Q.  Do you plan on dressing the twins alike?

A. I didn't plan on it, but found that most gifts were pairs of the same outfits.  For some photos and for certain adorable outfits I couldn't resist dressing the guys alike but most of the time they wear similar but not the same outfits.

A.  We have dressed our boys alike since birth.  We will probably continue to do so until they start picking out their own clothes.

A.  Before they were born, I wasn't sure what I would do.  But because I received a lot of matching or coordinating outfits as gifts, I really did find that it was easiest to go ahead and dress them alike or coordinating.  My girls looked (and still look) pretty different (they are fraternal) so I didn't mind having them in look-alike outfits.  Perhaps if I had had identical twins, I might be more likely to dress them differently to try to outwardly preserve their uniqueness.

A.  I just did it for the first time for their second birthday.  Otherwise, I had boy/girl twins and dressed them differently.

A.  I enjoy dressing mine alike some of the time.  I often pick the same outfit in different colors so people can tell them apart.

Q.  Suggestions for saving money!

A.  Breastfeeding saves a lot of money.

A. Start buying diapers at the sales as soon as you find out!  2 jumbo packs of newborn, 4-6 Mega packs of size one, 4-6 Mega packs of size two, a couple of size three and four to have on hand.  If you are using formula, ask your ped. for samples every time you go in.  Contrary to what people believe, you don't need two of everything.  We got by with one bassinet, which our boys shared until we moved them into a crib.  We had two cribs, but one of them never got used.  We had two swings, but one of them sat unused because one of my boys hated to swing.  Just buy one of everything, until you know your twins well need two.

A.  NURSE if you can!!  We saved so much money by never buying any formula.  We used the free formula samples to mix with the cereal once they were eating solids.  Cloth diapers will also save money if you wash them yourself but I wouldn't recommend trying this until your twins are 4-6 months old because of all the laundry that will need to be done.  When people offer to baby-sit for free, sign them up right away!

A.   Nursing multiples is challenging, but hardly impossible.  You can save considerable amounts of money in formula and quite possibly doctor visits by breastfeeding twins.  We bought ahead on diapers and taped receipts to the bags of diapers so that we could easily return them for whatever sizes we needed.  I do a lot of my shopping at consignment stores for quality clothes without a lot of expense.  Watch for good prices on Ebay and at garage sales.

A.  Start buying diapers early in all sizes!  Breastfeed if you can.

A.  Stock up on diapers when on sale--and use your coupons in combination with the sale.  Use homemade wipes--I LOVE them!

Q.  Great stroller debate - side by side vs tandem

A.  One thing you should be aware of is that the stroller you get is more important to you than to a mom of singletons (or even the mom of an older walking child and a new baby), who has the option of carrying a baby at times.  You will be using your stroller ALL the time; I even use mine in the house.  I started out with a stroller that accommodated the infant car seats.  It was wonderful.  I do not know whether I would have had the confidence to take the boys out those first few months without it, since the extra steps of taking them out of car seats & into the stroller (& back) may have scared me from outings.  When they outgrew the infant car seats, I opted for the tandem stroller.  I tried a side by side (jogger) but found that it was too wide for everyday use.  If you feel that you need a side by side, another option for shopping and whatnot is a single stroller and a backpack. 

A.  I have both, plus single strollers.  I much prefer my Graco DuoGlider (tandem) to the side by sides.  The side by side is a huge pain to get around the mall!  However, the biggest drawback of the tandem is that both seats do not recline all of the way, which is why we purchased two single strollers.  The DuoGlider stays in the Expedition as our main stroller and the single strollers travel with us.

A. Side by side all the way!  My girls love their side by side.  We have a MacLaren Opus Duo and they still love it (they are 16 months old).

A.  I have one of every kind of stroller known to mankind.  While the tandem would make my life easier for getting around in stores and such, the side by side is the one the twins have always preferred.  Whichever one is in the back is miserable and letting everyone know it.  In the side by side, they play and aggravate each other and have much more fun.  I don't do much mall shopping by myself, so we tend to use two umbrella strollers when out for that kind of outing.  We use the side by side for zoo trips (we do a lot of those) and other trips where getting through narrow spaces are too much of a consideration.  Haunt consignment stores for bargains on strollers and you can often afford more than one kind of stroller.

A.  I have every mode of transportation for twins.  Wheels:  I had a side-by-side for jogging and walking.  I had a tandem stroller for shopping.  I now use a wagon to cart them around.  Carriers:  I had Snuglies for going to church.  I have backpacks now for going through crowds/airports.  I  LOVE the backpacks!

A.  LOVE my side-by-side, and have never had a problem fitting through a door.