Expecting Twins: How do I do this on a budget

ntm1

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 8:45 am

amother wrote:

My twins are under 6 months and I have zero help with them besides my cleaning lady that comes everyday. They are good babies, they are on the same schedule, sleeping at night . I thought to myself: the most important thing for me this year is to take care of the newborns , so my husband helps with the other kids, cleaning lady does the house and I do the babies. Maybe its me, but I dont want more ppl in my house, enough that I have the msid...I breastfeed them, yes, in the beginning it was very hard, but its the most economic way, and it gets easier with time. I do have some formula or pumped milk in case I can't breastfeed than, but I barely use it. 2 car seats, 2 cribs eventually, 2 bouncers , these are a must. I got 2 bamboo sets and 2 baby gym bec they really like , so far I started to feed then in the bamboo seat and the 1 gym I had became small. 1 have one swing and 1 baby carrier , only one baby likes the swing and the carrier is a biiiig help when u need to hold both. I m very happy with my double stroller, a valco baby, I didn't buy the double snap and go bec the car seat is very uncomfortable. U ll get a lot of clothing and with time ill see what items are the best for u.

It's funny you say that because my twins thought otherwise...if it was up to them they wldve spent the first 6 months in it. My twins had acid reflux and it actually was really good for them for the first 3 months for sleeping( it did cause a little bit of a flat head but was corrected right away) Otherwise if you feed them and put them to sleep in a crib on their backs it can really bother them in a laying position- (especially if you are a first time mother like me and couldn't understand why they were so uncomfortable).

amother

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 8:55 am

ntm1 wrote:

ewa-jo wrote:

amother wrote:

use cloth diapers. really-look into it. they make great ones today that are not at all hard to use. you will literally save thousands of dollars.

But isn't a new mother's time and effort and energy worth more than a million billion dollars???

I dunno... I don't have twins, but I have had 2 or 3 kids in diapers and I could not imagine cleaning cloth diapers along with all the other chores associated with new babies.

Cloth diapering takes effort... and washing them takes electricity/soap/wear on your washer.

You are totally right.... I know the OP is on a tight budget but I wouldn't save on the diapers. Yes they do at up but target and other companies don't cost that much. Budget on something else.

just wondering, have either of you actually ever used cloth diapers?
I use them and find them not hard at all, most of the time. definitely much easier than I expected.
even using them only part time saves money.

amother

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 9:10 am

amother wrote:

ntm1 wrote:

ewa-jo wrote:

amother wrote:

use cloth diapers. really-look into it. they make great ones today that are not at all hard to use. you will literally save thousands of dollars.

You are totally right.... I know the OP is on a tight budget but I wouldn't save on the diapers. Yes they do at up but target and other companies don't cost that much. Budget on something else.

wanted to add: anyway it is up to OP to decide whether it is worth her time and energy or not. she asked for suggestions of doing things on a budget-I gave one.

ntm1

Sun, Sep 15 2013, 9:57 am

nope I have never tried the cloth diapers- however I do have twins and I can tell you that I spent a lot of time constantly changing diapers...especially if you don't want them getting a rash and you don't let them sit in them for long periods of time. I don't know the process of cleaning the cloth diapers but I do know when you have twins you need as much time you can get to rest up from one day to the next and there's a lot of other stuff that need to get done in the house. But like you said its just each persons opinion and she can do as she wants.

TwinsMommy

Tue, Sep 17 2013, 11:40 pm

a bumbo seat is to sit babies up who can't yet sit up on their own. I didn't use them at all. I used bouncy seats instead. Same idea but much safer in my opinion.

carrier---- do you mean like a baby bjorn? I had a single and a double (made by some knock off company)--- the double was like wearing a bra full of bowling balls--- it wasn't comfortable to wear both twins and walk more than a half a block. So I usually used the single baby bjorn (VERYYYY comfy) for one twin and held the other one at the same time. I could walk a few blocks that way.

spring13

Thu, Oct 17 2013, 7:22 pm

Ikea cribs are good - the Baby Bargains ladies recommend them as far as I remember.

Otherwise, start shopping now, ayin hara or no. It'll be easier if you spread out the expenses a bit. Look around for consignment stores, which can be really useful.

Check out http://www.lovedbaby.com/bigfind.php every Thursday. They have nicer quality baby stuff for $5 (a huge discount), you can stock up on basics like stretchies and cotton pants and shirts in coordinating colors.

Babycheapskate.com posts regularly about the best prices on various types of gear, including diapers and wipes. If you sign up for Amazon Mom and arrange for regular deliveries of certain supplies (subscribe n save), you can end up getting extra discounts - plus it saves you the trouble of having to schlep case after case of things home. You can get snacks and household items of all kinds that way.

Look into the Britax B-Ready stroller. If you get that with two compatible infant carseats, you won't need any other stroller or snap-n-go at all. Which ought to save both money and space!

Black Friday is coming up. Keep an eye on the special sales at places like Babies R Us, you might be able to score the best possible price on some things then.

working hard

Fri, Oct 18 2013, 11:55 am

I have two bouncers which made a very big difference. I use them when both kids are crying. I have 1 large gymini from Tiny Love - excellent. I have two swings which I no longer use. PM me if you want one. All those people who said they have tons of clothing - I need more clothing for them. Where can I get? Where did you get all of the clothing?