Infants' Issues- Part Two   Go To Part I  

                 --What can we do to reduce the cost of having three 
                 infants at the same time? 

                 Borrow what you can. If you can buy items second hand, do it. 
                 You can return the new items you receive for credit at a baby 
                 store and use it for formula or diapers later. 

                 Exchange the many newborn size outfits you get for larger 
                 sizes so you won't have to buy new clothes later. Formula is a 
                 huge expense (often $10/day), so do what you can to reduce 
                 this. WIC, a government program for young children, will 
                 provide lots of formula if you qualify. Look for them under 
                 your county's government listings. 

                 Your pediatrician's formula rep may give you free formula. 
                 Keep asking. Formula companies discourage changing brands of 
                 formula, but many babies do it without problems (you may need 
                 to mix the formula types for a few feedings to avoid a 
                 reaction). 

                 Buy off brand diapers, especially for day use. 

                 Buy a battery recharger and rechargeable batteries (even 
                 better, ask for them as a shower gift). They're expensive, but 
                 you'll recoup your money with using rechargeables in your 
                 swings alone, much less all those toys later. 

                 Make your own wipes. For a minimal amount of effort, you'll 
                 save $100s. Here's the recipe: 

                 One roll Bounty select-a-size. Cut in half to resemble a toilet 
                 paper roll, then remove the cardboard core (this is the 
                 trickiest part). Put one half roll in a container with a lid 
                 (Tupperware makes a container for this purpose that has a 
                 hinged lid and is clear, reducing mildewing possibilities, or you 
                 can use a 10-cup Rubbermaid container with the sides cut 
                 down). Then mix up 2 1/2 cups warm water with 1 tablespoon 
                 baby shampoo and 1 tablespoon baby oil. Pour 1/2 of the 
                 mixture over the roll distributing as evenly as possible. Turn 
                 roll over, pour other 1/2 over the roll as evenly as possible. 
                 Pull the wipes out from the middle. Although I've seen that 
                 many people let this sit for 10 minutes or so, I've never had a 
                 problem with using them immediately after I've made them. 
                 (Plus they're still warm at that time too!) **Important notes: 
                 If you're not in a hurry for the wipes, you can use the 
                 overnight method. No need to remove the core from the half a 
                 roll--just set the roll in the container, pour in the water 
                 mixture and let it set for several hours. The liquid will spread 
                 to the entire roll, and the cardboard will pull out easily when 
                 you're ready. Also, there has been very little luck reported 
                 using any kind of paper towel besides Bounty. Even other ones 
                 that advertise to be tough (like Brawny), don't hold up over 
                 time and can tear during use. 

                 --Do you have any tips for feeding solids--anyone make 
                 homemade baby food? 

                 Usually sitting in bouncy seats on the floor is a good place to 
                 start.  Some people prefer to put the children on a table, but 
                 this can be very dangerous as they can bounce the chair right 
                 off of the table in a short time.    Most people don't wind up 
                 using three spoons and three bowls; they just do it with one in 
                 an assembly-line fashion. After cereal, start with vegetables 
                 BEFORE you do fruits. If you start with fruit they will love 
                 that sweet taste and then won't care for the vegetables. If you 
                 do it the other way around, you are more likely to be able to 
                 get them to eat anything at all. Here's one person's homemade 
                 baby food story: 

                 I make about 1/2 of mine. I do it because I like to cook, 
                 because it sure doesn't save time! I use canned pumpkin, 
                 Mott's applesauce, frozen boxed squash, carrots, sweet 
                 potatoes, broccoli, bananas, and tried spinach and avocado 
                 once. I'd cook the veggies (not the fruits) (p.s. you should cook 
                 some fruits, see Feed Me I'm Yours by Vicki Lansky), puree, 
                 strain, and freeze in ice cube trays. NOTE: remember you 
                 cannot refreeze something, so do not thaw your spinach, cook 
                 it, and refreeze it in ice cube trays. I did it by accident, but 
                 no one got sick.. I buy the meats, green beans, and other fruits, 
                 and also always have jars of veggies and fruits on hand in case 
                 I forgot to thaw my frozen food or for some reason don't want 
                 to wait. Beets can be done but they will stain clothes and the 
                 rug if they get spit up! Skip 'em! 

                 --Childproofing--what should we do? 

                 There are a few things that make childproofing trickier for 
                 multiples. Start by reading any of the parenting books on 
                 childproofing and do those things--cabinet locks, toilet locks, 
                 etc. Then bolt all the furniture in their room to the wall--it's 
                 amazing what three babies will think of climbing, and there 
                 have been tragic results of this. Walk through baby gates are 
                 very handy. Have a quilt big enough to put all the babies on and 
                 carry them out quickly in case of an emergency. Most families 
                 wind up totally baby proofing one room, removing everything 
                 of value, and letting the kids use it. Often duct tape is 
                 necessary over outlet covers to ensure they're "triplet-proof." 

                 --Is it possible to travel with three infants? 

                 Here's one family's answer: Yes. You just need to prepare 
                 properly and have the right mindset. One thing to know for air 
                 travel is that each row of seats has only one extra air mask. 
                 So, even though the person in reservations might tell you that 
                 all 5 of you can sit in 3 seats in the same row, the flight 
                 attendants will not allow this. So, we always sat 2 adults across 
                 the aisle from one another and someone had one child and 
                 someone had 2. For car travel, we use a 9" TV/VCR combo and 
                 the girls watch with headphones on. It's wonderful. Also see 
                 the Triplets' List FAQ on Travel with Young Triplets . 

                 --What are some good first birthday party ideas? 

                 Some people have a large open house and invite everyone who 
                 helped them through the pregnancy and first year. Here's a 
                 different view: Keep everything as simple as possible- the kids 
                 don't care about their first birthday and too much excitement 
                 will just make them miserable. Invite as few people as you can, 
                 and take lots of pictures of the kids with their cake. If you 
                 have to have a big party, make it a pot-luck open house and 
                 don't let people stay too long :) The disruption to the kids' 
                 schedule and the two weeks getting them back on track is not 
                 (maybe) worth the party. Even better, give the kids a cake, put 
                 them to bed, leave them with a babysitter, and you and your 
                 husband take the evening off- after all, you're the ones who 
                 deserve the congratulations for surviving the first year! 

                 ADDITIONAL ADVICE FOR THE FIRST YEAR: 

                 We color-coded bottles from the very beginning as we needed 
                 to track how much was eaten at each feeding and it worked out 
                 well because at one point, we had each child on a different 
                 formula and there was no mistaking who got which bottle. 

                 Charting was very helpful especially when others were involved 
                 in the feeding and care. I could always look at the chart to see 
                 when someone had a BM, how much they ate, when they went to 
                 sleep and woke up, etc. It also came in handy to review before 
                 doctor's visits, so I could talk about how much they were 
                 eating, sleeping etc... there was no way I could remember. :) 

                 It's also handy when a new mom asks questions. I just pull it 
                 out and look at what we were doing at that age. I also made 
                 notes for the baby books on these charts. 

                 Bottles and nipples can be washed in the dishwasher and the 
                 heated drying process actually sterilizes them and should be 
                 used. Just be sure that the water is hot at the tap before 
                 turning on the dishwasher. 

                 Nursery Set Up: We had a small fridge and microwave in the 
                 nursery and this was so nice. Also, the formula doesn't have to 
                 be warmed up. They will drink it cold and studies show no 
                 differences in digestion, etc. Once I learned this, I gradually 
                 decreased the bottle time in the microwave, and they began 
                 drinking the bottle straight out of the fridge. It made life a 
                 lot easier. 

                 I do not have time to keep a journal, so instead, every Sunday 
                 (or more) I pull out the video camera and recap the week while 
                 taping each child. I focus on each child and talk about the 
                 special (or strange!) things they did that week and now that 
                 they are older, I ask them to talk themselves. One day, I'll use 
                 these tapes to fill in their baby books. When I watch the older 
                 tapes, I can not believe how much I have forgotten. I'm so glad 
                 that I did this and the grandparents (who live far, far away) 
                 love getting their copies. 

                 The Lands' End diaper bag seems to be very popular- it has 
                 loads of pockets and is big enough to carry a LOT.  A recent 
                 discussion on the list brought this comment from Tami-  "My 
                 Stepmom just bought me the deluxe do it all diaper bag from 
                 lands end.  I can't say enough good about this bag it has so 
                 much room. It has a place to tie down clothes, room for like 10 
                 bottles, a huge changing pad, two ditty bags, ect. I can't even 
                 seem to find enough stuff to fill it up." 

                 Join your local parents of multiples group-   good resources 
                 for finding local groups are NOMOTC or MOST in the U.S., 
                 POMBA or TQQ in Canada, or search the net for other 
                 national organizations.  You can often find listings for local 
                 clubs in your local city directory, or stop someone in a mall 
                 who has twins or triplets and ask them.  No one is a better 
                 support than other parents of multiples!