Belaying with a baby on the back

Yesterday at the gym I saw a woman doing just that. She had her baby in a carrier on her back and lead belayed a dude. I just saw that when he was clipping the anchors, yelling take, and she even jumped to pull in more slack and the babies head just bobbled a bit. A friend of hers tried to hold the babies head while she was jumping, it was a bit absurd.

Now I told some people and all were a bit concerned but some more or less shrugged it off. But let’s be real: if the dude blows a clip, the baby will have to eat that yank with its neck. Seems pretty foolish to me. I assume that behavior is a result of gym people who just try to avoid any fall at any cost, but still.
What do you think? Am I a lame nerd or is that baby gunna die? 

As long as the baby signed a waiver, no problem.

Otherwise, dumb mother.

Just about as dumb as the guy I saw climbing with a cat-backpack in the gym. Just why

Obviously what she should have done is just put the baby in a one of those carriers on the ground. Then attach the carrier to her belay loop for the extra weight.

My wife and I do this somewhat often, but only for TR belays. We have an osprey baby pack we’ll throw him in. It’s safer than leaving him somewhat unattended to choke on some random piece of flooring or rocks/sticks.

Separately, one thing I’ve learned in fatherhood is that children are incredibly resilient and helicopter parenting is even more subtle and pervasive than I ever noticed. Children learn by reacting to stimuli. For instance, when our son first learned to sit upright alone, we would let him lose his balance and bang his head. He probably banged his head 6-10 times a day for a few days, with all the crying and bruises that accompany that. He then learned to “tuck” his head as he fell. Now that he stands unassisted, he’s never fallen from standing and banged his head. He developed the neck strength and motor skills to keep himself safe.

I still wouldn’t lead belay with him in the pack, but I wouldn’t worry for one second about his head bobbling and causing some sort of brain injury or trauma.

I'm going to be belaying a significantly heavier partner on his project this coming weekend. Have considered investing in an Ohm, but thought I should see if anyone local has a baby or perhaps a sedated toddler they could lend me. HMU.

Someone needs to post the phone number for Child Protective Services in that gym.

Human beings can rationalize anything.

It's no big deal. 

https://youtu.be/Un21tXr5SRM?si=R2sjJgvwpwU95uFq&t=292

Mind your own business.

I'm a pediatrician and I've treated children with traumatic brain injuries from car accidents and abuse. Frankly, the forces required to damage a baby's brain are way higher than what you'd expect from catching an average lead fall at the gym. Unless the husband is up there doing some Dan Osman Fall-of-the-Phantom-Lord stuff 100 feet above his last clip, that mom and baby are probably gonna be fine.

That being said, it still must have looked goofy. I used to take my infant daughter to the gym, but we just kept her in her car seat and she napped while we bouldered.

The amount of actual (vs apparent) danger is going to vary a lot dependent on the age of the "baby". 

But it does seem kind of dumb.  Many gyms are (literally) crawling with babies in/on/escaping from various contraptions on the floor.  Put the kid there. 

The number of times I have been sitting behind the desk wishing I'd gone to college and watched a lighter than the climber belayer get violently yanked up to the first draw in a total junk-show makes this seem like a terrible idea.  Seen people get gnarly abrasions on hands and knees and elbows from slamming into the wall.  Seen several belayers decide no-hands belaying is a thing (tgf grigris) while getting yanked up. Forget about whiplash, I'd worry about blunt force trauma.

All it would take is the belayer/baby to be momentarily turned 90* to the wall during a blown-clip fall to slam that little noggin into a jug.  

I guess if you do everything perfect there's little risk.  But I'm not even a parent and it seems like a dumb decision.

My wife and I have done some desperate moves to climb with a little one. (I.e Baby naps in pack n’ play in the woods while we crank out pitches as fast as we can.) However, assuming the gym has top ropes hanging, this makes no sense to me. Just TR. That would be perfectly safe for baby, and the parents can still get a workout. It’s the gym so leading doesn’t matter. 

Autobelays, bouldering and topropes were available. Apparently even a third person.
Like I said, plenty of gym climbers I know basically never ever fall, they just take and play it safe. It’s just weird to me that people want to lead but not consider falling an option. With a baby on the back that seems to be no problem until it is… 

Well, not my baby. Ours was sleeping in the stroller. 

Outside of injury to the baby, my attention would probably be split sometimes between belay duties and baby duties. Like eating a ham sandwhich whilst belaying. Except with a sandwich, I’d be choosing the best moment to take a bite.

Bill Lawrywrote:

Outside of injury to the baby, my attention would probably be split sometimes between belay duties and baby duties. Like eating a ham sandwhich whilst belaying. Except with a sandwich, I’d be choosing the best moment to take a bite.

Specifically ham? Never a nice roast beef belay sandwich? 

I'm not about to let something as inconsequential as a child's life get in the way of my gym send! 

Jeremy McCormickwrote:

Specifically ham? Never a nice roast beef belay sandwich? 

For real?  I'd be good with a PB&J.  :)

It sounds like it could be a bad idea. But if the gym didn't see any reason to say anything. I'll say this, I've seen way worse. 

Danny Birchmanwrote:

It sounds like it could be a bad idea. But if the gym didn't see any reason to say anything. I'll say this, I've seen way worse. 

I’ll be honest gym staff is not where I set the bar for safety, knowledgeability, or attentiveness

This thread sorta reinforces the idea that the gym is a bad idea.