I have identical twin boys. They're currently 19 months old, and completely adorable, if I do say so myself. Being identical twins, they attract a lot of attention when we're out in the world. We really can't go anywhere without someone stopping to comment on the boys, ask questions, or just generally admire their adorableness. I don't mind the attention and generally don't mind the questions. But there is one comment that always gets me. "Two for the price of one!"
I get it. They're referring to getting two babies with only one pregnancy and delivery. I could write for pages and pages and pages about how twin moms are not getting a break by having two babies at a time. But that's not really my point. So I won't. Every time someone makes the "two for the price of one" comment I think the same thing: "Don't I wish!"
Think about your "normal" family for a moment. Parents discover that they are going to have a baby. A baby. They have a shower and get gifts and buy all of the usual baby stuff: a car seat, a crib, a high chair, a stroller, clothes, toys, etc. You get the idea. When said parents decide that they want to have baby #2, guess what?!? They already HAVE all of the stuff they need. They dust off the car seat, the high chair, the crib. They bring out all of the clothes, packed away by size (assuming the babies are of the same sex or the parents aren't that fussy about that kind of thing). They might have to go out and get a double stroller if the two children are close in age, but otherwise they're set. So for the cost of ONE of everything, they get TWO uses out of it.
Now think about the twin parents (or triplet, or quad, but frankly thinking about that too much makes my head hurt). When these parents find out that they are having BABIES, they have to go out and get the same things. Times two. You need two car seats, two cribs, two high chairs, twice the number of clothes. There is no handing these items down, because your babies need both at the same time.
Long story short, having multiples is expensive. But whether you have multiples or not, it's always nice to save some money. In this blog I'll share a few of the ways that have worked for us. And also some funny stories about my kids. Because, have I mentioned that they're adorable?
