Babywearing + HRM?

This is more of a post-pregnancy question, but it got buried on the Fitness and Exercise forum. I'm hoping someone here might have an answer.

Has anyone managed to use a heart rate monitor while babywearing? I borrowed my husband's Zephyr HxM Bluetooth HRM to do the babywearing workout, but as soon as I put the baby in the wrap, the connection died. I took her out, and it reconnected, put her back in and it died. I'm using a thin gauze wrap with only one pass behind her back, so I'm certain it's the baby, not the carrier. I also have a Polar FT4 HRM that I haven't tried yet, but I wanted to ask if anyone has made a HRM work before I go spend the money on a new battery. I would really like to see how many calories I'm burning here!

Replies

  • michelleepotter
    michelleepotter Posts: 800 Member
    For anyone who is wondering...

    My husband wondered if the HRM has to be centered on your chest, or if it could be worn on the side, or even the back. He Googled, and found this in an article about troubleshooting your HRM:
    4) Changing the strap position: Depending on what may be causing your exact situation, one option is to simply change the position. Try sliding the strap to the right, left, or up/down. Some folks even wear it on their back with great success. In fact, when I’m having a day with lots of issues descending on the bike and the HR being erratic – I’ll simply slide the strap around my side a bit, so the contact portions of the strap kinda straddle my chest and back. Works perfectly!

    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/04/troubleshooting-your-heart-rate.html

    So, if you are wearing your baby on your chest, you can slide the HRM strap around to your side or back so the baby doesn’t block the signal. I'm going to try it out later today!
  • dandelyon
    dandelyon Posts: 620 Member
    Glad you found an answer!
  • stephysd
    stephysd Posts: 2,410 Member
    Interested about the babywearing workout. Is this a DVD, or something online that you found?
  • michelleepotter
    michelleepotter Posts: 800 Member
    I found it online, but you can buy it as a download or a DVD. It's 30 minutes of what I would call light aerobics. The nice thing is that it puts the baby to sleep while you exercise. :-)

    http://thebabywearingworkout.com

    Also, there is a Facebook group:

    https://facebook.com/groups/390806021004206