the seat by squatting down next to or in front of the car seat. As you squat down, focus on bending the hips and knees rather than rounding forward in the back to promote good movement mechanics and avoid low back pain.
Try to stand as close to the car seat as possible while strapping your child into the seat so that you do not have to reach far forward for an extended time. This can improve the position of your low back and shoulders, reducing the potential for pain development.
If the car seat is on the floor, try kneeling in front of the seat with one leg bent up while you strap your child in. Be sure to position yourself close to the seat and focus on bending forward slightly at the hips, rather than rounding in the low back, as you reach forward. This will help you avoid developing low back pain.
Strapping Child In - Standing Strapping Child In - Kneeling
Lifting the Car Seat
The most important part of this motion is being sure to keep the car seat as close to you as possible when you go to lift it.
When lifting the car seat off the floor, be sure to bend at the hips and knees rather than rounding forward in your back as you lift. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged by pulling the lowest part of your belly up and in—this part is especially important for new moms! Gently exhale as you lift the car seat and make sure that your back stays straight. Keep both elbows bent and hold the top of the handle with both arms as you lift.
When lifting from a high surface, lift the seat from where the handles meet the seat and lower the car seat to a lower surface. Then, readjust your grip to using both arms with elbows bent at the top of the handle prior to beginning carrying the seat
Lifting Car Seat From Floor Lifting Car Seat From High Surface
Carrying the Car Seat
Avoid carrying the car seat on one side of your body or holding it on your forearm like a handbag. This can put increased stress on your low back, shoulders, and hands. Rather, carry the car seat by the handle with both arms, holding it close in front of your body with weight evenly distributed between both arms. New moms especially should be conscious about keeping their abdominal muscles engaged as they carry the seat.
Depending on your car seat, there is another way that you may be able carry it. Loop your arm that is next to the car seat through the handle so that the handle rests on the inside of your elbow. Then, twist your hand so that your palm faces back and use it to support the car seat under the handle. This can help alleviate low back pain with carrying your child’s car seat; however, be sure to monitor that your wrist is not overly bent as this can result in hand pain development.
Carry Car Seat Like This! Or Like This!
Setting the Car Seat Down
It is best to place the car seat on a surface that is at about waist level. New moms especially should strive to do this to decrease stress on their healing pelvic floor and abdominal muscles.
If you are placing the car seat on the floor, be sure to bend at the hips and knees rather than rounding forward in your back to reach the floor. Don’t forget to gently exhale as you lower the car seat.
If you do have to lift the car seat up to a higher surface, hold where the handle meets the seat rather than holding the top of the handle to reduce the stress placed on your shoulders. Be especially sure to keep your core muscles engaged and think about elongating through the spine as you lift the car seat to the high surface to improve how your low back moves and avoid pain.
Reaching Car Seat To High Surface Do and Don't
Putting the Car Seat in the Car
This is the hardest part of maneuvering a car seat if you ask me. Be sure to keep the car seat as close to your body as possible as you go to place it in the car. If you can, put one leg into the car while placing the car seat into the car. Gently exhale as you do this and focus on keeping your abdominal muscles engaged—this is especially important for new moms.
If your child is big enough to walk out to the car or to crawl up into his or her car seat, take advantage of this! This will help you avoid unnecessary heavy lifting that can be aggravating to your back and shoulders.
Putting Car Seat in Car
And A Quick Word About Diaper Bags…
Car seats aren’t the only things that can affect your posture and movement mechanics. Carrying around a heavy diaper bag can affect you too. Experts suggest that your bag shouldn’t exceed 10% of your weight if carried back-pack style or 5% of your weight if carried on one shoulder. Chose a bag with wide straps to better distribute the pressure over a wider area. And if you carry your bag on one shoulder, alternate which shoulder you carry it on.
Thank you!
Don’t hesitate in reaching out to me with any questions that you might have!
Email: emily@rxdpt.com
Phone: (989)318-3839
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