Juggling Twins: The Best Tips, Tricks, and Strategies from Pregnancy to the Toddler Years »

When Meghan Regan-Loomis discovered that she was pregnant with twins, she searched fruitlessly for the book that would explain how to manage the logistics and challenges of caring for two babies at once. Discovering that it didn't yet exist, she vowed that she would figure out the answers and one day write the book herself. A veteran high school English teacher, she specializes in American literature, Shakespeare, Milton, and, more recently, How to Burp Two Babies at Once. A competitive tennis player who received her undergraduate degree from Kenyon College, she lives near Boston with her family.

From pregnancy to health issues, to eating, sleeping, bathing, and leaving the house, Juggling Twins is packed with the detailed, authoritative information that parents of multiples crave.

Acknowledgments vii Preface: Everywhere You Look ix Part I Pregnancy: On Your Mark, Get Set Chapter 1 Getting Them Close to Term 5 Chapter 2 The Diaper Party 11 Chapter 3 Begging, Borrowing, and Stealing 17 Chapter 4 Gathering the Troops (Your Helpers) 23 Chapter 5 Organizing the Household 39 Chapter 6 The Stuff: What You'll Really Need 51 Chapter 7 To Minivan or Not to Minivan? 63 Chapter 8 Naming Two 69 Chapter 9 Thinking Ahead to Day Care and Work Issues 75 Part II The First Month Chapter 10 Life with Two Newborns 83 Chapter 11 The Daily Chart 93 Chapter 12 Feeding Two Newborns 101 Chapter 13 On Schedule or On Demand? 121 Chapter 14 Coping with the Nights (To Sleep, Perchance to Scream) 129 Chapter 15 Managing the Serfs 149 Chapter 16 Preemie Primer 155 Chapter 17 Keeping Mom Healthy (and Sane) 163 Chapter 18 How to Get In and Out of Your Car and Other Things You Thought You Already Knew How to Do 169 Part III Weeks Four to Twelve Chapter 19 Sleeping and Eating: Holdin' It Together Still Ain't Easy 183 Chapter 20 Time to Get Out of the House 193 Chapter 21 Life in the Fat Lane 203 Chapter 22 "Hey! I Was Here First!"-Sibling Rivalry 209 Chapter 23 Double the Guilt 215 Part IV Months Four to Six: Okay, They Can Stay Chapter 24 Table for Two 223 Chapter 25 Sleep Training Two...Or Not 229 Chapter 26 One Sick, Two Sick (Three Sick, Four) 235 Chapter 27 Twinproofing the House 239 Chapter 28 Traveling with Twins 245 Part V Months Seven to Twelve: Breathing Again Chapter 29 Dining at Animal House 255 Chapter 30 Napping Nightmares (Yours, Not Theirs) 259 Chapter 31 Talk, Talk, Talk: Language Acquisition and Twins 263 Chapter 32 Life in the Fat Lane Redux: Timeto Get Off the Couch 267 Chapter 33 Raising Two Individuals 271 Part VI Toddlers and Beyond: Herd Mentality Chapter 34 Getting Out as a Herd 277 Chapter 35 Potty Training Two 281 Chapter 36 Twins and the Single Mother 285 Chapter 37 Having More (No, Seriously!) 293 Conclusion: Pressing the Pause Button 299 Resources 303 Index 307 About the Author 323