Twin preemies -- Need some help!

[BeachGal]

My niece recently had her twin boys about 5 weeks early. 💙💙 She was airlifted to the hospital! Both boys had a little trouble with oxygen and one of them had pneumothorax which is now okay. Everyone is finally back home and settling in. My sister (Grandma), who lives 10 hours away, is down there for the next 5 weeks to help out but then she has to get back to her job.

So... do any of you have BTDT advice, things to anticipate, watch out for or expect, suggestions to help make life go easier, items an Auntie who lives far away can buy to help out? I'm all ears. TIA!

[BusyMom5]

My twins are now as tall as me!  Congrats and that's great to carry twins to 35 weeks!  Things that would have helped me-

Food cards, especially for non-fast food places like Coltons, that have take out and are close to where she lives 

Gift card or money toward a photo session- seriously I love my twin baby photos!

Twin stroller- I prefer the ones that are similar to umbrella strollers snd fold up small- the big ones barely fit into the car!  I think mine was a Maclaren?  

Twin breast-feeding pillow if shes doing that

Panels for a toddler play area- with extra panels- these can be used inside and out

Cute coordinating clothes, zipper sleepers- no time for snaps, cloth diapers if she is into that, regular baby gear- but ask bc it gets overwhelming!  I did not do the same items,  I'd get 1 jumper, 1 walker and rotate.  I has a travel swing (seriously recommend) and a bigger swing, a bouncer, ect.

 

[BeachGal]

3 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said:

My twins are now as tall as me!  Congrats and that's great to carry twins to 35 weeks!  Things that would have helped me-

Food cards, especially for non-fast food places like Coltons, that have take out and are close to where she lives 

Gift card or money toward a photo session- seriously I love my twin baby photos!

Twin stroller- I prefer the ones that are similar to umbrella strollers snd fold up small- the big ones barely fit into the car!  I think mine was a Maclaren?  

Twin breast-feeding pillow if shes doing that

Panels for a toddler play area- with extra panels- these can be used inside and out

Cute coordinating clothes, zipper sleepers- no time for snaps, cloth diapers if she is into that, regular baby gear- but ask bc it gets overwhelming!  I did not do the same items,  I'd get 1 jumper, 1 walker and rotate.  I has a travel swing (seriously recommend) and a bigger swing, a bouncer, ect.

 

They're so tiny right now. It's hard to imagine them getting big but I'm sure they will. 

Gift cards and money are always good. My sister said my niece needs a better stroller so I'm going to start looking for something like what you mentioned. I'm going to look into the other things you mentioned, too, because these two are her first children and I'm sure she could use more stuff. I'll run it by her, though, so she doesn't get stuff she doesn't need or want. Thanks!

[Jaybee]

I second the double umbrella stroller. I can't remember the brand I had, but it was much more practical than those huge double strollers. We used it a long time.

[73349]

There's a preemie book--maybe Dr. Spock?--I wish I'd had access to. I'd send that ASAP in case her hospital was just as great with patient education.

The #1 thing I'd send to make life easier would be healthy snacks for mama. Preemies are even less regulated than other babies in their sleep. There's hardly time to eat a meal, much less cook one. Dried or freeze-dried fruits or vegetables, Brami beans, kale chips, granola bars, Moon cheese if she eats dairy... a basket of them next to the couch/nursing chair would be excellent.

Assuming she's in an area that gets cold in winter, sleep sacks will be really helpful. They even make ones with holes for carseat buckles so you can use them like coats on the way to the pediatrician, etc. They come in different weights--here's an example.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Carolina Wren

[KungFuPanda]

Does Uber Eats do gift cards? 😆

[sweet2ndchance]

I didn't have twins pre se but I did have two of kids 13 months apart. I second (or is it third?) that the big clunky double strollers are a pain to tote around with you and the babies.

I had something similar to this that lets you connect two ordinary umbrella strollers into one double stroller. It was great for when one person takes twin A and the other takes twin B but then you can still stick them back together as one stroller.

 

[BeachGal]

10 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Does Uber Eats do gift cards? 😆

Why yes they do! 😁👍

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, BusyMom5 said:

 

Twin stroller- I prefer the ones that are similar to umbrella strollers and fold up small- the big ones barely fit into the car!  I think mine was a Maclaren?  

 

Maclaren Techno Double https://www.maclaren.us/products/twin-techno

The Techno lies flat and can be used for newborns.  The rain cover was very useful too. 

Baby Jogger City Mini Double is another nice one https://www.babyjogger.com/strollers/city-mini-2-double-stroller/SAP_2104204.html

I do have a double jogger as well and that takes up almost the entire trunk space. We use that for hiking trails. 

ETA:

SIL has twin daughters and my boys are a year apart. Laundry and diapers were a pain. Amazon and Target gift cards for diapers were useful. 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Arcadia

[BeachGal]

Okay. So umbrella strollers sound like a must.

They are in an area that's going to get cold and I love the idea of sleep sacks. I'll also look for that book.

Healthy snacks are easy for me to do because I'm in Chicago, the city of foodies, and can find all kinds of fun and interesting snacks to send her. My favorite pizza place is about ten steps from our building's basement door so I'm going to send Chicago's best, frozen pizzas to Dad. My sister also went into full canning mode and mini-meal making. Their freezer is bursting. LOL

[BeachGal]

I ordered diapers from Amazon and some other stuff. Weirdly, they couldn't deliver Desitin or sensitive skin baby wipes to her town, though.

Wow. This is great. Thanks for all your links and advice. I've sent them on to my sis and niece. They are zonked out now but as soon as feeding time arrives and they wake up, I'm sure I'll be getting some feedback. Everyone was completely bedraggled the first day of sleep deprivation, but the boys are eating well I hear. Huzzah!

[fairfarmhand]

My friend with twins had 2 separate colored bottles for the babies to help monitor who ate how much. They basically color coded the babies. And when they made pictures they put a colored pacifier next to one of the babies so they could make sure who was who. For some reason it was really important to my friend to make sure that they could tell the babies apart even in pictures. 

[Arcadia]

11 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

I ordered diapers from Amazon and some other stuff. Weirdly, they couldn't deliver Desitin or sensitive skin baby wipes to her town, though.

Hypoallergenic unscented baby detergent was useful as well. Baby burp cloth might be useful. DS14 couldn't use Desitin, he use baby Aquaphor instead. for diaper rash and face rash. 

A room humidifier was useful for the winter months as the room heater made the air very dry.  Both my boys were born in early December, SIL twins were born in late November.

5 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

My friend with twins had 2 separate colored bottles for the babies to help monitor who ate how much. They basically color coded the babies. And when they made pictures they put a colored pacifier next to one of the babies so they could make sure who was who. For some reason it was really important to my friend to make sure that they could tell the babies apart even in pictures. 

My SIL use color coded wristbands and also color coded baby clothing

[Kassia]

My twins were born 4 1/2 weeks early.  They are 26 now.  

Lots of great ideas here.  Something else I loved having was a baby carrier - either front or back.  I would put a baby in the carrier and then have my arms free for the other baby either at home or at the store or wherever we went.  Or I'd use that with a single stroller.  

 

[BakersDozen]

I loved my Snap-n-Go double stroller - used it for over a year and absolutely could not have done much without it.

We set up a changing table in the living room with all diapers, wipes and clothes for the first 3 months. Saved walking back to a nursery or whatever. Twins slept in the living room during that time - just made things easier. But mine were born at 31 weeks and came home a month later to oxygen and all kinds of wires/machines were in play.

Other than that I have little recollection of what we did until the twins were close to 11 months. It was a blur of pumping, school, pumping, school, pumping...sometimes I slept.

[BeachGal]

I have four brothers and we're all thinking of chipping in to buy a big ticket item. So, what do you all think of a Lazy Boy rocker/recliner? Or maybe one of those rocking bassinets, like this one from Target? We'd have to get two but that's okay. I remember very vividly the sleep deprivation so anything that helps would be helpful.

I am writing all of your very ideas down and just made a run to Target to get Clorox wipes because around her, they have sold out everywhere. I'll fill a box and UPS them over.

What about RSV infections? Does she need to worry about that? Do they give preemies vaccinations for it or are they too little yet? She lives in a high desert area that is dry and in winter, cold. I would think humidifiers would be a good idea but I don't know for sure.

When my sister wakes up, she's going to be bombarded with all of my texts. 😄 Thanks for all of your advice! I really appreciate it.

[BeachGal]

4 minutes ago, BakersDozen said:

I loved my Snap-n-Go double stroller - used it for over a year and absolutely could not have done much without it.

We set up a changing table in the living room with all diapers, wipes and clothes for the first 3 months. Saved walking back to a nursery or whatever. Twins slept in the living room during that time - just made things easier. But mine were born at 31 weeks and came home a month later to oxygen and all kinds of wires/machines were in play.

Other than that I have little recollection of what we did until the twins were close to 11 months. It was a blur of pumping, school, pumping, school, pumping...sometimes I slept.

Good idea. I'll have to suggest that to my niece. The little guys I think are off the oxygen but I'm not sure. Still, setting up a station in the living room would make life easier which is always good.

Awww! See, some of us are waiting patiently for our kids to have babies. I would love to help new parents out so they could get a break! I'm wondering now if maybe I should take over when my sister leaves. One baby is great but two babies... oh, my!

[Lecka]

I have twins, too.

For my situation, I had to have the car seat insert double stroller until my kids were old enough for an umbrella stroller.

If she doesn’t have a car seat insert stroller — does she want one?  
 

I had a 3-year-old and needed to drive places so I needed the car seat thing.  If she is walking from home when she uses the stroller it may not fit her needs.

 

My kids were born at 37 weeks but still couldn’t use an umbrella stroller for months.  Totally agree they are one million times better.  But my kids did not have the head support for months.  Months and months and months.  

[Kassia]

26 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

Good idea. I'll have to suggest that to my niece. The little guys I think are off the oxygen but I'm not sure. Still, setting up a station in the living room would make life easier which is always good.

Awww! See, some of us are waiting patiently for our kids to have babies. I would love to help new parents out so they could get a break! I'm wondering now if maybe I should take over when my sister leaves. One baby is great but two babies... oh, my!

Yes, having a station close by is really helpful.

If you're available to help, I would definitely offer.  She may appreciate the help or she may be ready to take over on her own.  My twins were in the hospital nursery for the first 12 days and then I had daytime help the first two weeks while DH was at work.  So, it was around their due date that I was on my own with the new babies and my 3 yo.  It was really nice having an extra set of hands to hold a baby or even bring me a drink or something to eat sometimes!  I was nursing and it felt like I was breastfeeding 24/7!  

[Lecka]

The “snap and go” pp mentioned Is what I had.  Totally so necessary for my situation.

I never would have wanted this kind for one baby, but I needed something to accommodate two babies with no head support!

My daughter actually had good head support *for a newborn* but — she couldn’t go into anything where one seat was for an older sibling and one seat was for a newborn.  AND I did need to be able to see both of them.  The “snap and go” had both of them facing me.  
 

The umbrella is a huge relief after using that snap and go!!!!!!!!  But it was what I needed at the time for sure, no question.  
 

 

[BeachGal]

@Lecka I will ask her what her plans are. I know she has to drive a ways to the pediatrician so today, she and her husband were doing something with the carseats because the twins are so small. To make them safer.

All of my kids were born in cities so we walked everywhere, even when I took them home from the hospital! None of them were in a car until they were much older. I might've missed out on those late night drives people say put their babies to sleep. 😴

[BeachGal]

4 minutes ago, Kassia said:

Yes, having a station close by is really helpful.

If you're available to help, I would definitely offer.  She may appreciate the help or she may be ready to take over on her own.  My twins were in the hospital nursery for the first 12 days and then I had daytime help the first two weeks while DH was at work.  So, it was around their due date that I was on my own with the new babies and my 3 yo.  It was really nice having an extra set of hands to hold a baby or even bring me a drink or something to eat sometimes!  I was nursing and it felt like I was breastfeeding 24/7!  

My niece and sister keep saying that all they do is eat! My sister is calling them the Hungry Hippos. 😁

I'm ready for a road trip and will even quarantine camp outside if I must due to Covid, so I'll ask her what she thinks. Her husband is a mechanic who works nights so I think they might need some help. So far, I only have grand-kittens to take care of. LOL

 

[Lecka]

Yes, I needed to take them around in a car and then use the stroller.  
 

We put a rolled towel in the car seat for my son.

 

A lot of double strollers for not-twins have one child forward-facing in the front and then the baby in a car seat insert up by the stroller handles.  So — I couldn’t use that Bc head support issues.  Plus a tiny baby can’t just be up front where you can’t see them!  
 

If she does not need a stroller to go in the trunk of her car — she might really prefer a pram style of some kind.  

[BeachGal]

3 minutes ago, Lecka said:

Yes, I needed to take them around in a car and then use the stroller.  
 

We put a rolled towel in the car seat for my son.

 

A lot of double strollers for not-twins have one child forward-facing in the front and then the baby in a car seat insert up by the stroller handles.  So — I couldn’t use that Bc head support issues.  Plus a tiny baby can’t just be up front where you can’t see them!  
 

If she does not need a stroller to go in the trunk of her car — she might really prefer a pram style of some kind.  

I'm going to send her your advice because she has been trying to figure this out. They are all perplexed and this is what she needs to know.

Just to be sure, is this the Snap-n-Go double stroller?

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Universal-Snap-N-Go-Stroller/dp/B008U4MKU6

[Lecka]

That is the stroller. My twins are almost 12 but it looks just like that.  
 

They have to have a coordinating car seat (sigh).  
 

Once I was used to it, I could collapse it with one hand and then lift it into the trunk with two hands.  
 

It’s not small.  It takes up room in the trunk for sure.  It makes it hard to put other things in the trunk.  It’s kind-of a pain, and not flexible because the kids are stuck in the car seat.  
 

But I did not find a better option with needing to drive places!!!!!!!

 

Maybe there is something better now.  
 

Definitely she will want to transition to an umbrella or a double stroller where they are both forward-facing in two seats as soon as she can!!!!!!!  I had both.  Both are good.  Sometimes the double stroller with both forward-facing was more convenient because it had more storage and stuff, it would be better for something like going to the zoo.  For anything in-and-out or they wouldn’t be in it too long — definitely the umbrella. 

[BeachGal]

1 minute ago, Lecka said:

That is the stroller. My twins are almost 12 but it looks just like that.  
 

They have to have a coordinating car seat (sigh).  
 

Once I was used to it, I could collapse it with one hand and then lift it into the trunk with two hands.  
 

It’s not small.  It takes up room in the trunk for sure.  It makes it hard to put other things in the trunk.  It’s kind-of a pain, and not flexible because the kids are stuck in the car seat.  
 

But I did not find a better option with needing to drive places!!!!!!!

 

Maybe there is something better now.  
 

Definitely she will want to transition to an umbrella or a double stroller where they are both forward-facing in two seats as soon as she can!!!!!!!  I had both.  Both are good.  Sometimes the double stroller with both forward-facing was more convenient because it had more storage and stuff, it would be better for something like going to the zoo.  For anything in-and-out or they wouldn’t be in it too long — definitely the umbrella. 

I think she might need both a snap-n-go and an umbrella stroller. She's out in the boonies so I know she has to drive to get to places, and she likes walking around her boonie areas. We will have to discuss all of these things. They all just woke up because it's time to eat. LOL

[Arcadia]

24 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

 

Just to be sure, is this the Snap-n-Go double stroller?

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Trend-Universal-Snap-N-Go-Stroller/dp/B008U4MKU6

That’s the stroller for two infant car seats.

Some people use that stroller as a personal shopping cart when their kids outgrew it. The big basket is good for shopping especially when stores charge for bags. Purchased items just go into the big stroller basket. 

[Lecka]

Okay — mine was slightly different, I think.  I think mine was straight across, this one looks like the second seat is off-set slightly, and mine was not.

It looks like that makes the stroller shorter, which is GOOD.  It should be more maneuverable.  

But I would hope it would still be easy to see both babies.  
 

The nurses at the hospital helped me with the head positioning for my son.  He was not a preemie but his head support was very poor because he was breech.  You just try to add head support.  
 

If they’re not sure — I bet someone will help them at this doctor appointment. 
 

All the nurses loved my son with poor head support, they really doted on him and said they thought breech babies were adorable.  So I bet the nurses will be nice!  

[Arcadia]

13 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

 She's out in the boonies so I know she has to drive to get to places, and she likes walking around her boonie areas. 

How are the paths lined? On gravel paths besides the creek near my home, I had to use my double jogger which has 14” bicycle tires for back tires as my umbrella stroller is hard to push. On smooth sidewalks or at malls, the snap and go stroller and the umbrella stroller are easy enough to push.

[Lecka]

If there is an umbrella stroller that works for newborns that would be great.  I couldn’t find anything like that at the time.

A lot of options open up when they are not so little anymore.  

[Paige]

I had preemie twins. 35 weeks is really, really good. 

We liked a double side by side stroller once they were bigger, but when small I preferred the double snap n go. The double snap n go folds up pretty easily and has a humongous basket. None of the good side by sides are good for newborns so IMO she's better off using the snap and go and waiting to get a nicer stroller she'll like for longer. Front to back doubles aren't great for twins.

If they are same sex- when I had mine I swore we'd do no matching clothes. Then I found I really preferred that they match/coordinate or at least have the option. It reduced my daily decision making. If they matched they were equal cuteness and for some reason that felt important at the time. 

They'll probably be offered the RSV shots if they were considered premie enough. I'm not sure what the cut off is and 35 weeks is pretty good. Mine got the shots and it wasn't fun. I'm convinced they still have shot trauma from it and they're 16! They got the shots every month during flu season.

Mine shared a bed and bassinet until they were like a year. They were small (about 15lbs at 1 yr), so maybe bigger kids wouldn't be able to do it but I wouldn't buy 2 bassinets right away. Sleeping together was soothing for them. 2 swings, 2 bouncies? Definitely. I signed up for Tiny Love's twin program and they gave me a free toy or whatever of items I bought from them. I'm not sure if they still do that, but it's worth checking. This site lists how to copy Tiny Love and some other discounts. http://www.nnmotc.org/Discounts.shtml

 

 

[Paige]

17 minutes ago, Lecka said:

Okay — mine was slightly different, I think.  I think mine was straight across, this one looks like the second seat is off-set slightly, and mine was not.

 

It looks redesigned. 

[Lecka]

In general — anything that says “double” won’t work for two newborns.  It will work for one older baby and one newborn, or one toddler and one newborn, etc.

Anything that says “twin” — it might still only work for older babies, but may work for two newborns.

There are just not a lot of options, because — there is head control, and there is having them be rear-facing.  Especially if they don’t have good head control, you want to check on them more, and want them to be where you can see them.  
 

When they are older and have good head control they like looking out and seeing things and all of that.  Not so much when they are little and don’t have good head control.  
 

But that can be months and months.  

[Katy]

I don't have twins, but I have cared for up to 3 infants at one time.  While I love my Bob Dualie stroller, if I had it to do over again I'd probably order a Contour double stroller.  They're cheaper than a BOB, extremely flexible in terms of which ways the babies are facing, light, and small.  Not as expensive as a Bob with all the accessories, but not cheap either.  Still, if you're considering a recliner level price range, please look at the contour double stroller.  It's front to back so you can go through narrow spaces, the wheels are as flexible as a jogging stroller so it's easy to push even with a heavy 3 year old in there.  You can swap the seat configuration endlessly, recline the seats fully flat like a pram, the storage underneath can carry a ton of stuff...  they're really ideal.   I know a couple moms with them who won't take their twins ANYWHERE without one.  Like, run to target pushing the stroller in front with mom behind pushing the cart level of commitment.

[Starr]

My kids are close in age and I loved our Maclaren stroller. We were in the city and could manage all the narrow aisles and it folded up easily. 

[BusyMom5]

On the stroller question- I didn't need the Snap n Go bc I just didn't go anywhere by myself for about 3 months.  By then no head control issues- mine were 37+ weeks with no health issues.  If I took them to the Dr,  I had my mom or mil come with me.  DH or Mil went to the store or my mom kept them while I ran to the grocery store- and now there is grocery pickup!   Your niece should think about where she will be going,  how often,  and if she will have help.  I used the stroller to take mine to the grocery store for a long time!  Push the stroller,  pull the cart (and i had a 2 and 4 year old- we were like a parade).  

[BeachGal]

1 hour ago, Lecka said:

Okay — mine was slightly different, I think.  I think mine was straight across, this one looks like the second seat is off-set slightly, and mine was not.

It looks like that makes the stroller shorter, which is GOOD.  It should be more maneuverable.  

But I would hope it would still be easy to see both babies.  
 

The nurses at the hospital helped me with the head positioning for my son.  He was not a preemie but his head support was very poor because he was breech.  You just try to add head support.  
 

If they’re not sure — I bet someone will help them at this doctor appointment. 
 

All the nurses loved my son with poor head support, they really doted on him and said they thought breech babies were adorable.  So I bet the nurses will be nice!  

The nurses have been amazing. The advice about feeding and sleeping is helping them now and they said to just call or email if any more questions. The babies are gaining weight and making everyone happy. They are in two modes: eating and sleeping. 😄

ETA: The whole head support issue is what my niece is trying to figure out. They are so small still. I don't know if she's going to go back to work anytime soon. I can't imagine but I know her husband works nights and she works days. Their plan might be to switch off which is a whole 'nother situation.

Edited October 17, 2020 by BeachGal

[BeachGal]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

How are the paths lined? On gravel paths besides the creek near my home, I had to use my double jogger which has 14” bicycle tires for back tires as my umbrella stroller is hard to push. On smooth sidewalks or at malls, the snap and go stroller and the umbrella stroller are easy enough to push.

The paths are like fields of short, sparse grass. They rarely get rain. It's usually sunny but can get cold. I think they're going into freezing temps at night now but daytime is 60s and 70s.

My niece mentioned a stroller that has one wheel in front and two in back. Is that a jogging stroller?

[BeachGal]

1 hour ago, Paige said:

I had preemie twins. 35 weeks is really, really good. 

We liked a double side by side stroller once they were bigger, but when small I preferred the double snap n go. The double snap n go folds up pretty easily and has a humongous basket. None of the good side by sides are good for newborns so IMO she's better off using the snap and go and waiting to get a nicer stroller she'll like for longer. Front to back doubles aren't great for twins.

If they are same sex- when I had mine I swore we'd do no matching clothes. Then I found I really preferred that they match/coordinate or at least have the option. It reduced my daily decision making. If they matched they were equal cuteness and for some reason that felt important at the time. 

They'll probably be offered the RSV shots if they were considered premie enough. I'm not sure what the cut off is and 35 weeks is pretty good. Mine got the shots and it wasn't fun. I'm convinced they still have shot trauma from it and they're 16! They got the shots every month during flu season.

Mine shared a bed and bassinet until they were like a year. They were small (about 15lbs at 1 yr), so maybe bigger kids wouldn't be able to do it but I wouldn't buy 2 bassinets right away. Sleeping together was soothing for them. 2 swings, 2 bouncies? Definitely. I signed up for Tiny Love's twin program and they gave me a free toy or whatever of items I bought from them. I'm not sure if they still do that, but it's worth checking. This site lists how to copy Tiny Love and some other discounts. http://www.nnmotc.org/Discounts.shtml

 

 

So it's okay for twins to sleep together? 😄 I'm trying to find out from my sister what they're doing but she is so busy feeding them, doing a little cleaning up and then konking out that she has little time left to answer all my questions. This is all good to know.

The boys look healthy in the photos I've seen so far. Except for the lung issue, which isn't a nothing burger, they look great. And, they're quite the eaters. Little linebackers, maybe.

[BeachGal]

1 hour ago, Katy said:

I don't have twins, but I have cared for up to 3 infants at one time.  While I love my Bob Dualie stroller, if I had it to do over again I'd probably order a Contour double stroller.  They're cheaper than a BOB, extremely flexible in terms of which ways the babies are facing, light, and small.  Not as expensive as a Bob with all the accessories, but not cheap either.  Still, if you're considering a recliner level price range, please look at the contour double stroller.  It's front to back so you can go through narrow spaces, the wheels are as flexible as a jogging stroller so it's easy to push even with a heavy 3 year old in there.  You can swap the seat configuration endlessly, recline the seats fully flat like a pram, the storage underneath can carry a ton of stuff...  they're really ideal.   I know a couple moms with them who won't take their twins ANYWHERE without one.  Like, run to target pushing the stroller in front with mom behind pushing the cart level of commitment.

👍 I am going to have to check this out, too. I know she'd like something versatile that lasts for a few years. The nearest city to her does not have a terrific selection, although it could be that she just doesn't know the available options. I might make a trip over to some of the better baby stores to test out what they have.

[matrips]

7 hours ago, BeachGal said:

My niece recently had her twin boys about 5 weeks early. 💙💙 She was airlifted to the hospital! Both boys had a little trouble with oxygen and one of them had pneumothorax which is now okay. Everyone is finally back home and settling in. My sister (Grandma), who lives 10 hours away, is down there for the next 5 weeks to help out but then she has to get back to her job.

So... do any of you have BTDT advice, things to anticipate, watch out for or expect, suggestions to help make life go easier, items an Auntie who lives far away can buy to help out? I'm all ears. TIA!

My triplets were 7 weeks early. I loved our camera monitor; I could check on them and listen to make sure they were moving and breathing, without disturbing them.

congratulations to you and your niece!  

[BeachGal]

1 minute ago, matrips said:

My triplets were 7 weeks early. I loved our camera monitor; I could check on them and listen to make sure they were moving and breathing, without disturbing them.

congratulations to you and your niece!  

Thank you! Triplets? Wow! Now that would be very special. I'd have to get that stroller that Katy mentioned and possibly move nearby. ☺️

Completely forget about the camera monitors. One of my brothers has rigged up his whole house to watch over their cats while he and his wife are at work so I might have to assign him this task.

 

[Arcadia]

10 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

 

My niece mentioned a stroller that has one wheel in front and two in back. Is that a jogging stroller?

That is a jogging stroller. Don't get the kind with the fixed front wheel, its harder to maneuver. Get the kind with swivel locking front wheel so that she can lock the front wheel when running/jogging/walking on straight jogging paths. The swivel locking front wheel is also nice to have for folding and loading the stroller in the trunk. Mine was an Instep/Schwinn brand double jogging stroller and could carry three kids with a combined weight greater than 100 pounds. My neighbor's kid wanted to hitch a ride so I had three kids in a stroller 😄

e.g. https://www.bobgear.com/revolution-flex-30-duallie

[matrips]

1 minute ago, BeachGal said:

Thank you! Triplets? Wow! Now that would be very special. I'd have to get that stroller that Katy mentioned and possibly move nearby. ☺️

Completely forget about the camera monitors. One of my brothers has rigged up his whole house to watch over their cats while he and his wife are at work so I might have to assign him this task.

 

Wish I had you for an aunt!  We were new to the area and after the first month, I was on my own with them.  Dh worked 10 out of 12 days.  And it was winter.  😂

[BeachGal]

2 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

That is a jogging stroller. Don't get the kind with the fixed front wheel, its harder to maneuver. Get the kind with swivel locking front wheel so that she can lock the front wheel when running/jogging/walking on straight jogging paths. The swivel locking front wheel is also nice to have for folding and loading the stroller in the trunk. Mine was an Instep/Schwinn brand double jogging stroller and could carry three kids with a combined weight greater than 100 pounds. My neighbor's kid wanted to hitch a ride so I had three kids in a stroller 😄

e.g. https://www.bobgear.com/revolution-flex-30-duallie

That's a very nice jogging stroller. She could take the twins and pop her two dogs in if they get tired!

[BeachGal]

2 minutes ago, matrips said:

Wish I had you for an aunt!  We were new to the area and after the first month, I was on my own with them.  Dh worked 10 out of 12 days.  And it was winter.  😂

Oh no! I remember the sleep deprivation that first year with just my first. You must have been incredibly tiredt at times. We need to figure out ways to help parents who need more support. Ultimately, everyone benefits.

I have only my kids' pets to dote on now, which is great, but I'd so love to have grandkids and now I have grandnephews!

[BakersDozen]

I also had a BOB Duallie for longer treks around the neighborhood. The Snap-n-Go was so agile and easy to maneuver even with one hand, that's what I used in stores and such. The BOB I could pile in twins and both my toddlers on the front (1yo and 2yo) at least for a while. Couldn't use the infant carseats so twins didn't go in the BOB until they were around 5-6 months.

The Britax system is also nice for configurations of carseats but it can be a beast to push.

Does she have double nursing pillow? That was a godsend for me even if the babies were on bottles.

[BeachGal]

My niece said she would like the Bob Duallie so that's what my brothers and I will get her. She does have some other stroller for twins, which she sort of likes, but she doesn't think it would handle the trails around her house so well. She's keeping that one in their car.

Your advice was very helpful and much appreciated. Thanks, Everyone!

[melmichigan]

My surviving twins were born at 35 weeks exactly.

I had a graco duo glider with twin infant car seats that also worked well when they were a little older.  It folded down with one hand, which was huge back then.

Edited October 19, 2020 by melmichigan

[Lecka]

One for the house and one for the car sounds perfect 🙂

 

Because I am like this — I would like not having to worry about too many dried leaves or dirt or whatever going in the car, and that’s really nice when there is a stroller for the car and another one that is maybe stored in the garage or something and can get dirty.  
 

Not that it is a big deal, to have a few leaves or some dirt.  But it is nice to have a clean stroller, sometimes, and one that is already dirty. 
 

Edit:  like — I would not really want to take a dirty stroller in the library.  

Edited October 19, 2020 by Lecka