Transcript: Twin Baby Gear Essentials: Baby Carriers
Twin Talks
Twin Baby Gear Essentials: Baby Carriers
[00:00:00]
Please be advised, this transcription was performed from a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.
[Theme Music]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Have you thought about wearing your twins? While baby wearing singletons is becoming more popular, many twin parents still aren’t sure how to wear two babies at once. What kind of carriers work for tandem carrying? What key features should you consider when buying carriers for twins? We're here with Julixa Newman, founder of “stuff4multiples.com” and creator of the “Twingaroo carrier” and we’re here to help twin parents discover what they need for a successful twin baby wearing experience. This is Twin Talks.
[Theme Music/Intro]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, well, welcome to Twin Talks, broadcasting from the birth education centre of San Diego. Twin Talks is your weekly online on the go support group for expecting and new parents of twins. I’m your host, Christine Stewart-Fitzgerald. Have you heard about the Twin Talks club?
Our members get bonus content after each new show, plus special giveaways and discounts. You can subscribe to our monthly Twin Talks newsletter and learn about the latest episodes available. Another way for you to stay connected is by downloading our free Twin Talks app, available in the Android and iTunes marketplace. Before we get started, I’m going to turn this over to Sunny who is going to talk about our virtual panelist program,
SUNNY GAULT: Alright, well if you guys aren’t here in our studio in San Diego where we record, we would still love to have your input as we continue with today’s conversation, so I’m going to be posting some stuff on Facebook and Twitter and I’m going to be using the hashtag #TwinTalksVP, the VP stands for Virtual Panelist.
Some of the conversation we’ll be having here in the studio, the different questions we’re going to be asking some of our panelists, I’ll post those. If you have questions you want to ask our experts, this is a great way in order for you guys to participate in the conversation as well. Just follow that hashtag #TwinTalksVP.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, let’s introduce our panelists who are here with us and on the phone. I’ve got twin girls who are now 5 years old and I have a singleton who is 2.5. We definitely did a lot of baby wearing, I would say at the time when my girls were really young there weren’t a whole lot of options for tandem wearing. I know we did a little bit of tandem in wraps, so we kind of stuck with the structured carriers. I had a carrier, my husband had a carrier and at the time it worked out well, we could each wear one baby. Gareth, how about you? We’ve got a baby wearing dad here. Woohoo!
SUNNY GAULT: Woohoo!
GARETH MASSEY: Yes, my name is Gareth Massey, I’m 32 years old, I’m a stay at home dad and owner of Cozy Baby, we manufacture swaddles and washcloths. I have three girls, I have a four year old and my twin girl two year olds.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, and you are baby wearing.
GARETH MASSEY: I am a baby wearer. With the first baby I ended up using a wrap, and then when the twins came I didn’t know about all these resources so I have to get on my wife about this but I would use the wrap and carry a baby in the front, and I would use a backpack and put one baby in the back or the older sister in the back. We also had strollers and we’ve had multiple types of backpack carriers and front pack carriers.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: All kinds of gear.
GARETH MASSEY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: And Sunny?
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah, for me, I’m a mom to four kids, two singleton boys ages 5, almost five and one that just turned 3. My twins are about 18 months old and I’m one of those moms, I am such a big fan of baby wearing but I don’t know what happened, with every child I had every intent to wear them and it never really happened. I thought for sure with my first it was going to be so easy because I was going to be on the go all the time, it just didn’t really happen.
With my second I still have to be able to take care of my first and my second, so of course I’m going to baby wear my second. Did not happen, and then with the twins I was like okay, finally, I really just don’t have enough hands here. I am going to wear these twins. I must have five or six carriers, and I never ever really baby wear but I’m such a big fan. I’m a big breastfeeding mom too, so you would think that I would have made the connection, it would have worked. It totally did not work but I’m 100% supportive of it.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes. So Julixa, how did you get into baby wearing?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Oh goodness. I’m a clumsy ox, let’s start off by saying that. Very scared, very intimidated by wraps and I admired everyone who would wear their children in wraps and I literally stared at them in stores. I went towards more the soft structured carrier, so I wore two at the same time, I would wear one and put another one on the shoulder.
After I realized how complicated it could get to try to put on two soft structure carriers at the same time and again, I couldn’t do the wraps at all, I admire them but honestly didn’t. I started developing my own carrier. The first one was the TwinTrexx, then the TwinTrexx II and we made modifications as we went. I’m all for baby wearing and now when I’m finally confident, more educated and I’ve spoken to baby wearing experts, I have no more children to wear.
JULIXA NEWMAN: My twins are six years old and looking at me like what are you doing? Just give me your doll.
[Theme Music]
SUNNY GAULT: Alright, so before we start today’s episode we want to talk about a headline, and this headline actually… We always wanted to have something to do with twins and multiples, and this one specifically has something to do with breastfeeding. I mentioned earlier that I’m a big breastfeeding advocate, we actually have a whole show called The Boob Group that is all about breastfeeding and helping moms on their breastfeeding journey, and I really like this article.
It’s about a mother of five, and it shares her breastfeeding stories. She actually has triplets, so her youngest three are triplets and she is on month 8 of breastfeeding her triplets. It’s a very revealing article, she was very up-front and honest about some of the struggles that she had.
Some of the things I want to point out in the article was that in the beginning she said the pediatricians, and I realize this isn’t all pediatricians, but she said hers had very little faith in her to breastfeed her triplets and basically really didn’t consider it an option for her, but she knew it was something she really wanted to do.
She said she saw a lactation consultant every week for support, to get that support that she thought she needed. At some point she developed mastitis and her supply dipped, but she used donor milk to help with that. She was talking about the joy that she gets from when she tandem feeds her babies and how they play together.
I just don’t think we hear enough positive stories about moms of multiples that are successfully breastfeeding, and successful can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different moms, but at least giving it a go.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: I have to say, gosh, twins is just a huge thing, but okay, we all know if you have two breasts it’s doable but I can’t even imagine, like how do you rotate? That’s a whole other thing of itself.
I have to just admire her for her determination, because I think anyone that sets out to breastfeed singleton twins, it’s a daunting task.
SUNNY GAULT: It’s huge.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Just to have that mindset that this is something, it’s really important to me, I’m going to do it and I know there’s going to be… I mean, she has breastfed singletons so she knew there were going to be challenges, which is pretty typical. Knowing ahead of time just “I’m going to get through these challenges” and yeah, the mastitis and saying okay, we’re going to work through this. Kudos to her.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I always tell people and I tell new moms, moms that are frustrated, you know, try. See if you can do it. It doesn’t have to be, you can pump, you can give the bottle and it’s still breast milk, it’s still important. For this woman to do this, kudos to her, I love it.
GARETH MASSEY: I think there’s a great opportunity for dads to get some bonding time with the one that’s not on a boob.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Oh, great idea, yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: The dad could be spending time with the bottle, because eventually she’s going back to work or whatever is going to happen, then you’re going to want to get them to the point where they’re feeding from the bottle and I know for us and the twins we had times where it would be me feeding them, I’d have them in their pillows and I’d be training them to hold the bottle by themselves but also making sure there’s no air in the nipple.
For triplets, that’s even more daunting but I definitely think it would be a good time for dads and partners to get involved and to feel involved in that process.
SUNNY GAULT: That’s a great idea.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Totally, yes.
[Theme music]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, today we’re continuing our series on twin baby gear essentials with a look at what to consider when purchasing a baby carrier. We’re talking of Julixa Newman, founder of stuff4multiples.com, it’s a popular website for parents of twins and Julixa is also the creator of the TwinTrexx and TwinTrexx II baby carriers as well as the new Twingaroo carrier, so thanks for joining us Julixa!
JULIXA NEWMAN: Thank you for having me, I’m very excited.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yay. Who can wear twins? Are there any physical restrictions? What should we consider there?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Well new parents wanting to wear their twins should be cleared by their doctor, approved for baby wear. If you have special physical needs, there are many baby wearing educators that can work with you to find the right carrier. When wearing, you want to be sure to always listen to your body, because many twins are born premature or low tolerance, special consideration should be made to ensure their backs and necks are fully supported.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: You mentioned sort of the babies and making sure their necks are supported and backs, are there any other such general safety considerations for the parents as well?
JULIXA NEWMAN: As far as safety considerations, I always tell people think of TICKS. TICKS is the best in universal rule of thumb when it comes to baby wearing safety. TICKS stands for tight, in view at all times, close enough to kiss, keep chin off the chest, supported back.
For example, supporting the c-shaped spine in a newborn and accommodating the changes as the baby grows. If you remember these five tips, you can greatly reduce the risk of compromising your baby’s airways but use your best discretion and make sure you keep your baby’s face clear and that their chin is off their chest at all times.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: How about looking at the difference between newborns versus toddlers? Are there any special considerations beyond just the safety aspect? Obviously toddlers are going to weigh more, they’re bigger, so what should we be looking for and are there different types of carriers that are better for toddlers versus newborns and vice versa?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Safety and standards don’t change much between stages of development. There are a few things you want to keep in mind when wearing between each children. When babies are first born, their muscles are less developed and they require a lot of support. Ideally you would want to use a wrap or a ring sling during this stage so you can customize the fit.
With twins, we usually have to factor in prematurity, ideally we will not use stretchy wraps or carriers or soft structure carriers. As your babies grow and start to develop head control, they will be ready to move on to more than just front carry, more options will become available to you as far as how you wear them and what carriers you can use to wear them.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: You said we should not be wearing soft stretchy carriers when they’re…
JULIXA NEWMAN: It’s not advised to do so, no. You want something that’s very supportive, you want to be able to support their spine and just their body.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Okay, so wait until they’re bigger, larger and have more muscular control.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I would. You also have to go with your gut feeling. My baby A was good to go in a soft structure carrier and I was confident, I was confident she was breathing well, that she has full head support, it was great but I knew that I couldn’t put my baby B in the same carrier because she just wasn’t there yet. She couldn’t move her head from one side to another, I knew that she had a couple of breathing issues. Follow your gut.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: I was just thinking, when it comes to toddlers and just the weight alone. Let’s just say newborns are on average 7 lbs. a piece so you’ve got 14 lbs. of baby for newborns, and then for toddlers maybe up to 18 months you might have a 20 lbs. baby, two of them at 40 lbs., that’s a pretty significant difference.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I personally wouldn’t wear… I have a very small frame. I wouldn’t wear both of my twins once they hit like 10 lbs. each or 15 lbs. each. I wouldn’t wear them both in the front, because it’s too straining on you. I suggest to do the tandem option, one in the front and one in the back, and always put the heavier child on your back. It will feel better. Then you have to do what works best for you and your body type.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Talking about the different options, what are the different kinds of carry? Baby front carry, back carry, one front and back, maybe you can just paint the picture of what baby wearing options we have with twins.
JULIXA NEWMAN: There are no baby wearing options other than TwinTrexx and the Twingaroo carrier.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Just kidding. You have more options than you probably realize. You can use one or two woven wraps or a tandem carrier. You can use a combination of things like a woven wrap and a carrier, two carriers, a Mei Tai and a carrier, a wrap and a Mei Tai, two Mei Tais, you can have the option to use a ring sling or two, and remember that just because you have twins doesn’t mean that you’re going to wear them both always at the same time.
GARETH MASSEY: I would use a wrap with one baby in the front and then I would use a carrier or a backpack and put the other one back there. When they’re smaller I would have help putting it in… Putting her in the backpack.
Now that they’re bigger, when I go places I use it more like a tool. Just like Julixa said, you’re not always going to be carrying both at the same time. If one is getting fussier, they need to change the scenery and the other one is still okay in the stroller, you can put the carrier on and carry the one, then go about your day and switch them out. If you need to put in both, you know you have that option.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: From a developmental standpoint we might have started out with something and then we maybe transferred and moved to something else when the kids got bigger or when they had more control, so I think that’s also something to keep in mind, that when you’re shopping for a carrier it may not be the only carrier you’re going to buy.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Exactly.
SUNNY GAULT: You could end up like having five in your closet, like me. If anyone needs a carrier, let me know.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah. Overall, what are some of the key features that parents should look for in any type of carrier, from both a safety and convenient and ergonomic aspect?
JULIXA NEWMAN: You want to take into consideration things like how often, where and when you plan on wearing. Are you going to need something that is quick to get on, do you need something that’s going to be ideal for long periods of time, is your baby going to want to go up and down frequently? Do you plan to carry your children into toddlerhood? You also want to remember that your favorite carrier may not be your baby’s favorite.
What the baby prefers may change from day to day, so you keep your mind and your options open, don’t be afraid, just like Sunny says don’t be afraid to have a variety of carriers in your collection.
As far as what to look for when you’re purchasing a baby carrier, I tell everyone this: I strongly recommend that you check out the buckle, you make sure there’s no threads hanging loose, be careful with low quality products with a strong smell, this can be due to exposure to chemicals in the production process.
Last but not least, and this goes for any baby product you ever purchase, check for recalls. This can easily done by just googling the product. Very important. Unfortunately when parents have multiples they’re looking to save a dime, save some money and they’re like okay, I’ll buy this used carrier and you end up buying something that was recalled. I always tell everyone, please google, do your homework before you purchase anything.
GARETH MASSEY: I think the buckle suggestion was really good, we’ve had several buckles break and I know for my wife it was important to have a strap that went around her waist. That wasn’t as important for me as I’m a little bit bigger of a guy, so I would use the one carrier in the front that just would snap together and it had the little clips that clip down in.
Then I’d get help putting the backpack on and that would have straps, so then I wouldn’t have two straps around me. For her, she never attempted wearing two, she always let me do that and I would go places with her so she wouldn’t have to carry both of them. When I did, that was something we looked for, that support for her back because she did have some pains.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I’m wondering how many times you got stopped while running errands by moms going wow, you’re amazing!
GARETH MASSEY: It’s constant, we go to Costco like every week and you just kind of put your blinders on, because last week we were at Costco and the twins were just running wild so I had to put them both on. I hadn’t done it in a while so I tied the one on in the front, facing out and I put the one in the backpack, I put one in the cart because I had all three of them and we were just going through. People are staring and they want to say something, you have to just keep going and not really look around.
JULIXA NEWMAN: You probably also have a lot of moms stopping you to say “My husband would never do that!”
GARETH MASSEY: I do, I definitely get that a lot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: That’s so awesome. We’re going to take a break, when we come back we’ll talk more specifically about the different types of carriers that are available when baby wearing your twins.
SUNNY GAULT: Hey Twin Talks, do you know you can listen to our episodes anytime, anywhere? Just download our apps, available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. It’s a great way to listen on the go, like when you’re waiting for your perinatologist or perhaps your twins’ pediatrician. If you want more great content about twins, be sure to join our Twin Talks club! You’ll get extra bonus content, transcripts from the shows, discounts on great twin products and more. Be sure to visit us online at www.newmommymedia.com
[Theme music]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, welcome back! Today we are talking with Julixa Newman, she’s creator of the new Twingaroo baby carrier for twins and we’re exploring what to consider when purchasing a baby carrier for your twins and the different types of wraps and carriers that are available. I think we kind of touched on it earlier, but maybe we can just describe in detail the different types of carriers that are out there on the market. I think first of all we touched on single wraps and slings, so maybe you can just describe this and what they are.
JULIXA NEWMAN: The pros for a single wrap, at least in my opinion would be that it conforms to your baby’s unique needs and shape. You can adjust the positioning for nursing, less to pack and keep up with when you’re out of the house. A con, it can be long and overwhelming, you may need more than one try to put your baby where it needs, but that’s the only con I can really think about.
GARETH MASSEY: For me, the con of the single wrap or any wrap is it gets so hot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Oh.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Ah.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes.
GARETH MASSEY: If you’re out and you’re going to a fair, you’re having one on there or if you do put both of them in at the same time you have all this material on you,
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: It’s a lot of fabric.
GARETH MASSEY: It just makes you so hot. Even at home if you’re feeding a bottle to one or nursing, the body heat is right there. The pro is to me that I always describe it as a swaddle that’s attached to your chest. You’re walking around, with my first we would use it to get her to go to sleep. I would put her in, take her out, swaddle her up and she’d be asleep. That was definitely a pro for me.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: If I can add, we started out with wraps and I loved that they are so ergonomic. Basically you can adapt it to whatever your body size or shape is, really anyone can wear a wrap, we’ve had them for thousands of years in some shape or form. I think it’s great, you can wear them and you can make it comfortable, it first you.
I think for me the con was just when I was nursing my girls and sometimes we did tandem nursing, I wasn’t one of those who could do nursing while baby wearing so I would end up taking one out and there was a lot of transferring. We just found that a wrap was not really convenient, because I wasn’t one of those folks who could easily tie it up. I know some folks just get it, I just wasn’t one of them.
SUNNY GAULT: I felt like I was always a big spectacle like in the airport. That’s one time I really did baby wear, at the airport when I really don’t have enough hands and I’m moving and walking and stuff. I found myself when I had to get out of the wrap I just became a spectacle, everyone looked at me, I have all this fabric and I’m like twisting it, doing all the stuff and then the storage of it too. I felt like it was a lot to work with.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes, and I think as we’re saying, you can do a single wrap for babies when they’re small, but when they get bigger you’ve got some weight constraints, so then you have to go to a double wrap and then you have to tie them both on, it’s like double the work.
GARETH MASSEY: I never tried a double wrap. I did put them in a single, but I have never… Because I would get so hot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: My biggest thing was the heat.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes. Now how about a Mei Tai, maybe you can explain what a Mei Tai style wrap is.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Okay. The Mei Tai, my pros are that they’re easier to put on, easier than a wrap. I don’t know if anyone has ever used a Mei Tai here.
SUNNY GAULT: Yes!
JULIXA NEWMAN: Okay, so it’s easier to put on than a wrap but it still conforms to the support, it supports your baby’s unique shape. You have the options of front/back or tandem hip carry, Mei Tais are easier to find because they are sold everywhere, they’re in big box stores and they’re budget friendly. That’s a big pro, especially to parents of multiples.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes, and maybe we should just describe what they look like, because maybe people haven’t even heard the word Mei Tai before. When you think of the ancient Chinese babies, it’s basically like a big square of solid fabric and then it’s got two ties. You tie it on your waist and then you tie it around your shoulders and neck area. There are really only two places to tie it.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Exactly.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: It simplifies the whole process of tying.
SUNNY GAULT: The main part too is the fabric part. For people, like if you’re dealing with a wrap kind of thing there’s a lot of advantages to a wrap, but for a novice it may seem kind of overwhelming. I think that the Mei Tais are more intuitive, like my husband who doesn’t baby wear at all could figure that out pretty easily.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Exactly, because you have that pouch there that you know the baby is going to go in.
SUNNY GAULT: Yes, exactly. I feel like it’s a little more user friendly.
GARETH MASSEY: My wife must just love to see me struggle, because she never told me about this Mei Tai. I’m over here tying on these 20 foot long…
SUNNY GAULT: I have one in my closet, I will let you borrow it.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah. It’s easier than a wrap and I guess for twins you’d still be looking at wearing one twin in the front and one twin in the back. You’d be wearing essentially two carriers at the same time. Again you do have to deal with two carriers.
I think the next kind we’re talking about is sort of a double, more of a structured type carrier, maybe you can talk about that too.
JULIXA NEWMAN: As far as double structured carriers, I’ll give you a brand name which is Ergo and I love it. This is what I did: When my twins were babies I loved using two Ergos. Put one in the front, one in the back, it was wonderful. They hold the babies in an ergonomic position, you can take… Basically my rule of thumb was that the fussier baby would go on the front carrier and then the one that was more laid back, which was always my baby A would go in the back. The con, very bulky. Of course, you have to wear two sets of shoulder straps so you would put one on top of another and it gets hot. It gets very hot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: It’s usually made out of that more stiff, almost backpack kind of canvas material, right? Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: Yeah I would use the BabyBjörn on the front baby so that I could flip them around and they could face out, then I would use an ergo on the back.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: But then they get too tall for the BabyBjörn, but the nice thing about the BabyBjörn was that you just kind of slip your arms in and clip it, it’s not like shoulder strapped. They are shoulder straps, but they’re different than backpack shoulder straps.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Right.
GARETH MASSEY: They criss-cross in the back and they go kind of up more over your neck, but again I’m looking at your website right now.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: stuff4multiples.com
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Go check it out. I love Ergos as well too, and I think one thing I really like about the Ergo is that you can have that structured carrier for the entire baby wearing life of your kid from newborn to toddler. I think the weight limit is crazy, like 60 lbs. or something. You could essentially buy one carrier for each kid and that’s it, you’d be done.
How about for carriers that are specifically designed for twins? Maybe you can talk about that, I know I’ve seen some where you’ve got two twins on the front, just carrying them in the front carrier and I think I’ve also seen carriers where you’ve got one twin in front and one twin in the back. Maybe you can talk about that and what are the pros and cons of each.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Absolutely, let’s start with the twin carrier with both of them in the front. A pro, being able to monitor both babies at the same time if you need to put on and take off. For example with the TwinTrexx II carrier you can easily take one baby out without having to worry about the other one.
Another great pro is that you can breastfeed while baby wearing them. Con, just the weight of two babies right in front. It could be very straining for you. Once your babies are on the heavier side you might need to switch to a front/back carrier like the Twingaroo, or if you’re using a carrier like the one that I mentioned, the TwinTrexx carrier, you can put them and wear them as a tandem carrier as well.
I don’t think you’d be able to wear your twins with both of them in the front for extended amounts of time. There’s no way, I could never do it.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah.
JULIXA NEWMAN: It helps with guilt. Listen, every mother of multiples, every father of multiples that stays home with their multiples, at the end of the day you always think “I didn’t hold this one as much as I held the other”
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Which is a guilt thing. I wore them at the same time, for the same amount of time, I pandered equally, it helps with guilt trips.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Yeah, absolutely. Now with the front and back carriers, the tandem twin carriers I think it’s the quickest option that’s out there. It makes for less stuff to carry around, it only has one shoulder strap versus you wearing two soft structured carriers. Last but not least, maybe you have to just carry one or two babies.
Again, you don’t have to baby wear both babies. You could just carry one. As far as cons with the twin carrier, the tandem carrier, one in the front one in the back you cannot use the back carrier until the can sit in unassisted. I really need to emphasize on this one, you have to remember that legally only some warnings are applied on baby carriers.
Just because a product states that you can wear a baby on your back as soon as they have full head control, it does not mean that it’s the safest way to go. You have to follow your gut on this one. Again, we manufacture, I’m all for selling you my product but you have to use your gut feeling.
SUNNY GAULT: Julixa, I had a question. Did you say the TwinTrexx, I don’t know, I or II, do you have the ability to start out with both twins on the front and then switch it so one is on the front and one is one the back?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Absolutely, both the TwinTrexx and the TwinTrexx II carriers can be worn in many positions. You can wear them in the beginning with both of them facing inward, you can wear them with both of them facing outward in your front. As they grow older and heavier, I suggest that you switch it up and you wear one in the front, one in the back, putting the heavier child on the back.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: That’s a great point just there, that you can have versatility when they’re changing developmentally and just size-wise. I just want to say thanks for everyone for joining us today. This conversation does continue for members of our Twin Talks club, and after the show Julixa is going to talk about some of the ways that twin parents can shop and try out different types of carriers. For more information about the Twin Talks club, visit our website www.newmommymedia.com
[Theme Music]
SUNNY GAULT: Hey Twin Talks, it’s time for a special segment on the show we like to call special twin moments. This moment comes from Jillian, and Jillian posted this on the Multiples of America Facebook page. We were actually on there recently and we were asking you guys to submit your special twin moments, so here’s what Jillian had to say:
“The first time my son left, a big deep belly laugh, was when he was about three months old and lying on the bed with his twin. They were holding hands and babbling to one another and he grabbed his brother by the hand, looked into his eyes and let out the sweetest, funniest laugh I’ve ever heard. In that instant, I realized how strong their bond was and it is still today at six years old. I will always remember that moment as the sweetest in my life.”
I love this, I could just picture all this happening. Jillian, thank you so much for writing this in, it was great to hear about your special twin moment.
[Theme Music]
SUNNY GAULT: If you guys have a special twin moment you want to share with all of our listeners, you can call our voicemail at 619-8664775 and leave us a message, we’ll include your story on a future episode.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: That wraps up our show for today. We appreciate you listening to Twin Talks.
Don’t forget to check our sister shows:
• Preggie Pals for expecting parents
• The Boob Group for moms who breastfeed their babies
• Parent Savers, your parenting resource on the go.
This is Twin Talks, parenting times two or times two, times two. However many you have.
[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.
SUNNY GAULT: New Mommy Media is expanding our line up of shows for new and expecting parents. If you have an idea for a new series or if you’re a business or organization interested in joining our network of shows through a co-branded podcast, visit www.NewMommyMedia.com
[00:34:19]
[End of Audio]
Episode Transcript
Twin Talks
Twin Baby Gear Essentials: Baby Carriers
[00:00:00]
Please be advised, this transcription was performed from a company independent of New Mommy Media, LLC. As such, translation was required which may alter the accuracy of the transcription.
[Theme Music]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Have you thought about wearing your twins? While baby wearing singletons is becoming more popular, many twin parents still aren’t sure how to wear two babies at once. What kind of carriers work for tandem carrying? What key features should you consider when buying carriers for twins? We're here with Julixa Newman, founder of “stuff4multiples.com” and creator of the “Twingaroo carrier” and we’re here to help twin parents discover what they need for a successful twin baby wearing experience. This is Twin Talks.
[Theme Music/Intro]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, well, welcome to Twin Talks, broadcasting from the birth education centre of San Diego. Twin Talks is your weekly online on the go support group for expecting and new parents of twins. I’m your host, Christine Stewart-Fitzgerald. Have you heard about the Twin Talks club?
Our members get bonus content after each new show, plus special giveaways and discounts. You can subscribe to our monthly Twin Talks newsletter and learn about the latest episodes available. Another way for you to stay connected is by downloading our free Twin Talks app, available in the Android and iTunes marketplace. Before we get started, I’m going to turn this over to Sunny who is going to talk about our virtual panelist program,
SUNNY GAULT: Alright, well if you guys aren’t here in our studio in San Diego where we record, we would still love to have your input as we continue with today’s conversation, so I’m going to be posting some stuff on Facebook and Twitter and I’m going to be using the hashtag #TwinTalksVP, the VP stands for Virtual Panelist.
Some of the conversation we’ll be having here in the studio, the different questions we’re going to be asking some of our panelists, I’ll post those. If you have questions you want to ask our experts, this is a great way in order for you guys to participate in the conversation as well. Just follow that hashtag #TwinTalksVP.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, let’s introduce our panelists who are here with us and on the phone. I’ve got twin girls who are now 5 years old and I have a singleton who is 2.5. We definitely did a lot of baby wearing, I would say at the time when my girls were really young there weren’t a whole lot of options for tandem wearing. I know we did a little bit of tandem in wraps, so we kind of stuck with the structured carriers. I had a carrier, my husband had a carrier and at the time it worked out well, we could each wear one baby. Gareth, how about you? We’ve got a baby wearing dad here. Woohoo!
SUNNY GAULT: Woohoo!
GARETH MASSEY: Yes, my name is Gareth Massey, I’m 32 years old, I’m a stay at home dad and owner of Cozy Baby, we manufacture swaddles and washcloths. I have three girls, I have a four year old and my twin girl two year olds.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, and you are baby wearing.
GARETH MASSEY: I am a baby wearer. With the first baby I ended up using a wrap, and then when the twins came I didn’t know about all these resources so I have to get on my wife about this but I would use the wrap and carry a baby in the front, and I would use a backpack and put one baby in the back or the older sister in the back. We also had strollers and we’ve had multiple types of backpack carriers and front pack carriers.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: All kinds of gear.
GARETH MASSEY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: And Sunny?
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah, for me, I’m a mom to four kids, two singleton boys ages 5, almost five and one that just turned 3. My twins are about 18 months old and I’m one of those moms, I am such a big fan of baby wearing but I don’t know what happened, with every child I had every intent to wear them and it never really happened. I thought for sure with my first it was going to be so easy because I was going to be on the go all the time, it just didn’t really happen.
With my second I still have to be able to take care of my first and my second, so of course I’m going to baby wear my second. Did not happen, and then with the twins I was like okay, finally, I really just don’t have enough hands here. I am going to wear these twins. I must have five or six carriers, and I never ever really baby wear but I’m such a big fan. I’m a big breastfeeding mom too, so you would think that I would have made the connection, it would have worked. It totally did not work but I’m 100% supportive of it.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes. So Julixa, how did you get into baby wearing?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Oh goodness. I’m a clumsy ox, let’s start off by saying that. Very scared, very intimidated by wraps and I admired everyone who would wear their children in wraps and I literally stared at them in stores. I went towards more the soft structured carrier, so I wore two at the same time, I would wear one and put another one on the shoulder.
After I realized how complicated it could get to try to put on two soft structure carriers at the same time and again, I couldn’t do the wraps at all, I admire them but honestly didn’t. I started developing my own carrier. The first one was the TwinTrexx, then the TwinTrexx II and we made modifications as we went. I’m all for baby wearing and now when I’m finally confident, more educated and I’ve spoken to baby wearing experts, I have no more children to wear.
JULIXA NEWMAN: My twins are six years old and looking at me like what are you doing? Just give me your doll.
[Theme Music]
SUNNY GAULT: Alright, so before we start today’s episode we want to talk about a headline, and this headline actually… We always wanted to have something to do with twins and multiples, and this one specifically has something to do with breastfeeding. I mentioned earlier that I’m a big breastfeeding advocate, we actually have a whole show called The Boob Group that is all about breastfeeding and helping moms on their breastfeeding journey, and I really like this article.
It’s about a mother of five, and it shares her breastfeeding stories. She actually has triplets, so her youngest three are triplets and she is on month 8 of breastfeeding her triplets. It’s a very revealing article, she was very up-front and honest about some of the struggles that she had.
Some of the things I want to point out in the article was that in the beginning she said the pediatricians, and I realize this isn’t all pediatricians, but she said hers had very little faith in her to breastfeed her triplets and basically really didn’t consider it an option for her, but she knew it was something she really wanted to do.
She said she saw a lactation consultant every week for support, to get that support that she thought she needed. At some point she developed mastitis and her supply dipped, but she used donor milk to help with that. She was talking about the joy that she gets from when she tandem feeds her babies and how they play together.
I just don’t think we hear enough positive stories about moms of multiples that are successfully breastfeeding, and successful can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different moms, but at least giving it a go.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: I have to say, gosh, twins is just a huge thing, but okay, we all know if you have two breasts it’s doable but I can’t even imagine, like how do you rotate? That’s a whole other thing of itself.
I have to just admire her for her determination, because I think anyone that sets out to breastfeed singleton twins, it’s a daunting task.
SUNNY GAULT: It’s huge.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Just to have that mindset that this is something, it’s really important to me, I’m going to do it and I know there’s going to be… I mean, she has breastfed singletons so she knew there were going to be challenges, which is pretty typical. Knowing ahead of time just “I’m going to get through these challenges” and yeah, the mastitis and saying okay, we’re going to work through this. Kudos to her.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I always tell people and I tell new moms, moms that are frustrated, you know, try. See if you can do it. It doesn’t have to be, you can pump, you can give the bottle and it’s still breast milk, it’s still important. For this woman to do this, kudos to her, I love it.
GARETH MASSEY: I think there’s a great opportunity for dads to get some bonding time with the one that’s not on a boob.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Oh, great idea, yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: The dad could be spending time with the bottle, because eventually she’s going back to work or whatever is going to happen, then you’re going to want to get them to the point where they’re feeding from the bottle and I know for us and the twins we had times where it would be me feeding them, I’d have them in their pillows and I’d be training them to hold the bottle by themselves but also making sure there’s no air in the nipple.
For triplets, that’s even more daunting but I definitely think it would be a good time for dads and partners to get involved and to feel involved in that process.
SUNNY GAULT: That’s a great idea.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Totally, yes.
[Theme music]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, today we’re continuing our series on twin baby gear essentials with a look at what to consider when purchasing a baby carrier. We’re talking of Julixa Newman, founder of stuff4multiples.com, it’s a popular website for parents of twins and Julixa is also the creator of the TwinTrexx and TwinTrexx II baby carriers as well as the new Twingaroo carrier, so thanks for joining us Julixa!
JULIXA NEWMAN: Thank you for having me, I’m very excited.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yay. Who can wear twins? Are there any physical restrictions? What should we consider there?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Well new parents wanting to wear their twins should be cleared by their doctor, approved for baby wear. If you have special physical needs, there are many baby wearing educators that can work with you to find the right carrier. When wearing, you want to be sure to always listen to your body, because many twins are born premature or low tolerance, special consideration should be made to ensure their backs and necks are fully supported.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: You mentioned sort of the babies and making sure their necks are supported and backs, are there any other such general safety considerations for the parents as well?
JULIXA NEWMAN: As far as safety considerations, I always tell people think of TICKS. TICKS is the best in universal rule of thumb when it comes to baby wearing safety. TICKS stands for tight, in view at all times, close enough to kiss, keep chin off the chest, supported back.
For example, supporting the c-shaped spine in a newborn and accommodating the changes as the baby grows. If you remember these five tips, you can greatly reduce the risk of compromising your baby’s airways but use your best discretion and make sure you keep your baby’s face clear and that their chin is off their chest at all times.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: How about looking at the difference between newborns versus toddlers? Are there any special considerations beyond just the safety aspect? Obviously toddlers are going to weigh more, they’re bigger, so what should we be looking for and are there different types of carriers that are better for toddlers versus newborns and vice versa?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Safety and standards don’t change much between stages of development. There are a few things you want to keep in mind when wearing between each children. When babies are first born, their muscles are less developed and they require a lot of support. Ideally you would want to use a wrap or a ring sling during this stage so you can customize the fit.
With twins, we usually have to factor in prematurity, ideally we will not use stretchy wraps or carriers or soft structure carriers. As your babies grow and start to develop head control, they will be ready to move on to more than just front carry, more options will become available to you as far as how you wear them and what carriers you can use to wear them.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: You said we should not be wearing soft stretchy carriers when they’re…
JULIXA NEWMAN: It’s not advised to do so, no. You want something that’s very supportive, you want to be able to support their spine and just their body.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Okay, so wait until they’re bigger, larger and have more muscular control.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I would. You also have to go with your gut feeling. My baby A was good to go in a soft structure carrier and I was confident, I was confident she was breathing well, that she has full head support, it was great but I knew that I couldn’t put my baby B in the same carrier because she just wasn’t there yet. She couldn’t move her head from one side to another, I knew that she had a couple of breathing issues. Follow your gut.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: I was just thinking, when it comes to toddlers and just the weight alone. Let’s just say newborns are on average 7 lbs. a piece so you’ve got 14 lbs. of baby for newborns, and then for toddlers maybe up to 18 months you might have a 20 lbs. baby, two of them at 40 lbs., that’s a pretty significant difference.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I personally wouldn’t wear… I have a very small frame. I wouldn’t wear both of my twins once they hit like 10 lbs. each or 15 lbs. each. I wouldn’t wear them both in the front, because it’s too straining on you. I suggest to do the tandem option, one in the front and one in the back, and always put the heavier child on your back. It will feel better. Then you have to do what works best for you and your body type.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Talking about the different options, what are the different kinds of carry? Baby front carry, back carry, one front and back, maybe you can just paint the picture of what baby wearing options we have with twins.
JULIXA NEWMAN: There are no baby wearing options other than TwinTrexx and the Twingaroo carrier.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Just kidding. You have more options than you probably realize. You can use one or two woven wraps or a tandem carrier. You can use a combination of things like a woven wrap and a carrier, two carriers, a Mei Tai and a carrier, a wrap and a Mei Tai, two Mei Tais, you can have the option to use a ring sling or two, and remember that just because you have twins doesn’t mean that you’re going to wear them both always at the same time.
GARETH MASSEY: I would use a wrap with one baby in the front and then I would use a carrier or a backpack and put the other one back there. When they’re smaller I would have help putting it in… Putting her in the backpack.
Now that they’re bigger, when I go places I use it more like a tool. Just like Julixa said, you’re not always going to be carrying both at the same time. If one is getting fussier, they need to change the scenery and the other one is still okay in the stroller, you can put the carrier on and carry the one, then go about your day and switch them out. If you need to put in both, you know you have that option.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: From a developmental standpoint we might have started out with something and then we maybe transferred and moved to something else when the kids got bigger or when they had more control, so I think that’s also something to keep in mind, that when you’re shopping for a carrier it may not be the only carrier you’re going to buy.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Exactly.
SUNNY GAULT: You could end up like having five in your closet, like me. If anyone needs a carrier, let me know.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah. Overall, what are some of the key features that parents should look for in any type of carrier, from both a safety and convenient and ergonomic aspect?
JULIXA NEWMAN: You want to take into consideration things like how often, where and when you plan on wearing. Are you going to need something that is quick to get on, do you need something that’s going to be ideal for long periods of time, is your baby going to want to go up and down frequently? Do you plan to carry your children into toddlerhood? You also want to remember that your favorite carrier may not be your baby’s favorite.
What the baby prefers may change from day to day, so you keep your mind and your options open, don’t be afraid, just like Sunny says don’t be afraid to have a variety of carriers in your collection.
As far as what to look for when you’re purchasing a baby carrier, I tell everyone this: I strongly recommend that you check out the buckle, you make sure there’s no threads hanging loose, be careful with low quality products with a strong smell, this can be due to exposure to chemicals in the production process.
Last but not least, and this goes for any baby product you ever purchase, check for recalls. This can easily done by just googling the product. Very important. Unfortunately when parents have multiples they’re looking to save a dime, save some money and they’re like okay, I’ll buy this used carrier and you end up buying something that was recalled. I always tell everyone, please google, do your homework before you purchase anything.
GARETH MASSEY: I think the buckle suggestion was really good, we’ve had several buckles break and I know for my wife it was important to have a strap that went around her waist. That wasn’t as important for me as I’m a little bit bigger of a guy, so I would use the one carrier in the front that just would snap together and it had the little clips that clip down in.
Then I’d get help putting the backpack on and that would have straps, so then I wouldn’t have two straps around me. For her, she never attempted wearing two, she always let me do that and I would go places with her so she wouldn’t have to carry both of them. When I did, that was something we looked for, that support for her back because she did have some pains.
JULIXA NEWMAN: I’m wondering how many times you got stopped while running errands by moms going wow, you’re amazing!
GARETH MASSEY: It’s constant, we go to Costco like every week and you just kind of put your blinders on, because last week we were at Costco and the twins were just running wild so I had to put them both on. I hadn’t done it in a while so I tied the one on in the front, facing out and I put the one in the backpack, I put one in the cart because I had all three of them and we were just going through. People are staring and they want to say something, you have to just keep going and not really look around.
JULIXA NEWMAN: You probably also have a lot of moms stopping you to say “My husband would never do that!”
GARETH MASSEY: I do, I definitely get that a lot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: That’s so awesome. We’re going to take a break, when we come back we’ll talk more specifically about the different types of carriers that are available when baby wearing your twins.
SUNNY GAULT: Hey Twin Talks, do you know you can listen to our episodes anytime, anywhere? Just download our apps, available on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. It’s a great way to listen on the go, like when you’re waiting for your perinatologist or perhaps your twins’ pediatrician. If you want more great content about twins, be sure to join our Twin Talks club! You’ll get extra bonus content, transcripts from the shows, discounts on great twin products and more. Be sure to visit us online at www.newmommymedia.com
[Theme music]
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Alright, welcome back! Today we are talking with Julixa Newman, she’s creator of the new Twingaroo baby carrier for twins and we’re exploring what to consider when purchasing a baby carrier for your twins and the different types of wraps and carriers that are available. I think we kind of touched on it earlier, but maybe we can just describe in detail the different types of carriers that are out there on the market. I think first of all we touched on single wraps and slings, so maybe you can just describe this and what they are.
JULIXA NEWMAN: The pros for a single wrap, at least in my opinion would be that it conforms to your baby’s unique needs and shape. You can adjust the positioning for nursing, less to pack and keep up with when you’re out of the house. A con, it can be long and overwhelming, you may need more than one try to put your baby where it needs, but that’s the only con I can really think about.
GARETH MASSEY: For me, the con of the single wrap or any wrap is it gets so hot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Oh.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Ah.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes.
GARETH MASSEY: If you’re out and you’re going to a fair, you’re having one on there or if you do put both of them in at the same time you have all this material on you,
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: It’s a lot of fabric.
GARETH MASSEY: It just makes you so hot. Even at home if you’re feeding a bottle to one or nursing, the body heat is right there. The pro is to me that I always describe it as a swaddle that’s attached to your chest. You’re walking around, with my first we would use it to get her to go to sleep. I would put her in, take her out, swaddle her up and she’d be asleep. That was definitely a pro for me.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: If I can add, we started out with wraps and I loved that they are so ergonomic. Basically you can adapt it to whatever your body size or shape is, really anyone can wear a wrap, we’ve had them for thousands of years in some shape or form. I think it’s great, you can wear them and you can make it comfortable, it first you.
I think for me the con was just when I was nursing my girls and sometimes we did tandem nursing, I wasn’t one of those who could do nursing while baby wearing so I would end up taking one out and there was a lot of transferring. We just found that a wrap was not really convenient, because I wasn’t one of those folks who could easily tie it up. I know some folks just get it, I just wasn’t one of them.
SUNNY GAULT: I felt like I was always a big spectacle like in the airport. That’s one time I really did baby wear, at the airport when I really don’t have enough hands and I’m moving and walking and stuff. I found myself when I had to get out of the wrap I just became a spectacle, everyone looked at me, I have all this fabric and I’m like twisting it, doing all the stuff and then the storage of it too. I felt like it was a lot to work with.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes, and I think as we’re saying, you can do a single wrap for babies when they’re small, but when they get bigger you’ve got some weight constraints, so then you have to go to a double wrap and then you have to tie them both on, it’s like double the work.
GARETH MASSEY: I never tried a double wrap. I did put them in a single, but I have never… Because I would get so hot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: My biggest thing was the heat.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes. Now how about a Mei Tai, maybe you can explain what a Mei Tai style wrap is.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Okay. The Mei Tai, my pros are that they’re easier to put on, easier than a wrap. I don’t know if anyone has ever used a Mei Tai here.
SUNNY GAULT: Yes!
JULIXA NEWMAN: Okay, so it’s easier to put on than a wrap but it still conforms to the support, it supports your baby’s unique shape. You have the options of front/back or tandem hip carry, Mei Tais are easier to find because they are sold everywhere, they’re in big box stores and they’re budget friendly. That’s a big pro, especially to parents of multiples.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes, and maybe we should just describe what they look like, because maybe people haven’t even heard the word Mei Tai before. When you think of the ancient Chinese babies, it’s basically like a big square of solid fabric and then it’s got two ties. You tie it on your waist and then you tie it around your shoulders and neck area. There are really only two places to tie it.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Exactly.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: It simplifies the whole process of tying.
SUNNY GAULT: The main part too is the fabric part. For people, like if you’re dealing with a wrap kind of thing there’s a lot of advantages to a wrap, but for a novice it may seem kind of overwhelming. I think that the Mei Tais are more intuitive, like my husband who doesn’t baby wear at all could figure that out pretty easily.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Exactly, because you have that pouch there that you know the baby is going to go in.
SUNNY GAULT: Yes, exactly. I feel like it’s a little more user friendly.
GARETH MASSEY: My wife must just love to see me struggle, because she never told me about this Mei Tai. I’m over here tying on these 20 foot long…
SUNNY GAULT: I have one in my closet, I will let you borrow it.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah. It’s easier than a wrap and I guess for twins you’d still be looking at wearing one twin in the front and one twin in the back. You’d be wearing essentially two carriers at the same time. Again you do have to deal with two carriers.
I think the next kind we’re talking about is sort of a double, more of a structured type carrier, maybe you can talk about that too.
JULIXA NEWMAN: As far as double structured carriers, I’ll give you a brand name which is Ergo and I love it. This is what I did: When my twins were babies I loved using two Ergos. Put one in the front, one in the back, it was wonderful. They hold the babies in an ergonomic position, you can take… Basically my rule of thumb was that the fussier baby would go on the front carrier and then the one that was more laid back, which was always my baby A would go in the back. The con, very bulky. Of course, you have to wear two sets of shoulder straps so you would put one on top of another and it gets hot. It gets very hot.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: It’s usually made out of that more stiff, almost backpack kind of canvas material, right? Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: Yeah I would use the BabyBjörn on the front baby so that I could flip them around and they could face out, then I would use an ergo on the back.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: But then they get too tall for the BabyBjörn, but the nice thing about the BabyBjörn was that you just kind of slip your arms in and clip it, it’s not like shoulder strapped. They are shoulder straps, but they’re different than backpack shoulder straps.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Right.
GARETH MASSEY: They criss-cross in the back and they go kind of up more over your neck, but again I’m looking at your website right now.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah.
GARETH MASSEY: stuff4multiples.com
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Go check it out. I love Ergos as well too, and I think one thing I really like about the Ergo is that you can have that structured carrier for the entire baby wearing life of your kid from newborn to toddler. I think the weight limit is crazy, like 60 lbs. or something. You could essentially buy one carrier for each kid and that’s it, you’d be done.
How about for carriers that are specifically designed for twins? Maybe you can talk about that, I know I’ve seen some where you’ve got two twins on the front, just carrying them in the front carrier and I think I’ve also seen carriers where you’ve got one twin in front and one twin in the back. Maybe you can talk about that and what are the pros and cons of each.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Absolutely, let’s start with the twin carrier with both of them in the front. A pro, being able to monitor both babies at the same time if you need to put on and take off. For example with the TwinTrexx II carrier you can easily take one baby out without having to worry about the other one.
Another great pro is that you can breastfeed while baby wearing them. Con, just the weight of two babies right in front. It could be very straining for you. Once your babies are on the heavier side you might need to switch to a front/back carrier like the Twingaroo, or if you’re using a carrier like the one that I mentioned, the TwinTrexx carrier, you can put them and wear them as a tandem carrier as well.
I don’t think you’d be able to wear your twins with both of them in the front for extended amounts of time. There’s no way, I could never do it.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yeah.
JULIXA NEWMAN: It helps with guilt. Listen, every mother of multiples, every father of multiples that stays home with their multiples, at the end of the day you always think “I didn’t hold this one as much as I held the other”
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Which is a guilt thing. I wore them at the same time, for the same amount of time, I pandered equally, it helps with guilt trips.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: Yes.
JULIXA NEWMAN: Yeah, absolutely. Now with the front and back carriers, the tandem twin carriers I think it’s the quickest option that’s out there. It makes for less stuff to carry around, it only has one shoulder strap versus you wearing two soft structured carriers. Last but not least, maybe you have to just carry one or two babies.
Again, you don’t have to baby wear both babies. You could just carry one. As far as cons with the twin carrier, the tandem carrier, one in the front one in the back you cannot use the back carrier until the can sit in unassisted. I really need to emphasize on this one, you have to remember that legally only some warnings are applied on baby carriers.
Just because a product states that you can wear a baby on your back as soon as they have full head control, it does not mean that it’s the safest way to go. You have to follow your gut on this one. Again, we manufacture, I’m all for selling you my product but you have to use your gut feeling.
SUNNY GAULT: Julixa, I had a question. Did you say the TwinTrexx, I don’t know, I or II, do you have the ability to start out with both twins on the front and then switch it so one is on the front and one is one the back?
JULIXA NEWMAN: Absolutely, both the TwinTrexx and the TwinTrexx II carriers can be worn in many positions. You can wear them in the beginning with both of them facing inward, you can wear them with both of them facing outward in your front. As they grow older and heavier, I suggest that you switch it up and you wear one in the front, one in the back, putting the heavier child on the back.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: That’s a great point just there, that you can have versatility when they’re changing developmentally and just size-wise. I just want to say thanks for everyone for joining us today. This conversation does continue for members of our Twin Talks club, and after the show Julixa is going to talk about some of the ways that twin parents can shop and try out different types of carriers. For more information about the Twin Talks club, visit our website www.newmommymedia.com
[Theme Music]
SUNNY GAULT: Hey Twin Talks, it’s time for a special segment on the show we like to call special twin moments. This moment comes from Jillian, and Jillian posted this on the Multiples of America Facebook page. We were actually on there recently and we were asking you guys to submit your special twin moments, so here’s what Jillian had to say:
“The first time my son left, a big deep belly laugh, was when he was about three months old and lying on the bed with his twin. They were holding hands and babbling to one another and he grabbed his brother by the hand, looked into his eyes and let out the sweetest, funniest laugh I’ve ever heard. In that instant, I realized how strong their bond was and it is still today at six years old. I will always remember that moment as the sweetest in my life.”
I love this, I could just picture all this happening. Jillian, thank you so much for writing this in, it was great to hear about your special twin moment.
[Theme Music]
SUNNY GAULT: If you guys have a special twin moment you want to share with all of our listeners, you can call our voicemail at 619-8664775 and leave us a message, we’ll include your story on a future episode.
CHRISTINE STEWART-FITZGERALD: That wraps up our show for today. We appreciate you listening to Twin Talks.
Don’t forget to check our sister shows:
• Preggie Pals for expecting parents
• The Boob Group for moms who breastfeed their babies
• Parent Savers, your parenting resource on the go.
This is Twin Talks, parenting times two or times two, times two. However many you have.
[Disclaimer]
This has been a New Mommy Media production. Information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though information in which areas are related to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional, Medical or advisor care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problem or disease or prescribing any medications. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified health care provider.
SUNNY GAULT: New Mommy Media is expanding our line up of shows for new and expecting parents. If you have an idea for a new series or if you’re a business or organization interested in joining our network of shows through a co-branded podcast, visit www.NewMommyMedia.com
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