How to find the right fit with a frame carrier

More children means more trail buddies. The joy on their sweet little faces as they see the wonders of nature around your family. However, more children also means more tired little legs. You may need to enter the realm of tandem babywearing – wearing two children in carriers at once. Here are some general tandem wearing tips to get you started. 1. As always, the general rules of babywearing apply. If you would not do an activity while holding multiple babies, then it’s probably not a good idea to do it while tandem wearing. For example, climbing up a steep cliff. 2. The safest recommendation is one carrier per child. And each carrier should be secured independent of the other. This also means no crossing straps or tying one carrier to another. That way, you could safely remove one child quickly if needed without the risk of the other falling out. 3. Make sure both children meet the general height and weight limits of their carrier. This will ensure both you and babies are comfortable and well-supported without the risk of falling. 4. Make sure you are comfortable using each carrier independently first before trying them together. You need to be able to prep them, place baby on your body, secure the carrier and remove baby safely on your own. 5. Keep in mind that two babies/kids mean double the weight. Make sure you can physically carry that much weight before you head out on the trail. A mile into your hike is a bad time to realize that both kids are too heavy! Try it out at home first. Your living room or backyard is the perfect place to practice securing both children in the carriers. Take a short stroll around the room or neighborhood to ensure you’re comfortable and stable. Ways to tandem wear on the trail Babies of the same size For newborns, it is best to invest in a carrier that is designed for multiples. Many of these models are specially designed to fit newborns and will be the easiest way to get the proper fit for tiny babies. Please note that most twin carriers are designed to wear both newborns on the front only. This is the safest place for small babies, especially from first time wearers. And remember that babies need to be faced inward, but ensure their airways aren’t obstructed. Once babies get bigger, especially when they are sitting upright unassisted, you can try almost any two carriers you like together. The most common option is two soft-structured carriers, like The Extend from Easy Feel Products. Adjustable carriers, like The Extend, are also a wonderful choice for hiking with babies because the carrier grows with baby. The body panel adjusts in height and width to provide support and keeps baby snuggled from newborn to toddler. With practice, soft-structured carriers are easy to put on and adjust. Make sure both carriers function independently, so stagger the waistbands around your waist, one on top of the other, and ensure you can access both buckles and all shoulder straps easily. Toddlers of the same size As babies grow into walking toddlers or preschoolers, you’ll probably tandem wear less so you may be able to get away with just one carrier on a hike and rotate each kid as his legs get tired. But, there will probably be times when both kids will want to be carried too. Soft-structured carriers once again are a great choice, as they have more padding and internal structure to hold up more wiggles – especially from two kids. Keep in mind that those little legs may want back down again on the trail – and often – so try wearing the kiddo who usually wants down first on the front and place that carrier’s shoulder straps on the top. That way it’s a quick slide down your front and you don’t have to fight with trapped shoulder straps. Baby and toddler Whether hiking with siblings or you’re helping another parent during a hike, there may be times when it’s necessary to carry two kids of different sizes and weights. We recommend making it as easy as possible. If you have a newborn or infant, using a stretchy wrap on the front is convenient for taking baby in and out for diaper changes and feeding. Then you can wear any carrier you like on your back for the older child. Just make sure you put the wrap on first (even before you put baby in) so that way the back carrier is on top so the older child can go up and down as needed without disturbing baby. Once your baby can sit upright unassisted, you can put either baby or toddler on your front or back and use any carrier you’d like! The best recommendation is still to wear the child who will want down the most on the front. However, keep in mind that it might be more comfortable to have your bigger child on your back. But keep in mind that testing out different positions and carriers at home before you hit the trail is your best bet for a successful tandem-wearing experience on the trail. Share with us what you love about tandem wearing to encourage and inspire others to do the same. Read more: Tandem babywearing tips - How to carry two small hikers Tandem babywearing on trail - Tips and Tricks Photos by Ashley Scheiber. This post was sponsored by Easy Feels Products.

Whether your own family is growing, you have twins or you’re helping out a friend by watching their child, adding another heartbeat to your hiking routine can be a challenge. But rather than stressing about it, know you have options for getting out on a fresh-air adventure with everyone. On stroller-friendly trails, a double all-terrain stroller – or wearing one child and pushing one (or two) children – is a great option. But in the cases where you want to get farther out into nature, you’ll want to tandem carry. If you’ve only ever worn one child at a time, wearing two at once will be an adjustment. There are lots of things to consider: Age of your children, mobility level, how they’ll want their snacks and last, but most important, your own comfort. We’re here to tell you that it’s totally doable and can be a lot of fun, so here are some helpful tips on how to tandem babywear your smallest hikers more efficiently! Photo by Kim Ives Tandem Babywearing Tips 1. Carriers Yes, that’s carriers. Plural. It makes sense: two children, two carriers. There are a few notable exceptions like the TwinGo, which is designed to carry two children. Otherwise, plan on one carrier for each child. The type of carrier is up to you, but the most popular way to wear two children at once are using either soft-structured carriers like the Onya Baby or woven wraps. We’ve seen people mix and match on the trail and, ultimately, it’s up to you. But if you’re new to carrying two, consider a soft-structured carrier simply for ease of using a buckle on and off. 2. Loading Them Up The “standard” rule of thumb is one kiddo on the back and one on front. Typically, the heavier child will go on the back and the lighter on the front. You’ll want to load the back child first to avoid jostling the smaller front-carried baby. And, if both kiddos are the same age/size, you’ll want to ensure that the smaller child is old enough to ride on your back (typically 6 months or so with good head control, but, again, contact your local babywearing expert if you need assistance with determining this). Once the child on the back is securely in place, add your front child. Tip: If you have an older child in back who likes to get up and down, an option is to strap that child in second for convenience. Natalie Kendrach includes a tip on how to do it successfully when you're alone with no one around to help: I personally prefer putting the baby on first so that I have the toddler’s carrier on top (for easy up and down). I put the carrier hood in my teeth to support the baby’s head when doing that method. That allows me to use the ‘Superman’ toss to get my toddler on my back. But when others are there, they just lift her to my back. 3. Get Help Some ideas for getting the kiddos on board include using the back of an SUV or a picnic table to get loaded. But there's no substitute for a friend’s help, so if you're hiking with friends, wait until you have them nearby in case you need assistance whether that’s holding a child, keeping watch on an escape artist or helping with knots or buckles. 4. Clothing and Gear You have an extra body with extra body heat, so you’ll want to keep that in mind in your own layers, potentially wearing one less layer. If it’s summer, you’ll have twice the amount of straps on your shoulders, so you may want to consider a tee shirt instead of a sleeveless top. Also, if you use cooling towels, you’ll want to have an extra on hand! For your kids, you’ll want to utilize standard layering/clothing considerations. If in winter, you’ll want to dress your children in appropriate winter layers (more on this here). If in summer, wicking material will be your – and their – best friend. Hiking poles  –  If wearing one child throws off your stability and balance, then two will do so equally. Hiking poles are a great idea anytime you’re hiking with kids, but especially when you’re carrying tandem. Quality shoes  – Having great shoes is always important when getting out, but again, especially so when tandem carrying. See this article for tips on finding the right shoes. Photo courtesy of Natalie Kendrach 5. Snacks & Water If you have ever done anything with a toddler, you know that snacks are critical. In fact, many of us would consider it an emergency to not have snacks at the ready. With this in mind, consider how you’re going to carry snacks and other important things like a phone and car keys. (See how high snacks rank?) Remember, you’ll have limited access to your pockets. Water is also top priority, as you’ll want to keep yourself AND the kids hydrated. Here are options for carrying snacks and water: The carrier itself Your carrier may have pockets designed for storage. Just make sure the items you need the most access to are in the front carrier so you can more easily get to them. Otherwise, that friend that helped you load up will need to get them out of the back carrier. Attached to the carrier Using a carabiner, you can attach a snack cup to your carrier so your kiddo can help themselves. However, if you have two snackers, you may want to be in control so one doesn’t end up with fewer snacks. In my experience, it’s tough to have too many carabiners out hiking. This isn’t quite as easy for water, but it can be done! Another option for attaching to the carrier is a pouch like the Onya Hipster pouch. Think of it like a waist pack that slides on the carrier strap instead of another strap around your waist. It's big enough to hold the essentials without being clunky and in the way. Waist pack A waist pack, the new hip way to say “fanny pack,” is a great way to carry extras. One of the best ways to wear them is underneath the back child, almost as a seat below the carrier. You can load these up with snacks and other essentials, and it doesn’t (theoretically) add much to your load. Some waist packs are also hydration packs. (Pro tip: if you have a child with new teeth and they chew through the valve you use to get water, purchase extra valves. In bulk.) Mesh cinch backpack These are awesome for wearing OVER the back carrier. The layering order for this is going to be back child/carrier first, then the mesh pack OVER the back of that carrier, then your front child in their carrier. You can load up this pack with snacks, other essentials and even a hydration bladder. The only challenge with a backpack is access. You'll need to stop to get items from the backpack, or ask a friend to help. 6. A Dry Run Last, but not least, a dry run is something you’ll want to consider. Try gearing up and loading up everything from snacks to kids in a comfortable environment, ideally your own home. That way you can get a solid feel for how it all pulls together, where you might need some help, and what is going really well. In the end, we just want to see you on a trail and hope you and your family have a great time! Read More Tandem Babywearing on the Trail - Tips and Tricks 10 Tips for Hiking with Toddler Twins We’d love to hear your experiences! Share your tandem carrying tips, tricks and questions in the comments below. Disclaimer: We are not babywearing experts, but we’ve done a lot of hiking with kids. These are some top tips we’ve discovered from lots of hiking with lots of families over the years!  ABOUT OUTGROWN OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org    EDITORS NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.