The girls' green school bus

We've gotten lots of hand me down toy vehicles... all of which are the worst emitters on the road: buses, dump trucks, tractors. I figure we're trying to raise the girls so they're aware of the environment. Besides, my husband works in energy policy. So I scavenged the internet and I finally found these toy sized biodiesel stickers - you have to scroll down to the second product and choose the right size (4 inches). Smallest I could find.

Twinsight #4: WHAT TO BUY NEW

I'm a big proponent of buying things used - good for $$ and for the earth. But these are the things we decided to get new, or else were given and really appreciated. So if people are asking what they can buy you, here are the new items that were really handy for us.

• Convertible carseats - Big ticket item and these will probably be used for long enough that getting these new is a fine idea. We chose the Britax Roundabouts because we have a sedan and couldn't fit two bigger seats in the rear facing position (something to think about when you're looking at those seats)
  
• Personalized towels - Initially I got towels in two different colors and just said I would remember who was which color. Yeah, right, not in those first sleep deprived weeks/months (though it may work for you if you're color coding other things in their lives). And then we got these personalized towels as a gift. No more mixing up the towels. I highly recommend it, plus these from Company Kids are adorable and soft. I can't believe I'm recommending monogrammed towels!
• Soothie pacifier – perfect for tiny faces, they don’t smush noses on preemies/small babies the way that standard pacifiers do - and there's always a good chance twins will be born little. Seems like online is the easiest place to find them.
  
• Crib sheets - We just got a three pack to start with and that has been all right so far.
  
• Crib mattress - We got a Colgate II mattress recommended by a baby shopping bargains book and we've been very happy with it!
• 2 baby calendars – Ours is this one (pictured right), but there are lots of options. It's easier to keep up than baby books, and with twins, time is everything.
  
• Ergo baby carrier - (unless you get lucky and find a good deal on one used. But I've found they tend to sell for almost as much as a new one). While I loved how the babies can face out in the Baby Bjorns, at around 6 months they just got TOO heavy. And these are good on your back as promised. They're great for travel, too. It's really key with twins to have one good carrier because there will be times you have to carry both and putting one in a carrier while holding the other is much more secure than doing both freestyle.
  

• Two other items to ask for from people who want to get you something: 1) a session with a baby/family photographer around 6 or 7 months when the babies start sitting up, but before they can crawl away. Great to look forward to because with twins there usually isn’t a parent free to take pictures; 2) gift cards to places with food To Go in your area

I'd love to hear other peoples' suggestions on this, too!

Twinsight #3: WHAT TO BUY USED

I'm a big proponent of getting infant items used. Now on top of the old fashioned resale shops and loaners from friends, craigslist, eBay and freecycle are great resources. It's good for your wallet and the environment. I KNOW I'm not the only twin parent who is a big fan of used stuff because more than 50% of the families I meet when buying and selling through craigslist have twins.

Also, multiple groups (like the San Francisco Parents of Multiples Club) and local parents groups (like the Berkeley Parents Network) are great places to find used stuff posted for free. Jump on that bandwagon!

Here is my list of great items to try to get used as you prepare for your twins' arrival:

• Infant carseats - I know the industry always says buy carseats new, but you use these for such a short period. I found a twins family I trusted who said theirs hadn't been in an accident and I was very happy to go with that.
• A double snap n go stroller - If you do a lot of walking on not great sidewalks or uphills, I highly recommend scavenging for a used Double Decker stroller (see pic). Otherwise a straight ahead double snap n go should be fine for the few months this item is useful.

• A single snap n go stroller - I loved putting one baby in a Bjorn and the other in a single snap n go for strolls around the neighborhood. Also, good way to go into places like cafes where there isn't much room.
• Nursing pillow - if you're planning to try tandem nursing. I tried two and the best one in the beginning was the EZ-2-Nurse-Twins. Definitely try to get this from the multiple club's loaner library or another mother.
  
• Futon and/or glider. I found it much easier to tandem nurse on a futon at first. For the first 7 months or so it was really helpful to have the room on either side of my nursing pillow to arrange the girls. Now that they're bigger I use a glider without a nursing pillow. And don't forget the nursing stool!! (and I don't mean the gliding ottoman which just doesn't do you much good with twins I think)
• Full-size Co-sleeper or bassinet
• Crib - perfect thing to find used. Just make sure the slats are the regulation distance apart, but otherwise it's a piece of solid furniture that should be able to go through lots of families.
  
• Long dresser that can double as a changing table if you throw a changing pad on it
• Changing pad
• Swing – love the Papasan swing by Fisher Price but anything that has both side to side and front to back action is good

• Two Slings and two Baby Bjorns - We used the slings for only a few weeks in the beginning. But they were very useful. Especially when the babes are small and vulnerable people won't go sticking their hands all over the kiddos if you take them out in slings. And as for Bjorns, I can't say enough good things about Bjorns. I was very sad when I had to switch to a backpack because the girls just got too heavy.
• Miracle blankets, size small, very helpful for all the swaddling you do in the beginning, good to find on eBay
• Halo sleep sacks, most useful sizes would be M and L, since you’ll likely be swaddling in the beginning, good to find on eBay
• Zutano booties, size 0-6 months - These are simply the best things ever if you have twins born in the fall or winter. You'll be worried about keeping their feet warm, but I'm SURE will not have time to keep running after socks that constantly fall off. These booties stay on and are nice and fleecy. And since babies aren't walking yet, these are the perfect thing to find used.
  
• Hanna Andersson moccasins, size 6-12 months - I know Robeez are really cute and hip, but don't underestimate the work that putting on socks and then another layer of shoes takes. Especially with two wriggling, giggling beings. These moccasins are perfect for when babies need a non-slip tread but you don't want to deal with separate socks. Again that sounds like no big deal, but simplify!
  

And for later on (months 6-12) here are a few useful things to keep an eye out for:

• Exersaucer and jumperoo - anything that will help contain one while you attend to the other is key
• Double stroller - we chose an older Maclaren Twin Traveller. You can often find used MacLarens in great condition from people with two different aged kids whose toddler outgrew the stroller quickly. So far the Maclaren has been perfect for hopping in and out of the car and for airplanes. On travel it's been great for having them sleep, eat and, of course, stroll in.
• Foam puzzle mat - so they can fall all that they need to as they learn to sit up, stand up, crawl and walk and you get a little more peace of mind.

Tomorrow... some items to buy new.

Boggle for the baby-locked

Tandem breastfeeding means you can't move around too easily. Frequently I find myself baby-locked, making mental lists but otherwise at odds for something to do as they chug their meals. But then along came this colorful foam mat...


We put it down to absorb the babies' falls. But it doubles as a glorified Boggle mat while I'm nursing the chicas. And it's addictive. So far the longest word I found in the mat was "Intruding" (yes I allow myself to reuse letters). The mat configuration above hasn't been the most fruitful for word hunting, but it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. My fave word I found in the pic above is "queued."

If you have a foam mat and the same nursing dilemma I described, give it a try!

Speaking of "baby footprints"...

On the subject of "baby footprints" (below), this is a new game to evaluate the consequences of your consumer habits. Full disclosure: it was created by my frequent employer. It takes about 10 minutes. It's fun and interesting, though not specifically related to twins. The only tangential connection I can come up with is that a parent of infant twins probably shouldn't be spending his/her time in the world of e-games and avatars!

http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/

I learned that the areas I really need to concentrate on are improving my transportation use and food consumption. You can also compare your habits to others in various categories. Another twin tangent... you can compare yourself to others instead of trying to avoid making comparisons between your kids.

Sew sew

I've started doing a little sewing for the girls and a friend passed on these pics of easy kid sewing which I really liked...


















Also, she gave me a heads up on these two websites which have fabulous vintage-style fabrics. Very hip, and happily not the bright, mod, hit-you-over-the-head prints that are really popular these days. It's the traditionalist in me speaking, but those clothes just don't seem baby friendly to me. I'm all for color and patterns, I just like my a little more toned down and, apparently (gasp!) cutesy. The e-stores are Reprodepot and Purl Soho.

Reducing my "baby footprint"

"The Expedition"






VERSUS

"the Escort"

So there's a lot of talk about reducing our carbon footprint, but I spend even more time these days focused on my baby footprint.

I live in an urban baby haven and so there's lots of stroller action on the street. At a certain point the sidewalks get pretty filled up. Unfortunately our apartment is on a hill with crappy sidewalks, so it's pretty tempting to take the double jog stroller out for hitting the grocery store and cafe just to make getting home easier (getting home is the uphill slog). But ease of pushing is outweighed these days by wanting to streamline.

I don't think I'm the only one in this mindset. I have one friend who just traded her Mountain Buggy for a Cosco umbrella stroller (which she calls her ford escort). In a way it makes sense. Mirrors the cultural shift of the cool cars from SUVs to the Honda Fit.

With twins it just means carrying one in a pack and putting the other in a single umbrella stroller.

I actually don't think that the outsized baby footprint has a ton to do with good old fashioned American materialism... or even keeping up with the Joneses. My guess it's more people who get baby-geared up while the kiddo(s) are still cooking. We're part of a society that thankfully gives you a bit of control over most aspects of your life. When pregnant - especially with the first - you really have very little control over what's to come and what to expect, so researching equipment to buy becomes a substitute.