Multiple children? What do you do?

Today's topic is for MoMs...mothers of multiples. Yes, you can baby wear too! I know several mothers of multiples who baby wear. How else would you get anything done if you have two clingy babies?

My friend asked me to watch her 13 month old yesterday after our monthly babywearing group meeting. Now, I have 3 year old who is mobile and a 10 month old who thinks he is. Well, I left the 3 year old at home with Nana (smart, right?) leaving me with a 13 month old and a 10 month old. Neither child thought that a nap was the thing for them. So instead of driving around with two screaming babies, I had the brilliant idea of strolling through Staples. Yeah, they don't have strollers there. Thank goodness for babywearing! I had my entire stash with me, so I grabbed two Infantino mei tais. I put the 13 month old in the front, and the 10 month old in the back. (I was more comfortable putting my baby in back since I've never personally worn my friend's baby...although J wears M all the time.) I went from 2 unhappy babies to 2 content and babbling kiddos in the amount of time it took me to wrap them (under 5 minutes). We then head off on an adventure through the store. The kids had fun babbling back and forth because they could see each other. And it was a great way to contain them without dropping anybody. If I had twins, this is the only way I'd get anything done! (And yes, people asked me if they were twins.)

So there are different ways to tandem. You can do it with two mei tais like I did yesterday. My friend Tara is a genius at using two short woven wraps or even one long woven. (She has TWO sets of twins, and her older twins even wear the baby twins!) You can also use ring slings, or a combination of the any of the above. Oh, and tandem wearing is not just for twin mommies. I can tandem my boys...one is 32 lbs, and the other is 20...give or take. It gets a little heavy after awhile, but I can manage to cook dinner with two fussy children.

Below are several pictures of different ways to tandem. I've even included a blooper picture. Let's just say it was late and I was trying to show my friend how to tandem in a long woven without refreshing my memory first. No one was harmed, but we did have a good laugh. Lesson learned: always make sure back baby has a good seat before trying to get front baby wrapped.

Happy wrapping! Check us out on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/babywearingmum.

Me wearing my 10 month old and my friend's 13 month old in two mei tais

Our first successful tandem in a long woven wrap. This is a size 7.

And a better view with the long woven

Here I've got my toddler in a mei tai and the baby in a Moby wrap

 Oh, and everybody's favorite shot: the bloopers. 

(No one was injured in the making of this photo...unless we pulled a muscle laughing so hard.)

Rule Number One of Tandem Babywearing: Always make sure back baby has a good seat...I think I forgot that!

SSC: Infantino Union

So SSCs (soft structured carriers) are not my favorite carrier, mainly because my little one doesn't tolerate them for any extended period of time. They are, however, a great carrier, and work well for many mamas.
An SSC is made of a main body panel, a waistband, and straps that go over your shoulders and secure with buckles (or in some cases a ring waist). They are excellent for quick in and outs, as well as long carries because most come with padded shoulders for comfort.
You can get an SSC that will work very well for as little as $25-30. My Infantino Union is great. Ergo is another good brand to get, but its closer to the $100 mark. You can also get SSCs made from woven wraps, but they can be pricey at $200 and up. It all depends on what you're willing to spend. The key is to get a good one.
So what makes a good SSC? You want a body panel that is wide enough to spread from knee to knee when your baby is situated. Also, if you're going to do back carries, you will want the body panel to come up high enough to support baby properly...so at least to his shoulders. Look for heavier weight fabrics and straps that have reinforced stitching where they attach to the body panel. Beyond that, try a few...find what works for you. We tried a Beco Butterfly and an Ergo, neither of which worked well for us. Little one just didn't like them (think he's a wrap baby). :-) My friend's Tula was great, but I'd need a toddler size to fit my long legged guy. The standard was just that much too narrow.
So that's the run down on SSCs. Below are some pictures of me putting on my Infantino Union.
As always, feel free to ask questions. Check out our Facebook page and post pictures if you like! www.Facebook.com/babywearing mum