Nappy bags, clothes bags, lunch bags, drinking bottles...

[ButterpieBride]

OK, so it looks like I'm going to have both my girls in nursery at the same time (older DD is in for more time, but the baby is in for some time)

The nursery wants a full change of clothes for each child, including sunhat/wellies/hat and scarf etc depending on season, we have to supply nappies, wipes and nappy bags (both girls still in nappies), we also have to supply lunch for both and a drinking bottle for DD1, as well as the obvious bottles of breastmilk for the baby. Oh and slippers and crocs for DD1 (crocs are for if she tries knickers as they are wipe clean)

So, how do I do this without carrying a huge pile of luggage around? The girls are in separate rooms and the lunch boxes are kept in separate fridges. DD1 likes having a backpack, but the one she has (came free with cbeebies magazine) isn't big enough.

DD1 was in a nursery as a baby and they had everything there- we just had to tell them what brand formula she had and they sorted out the rest. So this is all new to us. We were going to HE so I haven't even been looking for these things!

Also, how do you go about putting the children's names on things?

DD2 has teh cbeebies bag, it's so cute, but completely impractical!
[http://www.easy2name.com/product.htm?product=starter-pack labels]] I have a starter pack on order from these guys in both dd's names, I have order it for 'dd1 initial+dd2 initial surname' if that makes sense.
DD1 has a mini wheely bag, like a trolley bag, that is quite big, and she can pull ithersel, whereas a rucksack would be no good to her!

Get sunhat/wellies/scarf/raincoat cheap from primark or similar and leave them at the nrusery!

Probably not as bad as it sounds!!

Keep the changes of clothes at nursery on their pegs (remember to check them every so often that they still fit). If disposable nappies, nursery will probably keep them in their changing room - so you only bring them in every so often.

Hats/scarves/wellies etc will come in on the children if the weather is appropriate. Or buy cheap ones and keep them there if easier.

That just leaves you with lunchboxes and bottles - put drink bottles in lunch boxes and that sounds more manageable.

Hmm, I suppose I have to mark the babies bottles and so on- as it is breastmilk I don't suppose they just give it to any baby!

Do you think I would be ok to just get labels saying our surname? Or would that cause the nursery problems do you think? I'm just thinking that we will use, say, a piece of tupperware for both kids and for DP to take his lunch into work, so having one child's name won't work very well. Plus we hand clothes down. They have returned the stuff she took in on her trial days with her first name written on in marker (just old takeaway containers) so I presume they need some way of keeping track. The packed lunches are allowed to be things that need a small amount of preparation (eg they suggested sending leftovers in tupperware to be reheated or a tin of beans and some bread) so I suppose they don't stay in the lunchbox.

I don't want to seem daft- I've already bombarded them with questions and done the classic mistake of assuring them that my children are very different to all other children and need extra care and attention. All the time when I was telling them how shy and clingy DD2 is she was giggling and reaching out at the nursery teacher as well so they probably think I'm a complete helicopter...

Don't worry you won't seem daft!

Just surname will be fine - unless there are three other families with your surname there (something else to ask).

With clothes, you either have to accept the risk that they'll go walkabouts if unnamed - actually, they'll do that even if marked, but less often - or get your nametapes and sewing kit now. With two children, you might want to think about getting them saying NAME1 SURNAME NAME2 rathern than having to keep track of two lots.

I've sneakily got myself more days of hanging around the nursery (I'm self employed at home, and have "allowed" myself leave for this very important task) by doing DD1s trial days first (with DD2 on my knee) THEN starting DD2s trial days. I'm hoping that by the time it comes to actually leaving them both there I will be able to just give them a peck on the cheek and breeze out to a high powered business meeting, to get my nails done or maybe even to actually wash the rusk out of my coat. As opposed to standing, weeping, outside the nursery window and rushing in to sweep my little darlings away as soon as another child so much as looks at them funny.

I had to actually persuade DD1 to leave today, and wait for her to say goodbye to each little friend (along with kisses for extra special friends) before we could go, so I think she is happy. DD2 smiled, dribbled and threw up milk, so I THINK that is approval...

Oh that all sounds familiar. When i went to look round the nursery i was talking to manager and the girls were playing with the staff and a batch of fresh playdough.
They both started crying when we had to leave i had to carry dd2 out kicking and screaming.
surname should be ok but i would add an initial just to make it easier, onimolap's suggestion is a good one.