how do you take 1 yr old twins outside to play?

groovygrl · July 2010

Glad to finally bypass the knot error here..ugh.

So I want to start do more playing out in our yard w/ my twins but the logistics are making me nuts! I really do not want to drag our playard out there & I know that will be a suggestion but considering that is where I stick them when I am taking toys & blankets outside, I'd be left without a safe space inside, not to mention the lil playzone is not the easiest to take in & out, down steps, etc.

Our backyard gets tons of shade (but has crappy grass as a result) so it is a good place to play w/ them but I have to walk down several steps off the deck to get there. Getting all the toys out there & then the kids just seems like such a process, then we we get there, I feel like I spend the whole time trying to prevent them from eating stuff like leaves & sticks and god forbid they crawl to opposite ends of the blanket we're on....LOL!

How do you do it without using a playard? (or even with a playard, do you put down a blanket or do your kids just not eat random crap in the grass?)

Temp159135562506975 · July 2010

i don't... unless someone is here to help me. There's just no way i can get them all outside safely (i either have to go out the front door and around the house- or out the back door and down a big flight of stairs).

i'm going to have Dh set up the water table on our back porch (which is very small) so i can at least take them out there to play - since going out in the yard with them (plus my 3 y/o) is impossible for me to do alone.

it sucks- but i figure next year when they are both walking well it will be a lot easier - we can all walk out together.

omalley · July 2010

We have used a blanket before and that worked pretty well but mostly b/c my kids hated grass for awhile.

This past weekend we were at an outside party at a friends house. We brought our wagon and I had a bag of toys. I dumped all of the toys in the wagon and my boys stood at it and played forever! Kind of like how kids stand at a sand/water table.

It was unplanned and I was so psyched they were occupied for so long. Maybe you could give this a try?

macchiatto · July 2010

It's a pain but doable. We live on 40 acres (with our landlady) and there's lots of wood and plenty of "hazards" but there are safe areas, too. When the boys were younger I would take them out in the stroller; now we use the wagon and bring maybe a ball and bubbles and stick it in the bottom of the wagon (by their feet) for the short trip from the house to the yard. We'll go for a little wagon ride and then let them out to play. Could you throw some toys and a blanket in a backpack and then carry one LO in each arm to get outside? I did feel better about it once they were both walking well; for my boys they were 14m and almost 16m when that happened. Once Will was walking well and Alex was crawling, we started going outside more, but I definitely prefer it now that they're both walking!

Katrina_0087 · July 2010

when they were younger i left the on the deck (it was gated) and brought everything out htne got them, yes it was a process but I thought well worth it.

Of course they're gonna eat sticks and leaves, they're discovering the outdoors and it's annoying but its their age but you just have to keep tossing them away. Im confused about why they can't crawl off the blanket or go to opposite ends? its grass. let them play. is the yard not fenced? I dont see what the big deal is about that it.

jenn_darrin1515 · July 2010

we keep "outdoor" toys outside in the yard in their baby pool - they love balls, foam letters, a beach toy set (bucket, shovels, etc.)...they don't get destroyed by the elements and only need a rinse for cleaning and then I don't have to get them toys when we head out...

I usually set up their water table and stand one there, run up (only a couple steps) and grab the other and then spread out a blanket/towel more for me since they never stay on there (or I spread the blanket/towel and place the girls on their with a bowl of goldfish crackers to keep them there while I grab the other)...they have both eaten grass and dirt and I have had to take sticks away...but eh - they are having a blast experiencing their world so it is well worth it to me...

groovygrl · July 2010

Great idea re the wagon!

We actually have a screened in porch with two of those foam alphabet mats on the floor & we play out there a lot when it isn't too hot. But I feel like I should be taking them outside & letting them explore but in a safe way...

Um no our yard isn't fenced...not all yards are, fyi. And we live on a golf course so flying balls can be a concern although our trees tend to protect from that.

I don't mind if they go into the grass or whatever, but I don't want them eating sticks & leaves (dried ones) and sharp stuff b/c it could actually hurt them. If they want to try grass I don't really care. But since the leaves/sticks are pretty much all my DS wants to touch & stick all of it in his mouth, if he goes to the other end of the blanket from DD, I have to try to keep an eye on both while not being able to see or reach them both to toss the sticks etc away.

macchiatto · July 2010

Yeah, we are constantly taking sticks away from our boys (especially Will), too. It's a pain and I have definitely wished many times for our own fenced-in back yard where it is easier to keep it free of sticks, etc. rather than one HUGE yard that is really someone else's (our landlady's) so we can't control the environment too much. At least with my boys, Alex tends to stay in one place somewhat (e.g. he'll sit and just pick grass, leaves, etc., to study, or stand under the apple tree pointing at each fruit and saying "Apple! Apple! Apple!") so I just have to chase Will around.

janjag · July 2010

tell me about it! what a PITA.

i don't know all your logistics... but if you can buy another superyard, or two, and just leave them outside, would that work? we got 2 for $50 on CL. you could put some toys, or a water table inside. as far as eating stuff... well, got to watch for dry leaves and sticks (we had a choking scare with a dry leaf). for the most part mine have learned not to put leaves/sticks in their mouthes, but it takes alot of repitition, and they still need to be closely watched. put them in clothes you don't care about and let them get dirty in the not-so-good grass.

then, if you think they'll like this, pull LOs out one at a time, and let them run around outside, while the other is still in the play yard. '

3VIBride · July 2010

Please don't take this as flaming, I mean it in a supportive way, but-

Just do it. Please. It's hard, but you can do it and it's worth the trouble. Figure out some sequence of steps and moving things to get them out safely and just do it.

We live in a condo and our deck will barely hold our pack n play and a chair for me, or they have to sit in their high chairs out there. That is the best I can do for them on a regular basis and it breaks my heart every day. We have common grassy areas but I can't ever put them down in the grass because our neighbors are NOT good about picking up after their dogs. If the worst you have to deal with is throwing away some sticks, be grateful.

I would do anything to only have logistical problems with getting them out to play in a yard. Please take advantage of what you have. Suggestions-Bring all the stuff outside while they are napping and then bring them outside when they wake up. Use a different "safe place" besides the pack n play while you move stuff- what about their cribs, high chairs, an exersaucer or jumparoo?

And I do feel your pain with the logistics. We don't have a garage, or a driveway, and we live in a 3 story townhouse-style condo. To even get to our car I have to take them down at least one flight of stairs, put them in the stroller in our tiny foyer, get the stroller out the door, put them from the stroller into the car, then fold up the stroller and get in the car. And repeat when we get home. But I just do it and try to stay positive, and remember that I am blessed with twins and some things are just a little harder. After all they didn't ask to arrive at the same time and they deserve the same experiences they would have gotten if it was just one.

janjag · July 2010

3VIBride:

We live in a condo and our deck will barely hold our pack n play and a chair for me, or they have to sit in their high chairs out there. That is the best I can do for them on a regular basis and it breaks my heart every day. We have common grassy areas but I can't ever put them down in the grass because our neighbors are NOT good about picking up after their dogs. If the worst you have to deal with is throwing away some sticks, be grateful.

And I do feel your pain with the logistics. We don't have a garage, or a driveway, and we live in a 3 story townhouse-style condo. To even get to our car I have to take them down at least one flight of stairs, put them in the stroller in our tiny foyer, get the stroller out the door, put them from the stroller into the car, then fold up the stroller and get in the car. And repeat when we get home. But I just do it and try to stay positive, and remember that I am blessed with twins and some things are just a little harder. After all they didn't ask to arrive at the same time and they deserve the same experiences they would have gotten if it was just one.

wow, sounds like we have similar logistical challenges! can i steal you away to check out my post on leashes?

carissasmom · July 2010

I gather up some toys and take them outside leaving the kids inside. The house is relatively safe and I'm only outside for a second. I then go hoist up both girls, and kick my older DD out first. Walk out to the yard and poof we play. I used to take a blanket out when they were little, but once they stopped staying on it (probably around 6 months) we stopped bringing it out. One less thing to mess with. They go in opposite directions at time but I can usually tell if someone has something in their mouth and remove it. We have a water table and a few other water type toys so I'm usually close to those as I know drowning accidents can happen in a second. So I don't leave that area unattended. It's really just one of those things the more you do it the easier it will be.

groovygrl · July 2010

Thanks for all the tips!

I didn't really take pp's post as flaming but sort of overreacting to my OP, I wasn't complaining about wah wah wah I have to take them outside, just wondering how people do it & what would make it easier in terms of getting everything out there & keeping them safe. We all have things that are easier & more difficult in our lives, I'm not sure why you felt the need to put a guilt trip on me for feeling challenged about figuring out how to have 2 semi-mobile toddlers in my yard (or a park, or any outdoor space really), but whatev.

Temp159135562506975 · July 2010

groovygrl:

Thanks for all the tips!

I didn't really take pp's post as flaming but sort of overreacting to my OP, I wasn't complaining about wah wah wah I have to take them outside, just wondering how people do it & what would make it easier in terms of getting everything out there & keeping them safe. We all have things that are easier & more difficult in our lives, I'm not sure why you felt the need to put a guilt trip on me for feeling challenged about figuring out how to have 2 semi-mobile toddlers in my yard (or a park, or any outdoor space really), but whatev.

don't feel bad. Sometimes it's NOT worth it. I don't feel guilty - my boys get plenty of outside time on the weekends and in the evening when dH is home... or during the week if my niece comes to help me.... but otherwise- I simply can not get all 3 of my boys outside in the back yard safely by myself - I just can't.... because i'm not willing to leave any of them out in the yard alone for even a minute while I got and get the other one - period. I live on a busy street- and just one minute out of my sight could = very bad.

I am not complaining either - it's just how it is. I do almost EVERYTHING with my boys by myself- i go out almost every day somewhere.... do LOTs of stuff that most MoMs are afraid to do with just 2 -and I do it with 3.... but my back yard is one of the things it's just too hard to do -and not worth the trouble to do - BY MYSELF.... again- they get tons of outdoor time when I have help.

Remember - when they are walking better life will be very different... in many ways = easier, in many ways harder For me - my back yard will be more doable once the twins are both walking well... b/c I can get all 3 kids outside easily then. For now - we just don't do it unless I have help.... and I don't feel badly about it either

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