6everetts's Profile

I travelled alone for the first time when I was 8, and it was wonderful. I was a very quiet, mature kid, and the first several trips were just short 2 hour trips to see my grandparents. I think it depends on the comfort and maturity of the kids. And of course we must teach our kids how to handle a variety of situations, including recognizing questionable activities AND the fact that not all adults are predators ans most of them can be trusted to help if it is needed. The world today is no more dangerous than it was then and we are doing our kids a disservice when we treat them as though they are incapable of life without our constant intervention.

This kitchen is refreshingly real. And the use of a baby toy ring to hold silpat liner? BRILLIANT!!

I have three little ones and have used a variety of different methods. We used the Arm's Reach classic co-sleeper with all three and liked it very much. When they outgrow the bassinet part you can just let them sleep in the playpen arrangement. It works great. If you have room, though, you might consider getting and setting up a crib in the baby's room for naps. I did this with my first and the transition to her own room/crib for night sleep, around 6 months, was seamless. My second and third (twins) spent less time sleeping in their cribs early on and it took longer for them to get comfortable with it. I have friends who did not start using a crib early and had a very difficult time with the transition - many of whom are still trying to get their 4, 5, and 6 year olds out of their room at night.

You are smart to think about this now. I breastfed a single baby for 16 months and then twins for 12 months - it isn't fun most of the time (for me anyway), but it is doable and really worth it. So here is my advice for twins. First, the EZ2Nurse pillow is a necessity. Don't try to do it without one. You definitely don't need a large rocker or recliner. Frankly, arms of any sort just get in the way. In the beginning, you want a place that is 1) in the same room as their primary sleeping area, 2) wide enough for you to set babies safely beside you as you "adjust" the first baby, 3) high enough off the ground for you to get in and out easily, 4) accessible to another person so they can hand you babies and take them from you, and 5) with a table or basket nearby so you have water, ointment, diapers and wipes, and reading material (get a kindle!). I think a loveseat or daybed is the best idea if you have room in the nursery. Later on, as the babies start to wiggle and roll, you might find that only the floor or a big bed works. For me, it was our kind-sized bed - it was the only place I felt safe and comfortable and able to did it on my own. You might also start feeding them at different times, in which case you'll have more flexibility (but WAY less time).

For reading, I think you'll find that you become very adept at balancing both of them on your lap as they get bigger. We snuggle and read before bed either on big sisters' twin bed or on the floor with pillows to support my back. I bend my knees and one twin straddles each knee, leaning back against my shoulders. Arms come around the outside to hold the books.

Good luck!!

CDs with your little one's favorite music that won't also drive their parents crazy (think Dan Zanes, Justin Roberts, They Might Be Giants, Elizabeth Mitchell, Peter Himmelman, etc) make great favors. Print a cute label that works with your party theme.

I have a couple of metoo chairs (three kids under three) but rarely use them, primarily because you have to have a certain type of table and they are difficult to clean. The Fisher Price Healthy Care booster is pretty unattractive, but great for small spaces and for ease of cleaning - it just straps to your dining room chair(s), has a tray for the months before the little one(s) can sit at the table, and it goes into the dishwasher for cleaning (I do this weekly and just wipe it down in-between). And, you can just push the chair into the table when it's not in use so the plastic-ness of it is not on full display. It is hands-down the best solution I've found for our small space.

We are in the "minimal" baby proofing camp. We have a mischievous three-year old and our 1 year-old twins have been walking for several months - needless to say, we don't have the time or energy or eyes to watch them at all times. Still, the extent of our baby-proofing is 1) outlet covers, 2) locking cabinets with chemicals and/or stuff that we don't want to constantly clean up (boxes of breakfast cereal and desk drawers with pens, not pots and pans), 3) gates at the top and bottom of the stairs (more for corralling than safety - we also teach them to climb up and down stairs as soon as they start crawling), and 4) a couple of our bookcases secured to the wall. We don't leave them alone in the bathtub and don't let them play in the street without strict supervision. We teach our kids the word "no" very early and despite every one of them being "spirited," to put it mildly, they learn what that word means and respect it most of the time when it's said firmly, consistently, and reasonably seldom. More important, we feel that as long as it's not life-threatening, getting into a few scrapes is part of growing up!

We have a 100 lb lab and three very young girls. Not only do they know how to defend themselves when 100lbs of fur comes running at them, and how to "shake it off" after they get knocked to the ground, but they are healthier for sharing all that dirt and germs!

Clean up the yard every morning, evening, immediately after the dog when you're around to see it, and every time before you let the kids out, and as long as there aren't piles in the yard (and really, why would you let there be piles regardless of kids?), stop worrying about it!

I can't seem to keep drawers organized, so I hang pretty much everything. That way, I can see it all and not deal with folding those teeny tiny tee shirts. For me, it is so much faster and easier to pop things on hangers than to fold and try to fit in a drawer (chest or hanging drawer). The only things that go in the chest of drawers are pjs (which I don't bother folding), underpants, and pants, and then we have bins for socks, hats, etc. We have multiple levels of hanging bars so my older girl can reach her everyday stuff. When my twins get older so that all three girls are dressing themselves, I'll put big sisters everyday clothes on one low bar, little sisters' everyday clothes on the other low bar (the closet has two walls for bars), and dresses/coats/etc on the upper bars.

The big Bjorn is the most comfortable one we have found, and it's so easy to clean (just dump and rinse well each time, and then disinfect once daily). No bags, etc. And it has the perfect amount/shape of back support. We use this one from One Step Ahead in the car - we use biodegradable bags (or used plastic shopping bags in a pinch) http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=361755. Can't recommend the bag model highly enough for travel.