I am a mom to twin girls and one baby boy. As I reflect on the differences between having twin infants as opposed to a single infant, I can’t help but appreciate how much easier having one baby turns out to be.
Twins vs. Single Baby
I remember the first time I left the house with my twin girls alone-it was for a car ride. Just a car ride. And it was when they were almost 3 months old. Yes, I didn’t leave the house for close to 3 months. There might have been a trip alone to the grocery store and a quick dinner out with my husband tossed in there, but with pumping, not getting much sleep, and two infants eating so often, it was just easier to stay home. I was a first-time mom. I didn’t know any better, and I figured that was fairly normal. I didn’t know the other side of it: the singleton side of life.
Recently, I’ve been able to leave the house with just my little guy one afternoon a week while the girls are with a sitter. And let me tell you, it’s a whole new world out there with only one baby at a time!
Car Seat Ease
You really can leave the house and load up in no time; I hated infant seats with the girls–carrying two was so heavy. With one baby, even though he’s heavy, it’s so simple compared to two. Need to run to grab a prescription? No problem–unloading and carrying one car seat in quick is just as simple. Want carryout instead of a drive thru order? No problem–grab the car seat and go in quickly and get right back out. So. Stinking. Easy.
Discreet Nursing
I’m also learning that nursing really can be discreet. I’m all for normalizing breastfeeding, but I’m also not comfortable with my goodies out there. And let me tell you–when you’re trying to tandem nurse you’re topless ALL THE TIME; there is no room for modesty. And, I was never comfortable, not even in my own house with people coming and going. This was one major factor that contributed to the decision to exclusively pump. But when you only have to whip out one boob and get one baby to latch, wearing two shirts or a cover is doable and discreet. Who knew?
Single Baby Freedom
It’s so amazing not to have to plan trips around being able to be back home to go to the bathroom–I can carry one infant seat in or fit one stroller in any bathroom. That wasn’t the case with 2, so outings were short and I didn’t drink much beforehand to avoid needing to use the restroom. It’s also nice not to have to limit yourself to places with double carts because let me tell you, there aren’t many places with them. My budget will only allow Target so many times, and we only need so many bulk items from Costco. Plus, there’s actually room in the cart! I mean the car-seat does take up a good chunk, but when there were two babies in it (pictured) there was limited space and you had to worry about wandering hands trying to take everything. With a singleton, you also don’t have to think about the weather (knowing that if it’s cold or rainy you’re going to have to load/unload/reload multiple car seats and a huge stroller so babies will be waiting in said weather).
Now, I’m not saying having only baby is easy peezy–mom’in ain’t easy for any of us. I’m just so glad I am getting to experience the other side-the singleton side of life!
