I had some pretty bold aspirations for babywearing my twins … while I was still wearing them in my uterus.
I never got into ring slings with my firstborn, and with my daughter I regretted not trying one when she was newborn. For the twins, I definitely wanted a ring sling. I had been told by a couple of babywearing educators that a sling was a great way to tandem-wear twins on your front, either paired with a second sling or with a stretchy wrap. COOL BEANS, I thought. I’m gonna tandem-wear like a boss.
Alas, who knew that caring for preemie twins, a toddler and a kindergartener would leave me so entirely touched out and unmotivated to even try tandem wearing? Well, now I know!
I wore one twin at a time occasionally when they were newborns, but unlike my first two, the twins slept for long daytime stretches without needing to be on me. And since I didn’t need to wear them, I didn’t. But for those few times I needed it, my Comfy Joey Linen Sling was there for me! Were I to have had just one newborn, I’m sure I would’ve gotten a lot more use out of the ring sling in those early days. It’s my favourite style of carrier for nursing while wearing, but my twins prefer their breastmilk bottled, not from the tap.
As I started to regain some semblance of sanity and find joy in babywearing again, and as my boys started having longer periods of wakefulness, it was time to bust out my Comfy Joey Linen Sling for real.
Ring slings take practice, and having double trouble to practice with was very helpful. Trying to get the big kids out of the house in the morning, wearing one twin meant only 50% of the babies were crying? (A win?)
This summer in Calgary was uncharacteristically hot, and I would much rather be cold than hot, so I was a very grumpy mama bear. When I needed to have a twin on me, stuck to me, sweating with me, raising my body temperature a few more unbearable degrees, the ONLY way it was happening was with my Comfy Joey ring sling. First of all, being a one-shoulder carry, there’s less fabric on my body. Second and most importantly, made of 100% linen, the Comfy Joey sling is light and airy for when I’m feeling heavy and stifled. It’s also easy to wash, and washing and wearing softens the fabric (which is stiff at first), so I was never stressed about getting it drenched in sweat and breastmilk and spit up.
Once you’ve figured it out (after watching many YouTube tutorials), using a ring sling makes for easy ups and downs, and if you have two different sized twins, it’s quick to adjust when you’re switching between babies. If you are using a sling in colder weather, you don’t have to take off your coat to put baby in or take them out, making it a great option for winter errand-running!
The Comfy Joey comes in four different sizes, so if you’re petite, you aren’t stuck with tons of extra, unused tail to contend with, and if you’re tall and broad-shouldered, you’ll have plenty of fabric to work with.
The sling features what they call a “CJ Hybrid Shoulder,” which, for the uninitiated (like me) means the wearer can “spread the sling fabric wide to hug the shoulder, virtually eliminating pressure points, or gather the shoulder fabric narrowly, maximizing freedom of movement for the ring-side arm with very little bulk.”
Now that my boys have passed the 6-month mark and I feel comfortable and safe wearing one on my back in a buckle carrier, I have discovered the joys of tandem wearing that eluded me in the beginning. Front and back tandem wearing is much more practical than trying to fit two babies on the front of my rather slight frame. A Comfy Joey sling is perfect for wearing with a buckle carrier: there’s not too much fabric to contend with, the linen fabric isn’t stifling (it gets hot wearing two babies), and it’s easy to make adjustments, like popping baby in and out without taking off the baby on your back. If the twin on my front falls asleep, I can completely unthread the sling to orchestrate a perfect carrier-to-crib transfer.
My favourite things about Comfy Joey Linen Ring Slings:
- Accommodates newborns to toddlers
- Easy to breastfeed while wearing
- Linen fabric is breathable and helps me keep my cool (literally and figuratively) for hot-weather babywearing
- Four size choices mean there’s a ring sling to fit every body
- Made in the USA and very affordably priced (check out their fall sale, with certain colours as low as $49.99)
- Hybrid shoulder for maximum comfort
- Breathtakingly beautiful colours to choose from
- An awesome option for quick ups and downs at home and on the go
- Perfect in combination with a buckle carrier for tandem wearing!
There’s only one thing I like less, and this is not unique to Comfy Joey, but simply a fact: I find the ring sling the most difficult carrier style to master, and I’m constantly improving my technique. But once you figure it out, it’s fabulous!
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