what do you do with one while you put the other in the car

We are going to hit the 1 yr mark in a couple days and thinking about saying goodbye to the infant seats and I wondered what everyone does with one baby while you buckle the other in the car? Or the stroller or go upstairs with one? My guys are just about to out grow the jumperoo/saucers and I have not thought through yet what I will do with one while I run the other up to their room (which is totally babyproof and has a gate to keep them in).

thanks

 

My kids outgrew their infant seats and jumperoo well before a year (around 7-8 months), but we also had a superyard playpen, so I would leave one in the playpen and take the other one. I would also put them in there if I need to go to the bathroom, etc. That worked well until they walked, which was right before a year for us. If yours aren't walking, it might be worth a try.

It's definitely hard at that age getting both in the car. It was about 22 months when I finally felt like I could safely take my kids to the car by myself without too much stress (that was when they would stay with me and understood not to run out into the street, etc.) Between the time of the playpen and that time, the only safe place I could contain them was in their cribs. We have a one story house, so that worked well for us, but they didn't like it and would scream like crazy.

 

To get them to and from the car I used my sling. One was in the sling and the other I carried. I took them out of their buckets seats around the 6 month mark because I found them too heavy and cumbersome and it was hard to keep track of my older one when dealing with the 2 buckets. I used the sling until they were walking well and out of snowsuits so around the 14-15 month mark. Since that time they have been great at walking with me.

As far as leaving them if I had to run upstairs with one I didn't do that very often between 12 and 17 months. I had pretty much everything I needed in the main room of the house and did everything there. If I needed to run somewhere else in the house the main floor was very baby-proofed so they were usually safe for w few minutes unattended.

 

From around 12-18 months, I would leave one in the house, behind a baby gate, put the other in the car and then go in and get the other child.

 

I carry both at the same time-one on each hip. Their carseats are right next to each other so it makes it easy sitting one in the carseat closest to me then reaching over him and putting DD in the other. When get in and out everywhere like that. Then when I get them out I unbuckle both, pull DD out and then get DS...again one on each hip. They have become fairly used to this arrangement and make it easier by cooperating with me when getting in and out (currently 15 months old and started doing this when they were 10 months old).

 

We quit using the infant seats at about 9 months. I put one in the exersaucer near the door while I put the other in the car, then ran back for the 2nd one. You said yours are about to outgrow the exersaucer, but I'm pretty sure I did this until at least 15 months (even though I wouldn't have used the exersaucer just for regular playtime by that point).

We also did have a superyard, but for some reason they screamed more in the superyard than in the exersaucer.

For the daycare pickup, since I couldn't have one kid in the car while I was inside, I used a cheap single umbrella stroller. I carried Amy (she was lighter) and pushed Sarah in the stroller, then left Sarah strapped into the stroller while I got Amy buckled in the car. For getting out of the car, reverse the process.

This is one of the reasons it was so much easier (for me -- everyone's different) when they could both stand up reliably.

At home, I put them both in the superyard if I had to go to the bathroom or something. This worked till ~15 months when they figured out how to push the superyard over. I think after that I just took them to the bathroom with me!

 

I had my entire living room baby gated/superyarded in, so they couldn't escape If I had to leave the room I wasn't too worried, there really wasn't much they could get into. Taking them out to the truck, I stopped using the bucket seats at 3 months, mine were really big and really heavy babies, and I would leave one in the house in the exersaucer or just in my gated living room, carry one out and put them in the truck then come back for the second one. When we went places, they were always in the stroller, so when I put them back in the truck I just did one at a time. Reverse the process when we got home, brought one baby in at a time.

 

When my twins were that age, I had older kids who were great helpers. But when Sage was 21 mo, Trey was born. I would carry the baby and hold her hand out to the car (if yours aren't walking, then I would probably just carry them both out... I still carried both twins a lot at that age because only Sydney was walking). Then I'd have her climb in the car while I was strapping Trey in. A 1 year old doesn't understand a lot, but it won't hurt one to climb around on the car floor for just a bit while you're strapping the other in, IMO. If your other doors are locked, they're safely contained until you're ready to strap them in.

 

Thanks everyone! So great to hear so many different options! My guys are little and slow to hit the milestones. I think one is around 20lbs and the other 18.5. The smaller one is very cuddly and easy to carry on a hip. The bigger one is like a sack of potatoes and just does not get the idea of hanging on... the good thing is that he is so close to walking, but I know its still another couple months before they are really stable. (I also have a 5 yr old). Right now I can still carry both infant seats, even up the garage stairs, but they are about 1 in away from the height limit. I have lots of baby carriers and I can carry one on my front and one on my back. I just need to find a fast way in and out of the car b/c some days we are in and out 8 times taking my daughter to school, home, pick up from school, home, to ballet, home, back to ballet, home... its worse when i realize we are out of milk or bread or something on those days.

I have a gated area in the playroom, but I just ordered a superyard to have on the 1st floor. I should probably get a light double stroller, to replace the snap n go.

Thanks again!

 

I do the double carry also. My girls are now 19 months and I can still do this. If for some reason they are walking I've slowly taught them to hold each others hands and mine then they both climb into the van and I fasten them in one at a time. If you notice one is a runner then just fasten that one first.