Raising Twins: From Pregnancy to Preschool

Raising Twins: From Pregnancy to Preschool

By Shelly Vaziri Flais MD FAAP

    Publisher:   American Academy Of Pediatrics

    Number Of Pages:   200

    Publication Date:   2009-10-01

    ISBN-10 / ASIN:   1581103441

    ISBN-13 / EAN:   9781581103441

Product Description:

Offering practical, “can-do” advice for anxious parents expecting or already caring for twins, this handbook guides from the first news of twins’ impending arrival and continues through their early childhood. From how to set up the nursery, synchronize feeding and sleeping schedules, and potty train two children at once to discipline, family dynamics, and fostering individuality, this doctor-cum-mom shares her experiences of what works and what doesn’t and encourages parents to not only survive but also enjoy their twins’ early years. A special appendix on caring for triplets as well as preterm babies is also included.

Summary: Twins advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Rating: 5

Raising Twins has been a very helpful book for our family. It is practical, down-to-earth, and filled with trusted advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics. I found it fun and easy to read, and liked how it tackles twins' different ages and stages in chronological order so you can quickly find what you're looking for.

Summary: I expected more from a pediatrician / mother of twins

Rating: 3

I bought 3 books from Amazon to help educate myself on my twin pregnancy: 1) When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads, 2) Twin Sense, and 3) Raising Twins. The 1st one has the most in-depth and medical information, which I find to be a huge help, particularly the section on specific nutrition requirements, which was hard to find anywhere else. The 2nd book is also quite good. I like the way it is organized and the tips it gives on what items to borrow or buy, and in what quantities. The 3rd book seems merely anecdotal when compared to the others. I had hoped for more since it was written by a pediatrician and mother of twins, but I found it to be light on content and completely superfluous given the more detailed information contained in the other two. I would recommend the book -- When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads -- very highly.

Summary: Practical, specific advice to happily raise twins

Rating: 5

It can be scary to find out you're pregnant with twins- read this book, and you'll know what to do. Dr. Flais gives encouraging advice on how to handle two babies without losing your mind! I also like that she has kids in addition to her twins, and gives tips about family balance. Many twins are born early so the appendix about preterm birth is especially informative. I'm going to tell the triplet moms in my multiples club about the triplet appendix, too.

Summary: Best of the Twins Books I've Bought

Rating: 5

I'm a mom of 2 1/2-year-old twin boys, and I own five different books about raising twins. Flais' book is the best one by far because it's more honest than the others. She is very adamant that synchronizing your twins' skeds is key -- when one wakes up to eat, you wake the other one up. Period. I totally agree. Feeding them back-to-back will make you insane. Also, it is refreshing to read from a doctor that pacificers are not a good idea. I never used them -- just one more habit to break.

She also reminds you that you need to treat your twins as individuals, something that is easy to forget when you are so busy.

The best tips are in boxes, so they are easy to find. Plus, this book is short. No mom of twins has time to read more!

Summary: Practical and balanced

Rating: 5

As a pediatrician taking care of many families with multiples, I find that Dr. Flais' book is a practical and east-to-read guide which answers many basic care issues that parents face. She strikes a nice balance with her advice, recognizing that not all families function identically, and that there is not only one specific solution to all problems (which is a characteristic of parenting books that should be sought after in general). She also acknowledges that not every individual situation that parents encounter will go as smoothly as hoped, but if one stays true and consistent to your goals as a parent, increased success will generally be obtained over time.

There are a number of very practical tips in this book to help parents of multiples streamline their days, to be more efficient with routine tasks (feeding, toilet training for instance) and to be more cost-conscious at the same time. Many of her suggestions are applicable for raising any child (singleton or twin) and are well within the mainstream of parenting advice (such as the need for consistency with discipline strategies, the importance of adequate sleep etc.) I give her credit however for stressing the importance of making sure ALL members of the family are taken care of (including the parents) and the challenges that raising children can place on the relatioships within the parent. I think she places appropriate emphasis on the functioning of all the relationships within the family (not just parent-child).

The book is written with a positive yet realistic outlook on the different challenges presented by raising twins rather than a single child. These differences are not made out to be insurmountable or more difficult however, which should provide optimism to parents. She points out several joyful life moments that twins uniquely experience, which should provide parents a lot of positive feelings about their own capabilities and that of their children.