I was very excited to purchase the Mini Monkey when I was pregnant with my twins, and feel like I got some good use out of it. Here’s my honest, unbiased review of my own experience with the Minimonkey twin carrier. I know with twins, every purchase counts, so I hope this helps!
Why I Chose The Mini Monkey Twin Carrier
I did a lot of research before deciding to get it. Here are the things I was looking for when I made my choice to get it, in case you’re looking for similar things:
- It was important to me to be able to see both babies at all times, and make sure their heads were always supported (particularly in those fragile early months) so I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of having one baby on the back where I couldn’t see them (like the Weego)
- I wanted something that was lightweight and easy to take with me on outings, even when I wasn’t wearing it
- I needed to be able to use it even when I was sleep-deprived and my head wasn’t functioning well. Meaning it needed to be relatively easy and appealing to use. There are already way too many pregnancy/baby products that I delay using because I put them in the ‘too hard’ basket.
- I wanted to have the option of using the carrier at any age, newborn to infant (or so I thought)
With all of these things in mind, the MiniMonkey seemed to be the only one to fit the bill and tick all of my boxes. So after a full evening of research and reading reviews, I ordered it!
I First Used My MiniMonkey When My Twins Were 6 Weeks Old
I’ll admit, despite having the Mini Monkey ready to go – when I needed a carrier in those early few weeks, I did default to my Boba carrier (the wrap one). Why? Honestly, I think it was just familiarity. I used it with my first, I knew how to use it, I knew it’s easy to get the babies in and out, and I saw that you could do twins in the Boba, which I did. Let me know if you want me to post my technique!
So for the MiniMonkey, the instructions say it can be used from birth, and I ended up feeling confident and adventurous enough to use it at the 6-week mark. Particularly at times when both babies wanted to be held or some contact.
My First Time Using The Mini Monkey Twin Carrier
Yes, I did try to do it myself the first time, and yes, I failed miserably. My husband had to help, we had to do a lot of adjustments together to make sure it was right for both me and the babies at their current size. Even if you size it to you when you’re not holding the babies, you’ll need to adjust for the babies. But honestly, compared to our single carrier (Ergobaby Omni 360), it was much simpler, there were far fewer straps and fiddly bits it felt like – or at least it all felt pretty intuitive. Maybe I had a good sleep day haha.
My baby girl did cry when I was putting my baby boy in (as she went first), but she quickly settled afterwards. I found it enjoyable to use the first time, I wore it for about 30 minutes, and I needed help getting the babies out too. Importantly, I did feel happy that their heads and necks were supported well. This put our twin carrier journey off to a good start, whereas I feel like in many of the other reviews I read, when the start didn’t go so well, people were less likely to continue to use them (and fair enough). So my advice here is to have someone to support you with getting it on the first time, be prepared to spend a little time making adjustments, and have both of you watch the Youtube tutorial prior, if you like (we did).
Lessons Learnt From Using The MiniMonkey Twin Carrier
I continued to use my MiniMonkey at least once or twice a week from then on, and here are the lessons I learnt:
- It does save your arms when your babies go through a stage where they need to be held all the time. When in the carrier, my hands were free to stroke their backs and pat their heads, and they just buried their faces into me and fell asleep.
- They did not disrupt one another being side by side in the carrier, not in those early months anyway.
- I was able to breastfeed the babies while they were in the carrier! I was so happy! I just lifted my shirt up and adjusted their position and could get my breasts up to them. It made it so convenient. If you’re breastfeeding, seriously consider it. I did have to get in a semi-awkward position with my breast by lifting it up but you really couldn’t tell and it felt comfortable enough.
- As I said before, it seems simple to use straight off the bat, but there’s definitely a learning curve when it comes to getting it set up properly and you’ll want to watch all the videos and read the instructions. Take the time to do it.
- It also serves as a great single carrier. If one of the babies was fast asleep and the other needed contact, I’d still pop them in it. It was actually quite nice to have them to one side because I could cradle them with one arm while still using the other. I’m sure this one-sided weight didn’t help my back or posture though.
- Sometimes, when both babies were in there, my husband would comment on my very awkward shoulder position – one shoulder would be sitting way higher than the other. Interestingly, I didn’t notice anything at the time. But I imagine if he hadn’t corrected me and helped me make a few adjustments, I could have easily developed some back pain. The lesson here is to always do your adjustments properly to get the best fit and to do a mirror check before you spend hours with the babies in there.
- You can wear the MiniMonkey for a long time, and on my parenting journey, I’ve met other twin moms who are still using their MiniMonkey at 12-15 months along.
- As the twins got bigger, I got more tired when using the carrier. I don’t actually think it’s the carrier, so much as it is the weight of my growing babies. Maybe this is the point at which you’d switch to one of those carriers with a baby on the front and the other on the back, to even the load. I’m also quite a petite person and pregnancy took all my strength out of me, so with little back and abdominal strength I found it challenging once we hit the 4-5 month mark.
- It was easy to wash! I didn’t think of this one when choosing a carrier, but babies bring up a lot of milk, and the MiniMonkey was really easy to clean and dry because of that mesh material.
- The weight limit us up to 26 pounds (12kg) per baby! So it’ll last a long time if you’re comfortable using it for that long. My babies will be turning one soon and they’re still not at this weight limit.
I Stopped Using My Mini Monkey Twin Carrier Around 6-7 Months
I stopped using a twin carrier around the 6-7 month mark because I’m a fairly petite woman, and my babies were growing incredibly well. And the days I’d use the carrier I’d just feel so much more exhausted, physically. So we ended up getting two single carriers, and having my husband and I wear one each when we were out together. When I was by myself, I’d use our pram (we got the Bugaboo Donkey). Thankfully at the 6-7 month age, my twins weren’t very interested in contact napping and so I didn’t have that same need for it that I did at the beginning.
Do I Recommend The Mini Monkey Twin Carrier?
Honestly, yes. Sure, it was hard to get the babies in there on my own at the start, and at various other times. But I think that would happen in any carrier, particularly one that expects you to get a baby on your back. Plus, for me, it did the job I wanted it to. So I do recommend it if you have the same goals and concerns as me. Although I’d also probably recommend buying it second-hand through Marketplace, your local Multiples club or another secondhand platform. It’s much more affordable this way! It’s how we sold ours and I was so happy to see it going to a new home to another twin mom.
