bestoftwins, Author at The Best of Twins

bestoftwins

Chances of Having Twins

Mar 012013

If you’re pregnant or trying, you might wonder about your chances of having twins. It sounds like a great idea on paper, but let me warn you in advance: being pregnant with twins is no picnic. On to the numbers: I compiled some recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, which tracks births in the United States. These data are from 4,130,665 recorded births in the U.S. in 2009.
Contents:
Chances of Having Twins and Multiples
Increasing Odds of Twins
IVF and Twins
States with Higher Chances of Twins

The Odds of Twins: New Infographic

Here’s an infographic that we created on PikToChart about the odds of having twins.

Chances of Having Twins and Multiples

About 3.3% of births in 2009 were of multiple babies. The vast majority of these (3.32%) were twin births. The odds of having twins have been in slight decline in recent years, after a 70% increase between 1980 and 2004. Currently, if you live in North America, your chances of having twins are about 3%. The odds of having identical twins are less than 1%. And the odds of having triplets, quadruplets, or higher-order multiples are much lower, about 1.5 in 1,000.

CDC: Percentage of Births in 2009

The Increasing Odds of Twins

Pregnant and Having Twins (Flickr: chrismar)

The pronounced rise in twin and multiple births in the 80’s and 90’s has been associated with two trends:

Older maternal age at childbirth. Women were waiting longer before having babies, and the odds of having twins (especially fraternal twins) rise as you get older.
Expanded use of fertility-enhancing therapies. The obvious example is in vitro fertilization (IVF), which involves the implantation of multiple embryos… sometimes yielding multiple babies.

In 2009 and recent years, the rates of twins have risen with the hand-in-hand the average age of mothers giving birth. Age is definitely a factor: mothers in their teens have less than a 2% of chance of having twins, but women aged 45 or older have a 20% chance! The link between age and twins, at least as explained by our OB/GYN, is that your cycle can become less regular as you get older, meaning that both ovaries might release an egg at the same time (normally they alternate months). Finally, a good thing about getting older!

IVF and Twins

Twin sisters and brothers (Flickr: surlygirl)

Assistive reproductive technologies have helped many couples with reduced fertility conceive a child. They have also been associated with the rise of twin birth rates. This is not surprising for fraternal (non-identical) twins, since these technologies, by definition, are designed to increase the chance of conception. The process of in vitro fertilization (IVF), for example, involves the implantation of multiple embryos. They do this to increase the chances of success, and sometimes, multiple embryos take hold!

Interestingly, however, assistive reproductive technologies have also been associated with monozygotic (identical) twins. The odds of having identical twins by natural conception are 0.4%, but with “help” from such technologies, the odds are 0.9%, or about 2.25 times higher. Though the pattern is clear, we don’t know for certain why this is the case.

States with Higher Chances of Twins

Certain areas of the U.S. have higher rates of twins, particularly the east coast. In Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, twins comprised over 4% of all births. The lowest rate was in New Mexico, with twins comprising around 2% of all births.

Twin Baby Shower Invites

Having Twins 2 Responses »

Feb 252013

Twin Baby Shower: Theme Ideas | Games | Invites

First impressions are everything, and for a baby shower, that means the invitation. Twin baby showers offer the unique chance to do something special. The invitation offers the first hint of that. There are some cute ones out there for twin showers! We picked nine of our favorite twin shower invitations to feature here.
Contents:
Tall Invitations
Wide Invitations
Square Invitations

Tall Twin Shower Invitations

These shower invitations are tall (as opposed to wide) but there quite adorable. The Baby Seuss invitation is generic (and could apply to twins or to single babies), but if you have a Dr. Seuss theme it’s ideal. The Baby Cheetah stroller invitation was just my favorite in appearance, and the one on the right (baby bottles) has pink and blue for girl/boy twins.


Baby Dr. Seuss These Baby Dr. Seuss invitations are perfect for your Thing 1 / Thing 2 or One Fish, Two Fish baby shower.	Baby Cheetah Twins This cute invitation features cheetah twin strollers with vines and spots all around.	Baby Bottles For a boy-girl twin shower (or a coed baby shower), the pink and blue bottle makes a good first impression.

Wide Twin Shower Invitations

The wide baby shower invitation seems to be more popular for twin showers, and that’s probably because they depict pairs of items side-by-side… my favorites below feature bassinets, baby buggies, double tweetie birds, or twin onesies. All four of these can be customized!


Twin Bassinets This is an elegant invitation for boy-girl twin showers, with classic baby bassinets in blue and pink. I also love the fancy script used for the name of the mom-to-be.	Double Buggy These cute twin shower invitations have bright colors that work for any expectation: twin boys, twin girls, or boy-girl twins.

Sweet Tweets in Pink This is probably my favorite twin shower invitation ever -Double Sweet with tweetie birds. It’s modern, stylish, and easy to read. The pink version is shown; this invitation also comes in blue for twin boys.	Sunshine Twins This cute invitation features twin onesies. The text around the border reads “a special delivery… double sweet… it’s twins… two is better than one.”

Square Shower Invitations

Last but not least are these customizable square invitations from Minted.com. You don’t see as many square invitations these days (probably due to the extra postage) so they really stand out. For both of these there are multiple color choices; I chose to show the boy/girl twin themed one.


Twin Binks Baby Shower Invitations The twin binkie (pacifiers) shower invitation is a simple but classy way to go. You can customize it with all of the necessary info.	Double Cupcake Shower Invitations I get hungry just looking at this invitation, which reads “Double the cake, double the fun”. This customizable invite also works great for couples showers.

Twin Baby Shower Theme Ideas

Having Twins 7 Responses »

Feb 152013

Twin Baby Shower: Theme Ideas | Games | Invites

Planning a twin baby shower can be both fun and stressful. Twins are so rare, so special, that you want everything to be perfect. The first thing you may want to decide upon is a theme for the baby shower. It doesn’t need one, of coure — a baby shower for twins is a theme in itself — but a theme will help you pick out the decor, gifts, favors, and even the games. We had multiple showers when we were expecting twins, and they were lots of fun.

Twin Shower Theme Ideas

Between that and a little research, we’ve come up with these favorite twin baby shower theme ideas. Some of these are centered around the idea of multiple babies, some are just cute baby shower themes that would work for single-baby showers too.

Dr. Seuss Themes: Thing 1 & 2 or One Fish Two Fish

Thing 1 Thing 2 Baby Shower

One of the cutest themes for baby showers is “Thing 1, Thing 2,” two characters from Dr. Seuss’s best-known book, The Cat in the Hat.

These blue-haired twins, and Dr. Seuss in general, make for a fun theme for any party. The classic red-and-blue colors make for some bright, cheery decorations. Think cupcakes with blue frosting, or a red-and-white frosted “Cat in the Hat” cake.

The book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss makes a great theme for single or twin baby showers. Fish candy or crackers in bowls or gummy fish cupcakes will get you started.

Some of Dr. Seuss’s most popular books provide great inspiration for party foods and decor:

The Cat in the Hat. Party hats and decorations, or the gorgeous cake at right.
Green Eggs and Ham. Deviled eggs with green food coloring should do the trick.
The Lorax. That’s your excuse to decorate with trees, fish, monkeys, you name it. A cute movie, too, that you could have playing in the background.

Credits: amyatlas.com, opulent creations, parents.com

Monkey See, Monkey Do Safari Theme

The jungle safari theme is a popular one for babies in general; “Monkey see, monkey do” always makes me think of my own twins. You can have a lot of fun with this theme, starting with the invitations: “Monkey see, monkey do, guess which mommy is expecting two?”

A safari baby shower almost plans itself because there are so many great food and decoration ideas. Here are a few:

Monkey friends. Giraffe, lion, rhino, hippo, and other safari animals make for lots of great decor options. You can put them on the shower invitations, the cake, the favor bags, whatever.
Wheat grass centerpieces. Inexpensive potted wheat grass creates a jungle landscape. Hide animal lollipops in them for a true safari effect!
Go bananas. Play up the monkey-see-monkey theme with bunches of bananas that everyone can take home for a healthy snack!
Safari snacks. If you really want to impress. Celery, animal crackers, peanut butter and fruit.

Credit: Things Festive Wedding Blog

Twin Peas in a Pod Theme

I would be remiss not to include the Peas in a Pod theme for twin baby showers. This theme might be over-used, but it’s practically synonymous with expecting twins. With green as the main color, it works for boy twins, girl twins, or boy-girl twins equally well.

Of all the twin shower themes, this is probably the easiest to pull off. All you need to do is go green: green invitations, foods (cupcake liners, frosted cookies, and salads, for starters).

Real plants and/or green confetti (the kind used in Easter baskets) offer some nice backdrops. And there are literally thousands of party supplies along this theme that you can order to decorate for it.

Diaper Drive Shower Theme

Diaper Drive Cake (Credit: Amazon.com)

Here’s a fun twin baby shower theme that the parents-to-be will love you for: a diaper drive. Think about it, they’re going to change 1400 diapers in the first three months. That’s just insane, and it’s expensive too. A diaper drive twin shower is such a great way to get them started.

You might make this an optional shower game, with a prize to win, rather than an alternative to baby gifts. That could be stated on the invitation. This way, people who really want to shop for cute baby gifts can do so, and the new parents still get some diapers.
A diaper cake like the one at left is an ambitious but striking decorative item. You can get a kit on Amazon or even order a pre-made diaper cake.
Fun game idea: Get several different kinds of candy bars and smash each one in a diaper as a sort of “baby poop”. Everyone guesses which candy it was, and the winner gets a prize. The diaper game kit diapers for this because they’re little and cute.

In the event that you do encourage people to bring diapers (optionally, in lieu of a gift), here’s a little poem you can use for the invitation:

We’re having a diaper raffle to help the
parents-to-be!
If you bring a pack of unwrapped diapers it
will fill them with glee.
For each pack you bring there’s a ticket for you,
to win a great gift or two!

Have you come across any other ideas for twin baby showers? If so, please leave us a comment below!

Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Life With Twins No Responses »

Feb 082013

Everything in our house is broken. This is simply the reality of having three kids under the age of four, two of which happen to be instinctively destructive toddler boys. In the past two years, more possessions of ours have been destroyed than I care to remember. Some of these include:

Several Christmas ornaments
Favorite mugs, bowls, and dishes
A laptop (lesson learned)
Every portable decorative item
Bath toys and Nerf balls (chewed)
Books, both ours and theirs
Photo frames and keepsakes

Sometimes I can repair the damage with my well-worn tube of superglue. More often these items are destroyed beyond repair. The toddlers are also lead suspects in the disappearance of certain things, notably my keys. We suspect they were pitched when the kids discovered our trash can, but we have no proof.

Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Oh Pottery Barn, so lovely and so unrealistic for families with kids (potterybarn.com)

Ah, Pottery Barn. Whenever we see a finely appointed living space in a magazine or on TV — an elegant living room, a cozy bedroom, or a classy-looking parlor — we’re quick to pinpoint the weaknesses. Raising toddler boys trains you for that. Our eyes pick out the unsecured furniture, the open candle flames, the strangulation hazards.

We cringe at all of those sharp edges and tippable decorations. And we just laugh at the idea of white furniture or carpet. A long time ago, so long that I can hardly remember it, we kept our house in such a fashion. Not this fancy, mind you (we’re not millionaires) but rather nice.

Once they learned to walk, our kids were quick to exploit the weaknesses. They knocked over tables, emptied closets, and pulled down unsecured bookshelves.

Essential Babyproofing

OK, we had to surrender on home design in favor of self-preservation. Babyproofing for toddlers is a constant job: you’re up against ever-growing, ever-learning children whose energy never seems to wane. At least, when it’s not nap time. We took down all of the delicate, lovely decorations. We removed drawer handles. We secured cabinets with latches, rubber bands, even a bungee cord. We put in baby gates, which occasionally were knocked down by the sheer will of inquisitive little ones to see what’s beyond.

One challenge is that the toddlers are growing at an astonishing rate. What was out of reach or too hard to open a week ago is now laid bare to their exploring fingers. Often by the time we realize this, it’s too late, and the object in question lays in pieces on the floor. Ah, well.

Carpet and Floor Abuse

Our floors have seen perhaps the most abuse of all. This is generally for two reasons:

Our innate clumsiness and the willful destructive spirits of our little ones have caused many heavy objects to drop (often shattering) 0n the wooden kitchen floor
Our dining room floor is carpeted, which is unfortunate when your kids love to throw food as much as ours do. No matter how much we vacuum or steam clean, the carpets really take a beating.

Someday, when the kids are a little bit older, we might be able to recover. The few bits of delicate furniture or keepsakes that have survived can come out of hiding. Mugs of coffee left on the table won’t invite disaster any longer. Perhaps, the dream of the Pottery Barn catalog might not be so ridiculous. Until then, we might as well enjoy the ride!

Twin Toddler Bed Reviews

Product Reviews 1 Response »

Jan 312013

Toddler beds are an intermediate step between the crib and the adult-size twin or double bed. You know it’s time for one when your toddler gains the ability to climb out of the crib. Once it can’t contain him or her any longer, the crib is actually a danger because of potential falls. An adult-size bed, even a twin, isn’t always a good option due to their height and space footprint in an already-crowded nursery.

The toddler bed makes a nice compromise. Our twin boys are almost ready to make the move, so I’m in the market for two of them. They’ll have to match, obviously, and match the dark-colored furniture in the nursery.

Toddler Bed Benefits

The twins’ older sister has a toddler bed now (princess-themed, obviously), and I’ve found that there are several things to like about them.

They’re cute. Picture a twin bed in miniature. It’s just the right size for the toddler, and here’s one important detail: they require no box spring and fit a standard crib mattress.
Safety. An important benefit to most toddler beds is that they’re low to the ground, so your little one can roll onto the floor without risk of serious injury. Fortunately there are rails on the sides to prevent even that from happening.
Low cost. Believe it or not, toddler beds aren’t very expensive, especially compared to a baby crib. There’s really not much to them, so most of the cost comes down to the quality and cut of the wood.
Space-saver. Toddler beds take a standard crib mattress, no box springs, and usually have rails on just two sides. This means they take up far less space than a standard crib, which can really help open up the room.

Toddler Bed Reviews

There are not as many options for toddler beds as there are for cribs, but you still have lots to choose from. To help with that, we took the top-selling toddler beds from Amazon.com and review them in detail below.

Dream On Me Sleigh Toddler Bed

Features:	• Sleigh design headboard and footboard. • Specifically designed low to the floor. • Two side rails for added safety • 7 different non-toxic finishes to choose from • Easy assembly with tools included
Reviews:

This is the top-selling toddler bed on Amazon.com. It features a sleigh-style headboard and footboard, with side rails and a low-to-the-ground design for added safety. A few customers reported problems during assembly, but most give it 4 or 5 stars.One particularly nice feature about the Dream On Me toddler bed is that it comes in 7 different finish (color) options: expresso, pink, black, white, cherry, natural, and pecan. The pecan and pink colors are shown to the left. All told, this is a stylish and solid bed for the transition between crib and twin.

Orbelle Toddler Bed 3-6T

Features:	• Solid wood construction. • Toddlers can get in and out safely. • Two safety rails • Assembly tools included • Eligible for free 90-day returns
Reviews:

Another bestseller on Amazon is the Orbelle toddler bed. Three words describe this crib’s main selling point: solid wood construction. In fact, whereas some of the reviews of the Dream on Me crib mentioned that it wouldn’t support an adult, the Orbelle is just the opposite: by some accounts it’s more solidly built than a twin size bed.Ease of assembly is another benefit of the Orbelle toddler bed; all of the tools are included and most people found it easy to put together.

Delta Cars Toddler Bed

Features:	• Disney Pixar Cars headboard and footboard. • Steel frame for sturdiness and stability • Two removable bedrails for safety • Non-toxic finish • Meets all JPMA safety standards for toddler beds
Reviews:

Here’s a whimsical and fun toddler bed for little Cars lovers. Unlike most of the other toddler beds we’ve reviewed, this one has a steel frame. A bit heavier, but very solid and stable. The bright colors will really stand out in any nursery.The bed rails are removable, which is a nice feature for when toddlers get a bit older. That’s especially useful because you’ll have trouble taking this away from any toddler boy.

The bright colors are done in a non-toxic finish, and this bed meets all JPMA safety standards.

DaVinci Sleigh Toddler Bed

Features:	• Made of sustainable pine. • Non-toxic finish • Lead and phthlate Safe • Sleigh style unisex design • Two rails for added safety
Reviews:

This toddler bed I just had to write about, because it’s made by Da Vinci, one of my favorite manufacturers of baby furniture. Their products are made of sustainable pine grown in New Zealand and sealed with a non-toxic, lead-free finish.The Da Vinci toddler bed fits a standard crib mattress (not included). It’s good quality and reasonably priced. Assembly is straightforward except for one of the last steps where you have to line up all ten slats while attaching the second side (this takes two people). Otherwise an all-around great toddler bed.

DaVinci Elizabeth II Toddler Bed

Features:	• Made of sustainable pine • Available in cherry, natural, espresso, and white • Converts to day bed (pictured left) • 1 year limited manufacturers warranty • Lead and Phthalate Safe, Non-Toxic Finish
Reviews:

Not to dwell on the topic of DaVinci furniture, but this toddler bed — the Elizabeth II — was so gorgeous that we had to include it. Another top seller and the sequel to the Elizabeth model, this toddler bed converts to a day bed and (if you buy the rails) also a headboard/footboard for a full size bed.

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