I don't know about you but it's so difficult going anywhere with my 2. Ok I can put them in a pram and go out for a walk but anything else is near impossible. I have to think about 2 naps, feeding them both different foods, H cant walk very far and is into everything so have to keep him in pram. Lewis gets cranky. I would love to be able to take them out for the day but the hassle of it it's too much. Playgroups are a pain as well cause I have to look after L whilst chasing a into everything H. An Lewis can only just sit with support so can't leave him either. What does everyone else do?

Tbh hun - we do very little in the week for the reasons you say. It's not too bad as mine nap together but literally just getting ready and getting out the door is a nightmare. I seem to be stuck in a never ending cycle of bum changing, feeding, drinks, snacks, naps, and tantrums (from both ). I struggle to even know at what point in the day is even best to attempt to leave the house.

All that aside - of course we do go out now and then (although I have to admit 95% of the time it's when OH, my mum or OHs daughter is here to help - so weekends or once in the week on average). The problem I find is once I've managed to get them both dressed, fed, changed, strapped in the buggy etc and found an hour spare in the day, I get out of the door and think where the heck am I gonna go????

Park is a nightmare - Thomas is constantly trying to escape, running in front of kids on swings, climbing the highest climbing frame etc but Hannah wont stay strapped in her buggy anymore now she can crawl so she screams to get down but I can't leave her alone on the floor to eat dirt and get trod on whilst I chase Thomas - I really don't know how I am supposed to manage a trip to the park anymore - if anybody has any tips - please share.

Soft play is a no go these days - it's split into 3 sections, babies, toddlers, and the older bit. Thomas obviously isn't interested in the baby bit and wants to be off climbing etc but he has to be accompanied at all times by an adult but I can't lug a 22lb chunk of a baby around under my arm whilst chasing Thomas and neither can I (or would I) leave her unattended in the baby section even for a minute (she would scream the place down anyway )

Shops are difficult - if (if and only if) I can get the double buggy through the door it is too big to look around properly without abandoning it and my kids near the door and looking around whilst Thomas shouts MAAAAAAAAAAAAAM and Hannah screams coz the clingy moo can't see me or they start 'fighting' in the buggy (Hannah reaches over to pinch Thomas's things or pull his hair and he retaliates by giving her a whack or again shouting MAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!!!

Going for a walk is stressful - apart from walking aimlessly around streets with traffic rushing past and spewing out fumes in my kids faces there are very few 'parks' within walking distance that are suitable for a double buggy. The only ones that are aren't big enough to actually walk around (unless you want a 2 minute stroll to the end and back ). There are a couple which are a little further away which I wouldn't mind as I like a decent length of walk but the problem I am having is that I have to cross a big bridge over a railway line which has pavements not wide enough for my buggy (they are literally only as wide as me. So if I want/need to walk over there I have to push my babies out onto the main road for about 50 meters which is extremely dangerous and frightening tbh because it's a very busy main road so I tend not too.

So yeah it's very difficult to go anywhere tbh. I am lucky that my kids play brilliantly together at home in the house and garden so we have that but they deffinately get bored and it makes me feel so inadequate. Although I'm even starting to struggle knowing what to play that they can both join in - Thomas wants to play with playdoh, paints, pens and crayons etc but Hannah either eats them and wrecks them which obviously annoys Thomas and he goes mad. A lot of Thomas's newer toys have little pieces involved that I worry Hannah will swallow and Hannah's toys are boring to Thomas now. We tend to play with cars quite a lot as both can get something out of that or make dens and reads books inside.

If anybody has any tips please share - I'm starting to go a bit stir crazy

xx
(wow - that went on a bit )

Sounds exactly how it is here. Although H is a little younger so I feellike I have 2 babies lol. I get so depressed staying in all the time. I am making an effort to take them out this after for a walk with the dog. It's like a military op getting them ready. Should make the most of it cause it's a nice day. I feel sorry for them being stuck in. We go out when oh is at home so I have an extra pair of hands and took H to playgroup yest as oh looked after L x

tbh i'd be lost without my double pram...

i know people say 'oh you have sam to help' but when he's away i still manage just fine...both of mine are still in the pram and when lewis is walking he thankfully seems content to hold my hand while i push the pram

tbh i couldn't have managed without my p&t...it's the same as having a single one so never any problems going to parks/shops etc

lewis feeds himself now too so when we go out i'll give him a sandwich for him to happily munch on while i give lily-ann hers.
bum changes are one at a time but it only really takes an extra few mins

generally we don't go to playgroups/centres purely as lily-ann gets quite upset and lewis isn't too bothered yet!!

I don't have a double buggy but thank god i have a very good pram cos its so easy to push one handed it makes life with two children much easier lol, i attempted a walk with the stroller i have while holding bradens hand and it was so hard work i had arm ache trying to get the pants stroller to turn one handed!

I dont go out much but i do now and again, i walk down to toys r us/next etc when we're all bored i also go on aimless wanders. I thnik if your not aiming to be anywhere its a lot less stressful, everytime we all go for an aimless wander braden is a) getting better at walking alongside me and listening to me b) its like a little adventure for him cos we are not in a rush we do stop and talk about a bush or car or lampost he has seen c) his talking gets better too cos we say what everything we see is etc, it sounds really sad but its like its almost 'training' him for walks lol.

I wouldnt be anywhere without reins tho! Sometimes it doesnt work out and he will throw himself on the floor and refuse to move, and i've had to carry a very heavy toddler, push a pram and carry 3 bags home from toys r us once cos he just refused to do anything i said!

sometimes he is a little angel tho and its such a nice experience going for a little wander. We went yesterday to see his new pre-school if we change and i got lost so we ended up walking 3x the distance but he was such a pleasure all the way and we were talking about watching for cars etc and he was taking it all in.

I did try and take both braden and dita just on reins but omg i got less then 30 paces from my house and i turne dback around because braden decided he wanted to throw stones everywhere =o| and pick everything up off the floor and dita decided she really wanted to go any way but the way we were going!
x

This is why I think Wil's childminder must be super human

She copes with up to 3 kids under 5 at any one time and goes out everyday with them. The go to the park, feed the ducks, go on the swings, to the library, soft play and the shops. (she did this even when Wil was crawling and the other 2 were walking)

I struggle with just Wil

I dont go out!!

I wait til chris is home and then i nip to tescos, other than that like you say a stroll in the pram is fine.....but anything else I dont do it till someone is with me xxx

Im with Kenty I wouldnt go anywhere if it wasnt for my P&T
Shopping - im quite rude with people now, and have no problem in bashing them with my pram or even saying something quite bitych very loud for all to hear i blame that on the hormones but works for me. If the shops to small I just bash the crap out of things and generally say 'its a good job im not in a wheelchair/surely this is a fire hazard' (lol dont come shopping with me, id embarress you) i went to card factory the other day and they had stored stuff at the end of the shelves on the floor, so I just ran it over
Parks ok but bit boring for J. I am lucky though he will stay asleep while in pushchair so can let H have a play.
Softplay - is a no go as I dont take pram in and cant chase H round and carry J about.

I spend most my time at my friends houses, or they come to me, its just a lot easier and if I go out somewhere difficult its normally with some friends and lo's as if i need a hand they will help me. other than that i dont have much help sorry, just wanted you to know your not alone
x

i dunno how i do it :/ i take my sling every where (thanks lisam) and the buggy. when alasdair gets fed up or needs to sleep, i stick ben in the sling and when alasdairs behaving i let him walk with the wrist link. or in most shopping centres they have the big car trolleys, so ben in car set in basket of that, or in sling and alasdair in there. erm...

swing park.... usually go with some one. that way one helps look after the wee ones and 1 of us runs after the rest? but in saying that i took 3 under 4 and 2 dogs to the lake thru the week and managed. ben slept in his big pram no bother thankfully and the other ben and alasdair just ran riot. it was all enclosed and not busy so i got lucky.

soft play?? same again, go with some one. if i go on my own, take tiddler in at nap time, he sleeps thru in his car seat.

on woman commented how fast i got 2 babies bums changed and half a feed done all before she had finished chaning her new born... i told her, u kinda learn, move move move move and fast lol!!

Hey,

For starters I've no idea what pushchair you have but i too would be lost without my phil and teds! Its brilliant because not only can i have both children in but its so easy to push one handed i can have on in the pushchair and one out of the pushchair (generally its just andrew that walks as sophie likes to go in the opposite direction at the moment!!) Debs i am so glad i got rid of my side by side as i had the nicking and arguing problem with A&S and i also have small shops near me so hard work to get into them, life is far easier with a p&t!!

Ok we live very near town so if i ever want just a no stress activity i tend to just go for a wander around town (Andrew loves shopping!! ) Totally agree with niccsy that if you arent rushing its a much nicer experience!

It does get easier as they get older, now if i am just nipping out for a little bit i just take the essentials like nappies, wipes, mat, snack and drink, when they are older they both eat the same things so no need to worry about food (Sophie was eating proper food quite early thanks to blw!)

I dont go to the park alone, I cant do it. The park is fully enclosed but Andrew figured out int he summer how to open the gate and it goes onto a main road so im terrified! That and the fact that im terrified Andrew will get hit inthe head with the kids on swings!! He has had it happen twice!! Now obviously Sophie can run around too it gets harder because they tend to go in seperate directions! I'm hoping come the summer Andrew will be nearly 3 and will understand me when i say not to go near the swings or out the gate etc!

Soft play is actualy ok on my own as Sophie and Andrew both play in the big bit and they stick together too so i go around with both at the same time! Another advantage of them getting older! I also have brilliant friends around here that are more than happy to watch one of mine if they do want to split for a bit! I tend to only go with my friends or oh but it is do-able alone!

Life is easier when they nap together too! Mine have always napped together (i think because the house was only quiet when Andrew napped so Sophie took advantage! ) So i only worry about 1 nap time!

I dont find im constantly changing nappies unless they have a bug, they both get changed at the same times unless there is a poo and then thats just extra but they only poo 1 or 2 times a day so not that much

I promise it will get better for you as they get older! Sophie is 16 months now and apart from the tantrums life is so much easier!

I cry lol even tho iv not Been hard hit with it yet, but already I avoid going anywhere unless my mum comes.

I agree with rest though my double pushchair life saver!best money spent ever!
Xxx