PDMBA

Hi everyone, this is the first time I have been back to the websit since my B/G twins were born on the 31Oct08.WOW...with three other children already(2ys, 5yrs & 7yrs) NOTHING could of prpared me for twins. But I'm still alive (and so are they) and now they are sleeping 8-10hrs at night i am starting to feel more human...But after some help.... can you buy BULK S26Gold baby formual anywhere. I'm going through almost 2 cans a week (could only do the *** feeding for aboput 6-7 weeks).

Also does anyone know of any shops that do home delivery of groceries. Coles and Woolies over east offer the service for about $15, But keep telling me there is no demand in WA for it. After telling people in email address book this, i think Coles would or received about 50 enquieries this week for home delivery of groceries in WA....so if your interested send an email to online.customercare@coles.com.au . The more emails they get the more attention they'll have to give the matter. I am so luck up to date i have had family members do my shopping list for me, or watch the kids, burt with alot of them away or going away...I find mysely worrying about the so called simple task of grocery shopping. We live in Chittering (40min to Midalnd or Joondalup) so when I shop I do a large weeks worth. Does anyone know of any shops that offer home deliver?????? If not.......HELP- how do I get my twins from the car to the actual shop (where then I can put them into the twin trolly?????- along with the 2yr old. If I take the pram from the car into the shop - there's nowhere safe to leave it!!! How do you wonderful, brilliant, inicitive, patient mums of multiples manage??? I take my hat off. Eagerly awaiting ifo Kerrie

 

Hi  Kerrie,

Firstly - congratualtions on your new-ish additions.  I can't imagine myself what it's all like with older children - I thought MY washing load with newborns was high but with a few extra in the house, goodness!

On the formula front, there is a special offer available to multi families were you need to get a letter from your child health nurse to register.  It has been advertised in the magazine a few times.  You need to buy it by the carton (x12 tins) and it's delivered but apparently it saves you close to $700 in the first year.  ***** Can someone please give details? ******* I don't have old copies of the mag but I'm sure someone else does.

Shopping is a nightmare isn't it?  Not sure what kind of pram you have but if you can get your hands on an umbrella stroller and can find a supermarket with a double trolley (phone beforehand and make sure it's available)  I was able to leave the stroller a few times with the smoke counter (it just is all wrong isn't it?) but the stroller was easier to off load than a full on pram.  I had a Steelcraft stroller where the seats do fold down so suitalbe for the younger ones.

Hang in there, I promise that it will get easier as the bubs get just a little bit older and stronger. 

 

Wendy

Audrey and Charles 3y 4 m

Hi Kerrie,

I have 22mth old twins and a newly turned 5 yr old. When the twins were just born I too left them behind to do the shopping - we would do a bulk shop that would last 3 wks. I started taking them with me when they were about 4mths old as well as my 3 yr old. To get into the shops I would put 1 baby in the sling and carry the other baby and hold the hand of my 3 yr old. I would then get  a twin trolley and put the 3 yr old inside the trolley and the twins in the seats. I carried them into the shops this way until they were about 16 mths old. Now they are nearly 2 i get a single trolley and they sit in the basket along with my 5 yr old and we go get a twin trolley and the 5 yr old walks. You get lots of stares and comments carrying a baby in a sling and holding one but I found it the easiest way to get in to coles and people generally get out of your way and let you go ahead of them as they can see you are holding a fair weight!

I looked into home delivery too with no success.

Hi Kerrie,

Congrats on the safe arrival of your twins and for surviving the first three months!

The details for the multiples formula discount offer that Wendy was referring to are as follows:

The person to contact at Nutricia is now Karen Hovey, her direct line is 0288700403.  You will need to furnish her with copies of your twins' birth certificates and a letter from your GP or health nurse saying that you are a multiple birth parent who is formula-feeding (this letter covers them from breeches of the WHO guidelines for the promotion of breastfeeding). As far as I know, the formula works out at about $12.50 per tin (this may be more depending on what sort of formula you purchase). You can order bulk amounts (in crates of 12 tins) and Nutricia are now providing free delivery to mothers of multiples.

Hope this helps you out a bit. Please let me know if any of the above details are incorrect as it is good for us to have up-to-date info for the newsletter.

In terms of getting through to carpark to do shopping, I also used a sling for one and carried the other until about 12 months when I sat one in the seat and one in the basket of a single trolley. I would try to get the supermarket first thing in the morning to try and snag a twin trolley. P&DMBA has a list of which supermarkets have twin trolleys and what their policies are on reserving them etc. I'm not sure if it is available on our new website yet, but if you can't find it and you would like a copy, please email pdmba@hotmail.com.

Cheers,

Krista

Hi, Me again.

A little trick I used when shopping and no twin trolley was available - one in the seeat, one in the main basket.  What to do with breakable items or things that the child in the basket might start munching on or open?  I used the re-usable shopping bags and a couple of small carabeenas (mountain designs or camping stores) and hang my shopping on the outside of the trolley.  We looked like a pack horse but pointless buying eggs/fruit etc if someone is going to be sitting on them.  You obviously need to wait until the kids are old/strong enough to be sitting up.

 

I was shopping with the kids once and after a period of silence from my daughter (most unusual) I discovered she'd opened to tub of yogurt and was busy feeding herself with the hands......people must have seen this going on but I didn't have any reaction form a single person! 

 

 I use S26 Gold as well... heard about the cheaper option after they had already started on S26 and wasn't keen on swapping them. I just wait for BIG W to have it on sale, they seem to be the cheapest.

 I have a friend who used http://ezyshop.com.au/ for home delivery shopping after she had a back operation recently. She said they were really helpful and the fresh fruit, veg and meat was all good quality! Apparently they pick the fruit and veg from the cannigvale markets to order and cut the meat to order as well!

 In terms of shopping, when I can't leave the kids behind, I go early and if it's not hot, I park at the closest entrance to the supermarket and do a mad dash into the shops for the twin trolley. I know it's far from ideal but have tried laying them both in the bottom of a normal trolley until I get inside, but the ground is often so uneven and bumpy! I have wondered if the supermarkets would bring a trolley out to you if you parked at the nearest entrance to their store then phoned them.

 I actually emailed Coles today and had a little whinge. Had a moment in my local coles today. They only have a twin baby trolley and a trolley with a toddler attachment. I only realised today that the boys are now too big for one but too small for the other! We need the traditional type trolley with two seats. I had left the all three kids in the car, made two trips back and forth with a useless trolley, had the beginnings of a migraine, the 4 year old crying because she lost a sticker in the car, and I left without the fruit and veg that I desperately needed! So by the time I sent the email to coles I was livid... and hungry because there was no food in the fridge!

I am just frustrated with the serious lack of twin trolleys in every shopping centre I want to shop at! Midland, Belmont... only one coles in the entire Bunbury area has a twin trolley and only ONE at that! I do actually wonder how may twin+ mums do grocery shopping with the kids when there seems to be no trolleys at all in the majority of the stores!

THANKYOU SOOOOOOOOO much.I have never hurd of them. I have contacted them as their web site said they didnt deliver as far out as me (Lower Chittering) and after speaking with the managerhe said if their was 10 or more deliveries to come out this way he'd prob do it. Hence I have emailed about 30 local families and hopefuuly it'll all happen. THANKYOU again.

Midland is also my closest Coles/Woolies - which is about 55km. I to mentioned about the lack of twins trolleys (this was just before I had the twins) ans the man at the service counter very smugly responded to my concern - just walk down to Woolies and bring one of their twin trollys back here to use. I was in shock and didn't know where to start with all the thing running through my head. How could I walk (probably 300M) with twins in my arms (plus 3 other kids) to get a trolly , and then walk back and do shopping... O M G!!!

 When Mums of multiples are running the world it will spin much easier!!!!!!!

 

Hi Kerri

Another little piece of advice which I have used successfully is to drive past the outside trolley bays and look for the double trolleys. Then park as close as possible. It worked 80% of the time.  At our shopping centre they are the bright green ones so they are easy to spot. Otherwise I just do a small essential shop with the stroller hoods as my baskets until i can shop on my own! Sadly my husband and I would have friday night  shopping dates when our g/b twins were that little becasue we have always done the grocery shopping together and it gave us sometime together and time out of the house and we got something major accomplished!! - now we go out for dinner :)

 Goodluck

Megan

Hi Kerrie, I have 10mth GG twins and to do my shopping I put one in the pouch and carried the other till I got to a trolley. I can't remember the last time I did a big shop... I spend most of my time at the shops nearly every 2-3 days.. I find that places like Red dot etc have plant "S" hooks they are cheap and I hang my shopping from them off my pram... it does get heavy but I can get about 4-5 bags on my pram that way sometimes more depending on what I buy... Formula I haven't found anywhere that will sell it to me bulk I always get it at Big W on sale it has just gone up now... I use S26... But I think I will now look into the info that someone else has left you....

Hi Kerrie,

Was nice to see your post as I am also a mother of children 7, 5 & 2 and now 15 weeks pregnant with twins.  I would love any hints/advice you might have on surviving!

Rachael

Hi all.

Coles is introducing home delivery to Perth suburbs from tomorrow 30 April! It's true - check out their website where you can enter your website and they tell you whether they will deliver to it. Hope this helps.

Michelle

 

An alternative to Coles for online shopping is: http://www.groceryzone.com.au/  I used them a number of years ago and found them to be really helpful.

I used to do the grocery shop with 3 kids.  I don't have multiples ... but I had a baby, a 16 month-old and a 2.5 year-old.  There were a few ways I'd do it:

1) take my Phil & Teds pram and have two kids in the Phil & Teds.  The third child I would put in the trolley.  You can then push the pram with one hand and hold onto the side of the trolley with your other hand, keeping it near your hip.  That 'freight train' arrangement worked really well as all 3 kids were strapped and couldn't get into things. 

2) Coles at Garden City, Booragoon offers a parcel pickup service.  After you have paid for the groceries, they take your shopping away and put it into storage (cold storage is available).  You then pop the kids in the car, and drive up to the collection area to get your groceries.  They even load them into the car for you :)

3) I used Groceryzone in the early days, but when the baby cold sit up then I tended to take all 3 shopping.

4) Baby in a backpack thing ... two older kids in a double trolley.

I use http://www.ezyshop.com.au/ .  They have been great... I order fortnightly which works out to be $7.50 delivery a week... I can justify that VERY easily (I am worth way more than $3.25 an hour... it takes me at least 2 hours to get to shops and back home and unpacked with all the kids with me!) plus he brings it to my kitchen bench... not just the front door (as I have heard Coles do, due to insurance I suppose???) and I actually reckon I am saving $$$$ because I don't buy all the crap I normally buy when I am rushing and kids are asking "can we have this, can we have that".

 My Woolies (Ellenbrook) are pretty good.  I went in there while still feeling wiped out with morning sickness and the manager helped me take my trolley full of groceries back to the car... he wanted to get one of his Checkout ladies to drive me home!  LOL ;)

They do have a twin trolley... I have used it once (next time I will remember the Dettol wipes... eeeeeeeeewww!!!).  I did the one in the sling and carried the other routine... people spun out when they realised I was carrying two babies... they should make double pouched slings I reckon!

Half the time I actually find people trying to help me are more of a hinderance though.  I know their heart is in the right place and they are trying to be nice but when you have your little procedure of getting in and out of the car down pat it's quicker just to do it yourself.  When a complete stranger comes up and wants to hold your "other" baby... yeah I find that a little off putting... maybe I am just a bit over protective... more likely too independent for my own good! ;) 

I have 3 month old twin girls, and Ellenbrook is my local shops as well.

They have a few twin trolleys, but I never use them because they are always right at the back of all the trolleys, and too much hassle to get one if I was to run in without the girls. I usually drive around the carpark untill I find a trolley with a baby capsule seat, and carry the other bub in a pouch thingy. I thought I'd hit the jackpot the other day, because there was a twin trolley in the carpark, but when I pulled it out, the straps on one of the seats were broken. That is my main problem with the baby seats, even with the single baby trolleys, 9 times out of 10 the harness is broken, and you can't strap bubs in properly. And Midland is useless, I can hardly ever find a single baby seat trolley, and have never even seen a twin one there (and I always shop at Woolies). I only go to Midland if hubby can come with me, so we can both use the pouches (stops people touching the bubs too, which is another pet hate of mine!!)

I was at Midland a month or so ago and had a fair bit of shopping to do, but couldn't find a twin trolley even though I was sure someone told me Woolworths had them. I asked at the front desk and the store manager came and spoke to me. He thought he had about 10 assorted twin trolleys and they had just been returned from being repaired and were out the back. He went to look himself, but couldn't find them. He said he would track one down for me while I did some other shopping (I had the boys in the stroller). Unfortunately he couldn't find one and when he tried contacting the trolley people they wouldn't return his call... he was very helpful, but by the sounds of it the problem hasn't been rectified.

I know Coles has 'tried' to provide more twin trolleys, but the trolleys they provide don't cater for all children. Once my boys outgrew the capsules, they were too small for the trolleys with the big red toddler contraptions! What about the babies in between!!

Near me, the only supermarket that I know of that has a traditional trolley with two seats is Coles in Kalamunda (and it's a dodgy one at that!!). Would love to know if anyone knows of any other stores with these trolleys!!