How to use a sling safely
TICKS is the five-point check the NHS and RoSPA give for slings. RoSPA says fabric can block a baby's airway within a minute or two, so check it every time.
By Pavel Ryzhikh, 3 November 2026.
This is general information from public sources, not medical advice. For anything about your child's health or development, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
Run through TICKS every time you put your baby in a sling or carrier. It takes seconds. Both the NHS and RoSPA give this check, and the table follows the NHS's wording.
The TICKS check
Letter | Stands for | What the NHS says |
|---|---|---|
T | Tight | Keep the sling tight enough to hug your baby close to your body |
I | In view | You should be able to see your baby's face at all times |
C | Close | Keep your baby close enough to kiss their head |
K | Keep | Keep your baby's chin off their chest |
S | Support | Support your baby's back so it's comfortably upright |
RoSPA words the same five points as "tight; in view at all times; close enough to kiss; keep chin off the chest; supported back".
Why the chin matters most
RoSPA explains the risk plainly. A sling's fabric can press against a baby's nose and mouth and block the airway, causing suffocation within a minute or two. It says this can happen when a baby is cradled in a curved "C-like" position, below your chest or near your stomach.
Babies don't have strong neck control yet. So a head can flop forward, chin to chest, and that restricts breathing. Every step below is there to stop that.
Before you set off
- Read the manual for your sling or carrier. RoSPA says to follow makers' guides as well as safety advice. Wraps, ring slings and padded carriers all fit differently.
- Put it on as the manual shows, then tighten it so it hugs your baby close.
- Settle your baby upright against your body. RoSPA calls a carrier that holds a newborn solidly against you, upright, the safest method.
- Check your baby's height. Are they close enough to kiss their head? If not, lift them. RoSPA warns about a baby nestling below your chest.
- Look down. You should see their whole face, with no fabric across it.
- Check the chin. It should be clear of the chest, leaving the airway free.
- Check their back is supported and upright, with no slump into a C shape.
While you're out
Keep glancing down. Babies shift. Do the check again whenever you've moved them, sat down or put on a coat.
RoSPA also says a good sling spreads a child's weight evenly across your shoulders, hips and back. If yours digs in on one side, adjust it or try a different style. Our baby carriers and slings list compares five, and you can browse the carrier catalog too.
Feeding: take them out first
The NHS says it's not safe to feed your baby while they're in a sling. Take them out first. RoSPA agrees, and says it doesn't recommend breast or bottle feeding in a sling or carrier, because a baby can't be positioned correctly while feeding.
Sleep in a sling
Babies often fall asleep against a warm chest. Keep doing the TICKS check while they do. The AAP says a baby asleep in a carrier or sling should move to a firm sleep surface, on their back, as soon as you can.
For sleep itself, the NHS says on the back, on a firm, flat mattress, in a clear cot, in the same room as you for at least the first 6 months. We go through that in more detail in our safer sleep basics.
Premature or low birth weight babies
RoSPA says to take care with premature and low birth weight babies and to get advice from a health professional, such as your health visitor. Ask before you start, and bring the sling along if you can.
When you've got worries
Not sure your baby's position looks right? Speak to your doctor or health visitor. RoSPA also says to choose carefully, since different slings suit different people, and you don't have to settle on the first one. Hating the sling you've got is a good enough reason to stop. It's fine to skip slings altogether.