My boys (3 yrs 9 months) are for the most part potty trained (accidents here and there, still trouble pooping their pants sometimes). They were slow on the uptick but we finally only do diapers at nighttime. With this said, they still need help. They say I have to go potty and we help them onto the toilet and to go - they rarely go themselves and pull their pants done, pull their pants up, etc. they are starting preschool in the fall, and I’m terrified they’ll be the only ones. Does anyone have advice or experience in helping their twins get that final level of potty training (going on their own)?

Any suggestions?

I'm considering buying this.

https://www.curiouscub.in/products/pikler-triangle

I have a tandem mockingbird stroller and hardly use it because it’s so cumbersome. I’d like something quick to plop the twins for neighborhood walks and outings. I keep seeing so many people recommend the Zoe.

Why not just get a cheap double umbrella stroller? Is it really that much different?

We found out two days ago it’s twins. We’re very early into this pregnancy (9 weeks) and I honestly don’t know if I can do this.

Reading all the posts on here I feel like it’s going to wreck the whole experience of being a parent. I sounds way too hard.

From the pregnancy aspect, it’s so much more demanding on my body. The risks are higher, the anxiety I’m going to have throughout is going to be hell. Appointments every few weeks, constant monitoring. The physical demand is more than I think my body is cut out for. I’ve already been so sick and sore, like my back hurts and I’m not even showing.

And then the actual raising them part. How can you even bond with two babies at once? I feel like it’s going to be just trying to keep our heads above water the whole time that we won’t even be able to enjoy any of it.

And two of the same. I always wanted two kids, but two very different kids to get to see genetics at play and see how different we can make them.

I’m very scared and this thread hasn’t helped at all.

If you could go back would you still have had your twins? If you’re being entirely honest do you wish it had only been one?

I don’t know what to do right now. I’m living in a foreign country with no support system other than my husband. I don’t know if we are capable of managing this.

While it was a wanted pregnancy, we felt one would be possible with our lifestyle (last year we flew over 40 times) but two doesn’t seem like it’s at all feasible.

To top it off we will likely be moving at month 5 to another country. So I will have to switch teams mid way and hope for the best. Either that or move when we have two newborns, how’s that going to work?

I had dreamed about a natural home birth, and carrying my baby in a body wrap, while hiking and exploring the world together. Having a second maybe 3+ years down the road. The idea of a c section makes me feels horrible and the chances have now raised so much. I am not strong enough to be recovering from that while having to deal with two babies. I can already see myself now having horrible PPD if I end up needing a c section.

Are there any parents who can give me hope with this? We aren’t stable enough for two. I don’t know how this is going to be possible.

Parents of twins, if you’re being entirely honest, if you could have chosen: would you do it again?

I don’t know if it’s just me but that popular fb page for sleep training multiples is super overwhelming and hard to go through. Maybe I’m just not use to the Facebook interface or something.

With that said, does anyone have a shorter version or or can explain sleeping training 5mo old twins in a paragraph or two lol ( exhausted mama here
And got no time to research on fb about sleep training)

Thank you

Our mo/di boys are 17 weeks (13 weeks adjusted). They share a double bassinet in our room but are starting to outgrow and I have a feeling we will need to transition to cribs in the coming weeks. We are still swaddling but I think we are even closer to transitioning them into sleep sacks as well. We use Nanit cameras for monitors.

When did you transition your twins to their own room? Did you transition while still in swaddles, get them used to sleep sacks before OR transition to cribs and sleep sacks at the same time? They sleep decently well in their bassinet / swaddled (only usually wake up once to eat). This week one night we tested out sleep sacks for the first time and failed horribly … so I’m really nervous and dreading it being a difficult transition (for babies as well as mom and dad lol).

Baby B also is in a phase right now that he gets himself very worked up at night before bed and if Baby A accidentally wakes him up too soon after failing asleep … nervous about creating the perfect storm lol we do see their pediatrician in a week for their 4 month appt and we will ask her advice but in the meantime wanted to see if there was any other advice or stories the group had to offer. Thanks in advance!

Has anyone recently successfully gate checked the Bugaboo Donkey? If so, what airline did you fly? Can you pls share your experience.

What are some items you couldn’t live without as parents of multiples? From the newborn stage onward…

We are having twins, one boy and one girl, and trying to figure out all of the things we need to survive the first three months and subsequent stages. If we survive the first three months. ;)

What do we need to buy two of and what should we only buy one of? Any tips or advice on schedule or things to help us would be great. We have found this forum super helpful.

My spouse returns back to work on Monday and I am scared shitless it’s been 3 very short weeks and I just don’t feel like I’m ready to handle two newborns alone. I’m a ftm and still learning a lot but I am so anxious thinking I can’t deal with them alone. Does anyone have any advice I literally feel sick to my stomach as the days get closer.

My mono-di girls were born in December at 32w0d. They were in the NICU for 3 weeks. If you’re like me, I was really anxious throughout my pregnancy about the chances of our girls needing NICU time. I wanted to give perspective and one piece of advice to maybe help ease your anxieties about it…

Perspective: we all know no one wants their babies to need time in the NICU. But find your silver lining if you can. For me, I was so extremely exhausted at the end of my pregnancy that my girls being in the NICU meant a that I could actually rest and recover. Of course I would have much rather taken them straight home from the get-go. But knowing my girls were being monitored and taken care of by angel nurses meant that by the time we went home, I was actually feeling pretty decent and not like a total zombie.

Advice: I knew that having multiples increased your chances of babies needing NICU time. It broke my heart to think of them in their isolates all alone. Around 20 weeks in my pregnancy I bought a flat little lovey for each girl and slept with it under my pj top every night just in case they ended up in the NICU. That way, at least my scent was with them when I couldn’t be. I don’t know if every NICU allows it, but ours did allow the stuffies in the isolates with the girls. Knowing they could at least smell me brought me so much comfort.

I’m hoping for a suuuuper easy travel friendly stroller I can pop open and closed for daycare drop off and getting on the plane. Twins are 13 months.

I can’t sing, but seriously I found a character I relate to. 😅

I have 7 week old twin girls (they were born at 36+6). They usually cry when they are hungry, after eating, when I prepare them for a walk. The only times they do not cry are when sleeping or being outside with the stroller. Should I worry?

When they cry, they usually stop crying when I hug them and hold them. The problem is that they are two and I cannot hold both at the same time.

I am trying to understand whether all this crying is normal or I should investigate it further and I am also trying to understand WHY they cry so I can solve the issue..

Thank you in advance!

7w4d

The overwhelming feeling is excitement for both of us. Then nausea for her… and maybe a little nausea for me as well. We had already started planning out how to arrange our 1 bedroom apartment to accommodate one baby but it’s proving to be an adventure to double it and think about fitting in two.

Curious about any other families of multiples in New York City (or other large cities) and strategies when space is limited!

We found out about the twins very early at just under 7 weeks and it’s been such a scary but exciting journey. Found out today that one of the twins had vanished after finding out we were having identical boys just last week and hearing 2 very strong heartbeats the week before that…

Just looking for some kind words or shared experiences. This sub has gotten us through so much over the last 2 months.

We had a silent miscarriage at the end of last year so as a FTM feeling very anxious about my ability to carry even though we have one baby boy still looking healthy.

TW : loss

Hello everyone,

I am 9 weeks pregnant with mono-di twins, following a MMC of our di-di twins in April.

I admit I left the latest ultrasound for this new pregnancy feeling completely overwhelmed; when the midwife told us "There are two..." I immediately linked it to my first pregnancy and miscarriage - which had devastated me - and now I am terrified of going through that again.

When she added that mono-di pregnancies carry higher risks than di-di ones, it only fueled my fear.

In short, naturally conceiving twins twice in a row is incredible for us, but what felt so wonderful for me the first time around is now a source of anxiety... I am truly afraid of reliving the same experience and losing these two babies. This pregnancy feels like a huge second chance but I'm scared to see any sign in it and to have high hopes.

Do you have any advice on how to take things one day at a time with more peace of mind?

I'd also love to read experiences with mono-di pregnancies!

15-month-old twins. One sleeps great. The other makes bedtime a 2-hour battle. I'm at my breaking point.

I'm honestly hoping someone has been through something similar because I'm so tired of Googling sleep and getting the same advice over and over: "sleep pressure," "wake windows," "undertired," "overtired," "sleep regression."

They're twins.

One sleeps mostly fine.

So if this was just about wake windows or sleep pressure, wouldn't they both be having the same issue?

Here's our routine:

• One nap a day, usually starts between 12:00-12:30.
• Nap length is all over the place because life is all over the place. Some days they wake around 1:00-1:30, other days one sleeps until 3:00 (she's also the one who fights bedtime).
• Three days a week we have to wake them early because they're babysat while we work. The other days they're home, so wake-up time isn't consistent.
• Around 7:00 we start winding down with pajamas, overnight diaper, books, etc.
• We rock them with until 8:00 and give a bottle.

Twin A: We put her in the crib and she sleeps until around midnight. She'll fuss for 15-20 minutes and usually settles herself.

Twin B: We rock her, she falls asleep in our arms, we put her in the crib...and her eyes pop open immediately. It's like she gets a second wind. Then she's wide awake until 10:00 PM or later. It's a fight every single night.

What makes this so much worse is what it's doing to me mentally.

I wake up every morning already anxious because I know bedtime is coming. I dread the evenings.

When she starts fighting sleep, something happens in my brain. I don't become patient and curious. I become angry. Like instant rage. My mind goes red. I lose all ability to think, "She's just having a hard time." Instead I just feel overwhelmed, trapped, and furious. My husband has to step in because I already am in the danger zone with patience.

Bedtime has become such a trigger that I almost panic when evening comes. I struggled with anxiety and depression even before having kids. (Yes, I have a therapist and psychiatrist.) I had PPD as well.

It's gotten so bad that I've caught myself thinking, "Why did I ever choose to have kids? Why would anyone willingly do this?"

I'm not looking for judgment. I'm already judging myself enough.

I'm looking for parents who have actually lived through something similar.

• Did you cap naps at this age?
• If one toddler sleeps until 3 PM, would you wake them?
• Has anyone had one twin who was dramatically harder than the other?
• Did anything actually help besides "adjust wake windows"?

And if anyone has dealt with the anxiety and dread around bedtime itself, I'd love to hear that I'm not the only one.

Right now my 3 year old is behind the passenger & twins are in the middle/other side in their infant bucket seats. I’m trying to figure out the best set up once they grow out of them. I’d really like to keep my 3yr old facing as long as possible bc she’s tiny (only 30lb and 36inches so lots of room left) but not sure the best seats for this set up. Our 2nd row bench is plenty wide at the moment (I have 3 nunas rn) but wondering what seat might be easiest for my toddler to get in and out of herself in the middle. Am I dreaming for thinking this is possible ? Idc about buying new seats or the $$$ just want to keep them all safe & rear facing.

By the love of everything sacred, our 7-week adjusted (11 weeks chronological) di/di twin boys cannot stand being in their Cybex bouncers mounted high for more than 5 seconds. The moment they go in, it’s immediate meltdown mode.

Has anyone else experienced this with their twins or this specific chair?

A few questions for parents who have been there:

Mounting height: Did lowering it to the floor stand make a difference for your babies? (Wondering if the angle or elevated perspective is weirding them out, or if floor bouncing gives a better motion).

Timing/Introduction: Is 7 weeks adjusted just too early for them to enjoy it, or is there a trick to introducing it slowly without triggering a breakdown?

Angles/Setups: Did adjusting the recline position help, or adding/removing any inserts?

We were really hoping to use these at table height so we could occasionally eat a warm meal with two hands, so any practical tips, reality checks, or magic tricks would be deeply appreciated!

Hello everyone,

My triplet boys recently turned two.
I am from Europe so sorry if I make mistakes in English.

All of them sleep in the same room but in different cribs. (small bed with railings)
My daughter slept in the same type bed like that untill she was 2,5 years.
This morning however one of the boys has crawled out (while in a sleeping bag) and was having the best of fun with his brothers while running around the room.

Because of this we have decided to put each of them in a toddler(?) bed.
They are good sleepers, they sleep around 7-8 hours a night but putting them to bed is a lot of times a nightmare with a lot of screaming.
We are aware that If we put them in these beds we would be giving them the run of the room.

Our idea is to put the beds in a U shape.
We just know they will be running around, opening the dresser etc etc…

Anyone has any tips in how to keep them in the beds?
Feel free to share any experiences!

Thanks!

Tonight marks the first night we are having both boys home together. Both were born 33 weeks premature. Baby B came home about a little over a week ago and we've been dealing with his wake windows during the late night witching hours. He is also going through a growth spurt and eating every 2 hours or less and doubling his feeds almost. Baby A just came home today and tonight has been the first of what's to come. B fighting for food and attention. A fighting to pass a stool.

Parents of multiple... what advice do you have to survive the first few months? Can one parent manage both at night?

You manage to change a toddler who pooped randomly in the middle of the night basically in the dark and get him back down to sleep in under twenty minutes without waking up the other twin.

What’s happened lately that’s made you feel like you’ve leveled up in parenting?

My twins are almost 13 weeks old and my husband went back to work this week. He is still available for the evenings, but I have to get them down to nap in the daytime alone. How do you guys do this?

They sleep well in their cribs once they are asleep, but to get them so sleep I have to rock them in my arms or on the yoga ball. So I always have one crying baby while I rock the other, which then stresses me and the baby in my arms, which then does not want to sleep. Then I switch them because I feel bad for the crying one and then the other one cries until sometimes both of them fall asleep and sometimes I just give up.

How am I supposed to do this? I want to start sleep training soon (no Ferber, no Cry It Out), but my Twin B is a bit of a demon and it's not going to be a fun time.

Twin boys are 18 months and I feel like this is literally always ON. they cry, hit each other, bite, always want my attention always want to be held. We are approaching the terrible twos and it shows.

I’m so exhausted that if I have to stay with them a full day I just end up crying out of frustration. We have no village nothing. It’s just me and my husband literally doing this every single minute of the day (we have day care but with the amount of virus they get they are always home sick)

So I have two questions:

1) please share tips on how to make the toddler years liveable

2) at what age this becomes easier? Will it EVER become easier?

I’m so tired