Baby carriers in special situations
Parents who have babies with special needs, tight or loose hips, twins, premature babies, or babies with older siblings close in age, can use Asteraki carriers too!
Can I carry both my children at the same time?
If you can manage it, of course! What we usually suggest is not to do it for too long if the total weight (of both children) exceeds 15-18 kilos, or the weight at which you feel comfortable. This can depend on the children’s weight, on your “motivation” (or how much you need it!), and on how cooperative your babies are!
It’s not something you’ll be able to do comfortably for very long (especially if you’ve given birth recently!). It is, however, the ideal solution for short trips, and many mums with twins or with children close in age say that babywearing has “freed up their hands”!
With a wrap, using the double cross without a horizontal support panel (suitable for children of the same age).
With two slings, crossed over (suitable for children of the same or different ages).
With a sling and a pouch, crossed over (suitable for children of the same or different ages).
With a wrap and a mei tai, or with two mei tais or two wraps, putting one baby in front and one on your back (especially suitable for children of different ages).
What’s more, using two slings, you can breastfeed your twin babies at the same time in the “football hold” position.
And even if you’re not carrying them both at the same time, babywearing can help you: you can carry one baby while being able to care for the other!
At the link below you’ll find many more photos, as well as videos of twin babies.
read more: “Carrying twin babies at the same time”
In the photo below, I’m carrying my girls using an Asteraki wrap. This way you can carry two babies at the same time with one carrier, achieving better weight distribution and freer hands (than if the babies were both in front, one on each side).
Rea (4.5 years old) weighs 17 kilos. Iliana (20 months old) weighs 11 kilos. Be careful, our bodies aren’t meant to carry such weight for a long time (nor even for a short time if we’re not “in training”). Pay attention to the limits of your endurance!
read more: “Weight and endurance limits”
My baby has gastroesophageal reflux. Can a sling help?
Babies with reflux are helped by staying in an upright position for a while after they’ve eaten, and most of the time it’s perhaps better for them to eat in a more upright position too. The tricky part is that after eating, small babies usually also want to sleep, and parents are forced to hold their sleeping baby in their arms!
If your baby has reflux, prefer the upright carries:
Your baby can even breastfeed in all of the above positions, staying “upright” during the meal and afterwards!
And if your baby is one of those who only sits quietly on your shoulder, in the “burping” position, try it with your hands free:
Burping position with two slings
I’m pregnant. Can I carry my older child during my pregnancy?
Yes, generally, you can carry your baby while you’re pregnant, but taking the following into account:
– The child’s age and weight
– The stage of pregnancy you’re at
– The condition of your pregnancy and the presence of any medical problems
Most of the mums I know who had a baby when their second pregnancy came along were almost obliged to carry their older child in the early days. Babies want cuddles and can’t understand that “mum has another baby in her tummy”! If you’re going to hold your older baby in your arms anyway while you’re pregnant, then a sling will make everything easier! You do, though, need to make sure that your pregnancy has no complications and that you don’t have any serious health problems in general. Don’t carry your baby if your doctor’s general instructions are not to lift any weight at all and not to hold your child in your arms.
Personal note: As I write these lines I’m already 7 months pregnant and my Vasilis weighs 15 kilos! I still carry him, every day and for quite a while! I see that as my pregnancy progresses and as my Vasilis grows and gets heavier, I might sometimes ask him to walk half the way and carry him for the rest. (Luckily Vasilis loves to walk!) I also now prefer, for this period and for longer trips, the carriers that use two shoulders (that is, the mei tai and the wrap).
During the first months of my pregnancy I carried my baby almost constantly, with no problem at all, and perhaps it could still be that way if my son weren’t such a big child!
I can honestly even say that carrying my child on my back is sometimes a pleasant, temporary “counterweight” to my heavy belly!
Can I carry my premature baby in a sling?
Yes! Not only can you, but you’ll help them gain weight faster and adapt more easily to life outside the womb!
Studies have shown that premature babies who spend three hours a day in direct contact with their mum (wrapped in a wrap or another sling) feel calmer and so breathe better, stabilise their heart rate and breathing, and give all their energy to growing!
Of course you must always make sure that your baby breathes freely, that in the position you’re carrying them their chin doesn’t rest on their chest (there’s at least one finger’s distance), and that you don’t completely cover their face with fabric.
For very small or premature babies, prefer the upright carries, where breathing is better and the baby’s little tummy is covered.
