Do you get out with the twins

Does anyone get out of the house with the twins, especially in the early months? Mine are 4.5 months. Mine do not consistently sleep in the car or stroller. We've gone to the mall food court for lunch then stroller ride in the mall on weekends with the twins but usually one doesn't get a good nap in the car/stroller and ends up fussy/cranky later in the day. And their awake/nap times during the day aren't always flanged up so one twin may lose out on nap time. It is pretty hot where I live so I can only go on stroller rides in the morning during their awake time and this assumes they are both awake at the same time.

Anyone get out of the house with the twins?

 

Funny you posted this today.. I was going to ask the same question.
My LOs are about 2 months older than yours and I thought once we hit 6 months it would get better. Today was not a good day and I am feeling very.stuck.in.the.house...claustrophobic.
Their naps have gotten more regular but the awake time is still very brief, if i am lucky i have a 2.5 hour window at the end of the day. My problem is we are 20 minutes from everything so just to run into town and back and get them in and out of the car once takes an hour.
If I go when they should be sleeping I pay for it latter.
I am starved for some adult interaction and.. what (i don't even know)?.. just to get out of the house.

... enough singing to the choir. thanks for listening.

 

Yes, I did. When their naps sort of became regular with 3/day I'd get up, get everybody nursed, changed, then basically fed again for the first nap. During the first nap I usually took my shower and ate a nice breakfast but on days where I wanted out I'd be showered before they were up. So while they napped I got everything we would need in the car- diaper bags, purse (covered over with doors locked) anything I could think of ready to go. I'd also get myself all ready to go- go to the bathroom, shoes on, etc. Only then would I wake them up /they'd wake up naturally and I would quickly change them, nurse them and we'd go. I was happy if we went to Target or the mall and made it back 15 min before the next nap.

It was during this time I joined MOPS- I needed to speak with adults who had small kids to feel a bit more sane. Sometimes we talk about kids and sometimes we talk about deeper stuff but it's so nice to have people who understand that life is really crazy right now.

 

Yep, by the time my twins were 3 months old I was grocery shopping every week by myself, with my 2.5 yr old along with us. The store was 15 minutes away, so I'd have everyone dressed and ready to go, feed the twins, and race out of the house immediately. We'd eat lunch at the mcdonalds in walmart, do our shopping, and get home in time for their next bottle. It was busy, and stressful, but we did it!

Practice makes perfect. Aim for short outings right at first, and as you get good at it, you can start planning bigger/longer outings.

 

I had to. But I was pretty much alone 90% of the time and would get so stir crazy that I just had to get us out the house. I can't tell you how many naps we spent just wondering through Target. Those people probably thought I was nuts! LOL
During those early months, my two much much just stayed in the sleep and play zipper outfits. So I'd just feed them and head out the door. They were both pretty good about napping in their car seats whether in the car or in the buggy. And when they got more alert, I think they enjoyed to looking around at something different.

 

I really only recently, since about 2 months ago, started to take them out more often. I would have like to but the sheer organisation of lugging all the stuff to my car at the bottom of the drive or pushing my stroller up the hill meant I only took them out when I had to, for eg. to appointments and when I was going stir crazy and felt strong enough to push them up the hill! I very rarely took them out by myself and even now, I still prefer to have someone like my older DD with me. We are just coming out of winter though so the weather wasn't exactly helpful and we didn't have a great summer before that.

 

Yes. In the last month or so I've become determined to get out more!! I follow the 2-3-4 schedule, with my girls up around 7 or 8, napping at 9 or 10, napping at 1 or 2, and then bed at 7. If I'm super organized we can get out during the first window, from 11 to 1, getting home just in time for a nap, but the afternoon window is longer, so depedning on where I want to go, we do that. I've never gone grocery shopping or to Target with all three, but I have gone to Costco (the huge carts are excellent for twins!!) and a local fruit and veg store where everything is high up and my 2 yr can't grab stuff off the shelves. It's also small enough that I feel comfortable with her walking and possibly running off while my back is turned. I take just the twins basically anywhere, but they are #2 and #3 for me, I'm not sure if I would have been confident enough to do that if they were my firsts. But the way I see it, I'd rather go out at night and grocery shop or go to Target all by myself anyways . Actually, a department store is probably doable too because you can always duck into a fitting room to take care of them in private- I hate feeling like people are watching me to see how I'm goign to handle crying/tantrum etc!!

Basically, it helps to develop a 'come what may' attitude, and be prepared to be a little stressed out. But it's worth getting out!!

 

Yes, absolutely. I had to get out of the house for my own sanity. If not, I was just too lonely and the house felt confining. By the time my girls were 4 months old, we went out almost daily for a quick trip to Target, grocery shopping, an off roads walk in the stroller, or out to coffee with friends. My husband had an hour commute each way to work then, so it was always just me and the girls.

You can totally do this, and it will get better and easier after a few trips out of the house solo. Get everything you need packed up the night before (I kept a packed diaper bag), shower before the kids wake up or during their first nap, and then head out of the house immediately after they eat. That way you have an hour or so before they will be getting sleepy again. Part of the key is getting them on the same schedule. I would wake the second twin about ten minutes after the first one woke up to keep them on the same schedule.

Good luck!

 

Texgirl, It is hot here too (NC). I found a battery operated fan at Walmart for $15. I rigged it up in the stroller! I don't care about the heat but sitting in the stroller with no wind they would sweat. With this set up I don't feel so bad taking them out when it is hot. It has really increased how often I get out for walks.
Just an idea.. we are headed for cooler weather anyway.

 

Oh, something else i found..
Harris Teeter grocery store has shop on line / express lane. I order food the night before and then just go pick it up.. they bring it to the car! the charge is, $4.95 with $3.00 off during the summer, can't beat that!!!

I still do a lot of things from Walmart.. baby stuff is just to cheap to do anywhere else.. Costco is 1 hr 10 minutes from us .. only been there once after kids and made DH come too.

I don't consider grocery shopping getting out of the house.. since i hate to shop! With grocery shopping by the express lane, I can save messing up my kids schedule for something that I want to do.
As it stands right now, no matter what I do, it is not possible to get out and back without cutting into sleep time, even when we jump in the car as soon as they are up. This means I pay the price, my DS takes 24 hours to recover... so the trip better be worth-while, which leaves me all to frequently stuck.in.the.house.

PS - did your kids have acid reflux?.. bad enough for meds? i read that acid reflux babies have a harder time with sleep, even after the acid refux is no longer a problem. this has proven true for DS. DD, i could drag her around all day, she wouldn't care.

 

I go out all the time but I have to force myself. I always take a carrier so I can carry 1 of the boys in it should they fuss. I get stressed but the benefits outway the stress. The boys love looking around and I get the better at organizing and handling them each time. I have a 6 year old son so staying home is not an option.

 

The more you go, the better you (and they) will get at it. You will find ways to make it easier. It breaks up the day to go out. Good luck!

 

Easier said that done! I was looking forward to trying to get out today with DH here. Both woke at the same time today but DD took forever to go down for her first nap and was falling asleep just as DS was waking up. Then she took a long time for 2nd nap and now they are way outta sync..... I really wanted to get out with them and DH and now feeling sad