Tandem Bottle Feeding Twins - Any Top Tips and Pointers Please?

[Egg]

Ok so DTs are now 8 weeks old and can sit upright enough in their bouncy chairs to allow me to feed them both together.

Have done three feeds today and has been ok but...

When one stops feeding and other is still going, do you whip bottle out of both mouths and pick up one who has stopped in effort to wind, whilst letting other one get peed off at milk being taken away? And then run risk of them not taking bottle again thus not getting a full feed?

Or do you leave one who has stopped feeding and hope they don't puke before you get the chance to burp them, and carry on feeding other one til they are ready to burp too

Or do you try to pick up baby who has stopped feeding with one hand and burp them whilst other carries on feeding oblivious.

Have managed the latter twice today when DD finished first as she is smaller and easier to scoop up with one hand, cannot do that with fat DS2. Also can only pick up DD with right hand, left hand is seemingly useless at this task .

It is great, as it has saved me valuable minutes today, but also worry that the rare time they did have with me, ie close contact and cuddles while feeding, will be reduced further, even if I cuddle them a bit afterwards, as I have SO MUCH ELSE TO DO LIKE CHAT ON MN .

So, what did you do? Those who tandem bf might also be able to offer advice I think.

[MarsLady]

If they are sat upright(ish) they should be fine to wait on winding it think. If you are able to scoop (and I know what you mean about being able to scoop the little one) then try to scoop and hold upright against you.

Tandem feeding is a BIG help with DTs.

I don't honestly think that there is any right or wrong way.

[hattyyellow]

I think it depends on how windy they are, I think often mums get told to wind babies more than they need.

I'd leave the one that had finished feeding until the other one had finished too and then wind them one at a time - but so often nothing came up and they were fine.

I used to get them more vertical though by using their moses baskets propped up on the bed rail.

Swaddle cloths round them both, stick them in the baskets and stick bottles in, I could never get them upright enough with bouncy chairs.

My girls always seemed to get hungry and start crying for milk at around the same time - so it was actually less stressful for us all when I fed them together whether breast or bottle feeding - rather than leaving one crying baby whilst I cuddled the other.

[Egg]

Thanks girls, god it's been great when I have gone from two babies screaming their heads off to complete silence except for blissful sucking in 5 seconds flat!

DS2 is a puker, I am v nervous of leaving him. If he stops halfway through it is because he needs to burp. He likes to projectile once in a while too.

Both are sleeping "like babies" since last feed, and now I have to get them up to go and collect DS1 from nursery. Ah well, they sleep too much in the day anyway, the little blighters.

[miniandme]

Egg wow well done to you for tandem feeding the twins,theres just no way i can do have to make one wait or get dp to feed the other.Abby is tongue tied so splills loads of her milk down herself so we need to have her positioned well to try to minimise the loss,and Jack is like jacob,a puker,so we need to haev regular winding so no tandem feeding for us but i take my hat off to you being able to do it girl !!!

[Egg]

Hello mini . I have missed you... have been asking and asking where you are on the feb thread.

How is it all going with you, apart from tongue tie and puke?

[oooggs]

hi egg

I fed sat in middle of sofa with a dt head on each thigh, their legs out towards sofa arms (if that makes any sense ) and have fed like that from birth and still do now if they wake together in the night - not often as Erin sleeps 12 hours most nights.

I found bouncy chairs to hard on my back and I couldn't get comfy, also when they were little I could carry on feeding one whilst I hoisted the other up onto my shoulder one handed. Couldn't do that now - they weigh a ton!

DS1 could also hold a bottle in a babies mouth if I needed him to. At 8 wks if Erin had the bottle removed from mouth she wasn't too keen on it going back in so tried not to let that happen

Wow 8 weeks already - you are doing great

[iamdingdong]

I used to rock one in her bouncy chair with my foot - the slower feeder - whilst feeding the quick feeder then swapping. Whenever I tried both in bouncy chairs together the quick feeder would go too fast and bring it all up again!

[Egg]

oooggs DS1 tries to hold the bottles but he is crap! He really wants to. He has only just turned 2 tho so a bit wobbly! Maybe if I have twins again next year he will be better .

Thanks for advice, it is not going too badly, except just now both were a bit windy and we had to keep stopping. DD only took 60ml, am hoping she will still take more but she has passed out asleep. She normally manages about 100ml (DS2 averages 150ml...).

[oooggs]

yes your ds1 is still a baby himself - bless him

it is all trial and error and just when you have got something sussed their routine/needs change and you have to start all over again.

They also change at different rates and now dd wants two naps during the day whereas ds2 would rather just have one long one - not really practical as messes up mealtimes and ds1 then never gets any time

[modsaluk]

~Oh i am so glad i have seen this thread i was really worrying what i was going to do when both DT needed feeding i also have a DS who is two and a half so not quite able to help feed them. I was wondering about feeding in their bouncers but again my DS is a dribbler and makes a right mess and my DD is sick after most feeds so needs burping regulartly.

I have tried to leave one to cry until the other is finished but it is too distressing so i have given in and shouted my DH to feed.

My eldest DS has been quite naughty this week answering back not doing as told etc etc not sure how i will cope when he goes back to work. Any advice is welcome.

[Leoloopydoo]

mods - Not really advice , but I sympathise, my ds1 was not quite 2 when the dts were born, I think its tough to start with for the older child. You may be surprised how much he wants to help though, try to get him involved, my ds1 (now 3) is now really helpful with moving dts out of dangerous situations and has also tried helping (spoon)feed them, change nappies, get them dressed..... He also has 2 dolls which he did quite often play with (and he is a very boyish boy), otherwise find as many people to help you as possible so you have both time with him and someone to entertain him. I remember absolutely dreading being left on my own with all 3 and feeling extremely proud when I got through a day (or bedtime) on my own with them. ... I never left ds1 to cry at all, but I did get a little more hardened to letting the dts cry if I had my hands full , they don't seem to love me any less , and somehow its true - they learn to wait (although ds1 still hasn't )!

[sazzlesb]

I also used the bouncy chairs a lot for tandem feeding (good for the triceps isnt it?!) I finished feeding them both before winding them (though always had muslin on hand to wipe up the sick of the one who had finshed just in case!

[ashten]

I would reccommend 'Podee' bottles. Can buy off net (ebay etc) Is like a bottle with a straw attached to a dummy. Means you can feed handsfree. I used it with my twins from 5 weeks old on. It was a godsend. Was the single best piece of twin equipment i found. Even my friend with single babies want the bottles to use them. Am bit evangelical about them.....but if you want more details would be glad to help.