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How do you carry when you have young kids?

3K views 20 replies 21 participants last post by  dukalmighty 
#1 ·
I am a mother of a 3yr old and 10 month old. Im wondering what is the best way to carry when I have one of my children on my hip still...I know that may sound like a silly question, but Im new to the conceal carry. (Actually just took my ccw class on saturday and am pending permit paperwork). If you are a woman, please tell me what works best for you. Would also like feedback from men on how your wives carry with small children? especially if your wife is of medium build like I am ( 5 ft 6 inches, 140lbs )thanks!!
 
#2 ·
I've got three boys, 8, 2 and a 5 month old. I keep the baby on my left, the 2 yr old on the right, should I need to carry him. I'd be able to set him down easy enough, while still have the youngest with my strong side now free.
Been several occasions with just us three out shopping with mom at home.

She has a permit but does not carry. Pending more training.

I wish to never be in that situation with them, but gotta do the best we can.

Carry IWB with MS VMII and OWB in the winter here in a Rosen Executive.
I typically have my coat unzipped for easy access
 
#3 ·
Well I'm not a woman but I do carry my kids on my hip. I'm 5'7, 140 lbs. I have a 10 month old, 3 year old and 5 year old. I carry my weapon at 1-2 o'clock with a Crossbreed SuperTuck. When I carry my kids, I carry them on my left side so my strong side is free to access weapon if needed. If I'm carrying two kids, I have one on each side. Hope that helps.
 
#4 ·
My 3yo grandson is very into shooting imaginary bad guys w/his toy guns. In addition, he has quite a vocabulary and quite an imagination. He wants me to take him to "Shoot the orange targets that go up in the air" (Trap) when he gets bigger.

Because of his perpetual talking, his imagination and his just plain being a real little boy, I have not let him know that I carry.

If I'm carrying IWB, I always make sure I pick him up w/my weak side.

If I'm carrying in my SigTac canvas jacket (51125 - SigTac Concealed Carry Jacket, XL, Black), I pick him up on my strong side.
 
#5 ·
Well I am not a woman, I am 6'3" and weigh in at 250 lbs right now. I carry on my strong side with an IWB (inside the waist band holster) at around 4 o'clock (which is right behind the love handle area. Imagine your front as 12 or 0, your bum as 6, and your love handles will be 3 and 9 o'clock).

With that said, I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and a 16 month old boy. I tell my daughter that she is old enough to walk, and she is fairly good about staying right with me and will hold my right hand if I am carrying my boy in my left hand. If she has to walk on my left, then I have taught her to either hang on to some part of my clothing (usually a belt/belt loop or the hammer loop on my jeans) and keep the pressure on so that I know she is with me.

The boy is still too rambunctios to let him walk while we are in a parking lot or by a street. I have been working with him to do the hand holding. Anyways, carry him with my weak/left side so that I am still able to access my firearm if need be.

I hope to never have an incident with my children, but I do prepare for it. Last summer we had a close call on a camping trip as we were coming out of a store. I was carrying my son and my wife was holding my daughter's hand. As we came up to the truck I realized a young man was teasing our dog and causing trouble, and I immediately began to place my son in my wife's arms and told them to stay back while I confronted the man. Everything worked out fine, but afterwards my wife commented at how fast I handed off our son and how quickly she was able to react to the situation. It amazed her how fast everything can happen, and if you are prepared and alert, how quickly everything falls into place for your benefit.

She said it also helped that I appeared to grow about 4 more feet in height and looked like I could have torn apart a grizzly bear at the moment. The man quickly ran away.
 
#7 ·
IWB @ 3:00 all the time no matter whos around.:hand10:
 
#8 ·
no gender bias there......

I've carried my kids, and then my grandkids with my left arm, leaving my right arm free & the gun IWB on right side.

You can also carry IWB on small of the back so you can use both arms easiliy when you want and the gun not being on your hip & in the way.

Also, can use a fanny pack.

Don't put it in the diaper bag, there's been cases where people forgot they had it there and had some ugly results when they left it unattended at home.
 
#10 ·
Not a woman and my wife doesn't carry (yet -- I'm working on it) but I do have a 3 year-old daughter that I care for during the day and when I do I'm usually carrying in a Safepacker (with or without the Packer Backer) on my hip at 3:00. I tell my daughter it's my "Rescue Pack" like on the cartoon "Go Diego Go." She knows that my gun is in it and that she is not to touch it and that Daddy has it to keep her and Mommy safe.
 
#12 ·
I usually carry OWB, and I have a 5YO and 2YO. I open carry around the house regularly. I went to Chick-Fil-Et recently, and my 5 YO saw a police officer in line, walked up to him, pointed to his sidearm and said loudly "Daddy, he has a gun just like you". The LEO smiled and nodded in my direction.

Carry and educate. Guns are not bad. Cops and parents have them for safety.
 
#13 ·
I don't hide my firearm at the house - I usually OC, just because it's my house and it's easier. Out and about the firearm is in the exact same place on my hip (3 o'clock), just covered up. I'm 6' 260 lbs, so I'm not even close to your body type...

But that said, I carry our 20 month old when she needs it... she's pretty much able to walk everwhere we go now, but when she was younger I still carried her witht the gun. I attempt to carry her on my weak side whenever possible, but if I have to switch arms, she does just fine riding above the weapon on my right side. We wrestle around on the floor while we play (childcare people like to call it tumbling or some other nice word... but it was wrestling when I was a kid and it still is...) When she bumps into my 1911, she'll stop and point to it and say "Owie" and then move on... it's been there since she was one (at least around the house) so she' pretty used to the fact that daddy has something on his hip all the time and she's not allowed to touch it.
 
#14 ·
Smart Carry when at home. I can wear it in flannel PJ and wrestle with me son and he does not even know, nor my wife. Outside house I wear Superbreed Crosstuck IWB. My wife cannot tell when I carry or not. I feel safe either way with my G26.
 
#15 ·
Most any good holster should do fine. You seem like you have a good head on you shoulders but I'll say this anyway for whomever else is lurking: For the love of God don't purse-carry! (Or anything else off body). A firearm belongs attached directly to you or locked up.
 
#16 ·
Never carried till my son was old enough to walk [Age 6] (Kansas just allowed CC in 2007) but I always carried him weak side so as to leave my strong side free to ward off thing like badguys. I have noticed that he still walks on my left which is good, unless he is a few 100 feet ahead (OK 5 to 6 feet).

I would suggest that you do as others have said as you have the two young ones carry the youngest and have the oldest hold on to you coat, belt/belt loop on you weak side. This will keep you strong arm free to draw a weapon.
 
#18 ·
Well, I am a man but do carry my kids often (3.5, 2 and 5 months). I carry inside waist band at 4:00 when out and about and outside waist band at 3:30 if I know I will be staying around the house. This has never interfered with holding or playing with the kids in any way.

My wife carries at 4:00 as well and 90% of the time is outside waist band (Small J Frame revolver).
 
#19 ·
I am almost out of your situation (they're old enough to walk the majority of the time thank goodness). How I carry depends on where we are.

At home, outside - open carry, usually small of back where the gun is not going to get caught on small legs and I can use both hips for carrying kids, feed, whatever and still bend over to weed/trim/mow/etc.

In our home - left in locked safe (yes I know, not the most popular option for most members of this forum).

Shopping/in public, winter - I have an ultra attractive Carhart knockoff that has a pocket on the inside that zips - gun goes in that in a pocket holster.

Shopping/in public, remainder of year - purse carry (yep, ultra-unpopular around here).

I'm a large woman, IWB only works for me if I'm carrying ONE kid and don't plan on bending over much. IWB hurts me when I ride in a car and it is not easy to conceal in anything other than jeans and a baggy sweater. I tried a smart carry (like the cornered cat lady), and just could not figure out how to make it work for anything other than OC. I haven't found an ankle carry holster that my pants leg will fit over (sorry, I don't wear bell bottoms, and even boot cut jeans are tight around an ankle holster. Shoulder holster is just not practical for carrying two kids (I have one, I've tried it). Pocket carry is a great idea, but my pockets aren't big enough to carry even a Ruger LCP in. Fanny packs are problematic, rarely complement the wardrobe, especially at more formal functions and are painful for the child riding ontop of the hip with the fanny pack on it (in my case the child had the sights and hammer poking him in the diaper area or in the leg. Bra carry is an uncharted frontier for holster makers, but for many women would be more feasible than IWB.

You'll find lots out there about carrying ONE kid, but two?? very little.

For the anti-purse carry, I respect their reservations, but I don't feel I'm being irresponsible simply because I purse carry. I can sling my purse and diaper bag across my torso and carry two children quite well for long periods of time. For every anti-purse carry reason, I can counter with my reasons as to why I feel safer purse carrying than not carrying. This is not an ideal world, I do the best I can.

Thanks for posting the question, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas!
 
#20 ·
I carry SOB, but my kids are grown - youngest is 16. But I have carried a friends kid and have not had a problem with the position of my firearm. I would like to carry in a different position if I could find a holster that I could wear IWB on the side. Haven't found one yet that allows complete concealment - I'm a woman and I like to dress stylishly, so I do not wear baggy clothes!!!
 
#21 ·
I can't carry kids but they need to make diaper with a builtin holster pocket in the rear that way you can hold your baby and have a gun accessible.....OK MAYBE NOT
 
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