New figures from ACC show 11 claims for babies or toddlers with carrier related injuries in 2024, more than twice the number than the year before.
There has also been eight claims so far this year, however there are no specific details of the incidents.
It has prompted renewed calls for the government to introduce official safety standards for baby carriers, wraps and slings.
It also follows a rise in social media videos often showing babies snuggly strapped to an adults fronts, in some cases with their faces and airways obscured.
In 2019 in Australia a three week old baby suffocated in a cloth sling, where he was completely cocooned in fabric, carried by his mum as she waited for his check-up at health clinic.
Louise Tanguay, founder of The Sleep Store and community organisation Babywearing Aotearoa believes there are many people wearing carriers incorrectly.
She told Checkpoint it is concerning to see these carriers used in an unsafe way.
"They're choosing carriers that are too big for the size of the baby, or they're wearing the carrier low on their body, so when they lift up the front of it, it goes right over the baby's head."
"The carrier is not an unsafe carrier, but the way it's being worn is unsafe and potentially covering baby's airways."
However Tanguay said she was also concerned about the lack of standards to prevent unsafe carriers being sold.
She said this included models imported from overseas, as well as knock off carriers being sold in New Zealand.
"It is very common in New Zealand for people to look at Facebook marketplace for cheap carriers, they're on a tight budget and they want a name brand carrier,"
"If the price looks too good to be true, then it's too good to be true - most of the ERGO baby carriers that we've seen bought on marketplace are fake and potentially quite unsafe... the fabric can be toxic, the buckles are not tested, they don't come with proper instructions."
Many overseas models have also been found to be unsafe, with some determined to be potentially fatal.
While using a carrier is great for calming newborns, bonding and being able to carry on with everyday life, Tanguay said many parents are being caught out by not knowing how to use the carrier, or not following instructions.
"Often we see now too on social media, there's people of influence or just other content creators showing carriers worn in a way that's unsafe."
"There is this inconsistent message of what safe carrying looks like because of people not taking the time to check that their baby's airways are clear and that the carrier is below the baby's neck leaving fresh air for baby to breathe."
She said the best way to use a carrier was by putting the baby where you would when holding them in your arms, high up on the chest.
"Hold baby high on the chest, hold baby close enough to kiss... against the firm part, not down in the soft, squishy part of your chest,"
"Then put the carrier on nice and high and then tighten it so babies held securely and do a good check that your baby's face is clear of all fabric - fabric from your clothing, fabric from the carrier not putting the carrier over the baby's head, that's a really good place to start."
The baby's nose and mouth should be visible at all times.
Tanguay believes there is a lack of safety information provided to families about how to safely carry their baby.
"People do childbirth education classes or see a midwife or see a well child provider and there's either inconsistent or no safe baby wearing advice provided in a lot of those spaces."
She said there should be some sort of official safety standard around carriers, however it doesn't need to be unique to New Zealand.
"We're not asking for New Zealand to have a ridiculous specific standard just to New Zealand because that just adds crazy compliance costs to businesses and pushes the price of products up, or makes them unavailable."
"I would just like to see those international standards recognised here so when a family goes to a shop or orders a carrier online, they at least have the basic safety checks covered that the buckles have been tested, that it has good instructions, that it comes with the mandatory warning label."
"Then it also gives the government agencies the ability to stop the importing of unsafe carriers that we do see coming into New Zealand."
There is no plan by the Government to introduce regulations for baby carriers.
Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson urges people to follow manufacturers' instructions on safe use, and said retailers, online sellers and manufacturers are responsible for making sure the products they supply are safe.
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