How to Carry a Diaper Bag
This is the fourth issue in the Postpartum Pain Clinic and consists of several parts on the management of pain and pain accompanying newborn and infant care.
So far, in our online parenting clinic, we’ve covered how to hold a baby , how to change a baby’s diaper, and how to push a stroller without hurting your neck, wrists or back (or at least making the problem worse.) This week we take a look at another dastardly culprit in postpartum pain: the diaper bag.
I know that we should all throw something out of the diaper bag so that the load is not so heavy, but I know from experience that the first time you leave an extra set of clothes, hand sanitizer, diaper cream, etc. The water bottle at home is the first time you find yourself in Hardy’s closet with a blown diaper, dirty hands and a crying baby with a rash. So, given that we really need to carry tons of things with us, the best thing to do is learn how to carry a heavy diaper bag with as little pain as possible.
To better understand how to carry a diaper bag without destroying the musculoskeletal system, I spoke to Stephanie Leaf, a postpartum physical therapist and director of New Leaf Physical Therapy , for her best advice on protecting your back and neck. …
Do not do this:
If you have a standard shoulder bag, do not lean to the side with your torso and head tilted. Keep your hands and wrists soft.
Make:
Consider a diaper backpack instead of hanging over your shoulder. I had a Skip Hop backpack to help me with my back and neck, especially in situations where I was carrying a baby and a diaper bag at the same time. “Wearing a backpack will be better for a long time than wearing anything on one shoulder or across the body,” says Leaf. If you need to carry a bag over your shoulder, carry it as close to your body as possible and hold it by your shoulders without even bending your neck to the side. “If you carry the bag on one shoulder, you can support the bag from the bottom,” says Leaf. “The closer the bursa is to your center, the more support you can provide to the core and the less stress will be placed on all other joints.”
My personal decision? A stroller that was easy to move around and a diaper bag stowed underneath. But if you need to carry a heavy diaper bag with you, at least try to make it ergonomic. This will make the hump over Hardy’s changing table a lot less painful.