It is a very great honor to be the Sandaq (the one who holds the baby in his lap) during a Milah. There is an opinion which is brought down by the Rama in his gloss on the Shulhan 'Arukh that once someone has been a Sandaq he should not be a Sandaq again for a subsequent brother. The reason for this is that the Sandaq is compared to one who offered the Qetoreth (incense) in the Temple. For this reason his Miswah is considered more important than even that of the Mohel.
Offering incense was said to make the Kohanim (priests) rich. Therefore, a Kohen would not offer Qetoreth more than once. This would give more Kohanim the opportunity to become wealthy. Since the Sandaq is compared to one who offered the Qetoreth, the Rama rules in accordance with the opinion that does not permit being a Sandaq for multiple siblings. This is common practice in the Ashkenazi world, although not all Ashkenazi Posqim (including the Gaon of Vilna and the Noda' Biyhuda) are in full agreement with it.
The situation for Sephardim is often very different. There was a custom in Salonika that a person could not be a Sandaq more than once within one year, but after that it was permitted. However, it is well known that most Sephardim are not concerned about this and one person can be the Sandaq for multiple children, even in the same family even in the same year. The prevalent custom of Babylonian Jews (from Baghdad) was that the paternal grandfather of the boy was the the Sandaq on all occasions.
(See Sh. 'A. Yoreh De'ah 265:11. Biur HaGra, Yoreh De'ah 265:46. Nodah Biyhudah 1, Yoreh De'ah:86. Meqor Hayyim 5, 248, Oth 17)
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sandak sandek for more than one brit bris milah, ketoret ketores k'tores, bet hamikdah, beth bais hamikdash incense, cohanim, cohen kohen, the gr"a, minhag bavel, minhagh babel
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