where do you go with your babies? I need your help to get out of the house more

I'm a real scaredy-cat. Hate to admit it but have never yet been out with both babies on my own. Have been out shopping, driving and for lunch with DH and the girls but never alone.
A couple days ago finally got up my courage to go out with my mother and the babies for lunch. Things went ok and I could imagine doing it myself.
So I wanted to ask you ladies where do you go with your babies? Except for shopping what else do you do with them? For example, would you take them with you to your hairdresser appointment 0r something like that? Where's the strangest place you've taken them with you to? Have you gone somewhere where you though it would be very difficult and it worked out ok? What has been fun for you and what do your babies enjoy or dislike?
I'm sure your stories will give me courage to step out more.
One of my new years resolutions was to get out with the girls at least 3 times a week!!!

 

I'm a real scaredy-cat. Hate to admit it but have never yet been out with both babies on my own. Have been out shopping, driving and for lunch with DH and the girls but never alone.
A couple days ago finally got up my courage to go out with my mother and the babies for lunch. Things went ok and I could imagine doing it myself.
So I wanted to ask you ladies where do you go with your babies? Except for shopping what else do you do with them? For example, would you take them with you to your hairdresser appointment 0r something like that? Where's the strangest place you've taken them with you to? Have you gone somewhere where you though it would be very difficult and it worked out ok? What has been fun for you and what do your babies enjoy or dislike?
I'm sure your stories will give me courage to step out more.
One of my new years resolutions was to get out with the girls at least 3 times a week!!!

 

The only thing we did solo with the babies (i.e., just DH or me, but not all 4 of us) for most of the first year was go strollering. But we did it a LOT. They slept in the stroller (they still do, though not as much), and we could walk for an hour or two, and even stop for coffee. If they woke up while I was having coffee, I would take them out of the stroller one at a time and bounce them on my lap (or, when they got bigger, let them crawl around on the floor).

This also works at the mall, if the weather is bad. Basically anywhere that you can take the stroller, you can go with two 4-month-olds. Who knows what the babies get out of it (though I think they do enjoy the change of scenery), but the important thing is that YOU get out!

 

I have made it my personal mission to make my girls love the mall. I usually take them and walk the mall at least once a week. Its excercise for me and they love looking at everything. Sometimes I also just take them to walmart just to get out of the house. Once you start taking them out on your own you will get more and more comfortable with it. Are you a member to a gym with an indoor track? That would be a good idea too.

 

Try the park when the weather is better. Babies can lay on a blanket and you can read a novel or flip through a magazine.
Go to the library and browse or the bookstore.
Have coffee at Starbucks...infant carrier time is precious and you won't be able to do this easily later! I would suggest this three times per week!!
Go for playdates through your church, Mother of Multiples, or Parents as Teachers.
I would avoid salons, too fume-y.
I would at their age take them to my doctors appts because mine were really content in their carriers. Now is a different story. You just have to be prepared, binkies and such.

I've taken my three everywhere practically, even to church by myself. I figure if all completely breaks down, nothing I am doing is so critical that it can't be called off.

What helps me is that I have a backup kit in my diaper bag of feeding stuff. When I leave the house, I pack for the next feeding or two, but it is always a nice reassurance to know that we have one more bottle and some jarred food, bibs and spoon in there in case. Also, try to anticipate the feedings so if you have to do one at a time, the other won't be going nuts.

HTH!

 

I always go to the mall a lot with them and stores, but nothing else really. DH is with them when I have a hairdresser appt or dr's appt, except 1x I had to go to the dr out of the blue and he couldn't get off, so I just took them with me. Albeit that my docotr is also their pedi, so I didn't really care much.

 

I could use this advice too. My twins are 6 months and I rarely every get out. It seems like everyone recommends the mall but I would be tempted to buy stuff which I shouldn't.

 

My twins are almost 13 weeks and recently I've made it a mission to get out of the house with them once a day for several reasons:

It's good exercise for me.

They like fresh air. (Even if they only get it to and from the car and stores)

They sleep better.

It's a great sense of accomplishment. (Even if it's just returning something at the Target)

Makes me brush my hair and teeth. (seriously.)

Some examples of where we've been going are: Target, Walmart, the Mall, Home Depot (they love the lights), the deli, pick up a swing I found on Craigslist, and I took them to a Dr.'s appt. of mine.

Babies R Us has awesome bathrooms for bf'ing and changing. So does Macy's. Stay away from the Walm art bathrooms. yuck! And once you get a feed and change, you've just bought yourself 2-3 more worry free hours out!

Get out there!

Good luck!

 

Near me (San Jose, CA) we have movie theaters that do "Diaper Days" showings - when you can bring babies & toddlers to the movies - usually every other Wednesday. It's really great - I've been able to keep up on current movies and bring my twins to the show. They don't fully dim the lights and everyone else has fussy babies, so you aren't nervous that your babies might bother others. Of course, I'm the only mom there with twins, but I feed them right before leaving the house and they usually sleep right through. Only once did one baby wake up and I just held her on my lap.

 

Get out there and do it girl! You can do it!

Some places I go ... Moms support group at the hospital, we belong to two baby playgroups, we meet friends for coffee or lunch, we go on walks, and various places to run errands. I usually keep it to one outing a day, because that is all I can handle, and it is hard (by hard I mean the physical part of getting the babies in the seats, getting the seats in and out of the car, and setting up the stroller). But it makes such a difference to get out of the house. We all (the babies and myself) feel great being out - it is tiring taking them out, but so is staying home with them!

It'll be really hard at first but once you start doing it regularly, you'll get used to it and it gets easier. Start small and work up to what you can handle.

 

DH is in the military. He first left when the twins were 6 weeks old for 6 weeks. We have no family around to help. I had no choice but to take the babies with me everywhere, especially since I breastfeed and the babies won't take a bottle. Most of the time, I took all four kids with me, but it was nice a few times when a friend offered to watch the older two while I went to the grocery store.

I have taken the babies with me to hair appointments! Even once while I got a perm. My hairdresser is very understanding and gave me one of the empty massage rooms to nurse while my hair was setting. However, I won't take my girl who just turned 3. There's no way she could keep still for me. I had a friend watch her.

Whenever I go out, I always make sure the babies are fed and changed first. I usually try not to go anywhere more than 2 hours or make too many stops while running errands. It's just so much work getting all the kids in and out of the van.

You can do it. It's just a bit more work and planning. I just go stir crazy if I'm in the house too long. I have to get out every day or I start feeling down.

 

I'm chimming in here too. I take them everywhere. We're not constantly gone all week, but I at least get out once if not twice during the week by myself. I go stir crazy just being here. We've gone everywhere mentioned above too.
There was even a couple times during the holidays I had to trek to the post office. This was a chore. I had boxes that I put in the post office first,lock the car with the girls in it only a couple of steps to the front door of P.O. then had to unload both girls and carry them in their carriers. Post office I go to is pretty small so no one would take off with my packages, and no room for a double stroller. Everyone was very kind once they noticed how loaded down I was. They moved the boxes in line for me and held open doors.
When I discovered the USPS had a website you could ship from home and they'd pick up packages from my house I was all over that!
Needless to say if at all possible, avoid the Post Office with large packages. Completely doable, but it was hassle.
HTH, Good luck and get out there girl!

 

Since my other kids are 2,4, and 6, we do alot of kid friendly things. We go to the Library for story time. We have play dates with friends a lot. Mostly, I admit, we are at the doctor. At least weekly somebody needs something. The grocery store and Walmart are also good places to go (but only when it's not busy).

 

I've done quite a lot by myself and the twins (and my oldest when she's not in preschool). Museum, indoor play area, play groups, supermarket, walking to Starbucks (half a block) and go for a stroll, visit friends, go to the parc, stores ... pretty impressive, if I may say so. I go outside every single day, that's a promise I made myself, including taking a shower every morning (no matter who cries) and getting everybody dressed.

Also nice things to do are story times at book stores and/or libraries. I plan to start Gymboree in a couple of months on a day that my oldest is in preschool.

 

I forgot.......

I took my 10 week old twins to traffic court! And the cop who gave me the speeding ticket (36 in a 30 - sheesh ) fast-tracked me through. He went out of his way to make sure I was the 1st to see the judge. No traffic school - and the ticket stays off my record. To top it off, the bailiff helped me load everything back in the car!

So get out there - people are very helpful to twin moms.

 

I take my two walking to pick up my 7 yo from school every day. We don't bother with a stroller, just one or sometimes two slings. This week I went into court to answer a complaint, the post office and just walking the neighborhood. Today in the post office, Nevan was screaming because it was so hot in there and the ladies let me skip the whole line (12 people) to get out ASAP. Just like the PP people can be very kind to twin moms!

I'm trying to walk every day since it is so unseasonably warm and its going great. We have stopped for coffee, browse the Main Street. We have not done the mall, I used to do that with my son and that was fun too.

 

I took the babies to the Christmas parade (Micah was in it) and then took all three little ones to the bowling alley. Micah and I had a great time bowling while they were awake and when they went to sleep we took them with us into the arcade (it's not a loud one and I covered the stroller with a blanket to keep out the lights. I take them with me daily to drop off/pick up Micah from daycare (they start on 01/15 so I'm also trying to acclimate them to the infant teachers) almost daily trips to WalMart/Winn Dixie, walk down by the beach, boy scout meetings...could go on and on. There are very few places I wouldn't take them, for now anyway...they may be difficult to get in and out of the vehicle but they are WAY easier to deal with than a 3 yr old and that's what I'm used to.

BTW- Erykah...this is the 1st time I say the pic of your cuties...must say, ADORABLE!!!

 

When my babies were 6 weeks old, my 5 year old started swimming lessons. I had all four of us ready and to the pool by 11 AM each morning for two weeks in a row. The first day I think I started getting ready two hours early. LOL But after that two weeks, I felt like I could really pretty much take them anywhere on my own, and I have. It definitely gets easier the more you do it.

 

Sams Club is great too - they have double carts (for when the kids are old enough to sit in the cart...

 

I took them everywhere. When they were 2 1/2 months old I took both the girls and their 2 1/2 year old sister to Chuck E. Cheese to meet up with my friend with her 5 year old and 2 year old twins and another friend with a 5 year old and 2 year old twins. That was an adventure! But it all worked out. After that I would take them to the mall, shopping, meet with friends at McDonald's playplaces, the park, the zoo, the museum, etc. At 12 months I took them and their 3 1/2 year old sister to the pool by myself. When they were 7 months old I brought them to my gyn appt. I could only go during the day and Mom couldn't take the day off and no one else could watch them for me. So I had one baby sitting on my chest and one in the stroller while I was being checked out! That was fun! Once you get out with them more and more it becomes easier. I would just plop them in the stroller and we could go anywhere. Granted it does take more time to get out of the house and it does take more time to do everything while you are out but it becomes second nature to do it. Good luck getting out of the house! It makes such a difference in the day to get out for a bit.

 

I've gone out with my boys often, mostly grocery shopping -- or the mall or walking outside. I also have a twins playgroup that we do once a week. met all th emoms at our mother of twins organization. It's a great resrouce if you have one locally. I highly recommend it.

Now they are 4.5 months and we're having to stay closer to home to make sure they get their napping schedule structured.

Get out, it's very freeing and helps you mentally deal with it all.

Teri D

 

It is so tempting to never go anywhere with twins, but it's great you are trying to avoid that. You don't need to be insanely ambitious! Go out for a walk with them in the double stroller. Take them with you shopping. Just be well prepared with all your gear packed compactly. I was scared with my first, but then we spent several months traveling around Europe with her and I realized babies really are incredibly mobile. There is no major difference... still the same demands as at home. I don't know about places like the hairdresser or appointments where you will be occupied. That can be stressful since you may need to stop several times to attend to their needs... but even that is doable. Give them bottles as you start and have toys on hand, or they may even fall asleep.

 

How are you able to buy anything if you shop with them?? That's what I don't get.

I haven't really clicked with a Moms group yet which stinks. I just feel it's weird going to playdates and just pretty much leaving my kids in their car seats cause they are too young. I don't want to pull them out of their seats cause then all of the other kids just want to man-handle them and I am not comfortable with that.

 

WE go everywhere now. I have done the post office to mail packages at Christmas, we go to target at least 2x a week. I do grocery shopping with them, walks around the neighborhood, the dollar store. Visiting my old coworkers, the mall. I took them to my OB appointment the other day and it wasn't horrible.

Let's see I think that is about it. I made a point at around 10 or 11 weeks to start taking them out on my own and it was the best thing I ever did it gave me the confidence that I needed to do it all the time.

 

Wow... everyone must live in warm climates and near a city. My husband and I moved from the city to the burbs and I just feel there is NOTHING to do. I would have to travel 1 hour to the city and pay for expensive parking. The park district stuff or library seems like it would be too hard... as one adult is needed for one baby? I guess I just need to figure stuff out and try something. It'll probably be easier once I stop breastfeeding?