Posted: 9/20/2009 5:24:09 PM EDT
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I am a CCW holder and a dad to an 11 month old boy.
I was happy with my regular carry (XD45c in a Crossbreed Supertuck-IWB @ 3:30 pos) untill I started carrying my son. Most of the time I carry my son on my strong side because he is more comfortable on that side, but my elbow and forearm press against my side and print my sidearm and make it very obvious that I am carrying. Are there any other dads that can recommend something to help me out with this problem? Please don't say "use a stroller" or "switch how you carry your son", as that is now always feasible. Thanks. |
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I agree with the above as a father. I did have mine at the 3:30 but learned quickly about the printing while carrying or my shirt riding up while holding him. So I have it at 5 o’clock almost at 6 actually. That and if I am going to be outside a lot and want to stay concealed I have found tucking in a white t-shirt helps a lot! I have the super tuc also and with their clips you can wear a white tee or any form fitting tee to help conceal.
My clothing has changed since I became a father along with how to conceal. I always check bending over to pick him up and with my arms straight up as if I am throwing him up. But I have not been made yet and he is 1.5 years old. Hopes this helps. |
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I was trained in the Army at a very young age to never carry anything in my strong hand. Allways leave it free so you can get to and put your weapon into action ASAP. I learned this before I had kids, so I never fell into this bad habit (carrring my kid or anything else in my strong hand).
You sir, have a bad habit. |
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I was trained in the Army at a very young age to never carry anything in my strong hand. Allways leave it free so you can get to and put your weapon into action ASAP. I learned this before I had kids, so I never fell into this bad habit (carrring my kid or anything else in my strong hand). You sir, have a bad habit. Agreed. |
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I am a CCW holder and a dad to an 11 month old boy. I was happy with my regular carry (XD45c in a Crossbreed Supertuck-IWB @ 3:30 pos) untill I started carrying my son. Most of the time I carry my son on my strong side because he is more comfortable on that side, but my elbow and forearm press against my side and print my sidearm and make it very obvious that I am carrying. Are there any other dads that can recommend something to help me out with this problem? Please don't say "use a stroller" or "switch how you carry your son", as that is now always feasible. Thanks. Well, that's how I do it. I always carry him on my weak side. If I have to draw, I can (get ready) blade my body away (at 45 degrees hehe) and place my body between his and an attacker. There is no correct answer, just whatever works for you... |
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carry your kid weak side its easier to draw that way if you have to. vs switching sides and then drawing. That's what I do. That way I can still draw quickly and hide my kid behind me for protection if needed. so do I. now that both my kids are old enough to walk on their own I still hold their hand with my weak side. I can move them behind me and still get to my weapon in one motion. they are 3 and 5. |
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I've got four little girls under the age of five.
The upside, the quad-stroller could handle some crew-served stuff. 
The downside, defending all four of them at once they were on foot is nearly impossible, so I turned it around into an advantage. We've engaged in a strict program of teaching them to swarm up legs and bite crotches and tear out femoral arteries. They seem to respond best to a mixture of Schutzen commands, and bribes promising Polly Pocket and My Tactical Pony products. 
So with a little luck, the CCW will simply serve as coup-de-gras to the unfortunate soul I sic them on... |
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I've got four little girls under the age of five. The upside, the quad-stroller could handle some crew-served stuff. http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t33/AJ_Dual/DSCF4811.jpg The downside, defending all four of them at once they were on foot is nearly impossible, so I turned it around into an advantage. We've engaged in a strict program of teaching them to swarm up legs and bite crotches and tear out femoral arteries. They seem to respond best to a mixture of Schutzen commands, and bribes promising Polly Pocket and My Tactical Pony products. http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t33/AJ_Dual/colorponyflat.jpg So with a little luck, the CCW will simply serve as coup-de-gras to the unfortunate soul I sic them on... Polly Pocket! my daughters love those things! |
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We've engaged in a strict program of teaching them to swarm up legs and bite crotches and tear out femoral arteries. They seem to respond best to a mixture of Schutzen commands, and bribes promising Polly Pocket and My Tactical Pony products. This is quite possibly one of the finest bits of ar15.com I have *ever* read. Thank you. |
| I switched to a Raven ACR (Appendix Carry) and it works great never have to worry about printing,lets face it if when you have to carry the young ones you are always bending over to pick stuff up ,change them or,fix their cloths.Unless you were a coat year round you are going to print,I also have a smart carry which is terrible for drawing quickly but is very comfortable to hide at kid parties when you just dont want to deal with any chance of being spotted. |
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I switched to a Raven ACR (Appendix Carry) and it works great never have to worry about printing,lets face it if when you have to carry the young ones you are always bending over to pick stuff up ,change them or,fix their cloths.Unless you were a coat year round you are going to print,I also have a smart carry which is terrible for drawing quickly but is very comfortable to hide at kid parties when you just dont want to deal with any chance of being spotted. Appendix carry rocks! It's a bit uncomfortable with FS pistols, but for my J frame it is teh win! |
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I switched to a Raven ACR (Appendix Carry) and it works great never have to worry about printing,lets face it if when you have to carry the young ones you are always bending over to pick stuff up ,change them or,fix their cloths.Unless you were a coat year round you are going to print,I also have a smart carry which is terrible for drawing quickly but is very comfortable to hide at kid parties when you just dont want to deal with any chance of being spotted. Appendix carry rocks! It's a bit uncomfortable with FS pistols, but for my J frame it is teh win! With my glock19 i had to get used to it,to find the right spot (11:00-Im a lefty) and with tuckable hooks the end of the belt covers one clip and I clip my cell phone over the other one. |
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back packs, brief cases, kids, umbrellas, pimp cane, diaper bag, coffie, tool box, jacket, sandwitches, iPod, and your tickle me elmo need to be carried weak side. strong side is for your weapon. i have three kids under three years of age. nothing is in my gun hand.
if you do need to get that lead spitter out, it would be better to already have you child on your weak side. so you can draw and move to cover. Edit- sp |
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Like everyone else on here has said, you need to carry your son on your weak side. I have three kids (6, 3, and 6 months) and have carried all of them weak side only. I can't imagine it's very comfortable for my kids to have to basically sit on my pistol even if I tried to carry them on my strong side. I don't even hold my wife's hand on my strong side. My right arm is for writing, driving nails, punching morons, jerking off, and pulling triggers.
Train yourself to carry everything on your weak side. Carrying a gun is a lifestyle choice, and sometimes you need to alter habits or situations in order to carry a gun so that, if necessary, it can be used effectively. My wife and my older son know that if I go for my gun and leave their side then it's time to find some cover and do as they're told. It's not paranoia, it's preparation - the same way that my family knows how to exit the house in case of a fire, or how to perform basic first-aid. |
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Like everyone else on here has said, you need to carry your son on your weak side. I have three kids (6, 3, and 6 months) and have carried all of them weak side only. I can't imagine it's very comfortable for my kids to have to basically sit on my pistol even if I tried to carry them on my strong side. I don't even hold my wife's hand on my strong side. My right arm is for writing, driving nails, punching morons, jerking off, and pulling triggers. Train yourself to carry everything on your weak side. Carrying a gun is a lifestyle choice, and sometimes you need to alter habits or situations in order to carry a gun so that, if necessary, it can be used effectively. My wife and my older son know that if I go for my gun and leave their side then it's time to find some cover and do as they're told. It's not paranoia, it's preparation - the same way that my family knows how to exit the house in case of a fire, or how to perform basic first-aid. Sig line...Thanks. |
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Like everyone else on here has said, you need to carry your son on your weak side. I have three kids (6, 3, and 6 months) and have carried all of them weak side only. I can't imagine it's very comfortable for my kids to have to basically sit on my pistol even if I tried to carry them on my strong side. I don't even hold my wife's hand on my strong side. My right arm is for writing, driving nails, punching morons, jerking off, and pulling triggers. Train yourself to carry everything on your weak side. Carrying a gun is a lifestyle choice, and sometimes you need to alter habits or situations in order to carry a gun so that, if necessary, it can be used effectively. My wife and my older son know that if I go for my gun and leave their side then it's time to find some cover and do as they're told. It's not paranoia, it's preparation - the same way that my family knows how to exit the house in case of a fire, or how to perform basic first-aid. this needs to be repeated for all thoes that did not read it the first two times on this page. nicely said rizzo1318. |
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This might not be what you're looking for, but it worked well for me....
I had the same issue with wanting to carry my son on my strong side, but there was no way to carry him and use a traditional holster. Also, carring kids around WILL pull your shirt up, and twist it around, and eventually expose your side, no matter how careful you are... I wound up buying a j-frame (kids are the BEST excuse to buy anything*), and carrying in my strong side front pocket. It kept the gun out of the way when holding my son, but still allowed access. It wasn't the perfect gun for me, or my first choice for a carry gun, but looking back it was the right way to go. When my son was big enough that I wasn't carrying him so often, I switched back to my regular choices and routines. * Pitch it to your wife like this, "Honey, I'm kind of afraid of holding our son now... I'm worried about him touching the gun when we're out, and he's way too young to be anywhere near it. I won't take him out without carrying, because I have to keep him safe..." Act like you're thinking about it for a while, then eventually bring up the new gun... worked for me! 
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| Good idea, BombTec - there are a number of good pocket guns out there. A j-frame airweight, Ruger LCP/LCR, Kahr PM9, etc. The downside is that even if you now have access to your firearm, you still have to deal with trying to draw and fire with your strong hand while somehow maintaining control of your kid. Here's what I always recommend to anyone looking for solutions to carry problems: get set up with your rig, then put yourself in the questioned situation, whether it's holding your kid, working with a tool belt, or blading Wal-Mart employees at a 45. Now with an EMPTY handgun, practice drawing and firing on targets from various positions and at various angles. Can you do it? If you can, then you're GTG. If not, then alter your rig until you can quickly get on target everytime. Remember that a deadly force encounter may not just involve you getting your gun out in a hurry and putting rounds in the target, but may also involve getting your family or friends out of harm's way. |
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I trained myself to always put my kids on my weak side. Anything I need to carry goes in a backpack.
My kids are older now and to this day if either of them run up to my strong side they immediately recognize it and move to my weak side. I don't even have to say anything. It is a habit for them and they don't feel right being on my strong side. Even if I tried to keep them there they would want to move over. It an awesome feeling knowing we are all in sync. |
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Not to mention it will absorb incoming rounds better.
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carry your kid weak side its easier to draw that way if you have to. vs switching sides and then drawing. This. Or get one of those tactical baby chest rigs that allows you to carry him hands free. |
watch out, some lefty's going to hear you carrying while holding your kid and sick the ACLU on you 
I found it to be quite hard carrying an auto loader with out notice while wrangling up a 3 year old. I was always adjusting & checking my shirt, plus all the other BS I get stuck carrying with him(more cars than a race track in my pockets) When ever I cary wih my son I switch rigs, go for the M&P 640 in a RKBA pocket holster & 2 Bianchi speed strips; slim, light & powerfull enough to knock a would be attacker off... and I've always got a G19 in the truck. |
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How about conceling the fact you carry form your kids? My son is 5 and very observant. I have to be on my toes to make sure he does not know. Im all for teaching him when ehs the right age but he does not need to know I carry right now.
Any other dads face this issue when say dropping your kids off to school? |
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How about conceling the fact you carry form your kids? My son is 5 and very observant. I have to be on my toes to make sure he does not know. Im all for teaching him when ehs the right age but he does not need to know I carry right now. Any other dads face this issue when say dropping your kids off to school? nope, my kids know. I don't make a big deal about it, and neither do they. My 5 year old asked why I carry a gun and if I was a police man. I told her no, I am your daddy and its my job to protect her, her sister and mommy. She said like the police. I say yep. That was it, they don't think anything of it. 3 year old could care less. It is normal to them, like mommy carrying a purse. It is just something daddy has. Every once in a while one of them will bump it or say something in public but I just shush them and remind them we don't talk about it, it is rare though. |
| how bout this. when walking with the family from say the car to a restaurant, mall, store ect. and not holding a child's hand. where do you walk? If the wife is with us I let her hold both kids hands and walk in front of me so I can see them and what is around us and not be distracted by the kids. any thoughts on "tactical family placement" while out? I really pay attention in parking lots. I want to be able to scan around us. typing this makes me feel/seem paranoid but it is what I do. |
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how bout this. when walking with the family from say the car to a restaurant, mall, store ect. and not holding a child's hand. where do you walk? If the wife is with us I let her hold both kids hands and walk in front of me so I can see them and what is around us and not be distracted by the kids. any thoughts on "tactical family placement" while out? I really pay attention in parking lots. I want to be able to scan around us. typing this makes me feel/seem paranoid but it is what I do. I'm a lefty so I put my son on my right side & my wife on his left, in the event of an emergency she knows to grab him & go for cover or samwhich him between us from behind if there is no cover. My main reason for this position was to protect my son from a stampeeding crowd & to keep us all from being seperated during a major event. |