Three Great Highchairs: Part 3

My last post in the Three Great Highchairs series is mainly for those with multiples, and it is not so much for feeding as it is for bottle-feeding and specifically, tandem bottle-feeding.

Even if you exclusively breastfeed your multiples, there will be times when it will be in everyone’s interest for someone other than mum to do a feed. And if your babies are on the same schedule, chances are that either they’ll both be demanding milk at the same time, and/or you will have discovered how much time you can save by tandem feeding. This is where this particular bit of kit can help.

(A future post will deal with tandem breastfeeding.)

Three Great Highchairs: Part 2

This is the second of three posts outlining my top three highchairs. As I said before, highchairs are a weaning essential, and choosing the right one can make your life a lot easier.

My first great highchair was the Stokke Tripp Trapp. My second takes us to the other end of the price spectrum – the Ikea Antilop.

Three Great Highchairs: Part 1

A highchair is an essential piece of equipment while weaning, particularly if you have twins. A good highchair will contain your child(ren) safely, bring them right up to table height, and be easy to clean.

With this is mind, my next three posts will set out my top three highchairs.

Parenthood – The Great Trade Off

There are so many things we want to give our children.  But sometimes, reality makes that really really hard.

‘Expert advice says no screen-time for the under-2s…I’ve got a long plane journey with a wriggly 18 month old.’

‘I’m not supposed to add salt to my baby’s food…all the bread in the supermarket has salt listed on in the ingredients.’

‘Everyone says open-ended natural toys are the way forward…Grandma has just turned up with a piece of battery-powered noise-and-sound-making piece of plastic.’ 

Disposable Placemats

Disposable placemats. You might not be eco-friendly, but how do I love thee.

Toddler Milk?

BabyBoy and BabyGirl graduated from breastmilk / formula to cow’s milk a couple of months ago. For me, this was an unmitigated relief when compared to making up formula – no more measuring out powder, using sterile water etc etc.

However, I (like, I suppose, many other parents) went through the debate – should I switch to cow’s milk or one of the many many toddler / growing up milks that are out there and marketed to us?

At first, influenced by that marketing no doubt, I was leaning toward toddler milks. It was familiar – sticking to the same powder-and-water routine, no need to refrigerate etc etc. But then I began to question, why?

The Grandparent Files – A Pinch of Salt

My mother-in-law came to visit the other day. Regular readers will know that she can’t help but interfere. Probably with the best of intentions, but still.

In this instance what attracted her criticism was the BabyBoy and BabyGirl did not seem to like the quiche I’d made for their lunch. I wasn’t concerned – they were eating other things – and we have been doing baby-led weaning so I’m keen to let them choose foods.

Nothing would do but for mother-in-law to make another dish for BabyBoy and BabyGirl. It most certainly was not necessary and I didn’t want her to but I decided to be polite and let her get on with it. Whatever.

Now my mother-in-law cannot speak much English. I also know that her views on child-rearing are different from ours. So I asked Multidaddy to remind her not to put salt in the food.

Nipple confusion – fact or fiction?

A lot is written about ‘nipple confusion’. Breastfeeding mums are warned to stay away from bottles and pacifiers for a few weeks after birth so that baby does not get confused between the different sucking motions needed for breastfeeding and bottle-feeding.

Having read all this, I duly went into hospital to have BabyBoy and BabyGirl armed with a birth plan that said ‘no formula, bottles or pacifiers to be given’, and intending to avoid all of the above for the first month at least.

Due to some issues, BabyBoy and BabyGirl did need to be supplemented while we were in the hospital. Latching was a big problem (often the case with twins as they tend to be born earlier). So we syringe-and-finger fed the babies as necessary. Until the last day of my hospital stay, when a midwife looked me in the eye and said ‘you have twins, you are not going to be able to do that at home’.

She was right, of course. I couldn’t even syringe-and-finger feed one baby on my own. We had two hungry babies. Tandem-feeding is only really possible with bottle or breast, and it is much easier and quicker to bottle feed rather than syringe-and-finger feed. If there was any chance of one of us getting some sleep, it would have to be a bottle. Reluctantly, but with the doctor’s advice, I took the one offered.

And you know what? It made not a blind bit of difference. BabyBoy and BabyGirl (once they got the hang of latching) switched between bottle and breast and pacifier for 6 months with absolutely no issues whatsoever.

The Joy of Milk Powder Dispensers

Formula-feeding mums, if you have not yet discovered milk powder dispensers, I recommend that you get yourself down to your local baby store and invest in some. They are one of the most useful things to have around when you have a baby (or two) screaming for a feed.

These handy little pots allow you to measure out formula in advance, so when feeding time comes you just tip it into the water in the bottle, shake and go (no need to warm). It is much harder than you think to concentrate on counting out level scoops of powder with a baby crying in the background.

Weaning – ‘If they’re making sounds, they’re not choking’

As the time for weaning neared I began to think, ‘I’ve got two babies at once, it would be really useful if they could learn to feed themselves as quickly as possible’.

I was then thrilled to discover the idea of baby-led weaning, which is basically missing out purees and starting with finger foods from 6 months.