Is carrying a toddler safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about carrying a toddler during pregnancy?

1. Provisional recommended weight limits for lifting during pregnancy are substantially lower than the 51-pound intermittent lifting limit that older 1984 guidance allowed, and they tighten further depending on how often you lift and how far the load is from your body. 1
2. Because a growing belly pushes a lift further away from the body, the higher weight limits available for a close, centered lift become unavailable after about 20 weeks of pregnancy, and lifting from below mid-shin or overhead is advised against throughout pregnancy. 1
3. A systematic review covering more than 140,000 pregnant workers found that lifting loads of about 22 pounds (10 kilograms) or more was linked to a higher risk of pelvic girdle pain, with the risk climbing further as the cumulative daily lifting load increased. 2
4. A prospective study following pregnant women through their pregnancies found lifting heavy objects was rarely what people blamed for their back pain: routine daily movements like sitting up or standing from a chair were named far more often. 3
5. Joint laxity increases significantly in the third trimester, and that increase is measurably larger in women pregnant with a second or later baby than in a first pregnancy, which is exactly the group most likely to be lifting an older sibling. 4

Is carrying a toddler safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. You can typically still bring your toddler close to your body for a lift, which is the safer, more protective position in occupational lifting guidelines. This is a good trimester to build the habit of bending at your knees and avoiding twisting while you're holding them.
• Second trimester. Around 20 weeks, a growing belly increasingly blocks the close-to-body lifting position, pushing you toward an extended-arm reach that carries lower recommended weight limits for the same amount of effort. This is also when lifting-related pelvic girdle pain tends to climb.
• Third trimester. Joint laxity is highest now, and it's measurably higher still if this is a second or later pregnancy, which is exactly the group most likely to be lifting an older sibling. Leaning on a stool, step, or your toddler climbing partway up themselves can cut down how far you have to reach and lift.