Afternoon Ladies,
Went shopping with DW yesterday and had a look at babyseats. We automatically thought we would initially hire some capsules, then when the twins were big enough, buy them some baby seats. The lady in babies Galore informed us there are now baby seats available that go from newborn to 18kgs and showed us few examples. We were pretty impressed at what we saw too. I understand that by having capsules, you don't disturb the babies when taking them in and out of the car, however I can't see DW walking around with two capsules!
What are all your thoughts on this topic and what have been your experiences.
Each time I go into a baby shop, thousands of variables are thrown at us and I certainly get the best advice from you all.
Once again, the shop assistant asked if our twins are natural!!

Kind regards,
Scott

Hi Scott

I really think a lot of the decision depends on what kind of car you have. Most small medium cars are only designed to fit a capsule in the middle position which makes using them a tad diffucult for twins as you will have to have at least one behind a seat. Even if you can fit them behind the seats double check to make sure there is still enough leg room in the front seat, especially if you choose to have one behind the drivers seat!

We have a fairly small car (Mazda Astina) so even the standard sizes reversible car seats wouldn't fit behind the passenger seat for us when in the rearward facing (baby) position. We ended up with two safe and sound compaq reversible car seats that are for birth to 18kgs I think. They are slightly narrower and not as deep as most and I think may sit up slightly more in the reward facing position to allow them to fit, though I'm not totally sure as I've never really compared them to a reagular reversible.

Anyway we are really happy with them and since our girls are on the small side it is not likley that they will grow out of them before they are ready for a booster - but that might be a problem with bigger babies I guess.

Every once in a while I've wished we had capsules so that the girls could have stayed asleep when being taken out or in of the car etc, but it's been rare. There is no way I could have lugged around two capsules on my own anyway. But if you decide to go with capsules your local council or MBA usually hires them for a really reasonable fee so save you shelling out big bucks for two capsules and then two car seats later on.

Hope that helps

Kate

Hi Scott

I agree with Kate, it depends on what sort of car you have. We bought the Safe and Sound Royale Car Seats which are really bulky. We bought a medium car ( Mazda 6) with the intention of having one baby, not two. The whole back seat is taken up with the car seats and it is quite squashy in the front because their seats take up so much room. If there was a next time I would definately go for the compact seats.

I initially wanted to use capsules to start with because I thought it would be easier to get twins in and out of the car (however can't imagine lugging around 2 capsules at the one time) and I thought if they were sleeping we could leave them sleeping in the capsule. But we've been told that it is not good to leave a baby in a capsule for extended periods of time so that idea went out the window.

The first thing that people who didn't know us asked when they found out we were having twins was 'are they natural' - kind of annoying after a while!

Peta
Mum to twins Luca & Jackson (1/7/04) 28.5 weekers

Hi scott,

I agree with Kate and Peta. It all depends on the size car. Even then I wouldn't have had capsules as I had one for my first and found them too bulky and didn't want to carry two. I have had friends with twins who have loved having capsules but most have had the carseats.

The " Are they natural " question is a common accurance and does get really annoying.

All the best

Kristy

DS 8
Twin Boys 2

I think your decision also depends on your parking/garage situation - we hired capsules (can't remember the brand but they were ones with a base in the car and you just clicked the capsule in and out - quick and lighter to carry) for 6 months and then bought reversible seats for babies up to 18kgs. They were backwards until the girls were 12 months.

The reasons I went for capsules was that we park on the street (ie no garage or off street parking - we live in the inner city) and I have 20 steps from the front door down to the street. So capsules meant I could carry both babies down to the car at the same time (built up my arm muscles!) and just click them in rather than having to carry them down separately, leaving one in the car and going back to get the other one - not something I thought was safe. So have a think about how you will manage the transfers in and out of the car.

Must say I was never keen on leaving the girls sleeping all scrunched up in the capsules for long and used to transfer them to their cots (when we got home) or pram (if we were out).

Good luck with your decisions.

Maree

Harriet Lorna 1/8/03
Eleanor Rosalind 1/8/03

hi scott, we drive a commodore VT and use Safe'n'sound birth to 18kg carseats. Fit easily. Have never been a big fan of baby capsules they are heavy to carry and not great for either your back or someone who has had a csection. We turned the girls forward in the carseats at around 5 and a half months as we were travelling and couldn't fit much in when they are in the reverse position. They loved facing forward and we can easily put someone else in the back seat or even another carseat.

Have just been shopping with my sis for carseat she's due in April. Bought a safe'n'sound 'premiere' car seat. middle of the range and a more modern version of what I use(mine were hand me downs)

Anyhow whatever you buy try to look for something with maximum usage so you are not having fork out more money in the future. We made this mistake with the 1st pram we bought which only held max 15kg each side. Now have one that holds 20 kgs each side so essentially you are getting and extra year or so out of the product.

Most twins also stay a bit smaller than the average for a while so I know compared to other mums that i hang out with. That my girls have gotten a lot more use out of their things cause of the weight limits given.

Happy shopping !!!!!!!!!

Cheers Rebecca
Me 31
DP 28
Amber and Olivia 08/05/03

Hi Scott

We are at this stage of purchasing as well and were wondering the same thing. Thanks for posting this question. I am interested in the responses as well. Make sure that you keep in touch and let us know what you decide to do!

I can't believe that someone in Babies Galore asked you whether your twins were natural! Some people! I guess they think as they are strangers they can be bold with their questions.

After 17 months TTC - TWINS!! Due 23 June 2005
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Good afternoon Ladies,

Thanks again for such a great response!! We are buying a Honda Odyssey and will have a fair amount of room to play with, so definatley think a 0 - 18kg baby seat will do us.
Drew: At this point we have decided on the babylove duolite jogger as our pram and am leaning towards the safe-n-sound Premier Recliner Child Restraint. Now onto Change tables and bathing set-ups!!.

Kind regards,
Scott

Hi Guys,

AS twin parents to be with a commodore, we have purchased the newborn to 18kg, Safe and Sound Merridan (non retractable). I found this to be a great quality product and with the bonus of extra head restraint support.

Wishing you all the best with the shopping, this was one thing we didnt want to comprimise on at all. There are so many, but dont look for the most expensive as they just have more padding, thats all. Hope this makes sense!

Let us know what you decide......


Bree~28
After 3 Years our Double Blessing "Suprise" Twins are Due in April 2005
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Hi Scott

Thanks for letting me know about what you have decided to purchase. We have also been looking at prams and will go onto car seats soon. The pram you have chosen is the one that I have wanted from the start! Shazam! It looks so groovy too. A friend of my mum's has just bought a Love N Care Sporty Twin Jogger which she apparently did a lot of research on and is happy with (other than the shopping baskets underneath being very low down and far away). I am now considering this one too as it fits through a standard doorway and they have made it especially to do this. When we were at Babies Galore the lady measured the distance from wheel to wheel on both prams and the Duolite jogger was at least 10 cms wider, so now I am confused.

Just a tip too - Babies Galore has the Duolite for $489 and I called Baby Kingdom and they are selling it for $449, so it's worth shopping around. I also ask for a 10% discount as we are having twins and will be needing two of most things. Babies Galore usually accommodate this. I think when you join the multiple births association as well, you can get a guaranteed 5% discount at Babies Galore by just flashing your card. Depends on whether you feel confortable asking for discounts. I know I get shy about it.

We have decided now on car seats as opposed to capsules, but am just a bit hesitant about waking the bubs when transferring them into the pram or carrier, as you don't need to do this with capsules. Obviously the pram is best for shopping trips but maybe when visiting people or going to the docs etc we are researching these carriers as well. Not sure what to do. I posted this on another thread too...

Good luck with your purchases....

After 17 months TTC - TWINS!! Due 23 June 2005
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Hi Drew and Scott - Sorry to butt in here! LMAO.....
I wanted to let you know that most of the twin prams should be made to the miniumum requirements of a "normal" doorway, if you have an older house this may be an issue - measure the door way and then check the spec's......

The duolight twin jogger is also available from E-Bay, the auctions start from only $1....what a bargain and they dont usually go over $300. A friend of mine just got one including the freight to WA $299!! Brand new and with the full warranty. Worth a look......
Search - twin prams.

Drew - you little darling! I am like you too about the whole bargaining issue, but let me tell you, when you *have to* buy 2 of everything you are the baby shops dream customer, dont be afraid to ask what is the best price. and you wont have the multiple birth card yet, so make them be nice or try some other shop.

Hope this is helpful - not trying to sound like a know it all, just now that we have everything *big* i feel armed with knowledge about all these products! LOL




Bree~28
After 3 Years our Double Blessing "Suprise" Twins are Due in April 2005
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Hi Everyone,
And welcome Scott and your DW and your twins. Sorry a bit late but I get around to things eventually.

We got Baby love car seats birth-18kg and originally had a ford sedan. Now have a commodore s/wagon great for the pram etc. Car seats have been great, boys now front face so more room also. I find also the in/out of car seat/pram things works as the boys learnt that if they got woken getting out of car, they would soon be put somewhere they could continue sleeping if they wanted eg pram, cot at home. Hope that makes sense. They are better at settling if they get disturbed while sleeping IYKWIM!

I think too babies galore give 10% disc for twins

And to Drew ( and Scott) thought I'd weigh into the Baby Love twin pram debate. This is just my experience so...
We bought the BL twin pram (January 04 Navy Blue) and we started to have problems from the day we assembled it. Front fork was a bit dodgy, so got a replacement wheel. After being used about 10 times front wheel started vibrating, got another wheel and anyway to make this shorter, pram was sent for repair once (nightmare with twins and no twin pram) still problems and after about 4 months got the store to replace it.

We chose the Love N Care Sporty Twin as at that stage baby love were re-designing their twin pram so could'nt get replacement. We loved the adjustable backrests and individual footrests on the Baby Love.
I still get a bit annoyed with the love n care straps to sit boys up and lie down, but you get over that.

In regard to fitting through doors...
Baby love never fitted through normal door, some sliding doors though. It was a great walking pram beacuse it is that bit wider. I have never been stuck in a door with the Love N Care. We now have added a stroller to our collection, the Valco Twin Sportz for shopping etc and is lighter. The boys wont sleep in the stroller but still sleep in the pram!

I think from memory Love n care is 68cm wide and Baby love is about 78cm?
I am 5ft 11 and hubby is 6ft 1 so Love n care is a good height for tall people.

I hope this has'nt confused you too much. I only joined EB after I had the boys wish I had found it sooner. And as I said, this is just my experience that I wanted to share....

Take Care
Rhonda 25
DH 37
Jackson and Hayden 21/1/04

Hi Drew,
We found most of the twin prams are not all that easy to get to the basket. We took the Duolite for a spin around this shopping complex and it fit through everything there. Was not to awkward getting it into the vehicle too. They are also only 13.4kg which is something we like as DW is only 5ft. It is not necessarily the weight, it is more the awkwardness in picking them up.

We are probably going to buy most of our stuff from Babyco as they have a great discount system. They naturally give you a 5% discount due to having twins + the more you spend with them, they give you free items. Eg: If you spend over $2000 you get a free rocking chair (realllly comfy).
Now have to start thinking about baby baths and change tables. Will try and sort the above out first though. Gets very confusing.

Tryingforfirst: I went to e-bay and had a look, so will be watching closely. Seems legitimate as the vendor has a good record. Thank you for spotting that one out.

Kate, we have a Mazda Astina too and after trying to fit a twin pram in the boot, we discovered that hubby and I would have to swap cars. Is yours a hatch? The only way we could have fit the twin pram in the boot was to lay the back seats down, which we were both considering until the sales assistant pointed out that we would need the back seat for the babies...whoops! How do you fit two car seats on the back seat with the anchor points reaching across to the back of the car? or do you have a sedan? Which pram do you have?

Bree, which pram did you buy?

Rhonda, Thank you so much for your experiences with the two types of prams we have been discussing. It's always good to get real life usage stories. I agree that the Love N Care is good for tall people, the handle is much higher than the Duolite. I am shorter, so the duolite handle was better for me as it is lower. I think you are right with your measurements of 10cms difference between wheels, but then Scott said he took it for a spin and it fit through all the dorrways? Too confusing? Maybe the updated version you said they were working on when you went to replace yours is what we see in the shops now? Hopeully it's better? Still trying to decide which one...

Scott, You must have had a great time taking the pram for a spin around the shops! Good idea. Both the places we have seen it in are shops on their own rather than in a shopping centre so we couldn't really test it. Good luck with the baby bath and change table search. I have been told to get a baby bath on a stand as it saves your back as you're not bending over or crouching to use it in the normal bath. You can then use it anywhere. I have even heard of mums using the bath on the kitchen bench/sink and laundry sink so you're not bending. My mum also told me to buy a change table with draws but we found them to be so much more expensive. We bought a 3 tier change table which we are going to put next to the tallboy in the nursery and use the tops draws of that to put everything in, so it's easy to reach.

Happy shopping!

After 17 months TTC - TWINS!! Due 23 June 2005
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Hi Guys!

Drewster!!!! We have bought the Valco Twin Runabout Side by Side. I really liked it and although it was very expensive, I felt that I could feel the difference in the quality? Does that make sense? It is a little heavier than the others, but I am planning on walking, more than driving - ha ha.....we will see.
The Warranty was great and also dont forget with prams the warrenty begins when you bring it home from the shop, so leave it there on layby or something.....thats what we have done. *Our parents gave us $1000 for the pram so we got to pick one knowing that it was not coming out of our bank account IYKWIM....If we were paying we would be bargain hunting the duolight on ebay!

Baby Bath - We decided after the mammoth amount of advice from everyone elese, to put ours on the bench and use it. I am happy with that now, as the house seems to be getting taken over at the moment with rockers, play things, clothes, cots etc etc!!! We will need to get a new house if we buy a change table! LOL
You know what will wokr best for each of you and thats what you should get.....dont listen to other people telling you what to get. The only useful advice that people gave and I listened to was the $$$$ spent compared to the amount of use it would get (similar to your change table with drawers story)

Hoping you are all well - How is the shopping going SCott and also how is your DW coping at the moment? Not sick anymore??? I hope not.

Drew - how are you feeling?


Bree~28
After 3 Years our Double Blessing "Suprise" Twins are Due in April 2005
<a href="http://www.snugglepie.com"><img border="0" src="http://www.snugglepie.com/tickers/tdb.php?tid=35562"></a>

Morning everyone,

Bree: Thanks for your input. Had a long chat with my SIL last night as she has a DD (10 months). She has a decent size bench in her laundry that she put the baby bath on and a collapsable change table that she erects at bath time . She said that this works well for her as she baths DD, changes her on the table and wala it's done. She only has the one change table as she doesn't have enough room in the house to have one in the laundry and one in the bedroom. Made the same comment you did "the house seems to be getting taken over by baby stuff!!"
We have enough room in our house to have a change table in the bathroom and bedroom, but may buy the one at first and see how we go. SIL once again said you buy so much crap that you don't end up using, therefre wasting money on something that could of gone to something else.
DW is doing well. Morning sickness appears to have gone, however has the odd little ill moment. She is 17 weeks on Saturday and starting to get a nice little belly. I love the look of a pregnant lady so can't wait for her belly to get bigger!! Going on another mission on Sunday for baby stuff which I am looking forward to.
We are lucky like yourself as both our parents are throwing in some money to help us out.

Kind regards,
Scott

Sorry to jump in on this conversation....I was just reading all your comments in the hope that someone will answer my questions...Alas no...LOL...Maybe if i asked now some wise person with experience can help me?
I am having twins...I also have a 'delightful' 18 month old who will still be in a carseat when they arrive...We have a Commodore VT...My question is...Will 3 carseats or 1 carseat & 2 capsules fit across the back? Or do I need to be thinking about getting roof racks to strap one of them on top? LOL
Thanks,
Jaki



[b]'Pip' & 'Pop' Due Sept.[b]
(I'm no longer in denial...LOL)

Hi Bree

I am doing well, thanks for asking. I am getting very tired in the afternoons at work and am seriously contemplating cutting back my hours and leaving earlier than planned. I am also experiencing this terrible pain in my right side under my breast and moving to the back, usually in the afternoons. I have my next ON appt next week so will ask him about that. I have posted on your "arrived" discussion. Can't wait for your updates. Hope all is well for you and you are keeping cool.

Hi Jaki....try posting your question as a new discussion if you haven't already done this (sorry if you have). I don't have any experience with this so can't offer any advice. Good luck!



After 17 months TTC - TWINS!! Due 23 June 2005
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