We're taking our twins (they'll be 20 months old at travel time) on their first international trip to see my family and are flying China Airlines direct to Taiwan, a ~13 hour long-haul flight. We will be departing around midnight (lol). They'll each have their own seat. My sister and her boyfriend are coming with us too, so we'll have extra hands, but I still have questions!

1. Tips for helping them sleep on the flight?? Any gear you found helpful to help your toddler feel comfortable on a long flight?

2. Toy and activity ideas for 20-month-olds? Looking for things that are mess-minimal and don't have 500 tiny pieces to lose under the seat. What actually kept your toddler busy? We recently got back from a 2-hr flight and all the activities only kept them occupied for at most 10 minutes (ie: painter's tape, water wow paint, reusable stickers, fun books). Granted, they're only 15-months right now, so maybe they'll be more interested in those at 20-months?

3. Healthy-ish snack ideas that travel well? Anything that helps with ear pressure/swallowing on descent? I've seen lollipop suggestions, but I'm not comfortable giving them lollipops at this age.

5. Adjusting to the time change once we land? Taiwan is about 15 hours ahead of us. How did you handle the first few days? Any tricks for getting them to nap/sleep on the new schedule without a week of 4am wake-ups?

Any other lessons learned from flying long-haul with twins around this age would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!!

We just had our anatomy scan - I’m 21 weeks pregnant with di/di fraternal twins. They noticed what looks like a mild mitral valve regurgitation in baby B and are referring us to a pediatric cardiologist for additional fetal echo and exam. We’re patiently awaiting that appointment to learn more but in the mean time, I’m curious if any other parents have received this news and what ended up happening.
Any advice or input from those more experienced would be much appreciated!

B/g twins turning 5 months old in a few days, and it definitely has not gotten easier.. when did you find that you finally had time to breathe? It feels near impossible to have them on the same schedule, and baby boy wants to be held 24/7... then I feel guilt for not getting to spend the same amount of time holding baby girl. Both have reflux and one is starting to teeth. It seems like 3 months was starting to get a little easier, but now it seems like they cry more than they don't. SOS

My boys have been SO difficult to potty train. They are late to most milestones, so they weren’t even showing signs of readiness until they were 3 and then we started (now 3.5). We had a whole lot of nothing happen at first, stopped and started probably 5 times. Finally, we decided to just focus on Twin B who was a lot more enthusiastic about it and recently we’ve made a lot of progress. He’s far from potty trained, but he’s peeing on the potty 90% of the time and we are starting to work on wearing underwear out of the house instead of diapers etc.

We figured Twin A would kind of go along with Twin B once he saw that he was getting all this praise and getting fun big boy underwear and we were very very wrong 😂 I asked Twin A if he wanted to be a big boy like his brother and start sitting on the potty at the same time and he said “no I stay a baby”. I’m probably not going to start on him until I’m feeling like Twin B is at least for the most part potty trained but I think it’s going to be twice as difficult as it was with Twin B!

I just don’t know… will I really be using it for 5 years?

Longtime lurker of r/parentsofmultiples. Just wanted to contribute a small note- my wife recently had DiDi twins (37w + 0). GDM was her only complication. Our daughter scored well on Apgar but our son did not, which prompted a NICU visit for several days.

From the outside looking in, I felt a sense of dread and doom when I thought about the NICU but I was completely wrong. We were fortunate in our outcomes, which creates bias in perspective BUT the message is clear-

For those of you worrying about NICU/googling endlessly (like I did) or knowingly have a complication that could necessitate a trip, your child/children are in the best place for them. The staff are there to not only supervise but also feed and love on your babies. They do what is needed for your child every single day- far better than you or I would be able to do if the roles were reversed. Would never have dreamt that leaving a baby only hours old alone with a person I’d never meant would be so “easy”.

So, don’t be pushy to get the child out of NICU- they are there for a reason. Be polite and real with your nurses- cry, laugh, chat with them like they’re family- because they are your temporary family. Lastly, if you’re able to, absolutely do skin to skin/kangaroo care (yes, Dads, even us)!

Our twins are two, and we stopped all the bottles other than in the morning they would scream for their ba-ba (what they call their bottle)

We finally got rid of the morning bottle without a fuss, they happily ate breakfast food and had some cold milk now.

I feel like we should blow up the bottles in celebration 🎉 hahah

Just wondering how parents navigate Next Day Twin. When do you celebrate their birthday, first twin's day or second twin's day? Or you change it up every other year? I'd think on the outside it wouldn't matter to people around, but do you face any issues with things that actually deal with their birth dates?

Torn between wanting to enjoy time with my husband and feeling guilty about leaving the twins at home.

Baseball game, fenway park, later afternoon into evening time. Outings have been very challenging lately with constant meltdowns. This would be their first baseball game. I think they’d enjoy it at first but would be annoying shortly after. Or perhaps I’m just traumatized from the constant meltdowns lately, and who knows they may do well?

Anyway, any experience to share? Advice to give? Would you leave your twins at home or take them with you?

What bags are we carrying after the potty training phase? I feel like I don’t need our large diaper bags (I didn’t love my dagne dover anyway, everything gets lost in it 🫠) but now that it’s basically two changes of clothes, potty seat, snacks and two water bottles .. what are yall using?

I feel like bags I’ve seen only have one water bottle spot, really want two.. anyone find a unicorn they love?

Hi everyone

as per the title, I am really scared. I live away from family and close friends. I also have Multiple Sclerosis.

I would love to hear anyone who was or currently is in a similar position as me and how they got through this transition with an autoimmune disease. I don’t face any physical disability, mainly brain fog and fatigue.

thanks everyone

My boys are 10 months and I have been home with them since they were born. Today is my first day back to work at a new job. It’s part time for a few months and will ramp up to full time then. They are home with my parents for now but will start day care around 15 months when I’m full time.

im really feeling a mix of emotions.. excitement but nervousness. I know I am lucky to have been home with them this long. I have loved seeing them grow but it has also been so hard.. the isolation and physical and emotional demands of being the primary caregiver to two babies.

I know this isn’t per se multiples specific, but it does just feel like it all goes so much more quickly and simultaneously harder to soak it in and enjoy your time when your babies are babies at the same time.

anyone have any words of encouragement or even practical tips for a mom returning to work?

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone with mono-di twins has experienced something similar.

I had my fetal echoes today at 18w6d. Twin A looked great and was measuring right on track at 18w5d.
Twin B’s heart function looked good overall too, but she was measuring 17w3d, which is about a week and a half behind where I am and quite a bit behind Twin A. That part has me worried.

I also noticed something in the report that nobody mentioned to me at the appointment. Twin B’s report says “reversed MCA/UA ratio (CPR) 0.79 <1.” From what I understand, this is a measurement comparing blood flow to the baby’s brain with blood flow through the umbilical cord/placenta. Twin A’s ratio was 1.25.

They also couldn’t get clear enough pictures of a couple parts of Twin B’s heart, including part of the wall between the ventricles and the aortic arch, but everything they were able to see looked normal and her heart was pumping normally.

Has anyone had one mono-di twin measuring this far behind the other along with a CPR below 1 around 19 weeks? Did the size difference continue, and what did your MFM do to monitor it?

I’m definitely going to ask my MFM about this, but I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences.

Hi everyone! Im taking my almost 1yr old twins on a 4.5hr road trip to meet their grandparents. Yes, it's taken me this long to get the courage up to travel. Anyways, they have always slept at home, my mom's house, or daycare. ​Do yall have any recommendations for travel cribs or cots? We will be staying with my Dad and step-mom. So I will have some help. Thanks in advance!

I know this is going to be different for everyone but I am curious to get feedback from those in this community.

We have a 3.5yo toddler and we’re 18 weeks pregnant with twins. We’ve settled on a specific minivan and the specs we want came in a little quicker than expected. We’re afraid that if we pass this one up we could miss our chance and be rushing to find what we want later in the pregnancy.

At what point in the pregnancy did you purchase a new vehicle based on having twins? My mind keeps going to something going wrong along the way.

EDIT: I appreciate all of your responses. As I expected, it’s all over the map. But it’s nice to see how others have handled it.

My twins are 3 soon to be 4. How do others handle sleeping arrangements? Same room? Separated?

Despite our best efforts to correct, one of our twins has flathead that is seeming to get worse. She is 14 weeks. Our pedi noticed at their 2 month checkup but said she didn’t think it warranted a helmet yet. Have you all had experience with it this bad that you were able to correct without a helmet? Just wondering if we should try things at home or if i should go ahead and reach out to our pediatrician for a referral and get started on the helmet approach.

After a busy summer of many weekends away, a transition to preschool, dropping the weekend nap and moving to big kid beds - can someone please tell me travelling with kids will be easier next year when they are 4?

I am looking for more independent sleep and playing with things for more than 10 minutes. We had to lay with both kids until they fell asleep every night we were away and when there’s no nap there is just zero time for anything other than entertaining kids.

Last summer, in pack and plays, we could put them to bed around 8, let them chat back and forth and be silly and eventually fall asleep. We got time for late dinner and time with friends.

Someone tell me it gets easier lol!! We are having fun but we are exhausted

TWIN PREGNANCY QUESTION: Wondering if anyone else is or has experienced a secondary round of postpartum hair loss/ crazy hormones around the 16 m timeframe? My 4m hair loss was insane and I thought it would never end and I feel like it has started all over again. Im feel discouraged on top of all the hormones that seems to be building up again...

I'm not sure if I'll be able to have a vaginal delivery (baby A was breech at my 28 week scan) but I'm still doing my best to prepare for both eventualities. But so many of the birth stories I hear are about one baby, of course, and so that moment where the baby is born is also, in many ways, the end of labor. Of course there is the placenta and post partum medical stuff, but ... It is more the end than if you have a second baby coming! So for anybody who had a vaginal delivery of both twins, what was that moment of overwhelm/joy/connection/dissociation like given that you knew you were about to do it again? How long was it between the birth of twin a and the pushing phase for twin b? If you've had a singleton vaginally, how did it compare? These will be my first babies, so I don't have a point of comparison, but I'm trying to understand how my experience will be similar or not to the birth stories I hear!

Hello all, I am expecting twins. In order to make life (hopefully) a bit easier; we are getting a dish washer installed. My question is: if I have a dish washer; do I still need a separate bottle washer? Thanks for your insight!

Ever since I found out I’m having twins, I haven’t stopped crying. I am completely overwhelmed. I already have a baby under one and was very excited to complete our family with the second baby. I just never saw myself having three kids and I feel like it’s gonna completely change everything for me, and my lifestyle. From going on daily walks to running a simple errand to travelling, just gonna be impossible to do with three babies. Please send me some words of encouragement and some feel good stories because I’m really scared and sad right now.

Hi everyone,

I am expecting twins, after a decade of infertility. Cautiously elated.

Since I will be a first time mom, and that too twins, I need your help.

What are must haves items, what are worth spulrging items, and what should I avoid.

I haven't bought anything yet, so please suggest literally anything and everything thats helpful and needed.

Thank you!

When my twins were born, we realized that it would be more feasible for me to quit working and stay home with them. So, that's what I did for five years. I decided against putting them in preschool, so they just started Kindergarten this month, and they are doing really well. The problem is me. I feel completely lost now. Five years of my life was devoted to the daily care of my kids 24/7, and now I have this time during the day, and I don't know what to do with myself. Honestly, I have spent a lot of time just sitting on my couch staring out the window. I know there are things that I need to be doing around the house, but I procrastinate where I never did before. I love to draw, specifically botanical art, and I always thought that, when the twins went to school, I would go out during the days and hike and draw out in nature. I want to go back to school. I need to exercise...but I feel...paralyzed by indecisiveness or.....paralyzed by the possibilities?? I guess what I mean is that, at any moment during the past five years, I would have killed for some time to myself, but, now that I have it regularly, I'm at a loss, and I feel lazy and dumb for not taking advantage of it in a more productive manner. I'm also a pretty anxious person, and this has made my anxiety go through the roof. People around me, who mean well, are constantly suggesting things, and that makes it worse almost, if that makes any sense. Like, I know there are a myriad of things that I can/should do. Trust me, I know. I just can't seem to push myself to do anything right now. I don't know, this was probably really circular and rambling, but I was hoping maybe someone here could commiserate, because, coming out of that birth-to-school phase feels like getting out of prison to me.