Wow Friend Found Out She Is Having Twins, Her First One Is Still a Baby......

My neighbor had twins first and then another when they were 16 months old. I'm not sure what is easier. She said she tried to get them to be as self-sufficient as possible. Tried potty training early, and relied on a lot of friends/family to help. This would be my challenge. I am overprotective and like to do it all on my own....but she will need help. Try to get the older one into a routine. Maybe part-time day care? Hire a nanny to come in and help....congrats!!

yep. She'll need to make sure the older child is settled in a structured routine before the twins show up.... and the twins could be early, so start planning now..
Daycare for my oldest was how I pulled it off. He went to a home daycare... and instantly started talking and being social. He was pretty good with the babies..... and too young to have the concept of jealousy.

I also kept a spiral notebook for each baby. at first, I had three, but when my oldest turned 2yrs old, he had enough words and a regular routine, so I didn't need to look back on his daily naps and food,etc. ... and writing down his milestones anymore....
Keeping the log-book is a huge help to track wet/soiled diapers, and figure out what their patterns of eating and sleeping...It is a huge help to keep it all straight. ... and if you have help, or share some responsibilities, everyone needs to document things in the book.
Trust me, she won't keep it all straight..... and I used to forget who ate what, or who pooped when. who got their vitamins....
Although they call 'em twins, each was very different, so if they were both crying (often), the solution for one may not work for the other.
A nice friend like you to volunteer a few hours of help each week is a big deal....If even just bringing over a pizza for dinner. It is even a great help to just hold a baby on your lap... they are happy and mom has one less baby crying for attention!
The good news is that after all that craziness, it can only get better... and it does.

This happened to my cousin, and her husband was away on business for two weeks out of every month! They were living away from all family and close friends, and she basically got really active in a church, and they helped her out with grocery delivery and watching one or two kids if one or two had to go to the doctor, etc. She's a religious person, so she wasn't just using the church, but she realized she had to find some help and friends fast when she got pregnant quickly with number 2 and it turned out to be twins. It was really hard though -I wish your friend luck!

I am the mother of twins but they were my first and I get asked alot how hard it was....I always say each stage had its difficult stages and then there were things that came easier too. I had no children when the twins arrived so I didn't know any better-lol! I have talked to other mom's that had singleton births before the twins and they said that it wasn't that hard because having one already they knew what to expect and were already "experienced" or "seasoned" enough to survive. The biggest thing she is going to need some help. She can involve her daughter as well to help her out-it is a shock and I don't care how much "preparing" you do mentally, physically, whatever it is NEVER enough but she will survive....my great great grandmother had 11 kids all together and she had three sets of twins herself and from what I know she survived just fine. She is set for an adventure of her life but I absolutely LOVE my twins and can't imagine my life any other way. Besides I got through the teribble 2,3, and 4's all at the same time! ;())

My friend got pregnant with twins right after delivery her 5th child! Yep.. that makes a total of 7 children for her. Her daughter was 9 months (almost 10 months) old when the twins came. She went into labor early or else she could have almost made the 11 month mark, but she didnt. The boys were in NICU for a while too so that was hard. They are just getting ready to celebrate their 1st birthday and wow was it a year. All I can suggest is be a good friend to her and have a shoulder ready for her to cry on when she needs it. My friend was really stressed this last year and with all those babies I don't blame her. I just always made sure to answer my phone when she called so that she knew she had someone to talk to. Plus, you learn to manage and create what is best for your family.

Congrats to your friend!

I had two kids and thought they were a handful when I remarried and we ended up with his kids.....I had two 14 mos. olds and two 5 year olds from two families.........it was a night mare for a while, but you do adjust.....and she will too......having some help for a bit would be great for her and like Mommy X 3 said, being a friend and letting her scream, cry, or vent is the best!

She'll get a routine eventually, but good friends are the best......and as far as making it, well, you just do.......and then you look back and say........."How did I do that?"............take care...