Couples just starting out often think about how many kids they would like to have. In addition to that, however, how far apart they have them can be equally as important. One thing is for sure: Nature doesn’t always play by rules of convenience, and parents often find themselves coping with multiple life phases with more than one young child at a time.
Parents of “singletons,” (one child born at a time) often look to the mommies of multiples and think, “How do they do it?” Leah Reynolds, mother of twin girls age 5 and a 3-year-old daughter, has experienced both sides – raising multiples and a child close in age.
“Some people think having twins first would be the hardest, but I find it has been very advantageous for me,” says Reynolds. “This was my learning curve. I didn’t have a chance to adapt to having one child; I had to figure it out with two from the start.”
Her best coping strategies include a double stroller, a completely childproof area of the house and a support system.
“You cannot run after two children at the same time; it is impossible, and you can bet that 90 percent of the time, they’re going in two separate directions. Usually, I end up grabbing one first, scooping her up, then going after the other.”
When younger daughter Abby was born 18 months later, Reynolds helped alleviate the strain of having an infant and two toddlers by keeping active in her local MOMS Club.
“If either Sarabeth or Emily – or both – took off, I could hand Abby to another mom and go chase them.”
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