3 under 2 eek!

[hairram]

Well in feb next year this will be me! Freaking out a bit a the time goes on.. I have boy girl twins who are 19 months old and will be 21 months when baby comes... Looking for some advice and inspiration from mummies who have been in my position. I really want to bf, how do i entertain the twins whilst bfing? How am i gonna cope by myself when df goes back to work? I was going to try and TT the twins before feb but i just dont think they are ready

[mim1]

I don't have a small age gap with my kids, but I have found that BFing is a lot easier this time around. My ds was a super slow feeder, especially in the first 6 weeks, but my dd is a super fast feeder, often needing 5 minutes a side only ... and for the first 4 weeks often slept for 20 minutes between sides. So, I've found that keeping my ds occupied during BFing isn't such an issue and I hope it's the same for you. I suggest you plan to BF on the couch using a BFing cushion for extra support and freeing up your arms to attend to the twins. Having a special bag of goodies (like books or fingerpuppets) to bring out at feed time might help as well.

The key to surviving when your dh goes back to work is to get as much help from friends/family as possible. Get a cleaner, make basic meals that require very little preparation (freeze as many as possible before hand), and spread out your helpers so that you don't have everyone wanting to help you on a Monday and no-one from Tuesday - Friday. You might also consider occasional care for the twins every now & again if you can find a good place. Oh and get your groceries home delivered. I just restarted my Aussie Farmers deliveries so that I don't need to go to the shops mid-week for milk & bread ... they deliver them to my door for free :).

All the best!

[SuperGranny]

hi, this was me thirty years ago, but a single child followed by twins, so not quite the same. Breastfeeding is easy, if you have already fed twins, one bub is a walk in the park. I agree with getting helpers organised, or if you just have one emergency help on call, that will be good. Home delivery of groceries would be great, once a week or even once a fortnight for a house cleaner, if you can afford that. As for the toilet training, personally, I wouldnt bother. If the twins are showing an interest in using a potty or toilet, then yes, but you really wont have that much extra work with the new bub in nappies. Once you feel settled with the new bub, then you can see about toilet training. good luck, Marie.