Twin Mommas - Advice Please!!

I'm a lactation consultant, so if you decide to breastfeed and need some guidance contact me. I know a woman, Ingrid Prueher, who is a Baby Planner and it's her passion to help moms prepare and organize before and after the arrival of baby. Her business is Savvy Mom on Call, www.savvymomoncall.com or phone # ###-###-####, tell her that BJ gave you her info.

Hi J.,
I'm a mom of 20 month old twin girls. Congratulations, you have a lot to look forward to. We bought the Gracco snugride and a Graco double stroller (I think the duoglider). It's great to have carseats you can take in and out of the car because you're carrying two babies. We use our stroller a lot still, it goes up to 40lbs per child. My father also bought a jogging stroller on ebay, we used it when the girls were around 11 months, before that we only used the Gracco. We didn't have a lot of space in our house so we purchased one pack and play with a full bassinet for them to sleep in the first couple of months. We also got one swing and one papasan chair. Each daughter actually preffered one seat over the other. We didn't see the point in getting two of everything. We also got one exersaucer and one jumperoo for when they are older. As far as highchairs we just got the safety first ones that you strap to a regular chair. We had also purchased Baby Bjorns, but just recently purchased Ergo carriers which I like better. Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
M.

When my twins were infants, they had Graco carseat carriers that we put in a snap and go double stroller which was light a very easy to deal with. A friend with twins gave it to me and I am actually looking for someone to pass it on to, so email me if you are interested.

Later we got the Kolcraft Coutours Options Tandem Double Stroller. I like the fact it is not side by side and you can have the kids face forward, backwards and face eachother. A downside is that when its folded it is very heavy to lift up into the car trunk.

There are times you will find it is not convenient to take a double stroller certain places and I used to put one baby in a bjorn carrier and one in one of my older child's singer strollers.

I found having a swing and bouncy seat very important because you unfortunately often need to put one baby in a device so you are free to pick up the other baby.

Good luck to you! Enjoy your babies'. Mine will be two around the time yours are born - and yes you do live through all the hard early days and find the joy.

Congrats J.! I have twin girls that are about 15 months. I found the following things to be the most useful:

- 2 vibrating bouncy seats. As others have said, these are indispensable and you will use them often!
- Kiddopatomus swaddle blankets. It's too hard to swaddle with blankets and these are adjustable velcro and it is more difficult for them to bust out!
- Stroller: I didn't like the graco duoglider. I thought it was WAY too heavy. I would just get a double snap and go frame if you want to put the carseats in the stroller while they are little. I switched to the babyjogger city mini double around 3 months and am still using it (when my girls will tolerate being in a stroller!) I also have a couple of umbrella strollers for when we take them out separately or when I just want a light stroller.
- PLENTY of bottles! Even if you are breastfeeding - breastfeeding is hard with twins and you will probably want to pump and feed at some point so you can get sleep. Otherwise you will spend 18 hours a day with a baby at your breast!
- 2 diaper genies or whatever you plan on using: 1 for the nursery and 1 for wherever you will spend most of your day (like a family room).

My kids didn't love the swings. However we also got 1 activity saucer and 1 jumperoo which were life savers!

Hope that helps!

there are mothers with multiples groups which hold tag sales every year i would suggest you go to one of them to see what you need. I am a twin myself and a lot of things are shared when your twins like the pack and play two babies can go in that in my day it was the play pen. double strollers you can get used too they get worn out real fast so its not much of a difference. Good luck!
From H.

Hi J.
Congratulations
Twins are so much fun.
Yes, I could not have lived without a stroller. My twins were big so getting a sling was not helpful although people said I would use it a lot, I never did. By the time they could sit up I used an umbrella stroller because it was light and easy, my advice is to pay attention to those qualities if you are going to be putting the stroller in and out of the car/van.
"Twins" magazine was very helpful, even before mine were born.
Mothers of Multiples if there is a group close to you was well worth my time when they were small.
The advice of the firefighter who spoke at one of those meetings saved me a lot of concern and others too. He said that if you are in an emergency situation, put your babies into a blanket(wool if possible) and carry them like a sack of potatoes on your back, they might get bruises but you are out in a hurry. He suggested putting that blanket under the crib for easy access. He also reminded us never leave one baby in the stroller outside the vehicle: always put both/all babies in the vehicle and then climb in to buckle them in correctly.
Equipment does depend on the size of your house, how you use it, and the size of your babies.
Lots of other tips if you want to write, and talk about it.
Keep hydrated!!!!
Relax and enjoy each moment they will soon be grown.
God bless you and your wonderful family
K. === SAHM married 39 years --- adult children -- 38, coach; 33, lawyer married with son; & the twins are 19 in college after homeschooling. 6#8oz full term & 5#11oz preemie. 3 weeks early after 19 weeks of complete bed rest preterm labor at 18 weeks so spent a week in the hospital. They were Healthy, & strong. Worth every bit of rest, and eating right.

J.,

Congrats on the upcoming twins! =) As a twin mommy, you'll get the comment of, "it must be so hard having kids the same age". It's the only thing I know, so I think it's easier since I don't have to entertain an older kid. So, enjoy it. The other annoyingly dumb question is, "Are they twins?"

Anywho, in regards to your question about products, I think you're on the right track. Some items I found super helpful are bouncy seats, especially the ones that vibrate because it lulls them to sleep. Swings are a great thing, too. I got a Superyard or a Play Yard (I think that's what it's called). It's a white gated play area that you just open up for them to play in & not wander off once they get moving. Once they're older....crib tents!!! Those are a must have....they can be like $60 each, but look on raiglst for deals. One last thing that I found super helpful were Swaddles. Some people are great at swaddling with a blanket, but I could never master that. I purchased Swaddles, which are little coccoon things with velcro tags to keep them nice & snug. For the most part, I found that it kept them from rolling around. However, my son was a big roller. He sometimes preferred to keep his arms out of the Swaddle. You don't need burp cloths. What I did was get a 12 pack of cheap kitchen towels at Walmart. My kids are now 3years old & I still use the towels in the kitchen...you can't do that with a burp cloth. =) Oh, the last thing I can think of is crib wedges...they elevate the head of the mattress, which helps if your twinkies end up w/ reflux.

Look in your area for a Twins Club. I live in Rochester, NY, but I do know there are national chapters. We're having a sale this weekend where you can get clothes, toys, etc. It's a great network for women to get help during the tough times of parenting & just getting through life in general. Plus, Mamasource has been a great support network to me.

Word of advice, it is hard at first, as I would imagine it would be with just one child. Seek help from your parents, friends, etc. Maybe they could help make dinners, etc. It is tough in the beginning because babies are so needy. But, it does get easier as they get older. As I mentioned, mine are 3years old now. My son is an attention seeker (a wild child) & my daughter is chilled out. Patience is a good trait to work on because it is trying. You'll be super tired, but it gets better, especially with the help of some Pepsi Maxx (skip that if you'll be breast feeding). If you do breast feed, a pump would be a good idea! I did it for two weeks, but was too exausted...my daughter had to stay in hospital due to a staph infection she contracted during her stay in the NICU.

I wish you the best in the remainder of your pregnancy & all the fun afterwards. It can be "double trouble", but I like to say, "it's double love". =)

If you want any more advice, I would be glad to be part of your support system. I'm no expert, but it's good to speak with other twin moms, especially when all your friends don't have multiples.

Best wishes,
A. Ski

Hi! congrats! I have 9 week old twin boys. so far i've found that the bouncy seats are a must! we've found these are great because it gives you another option of a place to seat a baby, cause you aren't going to want to hold them all the time and they'll want to do something other then lay there after a while. we've also found the boppy pillow to be great for them as well. again, one of them can sit in it on the couch/floor while you are holding the other. another reason the bouncy chair and boppy are great is that you can us it to feed them (if bottle feeding) at the same time from a bottle. (ie - each in a bouncy seat with you sitting in between them.)
as for stroller we got a chicco brand stroller. so far so good. my boys were 6 weeks early so pretty small and i was afraid the stroller wouldn't work for them. but it has a full recline and 1 week after they were born we had them out in it. we had to pad it so they didn't flop all around but now they fit in it great and hopefully it will last through the next few years. it wasn't crazy expensive either which is a huge bonu, especially since we plan on using it for a while. we lived in brooklyn fo r the boys first 7 weeks of life and the stroller worked well on uneven sidealks but is by no means an all terrain. then moved to the burbs and i've taken in to the park, on the grass and it's worked =fine there too.
Another thing i would reccomend if you ar eplanning on bottle feeding at all (pumped milk or formula) is get more then a few bottles. currenlty we have 8 total and it work well but i wish we had one more set. because honestly you aren't going to have time or be in the mood to wash bottles every time they eat. and for night feedings especially you'll want to pre-make a bunch of bottles so in your zombie haze at 3am you can just open the frig and grab 2 bottles to heat up -- then again at 6a and then again at 9a. and again you aren't going to want to wash these bottles right after feeding. as a matter of fact you probably won't get to washing these bottles til noon! :)

i hope this has been somewhat helpful and i wish you the best of luck! sorry if a bit wordy and long. i keep readint hings on this site and never have any comments but this was the first time someone was asking about what i know!!
best
M.

In addition to a twin stroller you might want to pick up a couple of umbrella type strollers. Having twins in a twin stroller usually attracts quite a crowd of people who feel the need to ask far too many personal questions. I always loved throwing my twins into separate unbrella strollers when I had another adult around because I was able to do things like a normal person without the probing questions (Are they twins? Are they boys? Did you use fertility drugs? Do twins run in your family? Did you have a c section? How do you tell them apart?)

Congrats J.:

When our twins were infants, we had the graco infant carrier car seats and they snapped into the double Snap n' Go stroller made by SWAN. I loved this, as it is only a frame with wheels, so it was fairly light, although a double anything does take up trunk room. We got the Snap n' Go stroller on Craigs List for about 1/2 the normal retail.

Once they were old enough, with enough head control we used the Graco Duo Glider, a side by side stroller we got used from a friend of a friend. This was great for trips to the mall or on well paved roads- not great for the beach or rough terrain. Also no snack/bottle bar for babies or mommy which was annoying since they do not make to many add ons for dble strollers.

For the beach and the park or rough road travel we have a dble jogger which I still use today...not great when they are less than 6 months, as they are not very paddded and my twins were/are on the smaller side so they were abit slumpy. We got this from Craigs list for about $100.00 and it has been my best stroller ever.

I also had a dble umbrella stroller which was given to us by a friend (when you have twins you never say NO;)). Didn't love this as it was hard to maneuver and no storage basket.

As for must have items:
***pack n play w/ built in bassinet. My twins were small enough to share the bassinet part for the first few months, and it is so much easier on your back.
***2 bouncy seats, the vibrating kind
***2 BUMBO seats when they are about 5 months---not necessary but very convenient, also bought on Craigs list
***bottle sterilizer that fits more than 4 bottles. Forget the 4oz bottles and get 6oz or bigger.
***the fleece snuggle blankets for the infant carriers are great too
***2 fairly big diaper bags, one to leave in the car with extra diapers/wipes/clothes. One that can easily accomodate your things as well the twins bottles/pacis/diapers/etc
***a multiples support group, either in person (try www.nomotc.org for your local chapter) or online (there are a few but I LOVED www.twinsmagazine.com). Despite what everyone one may say, a twin pregnancy is so much different than having a singleton, and once they arrive it can be a circus...but all so much fun.

Best of luck to you for a happy and healthy pregnancy. Please contact me if you need to talk, it can all be so overwhelming.

M. K mom to 11 yo boy/ 6 yo girl/ and 3 yo b/g twins

I don't have twins, but my son couldn't live without his swing. He slept in the thing. And their big and expensive. Bouncy seats are great too, especially when they can't sit upright (not that expensive, comparatively). You may want to go walk around a baby's r us. You'd be surprised the stuff that you wouldn't even think of, twins or otherwise. Plus you can register for what you want and people can go there and pick up what you need.

Hi J.,

I had a very bad experience with the Peg Perego twin stroller. I bought it because it is the lightest double I found. I lasted just under 1 year. The girls nanny was never able to figure out how to fold it our open it herself. My mother and I, well educated, intelligent woman, struggled with it also. We live in the city, so most use was on city streets and sidewalks. It is not good for this! Maybe it is better for suburban moms, but I would never recommend it.

We loved our first stroller, the double, universal infant carseat carrier. It carries the infant carseats. It is not side by side, so it is a little long but narrow enough to get through doors. After the peg perego fell apart, we bought an inexpensive, twin Jeep for about $75 and have been very happy. I don't think this would work well for infants, but remember it for when they are a little older.

Alot of the stuff that baby stores are selling, you can live without. We do not have a lot of space, so tried to keep to the bare minimum. I could not have managed with out 2 boppies though. If you plan on breast feeding, check to see if your hospital rents pumps, as you will need a good one to manage two.

Good Luck!

L.

we initially had the duo glider, for about a year. my twins hated it. yes even at that age. the one who got to sit in the back couldn't see much and always cried. then we bought the side by side stroller (wish i could remember the name) but while it was not the easiest thing for me to deal with my kids loved it. also, we never used our bassinets but yes the cribs. first few months they slept in pack n play then we used the cribs. i also loved the swings. my kids loved them too. try to keep the things you buy to a minimum. there was so much stuff i bought that i never got to use. i know you're trying to prepare best you can, but once those babes come in trust me all planning goes out of the window :) they dictate what you will use. so allow people to give you gift cards to babies r us and target. that way you'll buy the things you need as the need arises. one more thing, if you plan on breastfeeding DO get a pump. that is my only regret. i bought a cheap one per family recommendation. wish i had gotten medela.
good luck and God bless you

Congrats! I have twin boys -23 months old. I couldn't have survived without the following: Papasan bouncey seat (although it didn't bounce) it was just a great place to have them lie in. They even slept in them once in a while. Their swings were a must (for me). We also used the boppy pillow to prop them up on when they were small. And me and my husband used the baby bjorn carriers all the time.

As far as strollers. I loved the snap and go. We went everywhere and it was so easy and the stroller is so easy to fold and light to put in and out of the car. When they got older I liked the Combi Twin Savvy. I tried several - jogging strollers, jeep, Maclaren. I found the Combi to be easy to use, light and most importantly it has a sanck tray for each child. When they get older they don't like the stroller as much and snacks help a lot!!

I hope this helps. Please stay hydrated. I went into Preterm Labor and hospitalized at 20 weeks due to lack of hydration and rest!!!

Best wishes

Congratulations J.! I wish you all the best with your pregnancy and delivery. As a mom to twin girls who are almost 8, I can suggest a few things about the stroller. I had the Maclaren twin stroller, which is side by side. While it was a nice stroller, and easy to clean, it was not very functional. The baskets were hard to get to underneath for storage, I couldn't use a cup holder, and I could not hang shopping bags easily when I went shopping. And, once the girls started growing, it was difficult to push them around.

I would recommend a stroller with strong wheels and good functionality - large baskets underneath for storage, front tray racks for the kids so they can put their cups and snacks, cup holder for you, etc... You have to decide if you prefer side by side or front/back. I liked the side by side for the kids, but it was difficult to get through in some stores. There are so many convertible strollers out there, since we had our twins, you have a lot more choices. If you can receive one new, as a gift, that would be great, because if you plan to be out and about with the little ones, the strollers do need to be sturdy.

Feel free to ask for advice any time. Take care of yourself, twin pregnancy is still high risk, so take it easy. Good luck.

J. B

Sorry I can't help, but CONGRATULATIONS!!

Congratulations on having twins. I have twin girls who are 3 1/2 and am actually expecting another set of twins in April. Yikes. It's exciting as well as a little scary. It's funny, the idea of having twins is not so scary to me. The idea of 4 children is what I find daunting.

I'm not sure where you live, but check out the Nassau County Mothers of Twins Club (ncmotc.org) I joined last summer and it has been great. You don't have to live in Nassau County to join. We have a lot of Suffolk members and a few from Queens. It was such a relief to find a bunch of moms who knew exactly what I was feeling. I wished I had joined when I was pregnant.

I have twin grandchildren who are 8 years old now and my daughter-in-law belongs to a group called "mothers of multiples" who I'm sure will be lots of help to you in the future regarding your questions and they also have picnics and events you can attend. The group has many chapters such as she's in NJ and that's seperate from the one in NY. I hope this will help you and congratulations on your expanding family.