Raising Twins: From Pregnancy to Preschool: »

Shelly Vaziri Flais, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the mother of four children, including a set of twins. She has contributed to Chicago Parent, Healthy Children, and Twins magazines. She lives in Chicago.

Offering practical, “can-do” advice for anxious parents expecting or already caring for twins, this handbook guides from the first news of twins’ impending arrival and continues through their early childhood. From how to set up the nursery, synchronize feeding and sleeping schedules, and potty train two children at once to discipline, family dynamics, and fostering individuality, this doctor-cum-mom shares her experiences of what works and what doesn’t and encourages parents to not only survive but also enjoy their twins’ early years. A special appendix on caring for triplets as well as preterm babies is also included.

Publishers Weekly

Raising a single baby is a major undertaking, but with twins there's often double the work-for the same number of parents. Pediatrician Flais, herself a mother of twins, presents a survival guide for parents in the first weeks and months of twin-rearing, as well as sensible advice for all stages of their children's development. From breastfeeding, napping, toilet training to discipline, her empowering and confident tone is neighborly and down-to-earth, keeping parents attuned to her if-I-can-do-it-so-can-you attitude. Sharing personal experiences and professional insight, each chapter is sprinkled with common sense to-dos and quick activities to expand on topics feeding, scheduling and seeking support. While much of the content here focuses on daily routine of twin care, Flais also encourages parents to foster independent identities in their kids: "give them plenty of opportunities to be individuals and pursue their own interests," and celebrate their different strengths and traits. Loving and bonding remains the most important factor in promoting lifelong well-being, but Flais gives parents sound advice for preparing and maintaining that loving environment while serving double duty.
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Acknowledgments xiii

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Your New Life With Twins 3

The News Flash of a Lifetime 5

How the Parenting Experience Changes Over the Early Years 6

Enjoying the Parenting Experience 7

Families With Twins-One Size Does Not Fit All 8

Chapter 2 Preparing for Your Twins' Arrival 11

The Emotional Roller Coaster 14

Taking Care of Your Body and the Pregnancy 17

Pregnancy Preparations 20

Twins' Preparation Checklist 23

Preparing Older Siblings 29

Nearing the Delivery 30

Chapter 3 The Early Days and Weeks 31

In the Hospital 33

Coming Home 34

Keeping Your Twins on the Same Schedule-Starting Now 35

Feeding-Breast Milk or Formula 40

Breastfeeding-How Do We Do It? 42

Formula-Feeding-Simplifying the Process 45

Burping and Reflux 46

Advice for Outings 48

Infant Colic Times 2 50

Should We Use Pacifiers? 52

Seeking Support 53

Going to the Pediatrician 54

Getting Into a Routine 55

Chapter 4 Early Infancy and Getting on a Schedule 57

Sleep-Infant Twins (arid Parents) Need It! 59

Two Cribs or 2 Bedrooms? 61

The Science Behind Good Sleep Habits 62

Strategies for Good Sleep Habits 63

The Power of the Bedtime Ritual 66

Daytime Naps 69

Feeding Your Infant Twins 69

Twins Getting Stronger 72

Diaper Rash 74

Twinproofing 75

Returning to Work 76

Toys and Books 77

Outings and Fun 78

Continue Seeking Support 79

Bonding With Each Twin 79

Chapter 5 Older Infancy and First Birthday 81

Sleep Patterns 83

Mealtime: A Whole New World 84

Solid and Table Foods 86

Sippy Cup Training-Bye-bye, Bottles! 88

Oral Health 92

Play and Development 92

Language and Communication 95

Safety Issues97

Discipline-Working Toward Acceptable Behaviors 99

Your Emotions-How to Stay Sane 101

Special Time With Each Twin 103

The First Birthday 104

Year One-An Extraordinary Time That Flies By! 104

Chapter 6 The Toddler Years (1- and 2-Year-Olds) 107

Sleep Issues 109

Transitioning to Big-Kid Beds 112

Nutrition and Mealtimes 117

The Importance of Positive One-on-one Time 122

Kind But Effective Discipline 24

Encouraging Language Development 130

Toilet Training-Is It Possible? 132

Safety Issues 137

Family Relationships-A New Baby? 139

Keeping a Twin-Friendly Budget-Save Time and Money 139

Having Fun 141

Chapter 7 The Preschool Years (3- and 4-Year-Olds) 143

Sleep Issues 146

Socialization-The Twins' Role Within the Family 148

Preparing for Preschool 151

One-on-one Time-It's Still Important 155

Two Distinct Individuals, Now More Than Ever 156

Consistency and Discipline 159

Advanced Toilet Training and Independence 163

Emotional and Social Support for Parents 164

Budgeting and Practical Matters 166

Enjoying the Here and Now 168

Chapter 8 The Early Years End-As Your Twins Grow 169

The Journey 171

Built-in Life Lessons 172

Two Unique Individuals-A Special Bond 172

An Eye Toward the Future 173

Appendix A Facts Every Parent of Twins Should Know 175

The Distinction Between Identical and Fraternal Twins 177

More and More Twins! 178

Appendix B if Your Twins Are Born Early 181

Nutrition 183

Respiratory Issues 184

Jaundice 184

Other Concerns 185

Bonding in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 185

Going Home-When Is the Right Time? 186

Other Homecoming Concerns 186

Appendix C The Triplet Parenting Experience-Advice That All Parents Can Use 187

Pregnancy Preparation 189

Synchronized Schedules 190

Surviving the Early Months 191

Organizing the Triplet Way 192

Toilet Training Triplets 193

Interpersonal Relationships and Emotions 193

Benefits of Triplets 194

Maintaining Individuality 195

The Adventure of a Lifetime! 195

Index 197