Line 'em all up! (aka out & about while outnumbered by toddlers)

As any parent knows, getting out of the house with a baby/toddler/preschooler is, well, not always easy.  Times two or more?  Overwhelming and seemingly impossible, especially at first.  I really didn’t go out much the first few months after my twins were born, mostly due to the constant breasfeeding and nap attempts, but at some point as a stay-at-home parent of 3 young kids I found I really had to, both to get things done and to maintain sanity (mine and theirs!).  

I think a lot of it is just trial and error, learning from your mistakes and what works best for you and your kids.  Once you have few tricks in your bag, or your kids are old enough to be slightly reliable, things DO get a lot easier.  The hardest part for me still is getting us all ready and OUT the damn door in the first place.  I’m sure they won’t work for everyone, but here a few things I have learned along the way: 

-Until they were walking (or about a month after) I relied heavily on the stroller (or carts) even for short trips.  I would sometimes wear one or both in carriers (I did this for Emma’s daycare dropoffs that were a block down the street from our house).  But, they were smaller then — I hardly ever wear them now!  Up until recently I have been known to do the double heft (more of a dangle) with one kid under each arm, but thats not exactly graceful or comfortable for us all.  I still use the stroller if its a longer walk or if I know we will be somewhere awhile.  I use snacks to keep them in there if they get antsy and try to always keep moving. 

–About a month after they started walking (so 16ish months) I started ditching the stroller for short runs in, like preschool dropoff for Emma. I would park close, get one baby out, then have her sit on the floor of the car on the side where I was unbuckling her sisters.  My body/leg would block her from climbing out. Then I would walk them in with a hand holding each (or in a pinch, I hold both of their hands in one of mine, like to open doors, etc).  Backpack as a diaper bag is key here — so I have two hands free.  Its gotten easier as they’ve become steadier walkers, for sure.  

–Around 18 months I had the idea to start teaching them to "stand on the wall" — or against the car, a counter, etc.  At Emma’s school we can park right up against the sidewalk so I have them stand with their backs touching the wall of the building.  They stand there, frozen, like glue — its amazing (and feels somewhat militant, but oh well)!  I had to work with them on it but two months later I feel totally comfortable leaving one against the wall while I get the other in and out of the car, etc.  Its just a routine/procedure they know and it works every time.  It helps in places like the library, too, where I can tell them to stand against the wall/counter while I check out, etc.  Who knows if/when this method will fail me, but for now its working great.  

– I also do things like have them help me carry a bag in, so both girls are holding onto it and we kind of herd along that way.  I remembered seeing daycares where all the kids hold onto a rope, so this is in that vein.  Shopping carts or even my coat can work too — they all hold on and we shuffle along.  Not foolproof, esp. with bolters, but right now its mostly working for us.  

– When they were first walking (and even now sometimes) Elsie would just run off and I found that the shoes with squeakers in them really help me keep tabs on where she is.  Her bolting time is most often in our driveway when she is going around the car while I get Delia, and its great for me to hear where she is and know if and when she is headed for the street.  When I bought those shoes at the twins sale I honestly didn’t know they had squeakers (and prob wouldn’t have bought them if I had known) but its been a worthwhile purchase for us.  

–I would absolutely consider backpack harnesses/leashes, too.  There were a few months (16-19 or so) where I thought seriously about them but never got around to it and now I am finding I don’t need them.  I think.  I am sure things could get dicey again as we enter the 2′s…

–At 20 months in they are really good about holding my hand, so I walk them most places with one on either side of me no problem.  If we are going a long way Elsie will balk at holding hands (she used to refuse for even shorter stints) but I have just insisted for in/out things in parking lots or on streets (and if she refused I carried her in one arm while walking Delia in the other) so she has finally accepted it.  

Luckily, Emma is extremely cautious so I don’t often have to worry about her straying away from me too far, especially around cars.  She will just walk next to us or hold onto something of mine and I am extremely grateful for that.  Whew.  

"standing against the wall", or rather, the car… 

Related posts: