Newborn Twins Checklist (Shopping for Twins)

Today I'm answering a reader question from a mommy-to-be about what to buy before her twin babies arrive. "... Do we really need to buy two of everything?" This was the same question Joey and I kept asking ourselves when we were preparing for Audrey and Antonino's arrival. Well, to help out future twin mom C, I've rounded up three of my past posts on shopping for twins / babies:

If you need tips on what baby gear to buy in twos: Gear for Newborn Twins

For your twins' first night home: What to Prepare for Your Twins' First Night Home

Because contrary to one of the most overused jokes about having twins, twins are NOT two for the price of one: How to Save P100,000 in Baby's First Year

Hope I was able to help, Mommy C! Happy shopping and welcome to twin parenthood!

Are you a fellow twin parent (or parent-to-be)? If there are any specific topics you'd like to read about, please let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you!

Do's and Don'ts For a Successful C-Section Recovery

Don't lift anything heavier than your baby, keep your incision clean and dry, avoid exercise until you get your OB's go ahead, call your OB if there's swelling in your incision or if you have a fever (even if your incision looks fine). These were the standard reminders given to me almost two years ago when I gave birth to Audrey and Antonino via C-section. But what about laughing post-operation? Even weeks after giving birth, laughing would hurt so bad that I would usually end up crying both tears of joy and genuine tears of pain! So for you fellow C-section mamas out there, here are some post-operation do's and don'ts you won't normally hear.

How To Help Your Wiggly Toddler Sit Still During Dinner Parties

It's holiday season once again. It's that time of the year when we shop for gifts, organize/attend plenty of get togethers, and for parents of toddlers, worry about keeping our kids seated during Noche Buena and all those dinner parties.

Audrey and Antonino will be two years old this Christmas and I sometimes feel like telling them to sit still and behave for an extended meal like Noche Buena is a lot to ask. After all, they're both typical toddlers with short attention spans and plenty of energy. We're lucky that we have family and friends who are more than happy to play with the twins whenever they get restless during gatherings so that Joey and I can finish our meals. But of course, we still have to come prepared with some form of entertainment which is why we're always ready with our bag of tricks. And no, it's not just an expression. We really have a huge bag filled with all sorts of toys and supplies that can keep the twins occupied during parties. So today I'm going to share with you what we usually bring with us along with some things we keep in mind when packing our bag of tricks.

Keeping Our Toddlers' Sippy Cups Mold-Free

Joey and I introduced Audrey and Antonino to sippy cups when they turned a year old. It took them a while before they found THE cup. They tried everything from soft spouts to hard spouts to those flat lid types where liquid comes out around the sides of the cup when you suck on the edge of the valve. Still no luck.

Then, we made them try straw sippy cups. They LOVED them. Joey and I... not so much. Why? Because they turned out to be the most difficult to clean. We also read various product reviews which said that some sippy cups have internal components where fluids get trapped, causing mold to grow. What's worse is that in some cups, those components cannot be disassembled. Some parents even sawed through the lids of their kids' cups and found mold. Yikes!

3 Tips To Survive An In-Flight Diaper Change

If you read my post last week, you would know that the twins recently went on their first out of town trip via air and land travel. You must be thinking "Aren't we done with this yet?" Well, I really hope you will bear with me on this topic because that first trip was a huge milestone for Joey and me. I mean, just going out to lunch with the twins takes us hours to get ready. Imagine preparing for a trip! It was like an experiment that could either be really successful or blow up in our faces.

The one-hour airplane ride alone got me really worried. I had this fear that Audrey and Antonino would cry inconsolably the whole flight and everyone would be annoyed at us. I also had a number of other thoughts like:

5 Things You Need for a Plane/Road Trip With Your Toddler

Last weekend we went to Ilocos to celebrate my Lolo's (grandfather) 90th birthday. It was Audrey and Antonino's first out of town trip. My Lolo is based in Ilocos Norte but for this special occasion, he treated us to a vacation at a resort in Ilocos Sur. This meant that getting from Manila to the resort involved a one-hour plane ride and a three-hour road trip. For the longest time, Joey and I have been really intimidated by the thought of traveling with twin toddlers but of course, we couldn't miss my Lolo's milestone birthday.

Packing A Diaper Bag For Twin Toddlers

I always feel like I'm packing for a weekend trip whenever I get the twins' diaper bag ready. I was under the impression that they would need less stuff once they they get past the one year mark. I was wrong! Toddlers still need A LOT of stuff. What more when you have two?  Take a peek below and see what I always pack, along with some tips.

5 Twin Parenting Hacks (Infant Stage)

A year ago, I was taking care of my 4-month old twins wishing I could activate the Carry Four Flo boost. If, like me, you were hooked on Diner Dash many years ago, you will remember this as the boost that allows Flo (the game's main character) to carry up to four items at a time in order to serve more customers quickly. In a way, parenting twins is like Diner Dash. You have to complete numerous tasks and feed (then burp, bathe, and dress hehe) demanding customers. Luckily, I've learned a few things in my first year of twin parenting that can help fellow twin parents navigate life with twin infants without having to grow an extra pair of hands. (Wow, that's a lot of "twin" for one sentence!)

12 Things To Do When You're Pregnant With Twins

Last week, a twin mom-to-be messaged me this question:

"I'm 12 weeks pregnant with twins which was a total shock to me and my husband. Anyway, now the shock has subsided, but it has also been replaced with worry. Is it true that I will go into early labor? How did you handle your twin pregnancy? Any advice?"

How To Save P100,000 in Baby's First Year

Though babies are tiny, they come with big expenses. But don't worry, based on my first year of parenting, I've come up with some tricks to help you save up to P100,000 in baby's first year. You can thank me later!

Note: Potential savings in this post are based on the average price of each item and rounded up to the nearest peso.

10 Things New Parents Should Know

Exactly a year ago, a sleep-deprived mom hit the publish button for the first time and posted an article about motherhood. Yup, the sleep-deprived mom is me. At that time, I didn't really know what I was doing. Motherhood is truly the best and most fulfilling job but it's also the craziest, most demanding role I have ever taken on. They say that sometimes you need laugh so you don't cry. I guess I took the saying to heart and tried to find humor in every sleepless night and poop explosion that came with being a new mom.

7 Tips for Eating Out With Toddlers

The first time we took the twins out to a restaurant, they behaved impeccably simply because they were only 4 months old and slept through the entire meal. We took them out a couple more times after that but only for really quick meals in restaurants within our neighborhood. They were pretty manageable then. We just had to be really quick in whisking them outside of the restaurant until they calmed down. After which, they would fall asleep for the rest of the meal. But now that they're over a year old, dining out with them has definitely become more challenging. 

Baby Gear For Newborn Twins (What To Buy In Twos)

The first thing that entered my mind when the doctor told Joey and me that we were having twins was "Yikes, double the expenses!" I guess it was the Ilocano in me that made me think about our budget right away. We really did not expect to have twins. It wasn't in our realm of thought because as far as we knew, twins didn't run in any of our families. So when the time came to shop for the twins' baby gear, we were at a loss. Did we really need two of everything? The answer is not really. (Although if you get gifted with 2 of everything at your shower, then lucky you!) Here's what we did.

Baby Cheeses

When Audrey and Antonino were around 3 months old, I noticed an unusually funky scent while dressing them. So I sniffed around as most moms are wont to do and discovered that the rotten smell was coming from their necks! Now, I've heard stories about baby poo smelling so bad you'd need a face mask just to get through the nappy change, but for me, this was worse! It was like stinky cheese! So I tipped their heads back and there it was - stinky white stuff in their neck folds. It was a combination of milk and drool that slid from Audrey and Antonino's chins to the folds of their necks and stayed there to age until they developed an intense cheesy smell. Joey and I both agreed it smelled like blue cheese.

Our Super 8 Twin Essentials

Our twins, Antonino and Audrey turned 5 months last week! It was also my first Mother's Day. So in honor of these milestones, I would like to share 8 items which helped us survive our first few months of twin parenting.

Dressing Babies For Summer

One thing I was looking forward to when I found out I was pregnant with twins was dressing them up in cute matching onesies. But when Audrey and Antonino came out, I realized that when dressing babies, cute and stylish take a backseat to practical and efficient.

A Guide to Blowouts

Before I became a mom, I associated the word blowout with Kate Middleton's perfect signature hairstyle. Nowadays, blowouts have taken on an unglamorous new meaning because of the inevitable diaper blowout. I guess you can say diaper blowouts are a right of passage for every parent but it's something that I really dreaded. Plus, I knew I had double the chances of experiencing it because of the twins.