August in St. Louis is HOT.  Sometimes being outside only seems possible if it is accompanied by being in the water.  Going to a pool, playing at a splash pad or wading in a creek are great ways to cool off on those scorching hot days.  What to do with your little one while you are trying to keep cool in the water, well there is a carrier for that.

First some safety tips about wearing in the water and then will we go over the different carrier options on the market for wearing in the water.  It is recommended to wear baby on the front or hip while wearing in the water, that way your child is always visible to you.  If you do wear a baby on your back it would be best not to be in water any deeper than your calves.  Whether you are wearing in the water or not you want to make sure baby has a good position with their back fully supported and are not slumped in the carrier.  Make sure your child’s face is always visible and rest above the place on your chest where water can pool.

Wearing while in the water, either the shower or pool, you have to stay vigilant to make sure water isn’t puddling around the child’s face or running in their mouth or nose. It is suggested to not be in water deeper than your waist while wearing a baby in a pool or any body of water. It is also important to keep in mind other children that you are responsible for.  If you are watching older children by yourself wearing a child might not be the best option in case you need to quickly help an older child and won’t have time to take baby off before helping the older child.

Babywearing cannot be used in place of a coast guard approved life vest on boats.  Do not do anything in or around the water while wearing that you wouldn’t do while holding the baby in your arms.

Are you wondering, Do I really need a specific carrier approved for use in the water?  The answer is yes.  You do not want to wear a non approved carrier in the water.  The water could damage the carrier and make it unsafe for wearing.

You are in luck there are multiple water carriers to choose from.  We have a few in our library to checkout for members.

Wrapsody offers WrapDuO a wrap made for sports and water use.  It can be found here: https://wrapsodybaby.com/shop/wrapduo/stretch-sport-and-water-wrap/

Beachfront Baby offers water slings and wraps and can be found here: http://www.beachfrontbabywraps.com/product-category/slings/

The water slings that we have in the library, Kokoskaa and LoannBell can be found here : http://www.kokoskaa.com/pages/waterslings, https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoAnnBell

BityBean and Connecta Solar offer water safe soft structured carriers they can be found here: http://bitybean.com/ and http://www.connectababycarrier.com/product-category/connecta/solar-connecta/

Kokadi offers a water tai and it can be found here: http://www.kokadi.de/en/Aqua-carrier:::59.html

Happy water wearing!