# Picking toddler up by ONE armpit, unsafe ???



## bleenie

First of all, I am a concerned aunt who has no kids of her own.... Why I'm here asking this..

My sister frequently picks up my 2yr old niece by ONE underarm. So with a single hand my sis picks her up at the armpit so all her weight is on that single area.

My niece is small but weighs probably just under 30lbs right now. I have told my sister multiple times she shouldn't do that because she might dislocate her shoulder or something. It just looks really unsafe and worries me. especially with her joints still developing and her weight growing all the time.

Am I overreacting or is this unsafe???


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## tracyamber

It's hard to tell people how to handle their children.!since she is your sister I would talk to her again because you are concerned. Maybe find some resources online. I really don't know how safe or unsafe it is without seeing it. Sorry
Best


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## LaughingHyena

It's hard to say without seeing it happen.

I know it's easy to dislocate a shoulder by picking kids up by their arms but I can't quite visualise how you could do it when supporting the child's weight with your hand under their armpit, since there wouldn't be any weight pulling on the arm.

I know once DS arrived and I had him in one arm I used to scoop DD up using only one arm. Just pulling her in close and getting on her on my hip quickly. I've seen many other mums do the same and never thought of it as an issue.


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## homeschoolingmama

Yes, it is hard to visualize. Picking a child up by an arm isn't a good idea because it dislocates their arms. My parents brought my brother in with that problem when he was little and the doctor said that you wouldn't believe how often parents bring in their children with dislocated shoulders.  I wouldn't push it with your sister though. She might start getting defensive if you keep telling her.


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## blessedwithboys

I know exactly what you're describing and I don't know a single mom who's never done it. FWIW, both my kids are way past the toddler stage and have two fully functional arms. ☺


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## TCMoulton

I'm fairly certain that to dislocate a child's shoulder one must pick up the child by the a, not under the shoulder. Pretty sure I picked up my older daughter that way when I was home alone after my second daughter was born and would only have one available hand to use since the other was holding the baby.
Honestly? This wouldn't worry me in the slightest.


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## bleenie

Thank you guys for the responses. I guess it just looked awkward to me the way she did it, it's a relief to get feedback from moms that have done it and haven't had issues!


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## macrandall

I try not to do this very often, but with twins I find I have to more than I'd like. It never, ever seems to bother either of them. They are 20 lbs each, 14 months old.


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## sandy111

I'm in the same boat as Ethan and Sophie's mom - the only time I ever did this is when my son fell off the back of the couch, into this tiny spot between the couch and the wall (yeah...long story.) He wasn't hurt - there happened to be a random winter jacket back there that he landed on, but he was FREAKED OUT and so was I and he was sort of jammed in there so I just grabbed one arm and pulled him out and up into my arms. It's not really a good strategy for picking up a toddler - I realized after we both calmed down that the only place he was rubbing was his arm...


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## andrea87

I have seen a woman who I consider to be one of the best Mums I know lift her child this way.

I have also seen it on old film footage. I got the impression it's something you might learn to do when you have a lot of children, are BF a baby and need to lift your toddler out of harm's way with only one arm of your own spare for the task.

I think if you know how to do it safely it's ok. I don't, however.


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## vermontgirl

bleenie said:


> First of all, I am a concerned aunt who has no kids of her own.... Why I'm here asking this..
> 
> My sister frequently picks up my 2yr old niece by ONE underarm. So with a single hand my sis picks her up at the armpit so all her weight is on that single area.
> 
> My niece is small but weighs probably just under 30lbs right now. I have told my sister multiple times she shouldn't do that because she might dislocate her shoulder or something. It just looks really unsafe and worries me. especially with her joints still developing and her weight growing all the time.
> 
> Am I overreacting or is this unsafe???


I can't imagine picking up a child that way. Unfortunately, all you can do is express concern and then move on. It sucks.


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## tiqa

I've been in plenty of situations where I had to pick a toddler up with one hand, but I don't think I've ever picked any up by the armpit... What I'd do is sort of slide my hand down their back and kind of pick them up by their bottom, kind of slide them up my side, and then bounce them onto my hip to shift them so my arm is around them while they're sitting on my hip. Sort of. It's hard to describe.


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## vermontgirl

tiqa said:


> I've been in plenty of situations where I had to pick a toddler up with one hand, but I don't think I've ever picked any up by the armpit... What I'd do is sort of slide my hand down their back and kind of pick them up by their bottom, kind of slide them up my side, and then bounce them onto my hip to shift them so my arm is around them while they're sitting on my hip. Sort of. It's hard to describe.


Ha! I totally do this sometimes.


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