did you keep a feeding and pooping chart for your twins?

hi, i have heard that i should keep a feeding and pooping chart for each baby when they arrive? Did anyone do this, and how did you set it out

(can you tell i'm bored?!)

 

We sure did! Everyone in my house made fun of me at first, but my mother sheepishly admitted that it was absolutely necessary after all, because she kept asking me "wait, did we feed Sarah or Cate at 4? Or was that yesterday?"
You will see that the days and nights will run together after you have been doing it for a few weeks and it is hard to keep track of who ate what when, especially if you have at least one other adult helping you. (Even more confusing if you have MORE people helping you!)

First I just used a regular notepad, drew a line down the middle, time of day on the left, and wrote one name on the top left, one on the top right.
Once I figured out what we were keeping track of (minutes breastfeeding, wet diaper, poopy diaper, my medicine) I printed out grids with that stuff and had one clipboard for each girl. I also printed them on different colored paper (a tip I got from a book). I am not usually so organized, but it helped a TON.

A good tip that a pediatric nurse taught me for counting wet diapers: pull out 10 or 12 diapers for *each* twin and keep them in separate piles or even different parts of the room (make sure your helpers know this too). At the end of 24 diapers, you can just count how many you have left for each twin, then it doesn't matter if you forgot to record one. You will know how many each twin used by subtracting those you have left. Just make sure you keep their stacks separate!

How exciting for you! It will be a rollercoaster, but lots of fun. Twins are the best.

 

Yes, until I got used to their schedule.

I bought a yellow legal pad (the kind with the line down the middle) and one side was labeled Sean, the other James. I'd write down feedings, pee, poop and when medicine was given. I didn't have it for very long since I figured out that they needed their diapers changed at the same time, they poop at the same time and they ate at the same time. I do still jot down when any of my kids last got medicine, it makes it easier to remember and prevent accidental overdoses.

 

yes!! We still keep a feeding record cause that way I can vary their food - I work part time (from home) so my mum or the nanny prepares their lunch and I want to see what they ate. We stopped recording poop around 3 months. I just get a normal notebook and Chloe is on the left hand page an Ashley is on the right hand page. YOu REALLY need it the first few months as you DO forget who you've breastfed or formula fed (I used to write down which breast too!) When you look back you see what a feeding machine you were, and yes its good to know what amounts others are feeding!

 

We've been keeping a feeding/diaper chart from the beginning. It helps me remember who nursed on which side. And whenever I start doubting my milk supply, I just look back at the diaper output and laugh at myself for even THINKING supply might be low - oh, the floods of pee & poop!!! :lol:

DH is an Excel junky, so he's made up a great Excel chart. Each twin gets half the page (vertically); it goes all day in 1/2 hr increments (12:00, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, etc.) with columns for feeding/diaper info where you can just check things off as needed. Also a column for any notes (like what time we gave Tylenol for teething, etc).

PP is right, it REALLY helps you keep track of everything, because it is all such a blur after a while! Who did what when? Was that giant poop this morning or yesterday? And which baby?

 

We did up until 9 months. We bought a 2 subject small notebook (one section for each baby) and then put 3 lines down the page. One side for date/time. Other for amount taken (we did bottles). Other side for diapers and meds. Worked great and we were all on the same page for what was going on. And I ditto all about keeping track of meds (we had refluxers) and it worked great. Plus, early on when we went to the Drs a lot I could pull it out and say this is what they are doing on any given day!

 

The hospital started us on that, and we continued when we got home. I would say we stopped at about 4 months when jake was always eating 8oz a bottle, and Hailey was always between 6-8oz. Then we just started keeping it for pooping, because Jake rarely went. Once we started solids, he's been so much more regular that we gave it up all together. But for us, it was a lifesaver inthe beginning ... I couldn't remember from one hour to the next what they ate at their last feeding!

 

We made copies of the paper you use in the hosptial to record everything. We use that for about 2 months when we realized a lot of the info on it we did not need. Now we have designed a new sheet where a whole week fits on once piece of paper. We just have urine and stool boxes that we put checks in when they have a soiled diaper. We have a time column for the food and an amount column. We also have a misc column we can use for the rare times they have juice or water.

If anyone is interested, I would be happy to share.



We are still recording it all to this day and likely will until they transition to milk and solids!

 

Guess I was a little different. I only did it for the first 5 days and that was only beacause we were in hosp and the midwives gave me a clipboard with the chart and kept an eagle's eye on it!!! At home, I was BF them 3 hourly and together and didn't need to remember who was fed last. Now, 12 weeks down the track, I'm a pro at remembering who had how much and which breast last. Even when I'm half asleep. I guess I have good memory!!!

I had a hard time updating the chart when in hosp and am sooo happy I don't have to do it now. I also use Gina Ford's Contented Little Baby routine as a guideline so keeping track of feeding times (milk and juices) and nap times are just a glance away.

 

We are still doing it. Saves my life. I could hardly remember if I ate, so I deff cant remember which one ate last and how much. I use a notebook for each and three columns: date/time, amount ate (bottles), wet or poo diaper.

Good Luck.

 

QUOTE(mushkin @ Oct 28 2007, 09:24 AM) [snapback]470328[/snapback]
Guess I was a little different. I only did it for the first 5 days and that was only beacause we were in hosp and the midwives gave me a clipboard with the chart and kept an eagle's eye on it!!! At home, I was BF them 3 hourly and together and didn't need to remember who was fed last. Now, 12 weeks down the track, I'm a pro at remembering who had how much and which breast last. Even when I'm half asleep. I guess I have good memory!!!


ditto, we did it for 3 days and then it was more trouble than help. they eat roughly at the same time and have lots of wet diaper so i don't worry.

 

Nope. We did this for the first week they were out of the hospital and I actually had a harder time remembering where I put the log than I did remembering when I fed/when they pooped. Right after that week is when I started nursing them exclusively. I also tandem nursed when one of them was hungry so I never had to remember who was on which boob at what time and what color was he wearing , etc. It was just too much. Now, I pretty much nurse on demand so remembering the last time is not necessary-I just read their cues. As far as poop goes, after a while you learn their schedule and I would always make a point to say out loud "Caleb made his morning/afternoon poopsie!" or something like that and for some reason, it would just stick with me-I guess hearing it out loud. HTH and Happy Healthy Pregnancy to you!!!!

 

Nope. At first I would switch which one had which breast every feeding, but after a while I just had one girl on the left all day, and the next day she'd be on the right. They pretty much pooped every time they ate, so that was not an issue for me either.

 

The Twinstuff Store sells a really cute spiral-bound book specifically made for keeping track of twins' feedings, pees/poos, etc. I bought it for my DD before her boys arrived and she found it very helpful. I believe she stopped using it when the boys were 7-8 weeks old.

http://www.twinstuff.com/store/catalog/pro...products_id=354



Good luck!

 

I just had my twins on Tuesday and we keep a list of who ate how much at what time and the diapers (wet/poop/both)

I do most of the feedings at night and we just make the bottles all the same size, that way no need to remember exactly how many cc's each baby ate. Also it helps with diapers as well. I usually just wake when they start to stir, it's usually every 3-4 hours they do that.

We have a 13 month at home too so we haven't gotten into the assembly line of diaper changes.

 

i still keep track on a steno notepad (we're on the 2nd one), one side of the red line is for ally, the other for bear, we jot down the time and initials of the event, and/or the amount of time at breast or ounces taken

LB, RB left/right breast
WD DD wet diaper, dirty diaper

it's been a lifesaver for me, specially since i have help and it's hard to communicate everything everyday

HTH

 

I did for about the first 6 weeks. Here is what I used.

 

I kept a log for almost 8 months. I made up my own based on what I found on the Internet. If you would like me to send it to you, just PM me with your email address.

 

QUOTE(MichelleL @ Oct 28 2007, 06:03 PM) [snapback]470905[/snapback]
I kept a log for almost 8 months. I made up my own based on what I found on the Internet. If you would like me to send it to you, just PM me with your email address.


thankyu everyone for your posts, i think i will combine all of your ideas..thikning i will def need to chart!!!

 

QUOTE(natasha163 @ Oct 28 2007, 08:14 PM) [snapback]471259[/snapback]
thankyu everyone for your posts, i think i will combine all of your ideas..thikning i will def need to chart!!!



Tammy - I would love to get a copy of your chart, I pm'd you but your inbox is full, I'll just try later in the week!

alexa