"Backing a baby"

How to stylishly carry a baby on your back, get on with daily tasks and avoid spending a fortune at a baby-care store.

Working mothers take their babies with them until the child is of kindergarten age (4 years). Here, a school teacher leaves the classroom for break, with her child.

This is the African solution to the age-old problem of preparing the meal while looking after baby.  It requires nothing more than a good length of decent cloth and a little practice in tying.

African children are “backed” from birth. As they become bigger and more active they learn to adapt their position and mould themselves into a comfortable shape. All babies appear to find being "backed" extremely comforting.

So- here's how!

Lay baby across upper back, around shoulder blade height. Lay folded cloth across baby.



 

The cloth is double tied, extremely tightly, above the breasts. Ideally baby's arms tucked in unless an older child.

Baby's legs and bottom supported by lower side of fabric. Firmly tied  in two knots around the waist. (some adjusting by friends, to allow for lack of practice)