Confessions of a Tandem Nursing Mama

I feel honored to be able to share information on tandem nursing. I know from personal experience there is not a lot of information out there. My goal is to share some of my experiences tandem nursing. I know for me I have had some situations come up that tandem nursing books don’t tell you about.

I made a little list of 5 ways to make tandem nursing a little easier for the mama’s that are new to tandem nursing I hope this might make things a little easier in the beginning.

1. First off do not worry about schedules it’s basically fly by the seat of your pants for the first two weeks at home.
2. Make sure before you sit down to nurse you have everything you will need; cup of water for yourself (make sure your always hydrated to keep up supply), healthy snack, telephone, nipple cream, nursing pads and a burpie cloth.
3. Have a good amount of nursing tank tops on hand between spit up and leaking have extra, it will make your life easier. They are easy to work and your not fumbling lifting shirts up etc.
4. If you want to use a cover up I suggest the ones that allow you to peek down at the babies while doing so. I also found the lightweight muslin receiving blankets work just as good if not better than a typical cover up. Tie a knot at the end throw it around your neck. It’s big enough to cover up two babies!
5. Positioning; there are many ways to position the babies. What I do suggest is latching on the smaller baby and then let your toddler latch on, unless of course you are dealing with twins then in the beginning you many need an extra hand from a partner to help with initial latching.

There maybe times where you will feel overwhelmed and completely drained. It is ok your not alone I have been there. Even if you nurse separately just to give yourself a break from both babies that’s ok. Always feed the younger baby first your toddler can wait a few minutes. You and your toddler can substitute that one
tandem feeding for a story or puzzle time while you nurse the younger baby.

On a positive note engorgement will not be as frequent as with a singleton because the toddler is a big help with making sure you are not overly full!

A little about me: My name is Kathleen Garcia I am a Doula in Staten Island, NY. I am a married mama of 4 beautiful amazing children. I nursed all 4 children but my last 2 are the tandem not yet self weaned toddlers.


Would you like to be a contributor on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer? We're always looking for creative writers who would like to share their cloth diapering tips. To find out more Contact Us