An Afternoon with Two Boys
how babywearing made it easy
by Christy Montemurro

My best friend Holly's beautiful son Jack was born this past February. Precious as he was, his feeding and sleeping patterns had little consideration for the fact that his mother was in the midst of a semester of law school. Learning the nuances of estate law is best accomplished without constant disruption, so I volunteered to look after Jack whenever I could to allow Holly some uninterrupted study time.

One April afternoon, "helping" me watch six-week-old Jack was my 14-month-old son, Leo. Naturally, toddler Leo's idea of helping or playing with Jack mostly involved poking him like the Pillsburgh doughboy. I'd hoped that Leo would begin his afternoon nap before Jack arrived, but Leo found that idea to be a mockery of a sham, and was bright-eyed and boisterous as he greeted "Gack!"

Jack was sleepy when he arrived, but not sleepy enough to remain asleep when I laid him in the Pack 'N Play. As Leo was intent on moving from room to room, I popped Jack into a stretchy wrap so he could nap while I chased after Leo. Soon after observing Jack snug on my chest, it occurred to Leo that bouncing around the house would not be nearly as fun as it would if I held him. As my chest was already occupied, I swung him onto my back with a short woven wrap in a quick rucksack carry.

Surprised at how comfortable it was carrying both boys, I managed to straighten up the living room. Correction: I began to straighten the living room. I had just enough time to collect Leo's beloved rubber spatulas from around the room and load them into the dishwasher, before Jack woke up and politely informed me he needed a diaper change. Having both boys on board simplified how to get both upstairs (I didn't want to face one of those riddles where you have to get X number of wolves and sheep across the river, when only X number will fit in your boat at a time...) without leaving one unattended at either end.

Diaper changes for both boys accomplished, and having fed Jack after a clear, succinct request for nourishment, Leo busied himself with his snare drum, while I began some simple preparation for dinner. I thought Jack would enjoy the dinner preparation from his seat on the counter, but he disagreed, so we compromised and he watched from high up on my back instead. He was so snug and secure back there and sweetly rested his hand on my shoulder. Once again, Leo began to covet this, and wanted to be held. This activity began to bore Jack, but he was not asleep just yet, so I put Leo in front in a Mei Tai and walked around with both boys until Jack fell deeply asleep.

Knowing that Leo would be too distracted to fall asleep with the little doughboy on my back, I first took Leo out of the Mei Tai, then gradually eased Jack out of the wrap and into Leo's crib. Leo was not ready to stop cuddling though, so he came back up to snuggle on my chest in a woven wrap, and within five minutes he too had fallen asleep, and peacefully lay down for his nap, lightly covered by a wrap.

Both boys then slept peacefully for two hours! I accomplished numerous household tasks, checking in on them frequently, oohing and aahing over how sweet and precious they looked. First course of business was collecting the carriers I'd used throughout the day, so they'd be ready to go when the boys awoke. It was a lot of up and down, but I don't know how I would have managed without being able to carry one or both - and still have my hands free!