?'s for moms of twins or two children close in age

[jennifer_r]

In about a month, I will have TWO babies to take care of - a newborn and a 14 month old. How do you carry both babies at the same time?!? DD #1 is not walking and even if she is by then, she wouldn't be the best walker, plus who knows if she'll listen to me - like, "Come on Addie, let's go to the bedroom" - she's a baby so she'll do her own thing most of the time. I think I've got it covered outside the house - double stroller or a shopping cart/single stroller with a pouch for the newborn. It's inside the house or other people's houses that I don't know how to transport the two around. Or is it a matter of careful planning - putting the older daughter in a babysafe place, then rushing to get the newborn and bring her there as well or vice versa?

BTW, she crawls great and goes up stairs very well but not down. Lately, I've been using her skills so I don't have to carry her as much but ofcourse she will often want to go to a "different location" than what I had in mind.

I feel almost stupid asking this because I think there's something really obvious that I am missing. People have been dealing w/this forever, so why can't I figure it out?

Thanks for all your input.

Jennifer

Mom to:
Christopher 12/29/89
Adelaide 8/23/04
And another DD arriving end of October!

[Marisa6826]

Cradle the newborn on one side, and hold the other on your hip. If you can't get the older one on your hip, then you just swoop down and pick her up with your arm wrapped around under her arms (she's facing you, and you have your arm going across her back, so one of her shoulders is up over yours). From there, you can usually then get her up onto your hip. I usually am able to kind of lean over to the side so that I can lift Sophie high enough to get her on my hip. Now that she's 30lbs, this happens a LOT less often. ;)

You will also find yourself putting the baby down more often. Make sure you have a good place both upstairs and down that you feel comfortable leaving the baby. We have a swing and highchair downstairs, although now Mia can sit on the floor. Upstairs, I would put her on my bed or in the crib.

-m

[sbjf]

I find it easier to secure my little one first. So, if we're home or at someone else's home and we're getting ready to go leave/go out, I put Max in his infant car seat, strap him in and turn on this little Tiny Love mobile I have attached to the handle thingy over his head. It plays "How Much is that Doggy in the Window", he loves it. So, then he's happy and safe and then I can corral John. I put on John's shoes if necessary, then I scoop him up on my hip and carry the infant carrier in the other hand. Sometimes I leave Max in the house and bring John out to the car, strap him in and then go get Max, other times I just carry both of them.

When I have to go put Max down for a nap upstairs sometimes I have to leave John alone downstairs. He doesn't always like this. I turn on the tv and give him a little snack to pick on while I'm up there (something easy to eat, not too messy, not too chokable if you kwim) and his straw cup and this makes him a little happier.

Like Marisa said, the key is having safe spots for each of them on each floor. Upstairs I have a pnp, bouncy seat, the cribs w/mobiles and FP Aquarium and a cradle. Downstairs I have the exersaucer, swing, Gyminin activity mat, infant car seat, FP booster seat, and when he was newborn I still had the 2nd pnp up downstairs, too.

John doesn't usually have to be contained since the house is pretty baby proofed, but I make sure that Max is safe from him, if you kwim. John is 16 months now, Max is 5 months, and recently I've been able to leave them alone together for a few minutes safely. John is now very gentle with Max for the most part.

Going up and down the stairs: In the beginning I would do one child at a time, then John learned how to go up and down (with me spotting him), so now I carry Max while spotting John as he goes up or down on his own (backwards going down). Sometimes, if I'm in a hurry, I pick up Max first and then sort of scoop up John in the other arm and lug them up or down together.

You will love how toned your arms will get very soon! :-)

Believe me, it's not too bad at all...I'm actually considering a third! Shhhh!!!

[barbarhow]

Mine are a little further apart than yours will be but similar ideas. I do what Marisa describes. I have gotten pretty good at carrying both of them at times. There are instances when even a 2 year old won't walk.
I keep an extra infant car seat upstairs to pop Anna in while I am doing things with Jack-when she was tiny she would sit in her car seat while I bathed Jack or got him ready for bed. Just a nice secure place to have her and still be able to keep her close by.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
and Anna 5/12/05, my little Yankee fan!

[ColorBlue]

We have twins so I have a lot of experience with this. If I'm going from room to room now I carry one and the other will generally follow me crawling. If not I do carry both of them although not for very long distances. The key is to have what I call staging areas, places where you can secure one child while dealing with the other child, these need to be conveniently placed throughout your home so that you don't have far to travel to get to one. For example our backdoor is in in our kitchen so one goes into the high chair while I'm transporting the other out the door. (BTW, a high chair that you can take the tray off with one hand is ABSOLUTELY essential! My highchairs could even hold a newborn b/c it leans back.) Pack and plays are good for this. If you are going downstairs or upstairs or whatever leave first in the PNP and take the second up, then back down to get the first. In the early stages we had bouncies everywhere! We had at least four bouncy chairs and three swings!

Hope that helps.
Tracy

Grace...my big almost four year old girl.
Ellie and Maddie...my little eleven month old girls.

[jasabo]

I go through lots of Motrin ;)

My boys are 28 months and I STILL have to carry them both at the same time. If one's up, the other wants up. I've actually had to carry them both at the same time AND push the stroller too...SO not fun....and looks pretty ridiculous too, I'm sure.

You'll perfect a technique and will be a pro very quickly. You may have to leave Addie at the top of the stairs while you bring the baby down, etc., but don't get stressed if she cries b/c you're not able to juggle them both. Better to have a crying child for a few minutes then to drop one when you're trying to carry them both (which, I'm embarressed to say, I've done before :( ).

Lisa - mom to 2 yr old twin boys

[bluestar2]

Ditto what Marisa described. Outside, the double stroller has been a lifesaver but in the house I have a safe place upstairs and downstairs for a twin if I want to make two trips though most of the time I'm lazy and will carry both by having one on my hip then bending down (at the knees) and scooping the other up onto my other hip. This works pretty well and you'll get the technique mastered in short order. Now that they are a bit older and can help pull up it is a bit easier but they are also 28 pounds each!

[SewSarahSew]

Mine our 19.5 months apart, but my sister and I were 14 months. My mom still jokes that she thinks twins would have been easier! I think not, but anyway...

You'll find yourself using your pouch a lot more! I used a New Native with Daniel quite a bit when he was a baby, but it was indispensable for Amelia. Daniel turned 2 yrs old the summer after Amelia was born, so we spent a lot of time outside, doing what Daniel wanted to do, with Amelia in the pouch. It was just so darn convenient. She was happy and could just fall asleep for her nap whenever she was ready and I didn't have to interupt Daniel, dragging him in the house kicking and screaming.

If you are at all nervous about carrying both of them at once, use your pouch or sling for the newborn. Just leave it on, even if baby's not in it, and then you're ready.

And like the other posters said, have plenty of staging areas or safe places to put the new baby down. We had a pack and play in our living room, a bouncy seet in the basement family room, an extra car seat in the laundry room to be used just as a chair, her crib upstairs, reclining highchair in the dining room...