When shopping for a baby carrier you may want to consider a model that allows you to wear baby in a front outward facing position. Although some babies don’t enjoy being carried facing outwards, many love to watch the world around them, exploring new sights and sounds from the comfort of their carrier.
Unlike a stroller, wearing your baby in an outward facing position on your adventures easily allows you to talk to them and show them things, giving them the opportunity to see more and learn more, while being safely and ergonomically supported.
This is where our Tula Explore Baby Carrier comes into play. It is our first carrier to offer an outward facing position and was developed in response to requests from our community. It is responsibly designed and comprehensively tested to offer a deep-seated outward facing carry position which is easy-to-use and supports baby’s natural curved spine and spread squat position.
We’re here to help you on your world-facing journey by sharing the signs that mean your child is ready for outward facing, help show you how to wear them in the optimal position for ergonomic support, and share tips on how to tell when your baby needs to be turned back to a parent-facing position - so you never have to worry about them becoming overstimulated.
Signs Baby is Ready to Try Front Outward Facing
Let your little one lead the way - as their brain develops, their muscles strengthen and their curiosity for the world around them grows, they may begin showing you signs that they want to face the world. They’ll do this in their own time so there’s no rush and remember that inward facing can still offer an outward view for your child.
Physically you’ll know they’re ready once they are sitting in the carrier and can see above the front panel, have strong head & neck control (often around the five to six-month mark), and have a natural curiosity to see and interact with the world.
Try starting out with short durations, e.g. five to ten minutes, to prevent overstimulation. If baby gives signs such as zoning out, being fussy or becomes sleepy, just turn them back around to front-inward so they can find comfort in their wearer and rest.
Optimal Front Outward Facing Positioning in Tula Explore Carrier
Take a peek at our instruction videos for the correct forward facing positioning of baby in our Tula Explore Carrier.
When we Don’t Recommend Wearing Baby Outward Facing
Baby is under five months old and/or does not have strong and consistent head and neck control.
Baby’s airway can become compromised if they do not have the strength to hold up their head steadily for a prolonged period of time. Usually, baby will have this strength at around 5-6 months.
You are wearing baby in our Standard, Free-to-Grow, Toddler or Half Buckle Carrier.
These carriers are not designed to hold baby ergonomically in the front outward facing carry position.
Baby is sleeping.
Don’t forget, there is no front outward facing carry position that is safe for baby to sleep in so make sure to switch them back round to the inward facing carry position if they start to doze off. This will ensure baby’s head is supported against your body, stopping their chin from touching their chest, which could compromise their airway.
You have been wearing baby facing outward for more than 20-30 minutes.
Babies can easily become overstimulated and overwhelmed while outward facing (more on this below), so start off with short durations and watch their behaviour for clues on how they are feeling.
Baby is showing signs of overstimulation.
In new, busy, or crowded environments, it is easy for baby to become overstimulated as their brains have not yet developed the skill of being able to filter out unnecessary information about their surroundings. Keep an eye out for these signs of overstimulation:
- Appearing zoned out
- Catatonic
- Fussy
- Tired
If you see any of these signs, we recommend switching back to facing inwards, or try the back or hip positions if baby is over six months.
We love seeing you out exploring with your little ones and making precious memories together, so be sure to tag us in your pictures on social media and use the hashtag #ExploreWithTula!