Advice from parents of kids who chest bind:
1. Listen. Listen. Listen. Be a resource but allow space for them to learn and figure things out.
2. Don’t put your kids in a position to hide it from you.
3. Acquire what they need to be healthy just like you would a bike helmet or allergy-free foods.
4. Make sure your kid doesn’t get the wrong size, like I did.
5. Offer to do some research together.
6. Say you want them to feel as comfortable as possible in the body they have and it’s important not to harm it.
7. Open communication is better than the alternative of DIY binding which is what definitely causes damage.
8. You may be apprehensive about potential physical risks – I was – but not allowing binding greatly damaged my kid’s mental health.
9. Be respectful of your child’s feelings and needs, and work together to solve the problem of how to best manage binding with the least risk.
10. Get the binder as soon as you can! Don’t wait and think “this will pass.” Get your child the relief.
11. Ask them! I was the one who brought up the subject and he was so relieved to have me ask!
Give Advice To Other Parents
Are you a parent of a child who chest binds? You can help other parents by taking our survey about being a caregiver to a kid who binds. When you take the survey, you’ll help me to help parents be better able to support their own kids with less anxiety.
Join our newsletter
Healthy Binding Email List
Be the first to know when we schedule a new workshop or course, create a new healthy binding resource, or when we add new content to our site.
We'll never share your information, that's a promise.