Help! Friend in Watford has twins arriving Monday desperate for help with 3 year old

[Bugzi]

Hi all,

I have a friend who has just moved to Watford and is due to be induced with her twins on Monday. She has a 3 year old and is desperately looking for a nursery that can take her or trying to find some help. Do any of you out there live in Watford and know some tricks of the trade on how to get a nursery place fast or if there is any help out there for new mums with twins on the way and a demanding todler!

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

She could get in touch with Homestart. They only come for 2-3 hours a week but any help is better than none.

Is there any childminders available? There are some that are available at short notice.

Is she on her own? If she is then I assume you just have to take them to hospital with you?
I had help from homestart with my 3.

Thanks for the replies. She has a DH who works full time. The actual birth is not a problem, it's looking after a demanding toddler with newborn twins. She's panicing about how to look after all 3 of them. She has spent today walking around Watford trying to find a nursery place for her DD. Because she's new in the area she just needs a bit of guidance and help as to what is available close by. Anybody live in Watford and have any advice?

I live in Harrow, just though I'd point out Harrow Twins Club, which i think is her nearest apart from St Albans (depends which side of Watford she's on!)

Here's our very basic website if she wants contact details:
www.harrowtwinsclub.co.uk/

Also, Gambado's www.gambado.com are doing a special TAMBA/Harrow Twins Club offer on Tues mornings so toddler could run riot whilst friend chats to other multiple Mummies!

Hope she has luck with childcare, in Harrow we have a list of registered childminders, so Waford probably have the same. They also have a list of nurseries/preschools, so at least she could phone instead of traipsing the streets!!

Her local surestart centre would be a good place for advice on this, better than trailing the streets!

Thanks Kathryn2804. I'll certainly pass that on. Sounds very civilised and organised - lucky mums who live in your area! Agree trailing the streets sounds a bit desperate but when you have your back up against the wall, you've got to do something about it. Will pass on all the good advice. Thanks again and any more would be greatly accepted!

Could her DH take some holiday? My twins are 12 days today, I have a 4 year old and a 3 year old and DH got 2 weeks paternity leave but has also taken a week of holiday. I think I could just about cope if he was going to work on monday but I'm glad he's not!

He's going to take our 4 year old to school before he starts work everyday and his dad is going to pick him up and drop him home everyday. I'm sure I'll be able to cope with my dd and the twins by the time he goes back. It might not be as hard as your friend thinks.

It's definitely not as hard as I was worried it would be. Is your friend going to breastfeed? If she is my top tip would be to try and get them to feed together - at least during the day, it saves so much time if you can feed them together also helps you to remember how much milk each one has had. I'm trying to feed mine every 3 to 4 hours in the day and although not a massive fan of routine living, I am trying to get them into a routine which allows me to care for DD too.

DT1 is sleeping 6 hours 12-6 at night (was 7lb 2oz at birth) and DT2 (was 5lb 7oz) stays on the 3 or 4 hourly feeding routine overnight so they feed separately at night also I am too sleepy to manage the wrangling involved in tandem feeding. If I feed them together at 7.30am, 10.30am, 1.30pm, 4.30pm, 7.30pm, 10.30pm and 11.30pm then DT1 goes to bed and sleeps till 6 and DT2 slept 5 hours last night but normally wakes at around 2am and 5am, then DH does breakfast for the older DCs and I can get DD's lunch in between the 10.30 and 1.30 feeds. I can feed the older DCs at 6pm and then DH can make dinner for us in the evening.

Rambling post but yeah, routine is helping me. Homestart is a good suggestion, they'll normally come and entertain the older one for a couple of hours a week but it might not be as difficult as your friend is worrying it will be.

Curiositykilledhaskittens, you are one BRAVE mother! Well done! Sounds hectic but you sound very calm about the whole situation. I have emailed your post and the others to her and once she is a member of Mumsnet herself, I've told her to contact you as you clearly know what you're doing!! Well done!

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice, knew I could count on Mumsnet!!!

I don't know about that bugzi, no room for panic when you've got four little ones! Lol. I was very afraid it would be awfully hard but it's turning out easier than expected. Be sure to send your friend over to the d'y ever thread when she's up to it. Tell her to post often and whenever she needs advice that way everyone'll get to know her quickly. They are all lovely ladies and very wise - marslady, kathryn2804 and hoochiemomma are the ones to ask for breastfeeding advice and shabs, frumpy grumpy, ruby are brilliant at cheering you up. There are even some mums of triplets on there. Lots of us have twins and other children and will be able to sympathise and offer advice.