babywearing Archives | How Do You Do It?

Reader Kimberly S. asked our advice on purchasing a twin carrier. The Moms put our heads together and came up with some pointers. We’re a mix of proud baby-wearers, occasional carrier-users, and arms-only mamas.

Wiley is our resident expert. She regularly wears her 1-year-old twin girls and their 2-year-old brother. Her babywearing even made the paper!

She recommends wearing your bigger child on your back. When her twins were tiny, Wiley started wearing them both in front in a Moby. She then moved to one in a pocket sling in front and one in a Beco on her back. As the girls got bigger, she alternated between Becos front and back or ring slings right and left.

Early on, when she wore her youngest trio–she also has a school-aged son–she put her twinfants in front in a Moby and her son on her back in an Ergo. Next, the two girls were switched to hip carries in ring slings and their brother, 18 months their senior, on Wiley’s back in an Ergo or Beco. These days, she tends to wear her girls front and back in Becos and her older toddler in a ring sling hip carry on top. The benefit of his being on top is that he can get up and down repeatedly with ease.

Wiley’s currently experimenting with the Tula. Perhaps we can convince her to come back and let us know how she likes it!

Carrie has used the Moby, the Björn and the Boba . She still wears her 21-month-olds, who weigh 32 and 27 lb each, although she no longer wears them at the same time, for hikes and city adventures. Her preference is the Boba for its versatility and continues to be her go-to carrier. She notes that the Boba doesn’t require an infant insert to carry small babies, as some other carriers do.

RebeccaD has used 2 Ergos , both front/back and side/side, but doesn’t do so often. She prefers to wear one child and carry the other. These kids get heavy! She really likes the Kelty backpacks for hiking and long walks. Several of the moms elected to wear one baby in a carrier and carry the other in her arms. RebeccaD usually uses her Ergo or Björn for one child and carries the other in her arms.

MandyE (in the photo) and Sadia both used the wear one/drive one approach to shopping with twins.

Sadia used to use her Evenflo Snugli for one girl and carry the other in her arms or in a carseat for errands like grocery shopping.

Sadia received a hands free car seat strap from a friend that was just perfect for stroller-free trips to the grocery store. She’d wear one baby in a carrier in front and the other in her carseat across her hips. This left her hands free to load groceries and open doors.

Jen Wood still, on occasion, carries one almost-4-year-old in the Ergo on her back and the other in her arms. Her adorable boys weigh 30 and 40 lbs.

Katelyn never wore her twins. They were her first children. She liked having dad hold one, or she’d just carry both, one in each arm. Now that she has a third child, she does wear him.

One of the things we all agreed needs to be considered is the size of your children. If they’re very small, like Sadia’s (1st percentile), you might be able to wear your babies comfortably into the preschool years. If, like RachelG’s twins, yours are 95th percentile, take her advice and encourage walking as soon as they’re ready.

If you’re up for informative laugh, check out DoM Brian Rosenworcel demonstrating (or rather figuring out) how to wear his newborn twins using a Moby wrap.

Please also check out triplet mom Littlebites‘ review from 2008. She discusses 3 slings: the Hotsling, Peanut Shell and an Infantino Sling. She loved her Moby Wrap. She preferred the Beco Butterfly to the Baby Bjorn, but her husband liked the latter. She also discusses the mei tais Baby Hawk and EllaRoo, and notes a couple of places you can find baby carriers.

Did you wear your babies? What worked for you?

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Babywearing is taking on new life and more moms & dads than ever are discovering the joys it can bring to both the parent and the child. There are so many benefits, but ultimately the biggest appeal to a mom or dad of multiples is the simplicity it can bring to an otherwise hectic life. When using a baby carrier you have the ability to hold one baby and still have free arms to use for pushing a stroller, carrying another baby, doing the dishes, etc… And since we multiple mamas and daddys are always concerned about our constantly divided attention and often feel that we are barely able to find enough time for cuddles and snuggles, baby carriers seem like the perfect answer to that dilemma. I have used a number of baby carriers since my triplets were born and I definitely have my favorites, but the most important thing I discovered is that what you like is highly dependent on personal preference. A baby carrier should become an extension of you and the only way you can discover what works for you is to find one that best suits your body type and personality. The best suggestion I can give you, if you are in search of one, is to try out different brands and models until you find one that fits you and your needs. And it is highly likely that what you prefer to use with your newborns will change as they grow older.

I can only review the ones I have experience with, but there are so many brands and models out there that there is a really good chance you can find one that both you and your babies like. The Baby Wearer has some excellent in depth information, reviews & discussion boards that discuss baby wearing in much more detail.

Slings: Hotsling, Peanut Shell and an Infantino Sling. The Peanut Shell was by far my favorite to use when the babies first came home; and they were tiny, all under 4 pounds. They would snuggle right into the comfort of the cradle created by the sling and fall asleep within seconds, whatever was ailing them forgotten until the next feeding. Eventually, I traded it for a Hotsling, and though I do like it, it just does not fit quite as well as the Peanut Shell did. Now that the babies are older, I have used the Hotsling as a hip carrier and as long as I am able to get the baby in securely it works perfectly; giving the babies the view of the world they desire along with the closeness of mama and giving me the free hands I need to do my grocery shopping. I did not use the Infantino Sling often; simply because I found it was just not as comfortable for me to wear, often creating tension in my shoulder blades.

Wraps: I loved the Moby Wrap especially when my triplets were newborns. It was very comfortable, distributed the weight evenly across my back and shoulders and I was able to hold 2 babies at once. The only drawback to using the Moby Wrap is that it is a bit more difficult to learn how to use (although with a little practice you can become an expert in no time) and once the babies got older it was too restricting for their liking.

Soft Structured Carriers: Beco Butterfly and Baby Bjorn. My husband adores the Baby Bjorn and uses it every chance he gets; strapping one of the babies on his chest and off they go to explore. I find it a little uncomfortable and far prefer the Beco Butterfly. The Bjorn is earier to put on since there are less buckles and straps, but once on I think that the Beco is much easier on my back. And honestly, I think the babies prefer it as well. The Beco can be used for both a front and a back carry and it includes a newborn insert as well.

Mei Tais: Baby Hawk and EllaRoo. I amrelatively new to the world of Mei Tais and have only used the Baby Hawk once. It was comfortable and easy to use, and I really like the closeness I felt to the baby over the soft structured carriers. I lent the EllaRoo to a friend with a 19 month old son who weighs in at the 95th percentile and she loves to use it with him. She said it is simple to tie and he does not weigh her down at all.

There are several sites where you can purchase used baby carriers…my favorite is The Baby Wearer. If you check out the boards, they often have used carriers for sale and they also have a detailed post listing all of the lingo and abbreviations so that you can follow the posts. There is also a board at Diaper Swappers dedicated to buying, selling & trading used baby carriers.

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