Flying with Twins for the First Time and Twins Exploring...

My twins recently tured two and I just took down the super yard two weeks ago that I used to corral them into the living room. They would cry and try to escape but with two it seemed impossible to supervise and guide them in correct behaviour and be able to cook a meal. Start child proofing now for one day soon when you let them out. We use a retract a gate at the bottom of our stairs and then have the downstairs separated into two sections so that we can always see what they are getting into. Also, let me add, I wanted to teach them proper touching and 'house proof' the children but it was too overwhelming to be home alone and try this when they were both into different things! Start with small doses of supervised freedom and build from there :)

For the flight, brings lots of food to give them during the flight (we used to bring fruit, yogust, graham crackers, and drinks). Just make sure they are drinking or eating as you descend. If you want to make sure they do eat, then bring fun food for that portion of the flight, like cookies.

I would not let them explore the rest of the house at that age unless you are with them at every step of the way.

In regards to flying, bring light weight strollers for the girls. The airlines have a habit of tossing and breaking things and strollers are no exception so if you don't need your heavy duty comfy stroller, don't bring it. Also, be aware that their noses might get dry during the flight so ask your pediatrician what you should use to prevent that. My pediatrician recommended saline solution but I ended up not having to use it. I just kept my little one in my carrier and head covered.

I am amazed that another mother has blocked a play area for her children. I did this for at least 2 years with most of my children. I have six. Do you have an area that you can hang out near the girls' play area? I found when they start complaining if Mom or another older child can get in and sit and play with the toys for a few minutes it will extend the play time. I would think that letting them roam the entire house might be too much with their age and the fact that there are two of them. If you have the room, add another extension to the playgate and put some of their bigger toys inside. Also realize that they may start climbing on the bigger toys and falling on the playgate may become an issue. If you want to eliminate the small play area, you could buy a doorway gate so you can block off an entire room. I was lucky that our family room could be divided in half for my little ones. They make large doorway gates that help for the larger doorways. Good luck!

Hi! I am also a mother of 1yr. old twin girls and we just purchased that octagon-gate thing (today in fact!) because one of our girls is getting into EVERYTHING!! She wants everything she cannot have! For a while now, we have been letting the girls scoot all over the house in their baby walkers so I would highly recommend those! Although, your twins are probably walking by now....

I have not taken the girls on any vacations yet so I do not have any advice on that... but we are planning a trip up to Oregon this July or August, the girls will be about 18 months so I could use some advice myself!

I just traveled with our twins who were 15 months for their first flight. It was 3 hours and I scheduled it for the late morning so they would nap. Well, one napped and the other one we had to entertain the whole time. They never screamed or were a nuisance to others but it was a lot of work. If it is financially doable I would recommend paying for a seat and putting them each in their car seats. we had ours on our laps and it worked for a short flight but longer than 3 hours would have worn us out! also bring your ERGO or carrier so you can stand and bounce them some where safe on the plane or comfort them if they are on your lap. this worked really well for us. another thing is you can not have the two of them in the same row. we traveled w my parents and they had one and we sat across with the other. We brought small books and stickers and each had their own blanket. no matter what you bring it is only going to hold their attention for a short time. and ask for free stuff like cups and straws which helps keep them busy too. Good luck!!

I am a mother of 18mos old twins and we flew with them for the first time when they were 14mos. It was just a 1 hour flight but they did very well. It really helps to make sure they drink something during landing and take-off to clear their ears. To keep them busy I would suggest maybe a portable DVD. Also, take a few of their favorite toys.

I also have a 2 story and have kept my twins confined to our family room until just the last few months. Now they have run of the downstairs for a good part of the day but still confine them at times. It is a lot of work at first to constantly have to tell them what they cannot touch but they learn eventually. We started using the playpen as a time out area when they touch something they are not suppose to since they are too young to just make them sit somewhere. We just leave them for maybe 3 mins or so and it does seem to work. Hope this helps!

I have two kids, a 4 year old and a 2 year old. When our 4 year old was little we kept him safe by using the Super Yard as a perimeter in the living room. It was nice because I could leave him to put away clothes, do dishes and shower. On the other hand, he REALLY suffers because he has little impulse control. He has a really hard time when he isn't supposed to be touching something and was a runner anytime we went somewhere. Now I think SOME of it is his personality but after having a second and doing traditional child proofing I an tell you that at 2 years old he listens much better and has far more self control than my 4 year old. I really think it was because he had to learn early on that there were things he couldn't touch, climb on or get into in the house. Where as, my 4 year old never had access to anything but his toys. For instance, my 2year old had to learn not to play in the plant dirt, not to touch the buttons on the tv, not to get into the DVD cabinet, etc. My 4 year old has some what caught on, he's smart enough not to run off at the park now because he knows about strangers and he won't touch the stove because he now understand the danger.

But all in all if I could do it over I would do it with more traditional methods.
Don't get me wrong the gates have their place, their great in the back yard to put around the BBQ so the kids can't get to close, they're awesome for camping, we made a large yard so the kids couldn't wander off and we could sit down and relax.

Hope this gives you an idea and help you out. :o)