[torio]

I'm hoping someone has advice to help. I very much want to wear one or both of my twins. We're having trouble with sizing (even when we follow directions) not sure why.

We've got a slightly adjustable ring sling (I forget the brand) that hangs all the way to my hip. I can fit both 3 wk old, 6lb 7 oz. twins in it, but it has so little structure, in spite of the padded rail on one side, that it's as if I just threw them into a pillow case. Not comfy for one or two at a time though maybe this will work when they're bigger?

We tried a hotsling size 3 (which is exactly the right size for my measurements according to the hotsling chart) but it is so tight with one baby inside in a cradle hold that neither of us are comfortable.

I bought a beautiful karma sling (size medium) that's a few inches longer than the size 3 hotsling and so far works the best, though there's no way that two babies would fit in it. One baby fits fine, but neither of my twins seems to like being in the sling. They look so uncomfortable and crumpled.

So do any slings work for floppy, little newborns? Or do I have to wait to wear them until they're bigger and can hold their heads up? I've seen the photos, followed the instructions, but keep wondering, do I still have the wrong size sling? Is there any sling that really works for two infants? Why am I sling-challenged?

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

[MsBirdie]

i really liked my maya wrap or my gypsy mama wrap for newborns. thebabywearer.com has lots of great women that are really knowledgable, they also might be able to get you in contact with your local NINO group.

good luck

 

[pumpkinbear]

So do your babies really actually grump in the sling, or do they just look uncomfy? Because when I wore my babes in the sling when each of them was a newborn, annoying strangers would always tell me how uncomfortable the baby looked, and I would be all, "She wouldn't be asleep if she was so uncomfortable!" There's something about the womb-like environment of a sling that makes a baby just curl up in the worst-looking way. That being said, you always want the baby's neck and spine aligned nicely so it can breathe.

 

[Kerriemoe]

Try as I might for 6 months, I could never get the hang of the ring sling.

I finally gave up and fully embraced the wraps that I knew I could do.

We've been a lot happier, lol!

 

[Pepperdove]

You can fold a little blanket up and put it under baby for some support. Although in the interest of full disclosure, I have always had trouble getting that to work either.

Upright carry works best for me witha sling (mine has no padding, too, which is great imo) until baby is a little bigger and less floppy. Twins, wel, I have no experience. Perhaps 2 slings across opposite shoulders, rather than everyone in one? Can't remember where I saw that, but it looked like it worked well.

 

[Quirky]

For little newborns, a stretchy wrap such as a Moby or a similar wrap works well for twins and you can wear both of them at the same time.

As they get bigger, you can wear one on the front and one on the back in various combinations of carriers.

There's a whole forum on wearing multiples at www.thebabywearer.com that has lots of great advice!

 

[tanjarine]

What about two pouches?
Here is a great link 'slinging for two' http://www.mamatoto.org/Default.aspx?tabid=77

 

[Kimmie213]

ugh I can never get newborns in a ring sling or pouch right (You MUST make sure they are NOT chin to chest).
I prefered wraps at that age. Especially if your DC don't like thier legs scrunched up in a MeiTai or something. With the wrap they can have thier legs out.

Check out www.gypsymama.com With summer here, you'll want a cool wrap. Mobys are extremly hot IMO. At gypsymama you'll do great with either the gauze (breeze) or the stretch. Both are amazingly light weight, yet super supportive.

I highly suggest finding a NINO group near you and getting some hands on help.

Good luck. and congrats.

 

[Kimmie213]

Oh and BTW: Thebabywearer has a special forum on wearing multiples. check it out.

 

[kirk_heidi]

With my twins, I wore them together in a ring sling. I put them on my chest and left their feet hanging out. There are alot of ways to wear them comfortably in a ring sling because of the ability to adjust it. It worked great for us. I wore them in the same one until they were a 2-3 months old. After that I used 2 ring slings most of the time because I was used to them. NOw I use the ring slings, Mai Teis, wraps and anything else. Now that I am pg I no longer wear them at the same time. I stopped doing it at about 17 months. HTH

I know some moms have suggested wraps and I love them but they have learning curve and it will take some time to work with it. You can wear them both in a wrap though. if you go that route, I suggest getting the Tummy to Tummy DVD.

 

[torio]

Great advice. THanks. Also, thanks tanjarine for the mamatoto link--I hadn't seen that one before.

In the meantime I have managed to make the ring-sling work, though it required some pretty forceful readjustment of how much fabric goes through the rings. And I exchanged the pouch (too small, I think) for a bigger one which seems pretty good. I have not yet figured out how to get both babes in one sling--I'll try the advice from one of the PP though, about the feet sticking out!

And I did manage to get each babe in a separate sling w/o only a small amount of screaming and protest. I sat down and let each babe have a turn at nursing in the sling to make them feel more comfortable. Then both fell asleep as we danced to the jazz on the radio. Hopefully they'll have happy memories of the slings and be open to trying again.

They still look rather crumpled up, though as someone said, they're sleeping so they must not be too uncomfortable. i hope that's true.

What is the danger of the baby having her/his chin to chest? Will that inhibit breathing?

Again, thanks to everybody for the advice!