Babies

Baby Milestones: Twins and Standing

I am so much enjoying watching these girls grow. It feels like just yesterday that they were scrawny, underweight little newborns. They’ve quickly turned into these pudgy, busy, adorable little girls.

And now we are moving on to the next milestone: standing up!

Although they are both crawling, they are not both standing. For now, we have one stander and one kinda-almost-but-not-quite-yet stander.

Yes, ALL pics of my house show a mess in the background! :razz:

It’s funny too, because sometimes little Emmy will perch up on something ‘standing’ on her knees. Then Maddie will race over and perch on the same thing but standing up all the way, almost like she has to one-up her sister.
When my big boy was a baby, he started walking at 12 months. In fact, I seem to remember that it was on or near his birthday. But, being that it was 10 years ago, I have absolutely no recollection of when the little guy started standing. So this is all new to me (again).
Am I concerned that one twin can stand up and the other one can’t? Nope. Emmy will get there in her own time. Meanwhile, it’s time to put a lid on the trash can cuz Maddie’s diggin’ in!

Weaning Twins from their Sippy Cup

First off, I have to start by saying that I am a big water drinker myself. I carry water where ever I go. I almost obsess about making sure that I drink enough water everyday. So, I thought it was a great idea when the pediatrician recently told us that the girls need to be drinking more water.

Then I ran into a problem. How do you get babies to drink water? Can you have your baby drink water from a bottle? Tried that. Didn’t work. I even went so far as to do the unthinkable- I put a little juice in with a bottle of water (gasp!). They still didn’t like it.

I tried this sippy.

And that sippy.

The girls didn’t want to have anything to do with them. I couldn’t get the babies to drink water at all. It seems to me that, with all of the solid food the girls were eating, wouldn’t they need more water in order to keep from being dehydrated?

While I was looking for answers, I came across some information on sippy cups that I’d like to pass on.

PSSST! It’s ok, you can keep reading even if you don’t have a baby at home. You might learn something . Or, just peruse over to something a little ridiculous, like my stupid, fat rabbit (It’s a love/hate relationship).

Did you know that prolonged sippy cup usage can lead to speech delays in your child? It’s true. Something about the way that the spout pushes against the roof of your mouth, it misplaces teeth in a way that is similar to thumb-sucking. However, my older kiddo used sippy cups and his speech developed normally. I think the key is to make sure you’re not allowing your little one to lie back and slurp on that sippy cup as if it were a bottle.
From what most moms say (and I am NOT a pediatrician, mind you), cold-turkey is the best way to go when it comes to switching from sippy to bottle. And if you’re worried about dehydration, like I was, maybe offering lots of watery fruits could help your baby get some extra fluids until he/she is more adjusted to the cup.
Straw-style cups are much better for kids because there is less of a chance of them having development issues as there would be if you were using a sippy cup.
Ideally, speech and occupational therapists’ first choice is to use an open cup. I know, they’re a pain. We found these cute pink ones by BABYBJORN that the girls actually like (they come in other colors too). My mom always said, “Only pour as much as you want to clean up.” These cups hold no more than 4 oz., so they’re great for beginners.

One thing that seems to be recurring among the advice to moms of sippy cup newbies is this: Be patient. Your baby won’t be drinking from a bottle forever. If you’re persistent and make the change a positive one, your baby will eventually accept a cup.

I hope that this post was at least somewhat informative, or maybe even a bit helpful. We’re still on the sippy /open cup journey, but our girls are just tiny things so I’m not worried. I’d love to hear how the transition to cups went for you, so share in the comments please!

Baby Milestones: Twins and Crawling and Sitting

Do twins learn to do things at the same time? Will both twins start crawling together? Will they begin walking and talking at the same time?

These were some of my questions as a mommy of twins. I was worried that one baby would be making tons of developmental growth and the other would seem ‘behind’. Common sense tells me that worrying about this is silly. I know that every baby grows and develops at her own pace. But in the back of my mind I still wondered…

Well, when it came to crawling, they were ready at nearly the same time. This was both a blessing and a curse for us. One week when they were 7 months old, one baby started making some serious distance. Within a few days, the other was moving right along with her.

That was the blessing. The reason this was a curse per se was because the girls realized that they no longer had to be confined to their quilt on the living room floor. Suddenly there was a kitchen linoleum to explore, with untold goodies like old noodles and sticky raisins, long forgotten about in their hiding spots under the oven. And let’s not ignore the bathroom, which is so meticulously cleaned very often (sensing the sarcasm?).

The need for a baby gate had arisen. Thankfully, we already had one that was being used to keep our big ol’ bunny penned in the kitchen on rainy days.

They didn’t like the gate so we cleaned the floors and shut the bathroom doors. Happiness all around.

Sitting up came almost in sync with crawling. It was like they’d gotten to the toy of choice but, when lying on their tummy, the toy was too close to their face to play with. So they started this kind of sideways lay which turned into a more upright recline and finally that morphed into a sit. Thank goodness. Now babies play with toys and need less mommy and daddy to keep them happy. Not that we don’t play with them. We do that plenty, too.
So there you have it. Crawling, sitting babies. Faster then I thought possible, too.

What about your kids’ milestones? I’d love to read about them in the comments!

Summer Babies: Staying Sun-Safe

Things are really heating up in our part of the country. We live close to great beaches, mountains for walking and picnicking, and are always on the go outdoors somewhere.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

I wasn’t all that concerned about sun safety with my big boy, and I’m not so sure that was a great plan. I was younger and had great skin, but now that I’m a bit older and am starting to see the effects of sun damage to your skin, I want to be more careful with my kids. Especially the baby twins. I did a lot of reading up on sun safety, particularly in regards to babies and sun exposure, and here are some basic facts:

Babies have thinner skin, so they are likely to get a sunburn quicker than adults. Just one sunburn can double their chances of getting malignant melanoma.
The cloud layer may only block out 20% of the sun’s harmful rays. So, even on a cloudy day, babies should be protected from the sun.
UVA rays are responsible for wrinkles and leathery-looking skin. UVB rays will cause sunburn and skin cancer. When choosing a sunscreen, you want a kind that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Some brands advertise that they provide full-coverage by using the term ‘Broad Spectrum’. I’m pretty happy with the Banana Boat Baby that we recently got.
Keeping babies covered and in the shade is important. Babies need to stay cool and out of the sun. Try to keep baby in clothes that cover her arms and legs and wearing a hat.

So…What do you do when you have TWO babies and your kiddo’s sports events keep you at the super-sunny field all day? You and daddy can’t hold them in your arms under a beach umbrella because

That’s a tight squeeze for 4 people
Crawling babies won’t put up with such torture

We got this easy-up beach tent, but it was so long ago that they don’t even make it anymore! This one is similar. I prefer beach tents/ sun shades like these that allow for a breeze. This one is actually a little better than ours because it has sand bags on 3 sides that you can use to weigh it down.

They’re like a half-tent for babies to play inside and crawl all over the place, meanwhile mommy and daddy can still catch big brother’s lacrosse game. Ideally, you want one of these shade thingies that offers extra UV protection, since UV rays can still penetrate the nylon fabric.

Do you have any tips for keeping kiddos from getting sunburned? Share in the comments.

It Goes By So Fast

These are my girls. They are equally beautiful and unique to me. I love the way their hands grab for everything in reach, I love how Emily’s feet are always in the air,

and I love how Madeline has such a loud baby voice when she talks.

Being a mom to newborn twins is not always easy. In fact, it can be very stressful at times. However, it’s true what they say. It does get easier. Especially when you have an awesome, helpful husband like mine. And it’s so fun to watch these teeny people develop their own personalities.

Puréed Bananas Recipe

If you have read any of my other baby food recipes, then this one will look very familiar. Good baby food does not need a lot of ingredients. Just fresh fruits or vegetables, and water.

The thing about bananas is that they brown pretty quickly, so pureéd bananas are best if served right away.

I began by cutting up one small banana and placing it in the blender with a very little amount of water. How much water you use depends on the consistency that you would like for your baby, so I recommend starting with just a little bit and adding more if necessary. I pushed the button on the blender for purée and, voilà!

My girls both ate about a whole small banana. If you are wondering if this is cost-effective for your budget, I believe it is. I bought four bananas for $.89, and that was from a more expensive market that I don’t visit often. That puts each one-banana meal at a cost of about $.23 (at the most), and the cheapest I’ve been able to find jarred baby food was $.50 a jar. So it’s a little messier, but saves a few pennies.

Pureed Squash Recipe

Pureed squash is really easy to make, and turns out nice and smooth when you blend it.

Using 1 acorn squash, cut it up and peel it. I cut it in half, then cut each half into fourths so it was easier to manage. I used a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off.

Chop the acorn squash into chunks of about 1 1/2 inches. Add the chunks to a pot in a steamer basket with a little water undernea

Steam the squash for about 10 minutes, or until it is soft. Let it cool for a few minutes, then add it to the blender with some of the water from the bottom of the pot.

Puree water and squash in the blender for less than a minute. It shouldn’t take long for it to become smooth enough for baby to eat. Don’t forget to rinse your blender or wash it right away! Dried baby food is comparable to CEMENT! And that’s it! Pretty easy, huh?

Homemade Baby Food

When the twins were ready to start on solids, my husband and I couldn’t wait to begin this new stage in their development. We eagerly went to the store and stocked up. We weren’t sure how much they would eat, but thought they would at most consume 3 baby food meals a day. We chose to start with squash. We got some squash in jars, and some that came in 2-packs in these little plastic containers.

Well, at the rate of $1.50 to $2.00 for a 2-pack, it seemed as if baby food had the potential to get pretty expensive. That’s as much as $6.00 a day, or $42.00 a week, or- you get the picture. I looked at the label on the container. It read, “Ingredients: Squash, water”. Uh, I can do that!

So, on the following week’s shopping trip, we didn’t buy jars of pre-made food. As much as I want the best, fanciest of everything for my little girls, my frugal nature just won’t let me do it. I make homemade meals for the ‘big people’ in this family. Why not cook at home for the babies as well? Squash and water? No problem.

Baby Twins: “It Gets Easier”

When the girls were small, every outing was a big ordeal. Packing double the stuff into diaper bags, zipping up 2 jackets, transporting 2 babies in and out of the car and through the store… Leaving the house was exhausting! Other parents of twins would look on with empathy as I juggled all the babies and baby things. They always smiled and assured me not to worry, it gets easier.

Around about the 5th month the girls no longer howled on car trips. They were able to entertain themselves. They would be happy to hang out on the floor and watch a baby movie. So things DID get just a little bit easier. I could put on makeup or fix my hair while they played or watched a movie. We could have a pleasant family day out or go grocery shopping without cringing in the car the whole time. From there, they learned to crawl and get into cupboards and drawers. We stocked the lower kitchen shelves with things we didn’t mind them pulling out and playing with and they entertained themselves while I made dinner. It hasn’t been a breeze raising twins as a working mom, but every day it does get a little bit easier.

Just knowing that other parents have been through what I was going through (and they survived to tell the tale!) was a huge comfort to me. So if you are in the midst of new baby twin craziness, let me assure you: It does get easier!

I’m so glad those parents of twins were telling the truth and not just trying to make me feel better! But you know what? They were right. And now that my twins are older, I’m offering the same glimmer of hope to mommas of new baby twins.

Best Baby Shower Gifts for Twin Pregnancy

“Twice Blessed”, “Two Peas in a Pod”, “Double the Fun”… So many fun ways to express the joys of a twin pregnancy! If you are headed to a party to celebrate the joyous event, I have a few ideas you may want to consider. Here are some practical baby shower gifts for twin Mamas!

When I was expecting, we got a lot of neat stuff. Cute clothes are a fun gift, double sets of bouncers are useful. But I have to say, the MOST practical thing we got was diapers.

I didn’t realize it at the time. We received adorable clothes and useful baby gear as well. I gratefully accepted each package of diapers, and had no idea how thankful I’d be for them later.

As the babies grew, we began to understand how expensive babies (especially twins) can be. Did you know that the average baby has to be changed as much as 8 times a day? For twins, that’s 16 diapers a day! Lets just say that, with the cost of diapers and daycare, we could house a small family in an apartment waaaay nicer than our own!

If you can’t decide on the right size to buy, don’t worry! Let’s say you give your friend Newborn sized diapers (twins, on average, are born at 5 1/2 lbs.), but her twins are born at 9 lbs. and are too big for them. Many stores will exchange diapers that are the wrong size and your friend can get a package of diapers that would fit her babies. I happen to know that Walmart will even exchange a box that’s been opened. Not a bad deal!

Don’t bother with Preemie sized diapers. Not all twins are born as preemies. If your friend’s babies are born early and end up in the NICU (Heaven forbid, but it does happen), the hospital gives you plenty of diapers so she will be ok for quite a while.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that you don’t want to give a gift that would turn out to be a chore for your friend who just had twins. How considerate of you! Go with diapers anyway, but get a size 1. I am sure your friend will use them.

What do you think? Have I convinced you? If not, read here for some other baby shower ideas, especially if your friend is expecting twins!

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