BF twins in public with a toddler...?

Jamie718 · March 2014

Can someone explain how BF and going out in public works with twins and a toddler? I can see doing it at home since you'd have your nursing pillow and all. I'm trying to picture if I need to run an errand and the babies get hungry. I assume tandem feeding while you're out is super hard without your pillow, but if you feed one at a time then the other one cries the whole time waiting for their turn and then I have a 3 yr old who is just supposed to hang out for an hour while I feed them?

Ideally I'd like to breastfeed, but it seems so impractical unless I plan to never go anywhere again.

nblondheim · March 2014

I only have twins but would it be possible for you to pump before you go somewhere so you have bottles for the twins? I know I can feed both of my twins bottles at the same time. Just an idea but not one from experience so take it with a grain of salt!

Jamie718 · March 2014

Yeah I could, but then wouldn't I still need to pump since I'm skipping a feeding? I used to give my son a bottle of formula sometimes when we were out and it messed up my supply, and I really didn't do it that often.

TheDairyQueenx3 · March 2014

I have yet to have both babies screaming for food at the same time even though 95% of the time we tandem nurse. Most times I just offer to the non hungry baby and he takes it when we do tandem feed. I have nursed them one at a time on many occasions when out and about and my toddler hasn't been much of an issue. He just sits quietly with a snack or my iPhone watching Netflix. Honestly leaving the house for more than an hour with newborn twins and a toddler without my husband just really never happens much so unless you have plans to make it a daily thing it shouldn't be an issues to offer a pumped bottle if you need too. Or you can nurse one and bottle feed the other. lots of moms here never tandem nurse even when home so it is ok to nurse one at a time. This is a trial and error type of thing. You will just have to find what works best for you and babies.

Rachiemoo · March 2014

My older daughter was almost 2.5 years old when my twins were born. I breast fed them for almost 6 months. I was never able to get the hang of tandem feeding, so I fed them both 1 at a time. I have to say that I could have never gone out with all 3 alone and been able to handle nursing when they were infants. I had a sitter and I would only be able to leave the house once the twins were both fed and my sitter would watch them so I could do things with my older daughter, run errands, etc. My DH works long hours so I couldn't depend on him to watch them for me, because by the time he gets home, many stores are closed or I'm too tired. Maybe I am a wimp, but I probably would have never left the house for the first few months if I didn't have a sitter. I think it could depend a lot on your, your toddler and babies personalities. Also if your toddler is in school or day care, then it would probably be much easier. But if all 3 are home with you, it sounds very challenging to me to be out and about with all of them and nurse.

TobieRose · March 2014

Honestly I never tandem feed, even at home. I think I've done it a total of five or six times since my boys were born! If you feed one and then the other, that's what they'll be used to, and if you respond to their early hunger cues, you should be okay.

Honestly I don't get out much anyways, but it's not because of breastfeeding ... the logistics are just awful to manage at this point. You might find yourself camping out at home a lot in the first months anyway ... but when I do go out it's only for an hour or two so I just tank the twins up before we leave and they're good.

Jamie718 · March 2014

Ok, thanks for the input

I realize I probably won't be going much of anywhere, just wondering what other moms do.

ntdane · March 2014

I have an almost 3 yo DS and 3 week old twins. We were out and about for a few hours the other day with my mom helping out. DS is going through a phase where no one but mom or maybe dad can do anything, so it really became like being on my own when it came time to nurse. I had one twin in their car seat in the stroller with a pacifier, nursing the other, and trying to keep DS near me with games on my phone. My mom was going around the grocery store trying to make out my short-hand list

. It only partly worked and I was pretty frazzled in the end, but I will say that it could have been way worse, especially for the first time. I plan to try packing a few special treats/games/books to try keeping DS occupied in the future. I'm also hoping to nurse in a sling once the twins get a little stronger so I can be a little more mobile. I have to figure out how to make it work, otherwise I will lose my mind! I'm just not a homebody

.

Everyusernameistaken · March 2014

Not sure if it helps but boppy makes a folding "travel" nursing pillow...could that be of use?

Jamie718 · March 2014

I'll look into it, thanks!

carrotcake06 · March 2014

My big one is just about 4 and the twins are 8mo. You'll figure out the logistics that work for you with trial and error. Honestly though, just the logistics of leaving the house will be daunting for a while.

I can tandem in the car in a pinch. I usually have H with me, though. We both work so I don't really have a lot of opportunity to have all three of them by myself. If we're out, I'll nurse individually sometimes. Other times, like road trips, it's easiest to pump while driving and bottle feed at a rest stop.

bumpuser924057 · March 2014

I only tandem feed at home, and I don't even do that very frequently anymore because they're so mobile and wiggly now. In the somewhat rare event that I have to feed them when I'm out, I do it in the car so I can keep my older kid and one twin buckled into seats. I keep a boppy (a regular one, not a travel one) in the car at all times and my minivan has one captains chair in the second row removed so I can sit and nurse in there. It generally doesn't take long and I just tank 'em up and go about the rest of our business.

Getting out with all three by myself isn't a lot of fun, but I do it often, and every time I do it gets easier. Don't be afraid! Worst case scenario, you just bail on whatever the activity was and haul a handful of screaming kids to the car.

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