Baby wearing questions...

I need to get a sling, just not sure which are the best kinds. I had a carrier with my first daughter. It was adjustable and had buckles and clips and was just a hassle. I used it twice and swore never again. I had a sling with my second daughter but there were times I thought she was going to fall out if I wasn't holding her up. It helped, but the point is to have a free hand, right? A friend of mine recommended the New Native Baby sling, and I'm also looking at the peanut shell. Any of you have experience with a sling that you love? I've also seen demonstrations of women carrying both twins in slings, one in front and one in the back. That terrifies me! Can it be done? We'll burn that bridge when we get there, but I want to know what you guys found that worked.

 

We have the New Native. I've tried to put the girls in it several times and they just screamed. This was also during their colic times and I was trying
to put them in it to calm them down. Seemed to only worsen the situation!
Now that they are a little bigger and pretty much out of the colic phase, we will try again. They are 3 months old.

I really like the sling. It is very nice, fits well, and was also highly recommended to me. I was scared to use it at first because it seemed like
the girls were going to smother or something!

 

I was initially really intimidated by the Moby wrap... but it has been working great for us. Typically I only do one at a time.... but I've had them both in it (in the front) and it was comfy and worked well. my babes seem to like the positioning better than in a sling.

best of luck.

-maria
DS1 4 yrs old
DS2 DS3... 6 weeks old

 

I have a Hotsling and a Slingling that I used religiously during the colic phase and still use a few times a week (mostly when we are in a store and one of the babies refuses to sit peacefully in his carseat). I can get them in and out in a matter of seconds and they are comfortable there even now for an hour or so. And so far it has grown with us - cradle when they were newborn and dealing with colic, kangaroo when they got a little older, and now a hip carry (they weigh 20lbs). I feel perfectly comfortable hands free with it and often use it when one baby wakes up too early from a nap and doesn't want to play by themselves but I need to get things done around the house. The only time I feel like I have to put a hand on them is when I bend over to pick something up off the floor. The one downside that we ran into with the slings is that they are a one person item - DH has to have his own size since they aren't adjustable.

I tried a moby and I love the concept and flexibility. I didn't love the yards of material that got really hot really fast for me. And, even after getting used to putting it on still took a couple of minutes which I didn't feel I had when the babies were screaming bloody murder. And I never felt like I could put it on anywhere except home (as it is just so much material to try to keep off the floor and a real production to put on). It was comfy for the babies and the only way I was able to carry both at the same time, but honestly I didn't do it very often, and didn't really have to.

We had a Baby Bjorn, too. We hated it, and so did the babies.

I have heard several good reviews about Ergos, Mei Tei's and Baby Hawks, though we haven't tried any yet, but might be something to look at as well.

ETA: added link.

 

I have 2 new natives but never got the hang of wearing both at the same time. I didn't wear them a lot just mainly when we were going to be out for a while. Mine tended to fall asleep in them until they were 6 mos or so. I started using them daily when the babies got too big for me to carry both of them into and out of daycare. I sling M and put N in an umbrella stroller. She's big enough to position her where she can sit up and look around. Make sure you get the correct size. It's supposed to fit over your shoulder sort of pinning your arm to your side not on your collarbone.

Christy

 

We had the New Natives and loved them. The girls were a bit older when we started slinging them but Dax was in his sling from birth. There is a picture on our website of a TS mom slinging both her twins with one twin on each side. I also used my New Native as a hip carrier until the girls were 3 years old.

 

I had the Infantino sling-rider. We used it for months. It has a lot of structure to it, easy to use, inexpensive as slings go, and the babies loved it. Absolutely loved it. And we went out everywhere with them, day trips, to the mall, etc. I even slung one over each shoulder for doctor's appointments.

Plus, my DS went through a fussy-in-the-afternoon period early on, and it worked like a charm on that. He would fall asleep while I did my chores.

 

I love my wraps. I wish I would have had one for my twins. Let me know if you want more info.

 

I know it's expensive, but the MetroMamma wrap worked for me...until my boys got to be almost 20 pounds!

It's easy, cute, and comfortable!

 

I have worn my babies since they were new... I have used the following carriers:
1. Baby Bjorn: I really did not like this carrier because I felt A LOT of pressure which always lead to pain in my upper back and neck.

2. Snugli: Same problem as the Bjorn.

3. Moby Wrap: LOVE this one! It is a long piece of fabric that you tie on you and yes you do have to practice, but there is only one way to tie it so once you have learned to do it you hace it under control... The other cool thing about this wrap is that you can wear both of them together when they are small... ou wear them both on the front in what is called a double cradle carry. I found that I could carry them both in this type of carry until they reached around 10 lbs each. I will say that the bigger they are the more awkward it is to carry two this way though. I am still using this when I carry both together or when my husband & I are each wearing one...

4. Infantino Sling: This is an adjustable ouch sling that is actually pretty cheap... I will say that I did not find it all that supportive, but it was good for wearing around the house to pop ONE baby in when he was fussy...

5. Ergo carrier: This is by far the BEST carrier I have used! It can be worn on the front back or hip. I am still using this one. I didn't get this one until the babies were 5 months old so I can't say how it is to use with an infant... I will say that if you plan to use this when your babies are little you will want to get the infant insert which helps you secure a smaller baby... I will say that this is super comfortable to wear this spring I actually wore this to rake leaves and do yard work for a couple of hours at a time with no problem. I also wore this to the MOM's Sale when the babies were about 6 months old... I wore one on my back in this carrier and one on my front in the Moby ... We walked around the sale for at least 2 hours and closer to 3 hours... It was very easy and although it is scary at first to get one on your back alone it is totally doable, especially as they get older.

6. Evenflo Framed backpack Carrier: This was OK... I found that although it is easy to get the baby on your back it really changes your point of gravity since the baby rides so high... I actually bumped my babies head on a low doorway because I didn't realize how high up her was...

7. Over the Shoulder Baby Holder: This was good when they were young to carry 2, but as they got older I could carry only one at a time in this carrier... You can use 2 , one on each side as they get bigger which I hear works well...

I have tried that peanut Shell and a Mei tai carrier as well... I did like the peanut shell for ease of use, but it is really only for carrying 1 baby even while they were young, and I was looking for a way to carry both of mine. I did also try a mei tai, but the one I tried was poorly made and not very supportive so I didn't like it... I have seen others that look like they would be pretty comfortable and I would really like to try a good one. I would love to get one in addition to my Ergo & Moby for a little more versatility.

It is totally possible to wear 2 and do it safely! Check out The Babywearer.... I think it is thebabywearer.com... They have a forum about wearing 2... Not all women are talking about wearing twins, often they are talking about wearing 2 kids of different ages, but there are moms w/ twins who can be good resources for you.

Also as a point of referance, I still use both my Moby & My Ergo and my babies weigh 25 lbs & 20 lbs I think the moby says it will hold a baby 40 lbs and so does the Ergo. The Ergo is also tested to 90 lbs I think... I did put my 40 lb daughter in the Ergo with no problem.

 

wow!! Thanks so much ladies! Lots of good info and reference points to go on. Stephanie- some of those I had never heard of, I'll be looking into them all!!