Your baby only has one set of hips — and they need to support them for a lifetime. Protecting your baby’s hip health is especially important in the early months, as their joints are still developing and maturing.

Some babies are diagnosed early with hip dysplasia and begin treatment with a specialist. However, there are also many cases where hip instability is not identified or formally diagnosed, meaning potential issues may go untreated and could contribute to discomfort or problems later in life.

Hip development concerns can vary in severity. In some babies, the ligaments around the hip joint are looser than usual, allowing the hip to partially slip out of position — known as subluxation, where the ball of the hip joint is no longer perfectly centred in the socket. In more severe cases, the hip may become partially or completely dislocated.

It’s widely understood that babies with a risk of hip dysplasia benefit from being carried in an ergonomic carrier that supports healthy hip positioning, rather than a narrow-based carrier that leaves the legs hanging unsupported. However, it’s also important to remember that not all hip concerns are identified at birth. Some babies are monitored with a “wait and see” approach, while others may have issues that are not detected because they require an ultrasound to confirm — and this is not routinely performed on every baby.

Supporting your baby’s hips with a carrier that encourages a healthy, ergonomic position is one simple way to help promote good hip development during these important early months.