We're having twins! (Couple of questions if I may?)

[NoMoreWineForMeThen]

Can't sleep as found out yesterday that child number 2 will in fact be 2 and 3!
We're delighted but as we have DD who will only be around 20 months when the babies come along, there's a lot to think about.
The Out n About Nipper 360 seems like its a popular option for twins but is there any sort of toddler attachment available?
Also, how useful are the toddler boards that attach to some pushchairs? Are they a viable option for a 20 month old?
Does anyone cope with a normal car for 3 young 'uns or have you all moved into people carrier mode?
Oh and how do you ever get out of the house? I remember it taking at least 1 1/2 to leave the house when DD was newborn. What on earth is it like with 3?
Thank you! :)

Anyone?

Congratulations! And good luck!.

No idea what an Out n About Nipper 360 is though, and don't have twins, so not much help

Congratulations!! It will be such an exciting time for you!

We have the bugaboo donkey - side by side prams, then changes to pushchairs, i find it great , although can be hard to get around some shops (DH thinks this is a good point, it stops me spending so much money!!) There is a toddler board to go with it, although we haven't got one (our DD1 was 23 mths when the twins arrived).

We did need to get a new car to get the three car seats in, but we had a landrover defender (much narrower than alot of standard cars, as designed to get through farm gates!), so we started with me in the back with DT's, and DD1 in the front -she loved that!! I think use the time now to try different car seats, and see what fits the best, and which configuration works. We have both baby seats next to each other - as I can remember reading on one post here, that way DD1 can only give her "special kind of love" to one baby at a time!

As for getting out of the house - it used to take me ages with DD1, but somehow with 3 it is quicker! I think you just have to be a bit more organised, so long as you've got a bag ready ith everything in then it's just about loading everyone up quickly. DD1 always tries to help - she loves having two real life dollies to play with!

Enjoy every minute of it! Best of luck xx

It is so very exciting. Now I've had time to get used to the idea, I think it's the best thing that could of happened to us.

I love the Bugaboo Donkey and was 100% decided on that when I thought we had just one new addition to the family. :) I particularly like the fact that the maxi-cosi car seats can clip I to the frame too. I'm just not sure whether DD will manage with the toddler board at 20 months (or younger if the babies make an early arrival).

Yes that's the key to everything I guess - being organised!

Many many congratulations! I'm almost 8 years in with DTs (or the Wee Weapons as I like to call them) and we haven't broken each other :D

Take each day as it comes. It will be tiring but it will be fun!

My son was 15 months old when my girls arrived, he wasn't walking though so I invested in an ABC everest from new Zealand to get about with. Was a fab investment as has the toddler seat and then got a buggy board for it. When my girls were 2.5 I had another set of twins so it got used again to take the boys in the buggy, one older twin in the toddler seat and the other older twin on the sit down buggy board.

You do get quicker getting out of the house. I had 5 kids in 4 years and 1 month and it's only the last set of twins that have been known to go out on the school run in sleepsuits lol

The ABC looks really great actually. Did you go for the static or reclining toddler seat? Seems that they no longer have a UK distributor so we'd have to import from NZ but still wouldn't be any more expensive than the Bugaboo Donkey I guess (although pretty expensive as pushchairs go). I've posted in pushchairs in case there is a UK supplier that I haven't found. I'll email te company direct too.

I've got another scan next week (NT) so I'll get to see the little wrigglers again. I'm delighted as I didn't take it all in last week as the shock of being told there were two in there overwhelmed me a little!

congrats - I have 12wo dtds and a 3yo dd. I love the nipper and dd1 sits on the footplate - she tends to walk but it's handy for when she's tired. I have also put one twin in a sling and dd1 in the nipper.

Hello and congratulations!

We have 20 months between DD1 and DTs (now approaching 8 months). We got the Mountain Buggy Duo after much research (donkey wasn't out then - but think it is slightly wider than the MB which JUST fits through our front door and down our hallway).

Initially, babies were in a twin sling and DD1 was in her Maclaren (to get to nursery etc). Or DD1 in the MB with one DT and the other DT in a single sling.. OR DTs in a sling and DD1 walking, having a massive tantrum (a given) then being thrown over my shoulder while howling all the way home. This would always coincide with everyone and their dog stopping to chat to me due to the twins in the double sling. By 22 months DD1 was proficient on the buggy board or would sit on the foot plate if tired. She now INSISTS on walking everywhere so it takes ages to get anywhere.

Car-wise we swapped our Audi A4 for a Volvo XC90. We couldn't get our 3 carseats across the back of the Audi (there is a company that makes bespoke carseats - google it - expensive though, but not as much as a new car) and needed more boot space for all the kit (MB huge). Oh and yes, DD1 only brandishes affection on one DT in the car (feet in their face is the current one) by sitting by the window.

Dd1 was 17 months when dts were born. We have the basic silver cross pop duo as it was one of the easiest to get a buggy board on as it doesn't have a continuous handle so there was head room for dd.

like others, dts in the pushchair and dd walking/standing or sitting on buggy board was the main way but also had a sling for whichever dt dd1 evicted from their seat so she could sit down and sleep.

Car is a citroen Xsara piccasso as it has good size boot, fits three car seats across the back but is not too big a car iyswim? Doesn't feel like I'm driving a bus like some of the people carriers we test drove!

Twins for us were 3&4 so we had to go people carrier. Out N About buggies are fab. We had a buggy board on a maclaren type aswell for our toddler. I had 4 under 5 and 3 trips a day there and back to nursery and school runs. I managed. You just do but I was scared how I wold cope. You will be fine :) Many congrats! PS I now have DC5!

Congratulations! Just a quick note about prams. I have an ABC as I have triplets and like it very much. For a large pram it is easy to manoeuvre and babies seem very comfortable in it. The downside is it is heavy to lift and still big when collapsed so you would need to check it will fit in your boot. I got mine second hand but it was in brilliant condition. Have you had a look at the TAMBA website? I think there is an ABC Everest on the for sale boards at the moment (think it is £450 with accessories).

You will get out the house, I promise. I have a three year old (he was two when the babies were born) and baby triplets and we do get out and about. I have used a little life back pack for my little boy a lot. He is quite sensible about walking next to the pram but I like the security of having him on the rein that is attached to the bag.

Good luck. You will be fine!

Hi there,
I had a very similar situation to you. DS1 was 19 months when my DT's arrived.
I went for the baby jogger city select and a buggy board (which we had to get a friend to bring over from the states, but I think the board is now available here). I've found it works really well, especially now the DT's are in the buggy bits rather than the bassinettes. This means that if DS is tired he can go in the buggy and I can carry one of the DT's in a sling. It took DS a couple of months to get the hand of the board, but he's now a dab hand at it. The advantage of the city select is that its a tandem so I can fit in through door ways and down narrow shopping aisles, and most importantly on the bus.

We have a Saab estate and the seats all fit.
We get out and about easily - in fact we have to go out!! I make sure I have a bag prepared all the time so we can out and about.

I'd go for a double and a sling for one of the babies if i were you, to begin with anyway

Hi,

I'm in a similar situation- I'm 20 weeks tomorrow with twins, and DD will be 18 months, hopefully nearly 19 months when the twins are born. I have just bought an ABC everest as recommended from on here, with the reclining seat for a tired DD just because the seller had in-laws near us and said they'd deliver (though not heard from him since we bought it ). I wanted a side by side double for my twins, so couldn't have a bike attachment or anything as it makes it as wide as a side-bu-side triple so not practical for manoevering, and to go in shops was told really 2 is the lower age limit for actually standing on a buggy board nicely... And I could see my DD at 18-19 months not using it well. If you have a tandem, you can use a bike attachmant, or maybe a buggy pod for your DD. I can't do fancy links, but here they are:

www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplay0_10751_-1_95826_10001

and

www.bambinogoodies.co.uk/bibi-buggy-bike/

I looked into it a lot, and thought about just using the sling, as I carried DD til she was 9 months, but carrying one and pushing two, and stopping in the rain to get the baby out of the sling to put a rain suit on and back in, etc etc convinced me to go for the Everest ABC as they re-sell really well on ebay from what I've seen (I watched a few to have an idea of outlay, before splashing out way too early becasue of said delivery option...)

We will move to a people carrier to fit the monster buggy in. I also have DD in an extended rear facing car seat, the BeSafe iZi Combi, aka the world's largest car seat so anything else not going to work for us!!!

I am so, so delighted to be having twins now, and terrified somethign will go wrong. Hence why I am still up on the internet, not in bed, as I have my 20 week scan tomorrow and I'm worried abou it! I feel very blessed though, and really, really looking forwrad to them arriving! Hard as it will be...

Where are you based? I'm North West

kathryn2804, I'm pretending I didn't see that!!! Having literally just bought the ABC... I think I will sling one or both to start with- I was thinking of the triple option for really grotty weather, and winter with older heavier babies and pushing 2 etc etc. Worst that happens is I re-sell the monster buggy and I'd go for the BabyJogger City Mini Double.

Really glad to find this thread... I'm 17w with twins, still slightly in denial about having kids at all as I had recurrent miscarriage and it's a bit disorientating to be "special" all over again, but this time because it's two!

I need to start thinking about buggies and stuff, and I wonder if we need to get a new car... we have a (big) 2 door Alfa at the moment, not the most practical, but if we can get car seats in there for the moment I'd prefer to persevere... similarly I guess the best buggy for us would be down the small end, although I'd like a side by side rather than a tandem. Anyone got the Maclaren twin techno? It's smallish isn't it? And stupid question, but you can use them from birth i.e. they're prams as well as pushchairs? I've seen them in mothercare but didn't want to ask the assistant as I'm not ready for the hard sell...

Hello buenosera! Congratulations on your twins!!!

If I was having twins and didn't have dd I'd go for the babyjogger city mini double. Light, manoeverable, fantastic individual sun hoods for if ones awake and ones asleep. I have the single and get much envy for the truly one hand fold etc . It is suitable from birth plus can buy carryforward for it to make it a proper pram first and they can sleep in it in day (so says a friend). If you feel like it, there's a twins club 2 thread in ante natal clubs, others expecting twins so lots of reassure, info, and others who've done their research!!!

I don't know about mcclaren twin techno...

Carry forward.... Carry cots. Auto correct got me...

Thanks dreamfeeder! Will take a look.