the babywearing series | double-take: babywearing with twins

Part 4 of 7 of the Babywearing Series.
Guest post by Megan, of Boho Mama

babywearing twins
Hi, I’m Megan from Boho Mama. I live in downtown Portland, Oregon with my seven month old twin daughters and my teacher husband. I write about our daily adventures, travels, food, and life as a new mama. I love Adriel and the Mommyhood Memos, and am so honored to be guest posting about how and why we babywear. Please come say hi over at www.thebohomama.com, or follow me on Twitter and Instagram at bohomama_meg.
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I remember the first time I tried to wear my twin girls at the same time.

My friend had called to tell me that she was at a café just down the street, and asked if I wanted to bring the babies down to say hello. Our stroller had been ordered but hadn’t arrived, and I was alone at the house. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try the twin hold in the Moby Wrap – how hard could it be? If that mama could do it on YouTube, I could, too.

I maneuvered their tiny bodies into the wrap, but they weren’t quite fitting. This one needed to move over here, this one needed to come up like this…and I watched in horror as their bodies leaned in and their heads smacked together. Their cries broke my heart, and I quickly lifted them out of the wrap and called my friend to say we wouldn’t be able to make it.

Besides that semi-traumatic experience, babywearing has been both enjoyable and practical for our little family. My girls were born five weeks early, and “kangaroo care” was an important part of their development. When we brought them home from the hospital, we were able to give them more skin-to-skin contact by using cozy fabric wraps and slings. We were able to take them out in public without straining my hypersensitive new-mama nerves, because they were safely wrapped up with us.

babywearing newborn twins

As they’ve grown older, wearing them has been my lifesaver. I’m a stay-at-home mom, and I spend most of the daytime alone. When you have two teething babes who just want to be held, one in the sling and one in your arms is enough to calm them down. Attempting to go the store alone while lugging two infant carriers is a pain and a hassle, but both babies in their own carrier (one on front, one on back) or one in a sling and one in the cart makes it much more manageable.  If one wakes up from her nap first, I’ll strap her in my Boba carrier and she’ll work right along with me, buying me a little extra time. If we go on a walk, I always keep a carrier in the bottom of the stroller, just in case.

Just last week, I was getting all our gear ready for a trip to the grandparents’. I was trying to get it all down to the car before their nap was over, but it just wasn’t happening. Improvising (the key to raising kids, right?), I put one girl in her carrier, one in the double stroller, and used the empty stroller seat to stack our bags and roll everything to the car. It took a few trips and we made quite a spectacle cruising through our apartment building, but it worked!

My favorite times, though, are when their daddy gets home. If the weather is nice, we each take a baby and go on an evening walk together. We get to talk and catch up on the day, and the girls like to snuggle up inside, their little eyes peeking out, taking in the world from a safe place.

mom and dad babywearing twins

We’ve worn them at the beach, in restaurants, to museums, and around the house. We recently graduated from wraps and slings to soft-structured carriers, like the Boba or Ergo, for more support, and we’ll continue wearing them until they’re too big, or until our backs say, “no more!”

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Dear friends, I hope you’re enjoying this babywearing series so far. Make sure to say hello to Megan and visit Boho Mama. (Thanks Megan!!) Are you as fascinated by twins (and twin moms!) as I am? Would you ever dare wear a double??

 

P.S. We are camping out bush all this week! That means unplugged, baby!!! No internet, or even phone access for me. (Crikey!) I’ll do my best to respond to your emails and comments when I return. 🙂

Join our Babywearing Carnival

Do you have a post on Babywearing – why you love it or which is your favorite type of carrier or maybe just a photo post of you wearing  your little one? At the end of the Babywearing Series, I’ll host a link-up for you to add your link. Prepare your post (or freshen one up from your archives) and keep your eyes open for it to go live on Saturday, March 10th. Please use a text link or the image below on your carnival post.

Babywearing Series on the Mommyhood Memos

About Author

Adriel Booker is an author, speaker, and advocate based in Sydney, Australia who believes storytelling, beauty, and the grace of God will change the world. Adriel has become a trusted voice in areas of motherhood and parenting, Christian spirituality, and global women's issues. She's also known for her work with the Love A Mama Collective—serving under-resourced women in developing nations through safe birth initiatives—as well as her years spent as a Bible teacher and leadership coach. Her latest book is Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope after Miscarriage and Loss and she's made the companion grief journal available for free. Find Adriel across all social media platforms at @adrielbooker or sign up for LoveNotes, Adriel's 'secret posts' that aren't published anywhere else online. ✌️

6 Comments

  • Tara
    6 March 2012 at 11:58 pm

    Love it!!
    Tara recently posted..latelyMy Profile

    Reply
  • Krystle
    7 March 2012 at 3:01 am

    Love it!
    I too have done the wear one, hold one with our twin boys and while we were never able to do the two at once feat in the Moby as well….both my husband and I love to use our Ergo’s for the twins! Gives me more hands for my 3 1/2 year old 🙂

    Reply
  • larchelle
    30 August 2012 at 10:26 am

    Nice post! Would you mind if I asked a question? I’m preg w/twins and I’ll also be a stay-at-home mom, and I’m planning on doing as much skin-to-skin as possible for the first 3 months whether they’re premies or not, and I’m planning to just wear one at time, and not even attempt the two-at-once feat 🙂 . It sounds like you did the same thing, and I’m wondering what you would suggest as far as clothing for the babies for the first 3 months? Because I’m thinking that it will be too much of a pain to undress them/redress them every time I switch babies… I was thinking of maybe compromising and having them wear like short sleeve onesies, and then adding those easy-on Babylegs & socks when they’re not being worn, and then full footies at night when I’m not planning on doing skin-to-skin… what do you think/what would you recommend? Thx!

    Reply
    • Adriel Booker
      11 September 2012 at 8:23 pm

      Hi Larchelle. Sorry I didn’t get this sooner. I have been overseas in Papua New Guinea and have had no access to my blog while away. Anyway, this was a guest post by Megan (Boho Mama). I will get in touch with her and let her know you’ve left her a question here for her. 🙂
      Good luck with your twins!
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    • megan @ the boho mama
      12 September 2012 at 1:02 am

      Hi Larchelle!

      Congrats on your twins! I think the onesie and babylegs option sounds great, you’ll feel if they’re too cold, and you’ll also see a blush/blotch on their skin that will let you know they need another layer. When they’re that little, stretchy socks usually reach up to their knees, so those are an option, too 🙂 They love skin to skin and you’ll feel them just melt into you, it’s very special. Unless they’re born in the dead of winter or you live in a very cold climate, full footies will probably be enough, otherwise you can layer a onesie under the PJs to give them some extra insulation. I did that often. It’s most important for their core to be warm, so you can check them and go with your instincts.

      Let me know if you have any other questions! My site is thebohomama.com and from there you can link to my email, twitter, fb, etc. There is a pretty great community of twin mamas online and you should find a ton of support, especially during the first year, which in my opinion, is the hardest. But so fun, too.
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