- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- twins today articles
- twins today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Twin Sharing
Making the Most of Your Space
By Jenn Director Knudsen
Jackie G.* of Framingham, Mass., wanted to have a second child. Imagine her surprise when she learned she was pregnant with twins! Then, imagine her anxiety over where these two new babies – on top of her 3 1/2-year-old son – would go in her modest, three-bedroom house.
Jackie planned ahead for the creative use of her home's space and for what extra items the growing family would need – and those it wouldn't – to accommodate her identical twins, whose gender she didn't know ahead of time.
Jackie did all the right things, according to Christine K. Walker of Winnetka, Ill., author of The Smart Mom's Guide to Staying at Home: 65 Simple Ways to Thrive, Not Deprive, on One Income (Trafford Publishing, 2004). "Hearing news of twins usually comes as a surprise," says Walker. "Take time to let it sink in and evaluate carefully your game plan. The first impulse might be to run out right away and buy two of everything – don't do it."
"Rather than getting, say, two Exersaucers, get one saucer and another activity set," Walker says. "So often parents of twins try to make everything the same for both babies at all times. That simply can't happen."
If you believe you must have duplicates of some items, borrow as much as you can. And don't overlook the second-hand market; shop resale and consignment shops, rummage and yard sales, Walker advises. "The resale market is the moms-of-twins' best friend," she says.
"We are trying to borrow a lot of things, which we didn't do at all last time [when our eldest was born]," Jackie says. "We actually didn't have a bouncy seat for our son and have borrowed two since they are a great place to put a baby. We borrowed a second infant carrier car seat and will need to get another, convertible one."
Certain items are key to have in duplicate, says veteran twins mom Janice D.* of Portland, Ore. "We did not need crib tents, wipe warmers, separate diaper bags or special 'twins' stuff," says Janice, mother of 4-1/2-year-old fraternal twin girls and a 7-year-old son. "I did have two Boppy feeding pillows so that someone else could feed and prop a baby to help me."
This at-home mom also found it invaluable to have two portable play yards. "We wanted the girls to nap and sleep in them so that they could be moved around the house on the first floor, rather than carrying them up to their rooms every time they napped," says Janice.
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
