What is a Pelvic Tilt?

What is a pelvix tilt/tuck? It’s a little bit of a holy grail in the babywearing world! It’s main purpose is to rotate the pelvis gently into a position where an infants tailbone/hips sit lower than their knees. It’s also a great starting point of figuring out what may not quite feel right, or if baby is grizzling a little. Doing a pelvic tilt can highlight tweaks needed, such as slack, or an unlevel sling.

Why is this important? An infants hips and sockets are hugely under developed, made of soft bone. By bringing their knees up, it places the hip at the correct angle and takes any pressure out of the hip joints, leaving them to develop naturally.

Is this what hip safe carriers do? Whilst the carriers have a certificate that means they can accomplish a position that supports this position, it doesn’t mean your baby will automatically finish in the position intended. A pelvic tilt will help to sink their bottoms a little more if needed. To note, this does NOT mean that a carrier without the hip dysplasia certificate is unsafe. It may mean the company have not found the expense of certification necessary, and that their carriers are absolutely supportive. There are hundreds of smaller companies of slings who prioritise their smaller budgets differently, with lots of fantastic causes of support to fund, such as donating slings to libraries. To clarify, you cannot cause hip dysplasia, only exacerbate it if it already exists genetically in your infant/family. If you have any hip conditions in your family line, it’s always worth considering speaking to a sling consultant and your hip consultant.