2 babies under the age of 1.

polejunkie

Not twins.

I have just found out I am due the day before my babies 1st birthday so will possibly have 2 babies under 1.

Apart from sinking a large bottle of gin, I am kidding for those who take offence to everything, how do you cope?

Termination is out of the question so need practical and honest advice on how to deal with 2 little chunky monkeys.

I have not had a scan yet so just going by rough dates and docs examination, could be 3 under 1 for all i know, lol :eek:

quintwins

hi i wouldn't panic too much i'm a twinny mummy and you cope you have to, at one you'll have started weaning so it won't feel like you always have a bottle in your hand and your oldest will be able to play on his/her own for short periods of time while you deal with the baby

my advice would be start batch cooking soon i found being pregnant with kids to look after really hard and we had quite a few takeaways and readymeal type things (like pizza and quiche not bing meals)

candygirl

My Bro has two kids just over 12 months apart, and it was very hard work at first, but now they get on really well and everyone asks if they're twins:D:D:D
Good luck hun:D

MrsBunny

I helped my sister in law with my twin neices when they were born a great deal and we found a 'routine' was the key to sucess! Of course there were days where everything went to pot but the good outway the bad!

Also some 1 to 1 time with each child will help too, of course this will depend on other help from OH and also when baby is a little older. Even 8 years on my bro and sister in law still have 1 to 1 time with my nieces - 1 hour on a saturday and then the other child another hour on a sunday. They do alsorts, i know the best thing is when they go to the local forest - dad and child 1 goes one way, mum and child 2 goes the other and then they meet up for a picnic afterwards! Other activities include helping with homework, reading, baking, bike riding - what ever my nieces fancy really!

I hope to adopt there attitude to bringing up kids when i start my family :-)

congratulations and I am sure you will be fine :-)

ragz_2

Mine first two were 13 months apart, I didn't find it that bad, easier in a lot of ways than a bigger age gap as after the first year they play together really well, no jealousy as eldest doesn't remember his brother NOT being there. You'll cope with whatever happens, we all do, that's what being a Mum is all about. My MIL had two kids then twins and she managed fine.

Anyway, not exactly old style or moneysaving really, have you tried Mumsnet or Netmums? You may get a better response and more advice.

sandraroffey

my two youngest are only 13 months apart. and the key to a happy existance is routine, routine, routine. get a routine established and dont waver from it!!!!

everyone thought they were twins and even now, in their mid 20's they are still very close.

then, my youngest one, she had twins of her own. again, routine, routine, routine. really, its the only thing that works.

Gettingtherequickly

Congrats on bump, you will deal with it, yes there will be hiccups, but nothing that you won't be able to cope with. When you are having an off day, just think about neighbours of mine, had twins and another set when the first set were 11 months. They all survived the stress of it!

polejunkie

Sorry this was meant to go on the families board, thanks for all the replies though.
Still not sunk in yet

Bean_Counter

Our two are only 10 1/2 months apart. I find that you quickly get used to it as you are still in baby mode, not having to remember how to sterilise bottles etc, still got the baby toys around etc.

Also as they get older they tend to be interested in the same type of toys etc and I have found that they play very well together, much more than their friends who have siblings say three years or so older.

Ida_Notion

My first two were born fourteen months apart, and although they've got quite different personalities and interests they've pretty much always got on. Admittedly my eldest sulked and ignored me for the best part of a day after I'd brought his brother home, but he's easily bought and I think it only took one Farley's rusk for his usual sunny self to reappear They're in their early twenties now, and while there's generally a lot of good natured teasing that's gone over the years and still does, from Day One they would each stick up for the other in a heartbeat if the crunch came to the crunch. I have vivid memories of discovering one day when they were small that kids grow a lot quicker than I thought they did, after being alerted by the presence of an almost empty Calpol bottle on the kitchen work top to the fact that they could reach the seemingly out-of-the-way place that I'd put it. Neither would confess to having drunk it, and neither would tell tales on the other and so both had to be carted off to the children's hospital to have their stomachs emptied. Extreme solidarity

When the youngest was just about big enough to be curious about what the world was doing, but still small enough to howl with outrage at any interest from his equally inquisitive brother, I used to sit him in his bouncy chair in the middle of the playpen while the oldest roamed around outside it. He seemed to find it fascinating watching his big brother doing his thing, and on the surface at least it worked well. However, I suspect that the exchange of toddler babbling and baby gurgling that passed between them could well have been translated into plots to Tippex parts of the lounge one day (including the TV screen!) and other examples of future villainy and demolition

From a moneysaving point of view, one good thing about having kids born close together is that you've probably still got a lot of the baby gear from the first time round and won't have to buy sterilizers, bouncy cradles and first size clothes etc all over again. By the time mine got to two or three years old they were both the same size and mostly had identical clothes. I did not dress them identically every day, but having two of everything did at least mean that if one wore out first it could easily be used to repair the other if it started to go the same way.

Lastly, when choosing a double buggy, don't forget to pick something that can accommodate a good-sized shopping tray beneath it so that you don't have to rely on expensive car trips to take advantage of multi-buys and family sized economy packs of stuff. Bear in mind though that picking something too generously proportioned can see you wedged with two kids in tow into the fruit and veg shop doorway. Don't ask me how I know this one...

taliwillow

My 2nd was born 3 days before my 1st turned 1. I can't really tell you how I managed because it was all such a blur to me that I can't really remember. I think I muddled through until my youngest was 1 and suddenly could see more clearly and thought 'oh my gosh, I got through it and we are all still here and ok!'. There are still more difficulties after that but things do seem to get easier for a bit, then we go through a rough patch but it is really nice that they are now at the age where they can play together really nicely (or try to kill each other) and they like to do the same things. Everything we buy or do is always in 2's now as they are both girls and being so close in age they want most things the same.