Why can't my child "face out"?

This is actually a question that we get asked quite frequently and the answer is no. The reason for this is because of an intentional design feature, which provides a wide base of support for the childs seat.

In order for a child to face out, the carrier would have to be designed like the Baby Bjorn carrier which has a very narrow strip that supports the baby's seat area. The problem with this is that developmentally, particularly as the baby gets bigger, studies have shown that it puts too much weight on the base of their spine. This is unhealthy and the studies recommend that if you carry your child in a soft carrier (like the Sutemi Pack) that it have a wide base of support which supports not only the childs bottom, but also out into their legs - distributing the weight over a wide area.

The unfortunate side effect of this design is that the baby can not face out. Given the options though, we think it's better to have a healthy design.

You can find details about this in the following article:

[www.continuum-concept.org/reading/spinalStress.html ]

Now, for babies that like to face the world, we have found that many are happy with the Hip carry which allows them to see very much the same field of view as you (the parent). It's not exactly the same of course, and doesn't work for all babies, but many who like to face forward, are quite happy with the Hip carry position as an alternative.