Suggestions on how to bottle feed both at the same time?

I'm looking for suggestions on how to deal with some issues we are having when trying to bottle feed both at the same time. our girls are 5 weeks old, one has reflux. I'm really struggling to feed both at the same time. I've tried using the bobby pillows and bouncy chairs, but the feeds never go well, esp. for the one with reflux. She needs more attention when feeding because of the gagging and need to burp every oz. And both of them don't eat as much when I feed them together b/c of all the starting and stopping and they are eating more often. We are trying to keep them on a 3.5 to 4 hour feeding schedule, which is easily done when I can feed one right after the other. Just don't know how to keep them staggarded any more, other than giving nearly an hour inbw each one's feeding. However, this makes night time miserable and I won't get any sleep.

When both get hungry at the same time and I'm by myself, I just really stress out b/c I know its going to be a bad feed for both. I try to hold one off, but its never successful and they usually start getting beyond upset crying. So frustrating.

Any suggestions on what may have worked for you in the past? I'm hoping this will get better as they get a bit bigger. Anyone else have this issue?

 

It sounds like they aren't going to be able to eat at the same time for a while. My boys were the same way, they needed to be fed seperately and they were probably at least 7 months old before I could feed them both at the same time because of reflux and poor feeding skills.
I always fed them one after the other and yes there was always one who was mad but I only had two hands so I did the best I could. I would always feed the faster eater first no matter what that way I wasn't dodling foever with the first one. Often I would be feeding one on the couch and have the other in the bouncy chair that I would be bouncing with my foot or in the swing. This was a challenge at first but we got the hang of it and the boys eventually stopped fussing so much while waiting because they were eating better being fed one on one and we were having less problems with the reflux because of it
Best of luck

 

I never liked feeding them at the same time either. It was tough. The way I did it was to sit at the end of the couch, next to the arm. I put a car seat next to me on the couch and put one baby in the car seat. Then I put a boppy pillow around my waist. I put one baby on the side of the boppy, so she was wedged right between the arm of the couch and the boppy pillow. Then I got the 2nd baby out of the car seat and put her on my lap in the boppy the regular way.
Oh, and of course, before I began any of this I had to make sure I had both bottles within reach of my spot on the couch or it wouldn't work.

 

I would lay them on their sides and slightly prop the bottle with a blankie, i know its not recommended but i always watched them and was able to control the bottles. This worked wonderfully for me and i still do it and they are now four months. It was also great for those middle of the night feedings when they were both screaming their heads off for food. Good luck.

 

When I am bottle feeding at the same time, I sit in the middle of the couch with a baby on either side of me propped in a boppy. I turn the babies so that their heads are close to my thighs & pop the bottles in. They don't have a problem taking bottles this way.

I use the same format if I'm breastfeeding & need to bottle feed one twin just enough to tide him/her over until their turn at the breast. I have one baby on a boppy on my lap & the other in a boppy on the couch beside me.

 

My babies are 13 weeks and both have pretty bad reflux so feeding them together has never worked for us due to the burping, etc. Also, they were too small for a long time. Now they are finally a good enough size to do it, but like I said, they have to be burped, etc, too often to do it that way.

We feed them every 3-4 hours and whoever wakes first in the a.m. is the one who's usually fed first all day. We feed that baby and then the other one about 30 minutes after that one has finished so they end up eating one hour after each other. It's an imperfect system, but it seems to be working and is much easier now that they are a little bigger and can go a little bit longer between feeds.

Good luck!

 

Try bunching up a blanket and putting it under the bottle, you will still have to help balance it and keep it in their mouth but it will be much easier than trying to hold the bottle in the exact position yourself... might help you feed both at the same time. When ours were this young sometimes we could feed both this way for like the first 1/2 of the bottle (which for some reason they seemed to take better) and then switch to holding and feeding one at a time for the second half of their bottles.

This is a very tough time but you WILL get through it. They will get strong and they will also get over their feeding issues!!

 

I use a "TV pillow". It has a back and arms that you can get at Bed bath and beyond for $20. I prop both up on it and give them their bottle. I have been using this technique since I was left to be on my own with them. I stil use it and the girls are 10.5 months old! Best $20 I ever spent!

 

Mine were also unable to double feed at that age. But now, I put one in the bouncy and one on the bed or couch, and I bend over with one bottle in each hand. This hurts my back, so I only go for a few minutes--just enough to calm them--then I finish the one on the bed/couch and burp that one, put him/her in a safe place and finish the one in the bouncy. I also use a blanket to prop my arm--definitely helps to keep it from getting tired out.

 

I put them on either side of me in car seats - they are more upright then bouncies or boppies....

 

At that age and with the reflux (ours did too) I would feed them individually if you can. We fed them one at a time alot. But if I had to double feed, I would either put them in bouncies back to back and rest my elbows on the sides of the chair and double feed, I would also put them in a boppy and feed them at the same time. Have you tried bottle proppers? We used Little Wonders bottle bundles.

 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

 

I could never do it either. Sounds about the same as us - we had one that had really bad reflux and needed special attention. I tried the bouncy seats and bumbos too and I think I found that I would be more stressed out after trying it. I found that if I put one in the bouncy chair at the end of the chair while I fed the other I could bounce it with my foot to keep her entertained. It worked for a while now they aren't usually hungry at the same time so I don't worry about it. It gets better!!

 

Hi,
I normally feed one after the other if I can - but they sometimes don't give me a choice! When I'm on my own and they are both demanding to be fed at the same time I lay both across my lap with their heads next to each other and then have both hands free for a bottle in each hand. I then wind them over my shoulder one at a time, making sure they dont kick their sister in the head!! This works well at the moment - my girls are 2 months old - this may change when they get a bit bigger!
Good Luck!
C

 

I was able to feed my twins at the same time because only one had reflux and the other was a champion eater. I'd start them out in the car seats on either side of me (I sat on the floor in between leaning up against the couch) and used big blankets bunched up if I needed to prop one to burp the other. My good eater had no problems eating with it propped so my refluxer could get the attention she needed. I work with triplets that have severe reflux and are very poor eaters. Most of the time they need so much attention that you can only feed one at a time. If I'm feeding one and somebody else is freaking out, I'll sit on the floor, get the one I'm holding eating well and then try to feed the freaking out one in the boppy next to me. Sometimes it will work, sometimes they just have to freak til the first is done. They'll get stronger and will begin eating faster and better eventually.