There's actually a 'wrong' way to hold a car seat- and it will kill your back
This story originally appeared on Babble and is reprinted with permission.
Editor's note: This post is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a medical professional or physician before treatment of any kind.
Man, do we love us some genius parenting hacks. And this week, it seems the Internet has bestowed us with one more for the books.
Bridge Family Chiropractic of Mansfield, Texas recently posted a video on Facebook showing new parents how to hold a baby in a car seat without killing your back - and it has parents everywhere yelling a collective "OMG, DUH!"
The trick, according to the video, is to not carry the seat by dangling it in the crook of your arm, which can strain your back, shoulders, and hips. Instead, you can kneel, put your arm between the handle and the seat, turn your hand towards the seat, and then stand up as your hand holds the bottom. Obviously, you need to watch the video to fully get the idea - but it seems many parents are eager to try, as the video has gotten over 3.5M views, 10K likes, 53K shares.
Of course, not every hack is the be-all-end-all for everyone (some responded to the video by saying they felt discomfort, or that their style of car seat didn't work for this). But that doesn't stop innovative parents everywhere from continuing to share their simple hacks for others to benefit from.
Just take Ashley Lillard, who went viral last year when she filmed her 5-year-old son demonstrating her brand-new trick for tying shoes. Or Brooke McDaniel, who had the Internet clapping when she took an inexpensive shower caddy and turned it into a baby bottle storage rack. Or Claudia Sorhaindo, who shared her teen niece's new invention for holding a baby hands-free when you don't have a carrier - by simply sticking them in the front of your elastic-waist shorts! (Okay, so that one might have been a joke.)
Even California's Clovis Police Department got in on the action recently, with their viral post on how to prepare for the scary event of losing your child in a crowd. (The trick is to write your name and phone number on your child's wrist and cover it in liquid Band-Aid. Brilliant!)
So before you bend down to lug your baby in the car seat the same old way, remember there could be another less painful solution out there. The folks at Bridge Family Chiropractic have got your back! ( ... See what I did there?)
More on Babble:
Mom's Brilliant Diaper Bag Hack Has the Internet Bowing at Her Feet
Mom Proudly Shows Off Her Grays in Honest Post About Beauty After Motherhood
