Twin Tips: Freebies

It turns out, when you have multiple children all at once, people want to help. And not just your Great-Aunt Trudy, either. There are companies that will send you free stuff if you’re willing to carry and birth multiple children at once. In all honesty, they’re probably just trying to sell you on their brand for life (or for as long as you need diapers or whatever they’re marketing).

So, I gave up my precious personal time while the children were napping and made some phone calls and sent some letters. Here is what I found.

Gerber

I called 1-800-284-9488 and asked to sign-up for their multiples program. I received about a half dozen coupons for formula and baby food.

Beechnut

I went on their website (beechnut.com) and emailed them asking to sign up for their multiples program. They sent me a dozen coupons for their products.

Pampers

Send name, address, and copies of birth certificates to:

Pampers Multiple Birth Offer

The Procter and Gamble Company

PO Box 599

Cincinnati OH 45201

I received about a half dozen coupons for diapers. You can also sign-up on their website (they also have an app) for their Pampers Rewards program. We go through a bunch of diapers and each package has a code I enter. You can redeem points for Shutterfly paraphernalia, or more diapers.

TOMY/First Years

Send name, address, and copies of birth certificates to:

TOMY

Attn: Multiples Birth Program

2021 9^th St SE

Dyersville IA 52040

I received two packs of Take and Toss sippy cups and two penguin squeak toys.

Earth’s Best Baby Foods

I called 1-800-434-4246, but they were out of food coupons and did not know when they would be getting more.

Happy Family

I went on their website (happyfamilybrands.com) and emailed them asking if they had a multiples program. I got a prompt response saying that they did not have a formal program, but if I gave them my mailing address they would send me some coupons. I did, and they did. I received a few coupons for their products.

Another one worth mentioning is Similac and Enfamil. I know at the hospital they put little miss on Enfamil and sent us home with a nice supply of ready to feed bottles and some sample sizes of powder. We ultimately went with Similac because the NICU put little man on that brand and we figured his transition home should be as seamless as possible. Also, the Enfamil stuff seemed to stain clothes more, but mostly that first reason. In any case, I signed up online with the Similac Strong Moms program and they continually send me $5 off coupons. I know Enfamil has a similar program too.

What I learned is that you can pick your favorite brands, get in touch with them and ask about a multiples program. Even if they don’t have one, a lot of times they’re willing to send you some coupons. And let’s face it, these slacker children of mine won’t be paying for their own stuff for a while, so we’ll take the help.

Sizing Up

Some of you may have seen a facebook post I did a while ago about the difference in size of some outfits I bought from Carter's. These were one-piece pajamas that came as a set of two. After washing, one of them had shrunk so there was now a two inch difference in length. I did contact Carter's about it and after shipping the pajamas back to them (with a prepaid shipping label they emailed me), they sent me a gift card back for the purchase price (they did also offer to refund the money back, but I opted for the gift card). The person I spoke with in consumer affairs said that they would show this discrepancy to their quality department.


Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence among children's clothes, or at least the clothes I buy. It seems to be an overall problem with quality control, as it is not just limited to sizing issues. I have also noticed that baby clothes tend to pill and become very "worn" looking even though all babies do all day is just lay there. Case in point, here is a sock that has been washed (on delicate!) twice. My babies do not even crawl yet, so there is absolutely no wear going on during usage. I find this extremely disappointing. And yes, this is a Carter's sock. I'm not picking on them, I just tend to buy a fair amount of baby clothes from them. (Why, you ask, since I have such issues with their products? It's the demon you/I know. So, if I know their problems, then I can account for it.)


Frustrated with Carter's, I started buying some clothes from Gymboree, even though their sizing is weird to me (6-12mo, 12-18mo, vs. 6mo, 9mo, 12mo, etc.). Sadly, I ran into the same problem again. Here are two one-piece pajamas bought separately that are labeled the same size, but have over two inches difference in length. I know the one on the right looks like shirt and pants, but it's sown as one piece. I actually bought several of both kinds and they all have different lengths.


Expecting the "major" brands to be more consistent in their sizing, I was pleasantly surprised when I found Little Me pajamas at Costco the other day. These were selling for about $8 per piece, which is the same price I usually pay during a Carter's sale. The first picture is three different 12 month size pajamas and the second picture is three different 18 month pajamas. I didn't even have to get out a tape measure for these ones. This consistency is what I naively expected from clothing manufacturers in the first place.

Now, I know there exists all kinds of horrible inconsistencies within women's clothing. I have a range of clothes in my closet from size small to size large that all fit me about the same. When I buy jeans from a store, I usually take five pairs "in my size" into the fitting room to find the one that is cut best. One time I ordered two pairs of Silver jeans from Buckle online. I thought I was safe since Silver sizes their jeans much like men's pants, with both a waist and length measurement. When they came though, one was several inches longer. Thankfully Buckle altered the long pair for free, although it might have been faster to do a return and order a new pair. Of course, who knows how big or small the new pair would've turned out.

But, with children's clothes, and especially baby clothes, where an inch or two means another month or more of growing, I find it so irritating that the companies don't seem to control the quality of the products being sold.

In closing, I leave you with this final picture. On the left is a 12 month pajama, and on the right is a 9 month pajama. So, yes there is supposed to be a size difference, and yes, the 9 month one has been washed (on delicate!) a few times, but does Carter's truly expect my son to grow six inches in just three months? That's going to be one heck of a growth spurt!

Teething Troubles

Little man and little miss have both been drooling and chewing for about two months now. The first day I noticed little man soak the front of his outfit I got really excited (terrified) about the possibility of teeth (I also bought a bunch of bibs). I waited and nothing happened. The drooling subsided and things went back to normal. This would happen on and off for a month and a half. I thought I was just being over excitable (terrified) for new milestones, especially when my pediatrician laughed and said "babies drool." Then, on one of little miss's many doctor's appointments over this past month, the PA looked in her mouth and proclaimed that the indents of teeth could be seen and I should expect a tooth (or two) to be popping up soon. Back to excited (terrified). And I waited and waited and waited. Then it happened. I was playing on the floor with the babies one day, getting lots of gummy smiles, when I noticed just a faint bit of white on the gum. WHAT IS THAT?! Excitedly (terrified) I examined the speck and upon prodding it... yes, it's a tooth! Little man has his first tooth. Wait, that's not right. Up until now little miss has hit all of her milestones usually about two weeks before little man. Little miss was examined by a medical professional and was told to expect a tooth soon. But, here is little man proudly showing off his new pearly white.

That was over two weeks ago now. Little miss continues to drool and soak many the bib and somedays less so. But, still no teeth. Meanwhile, little man's tooth is working on slowly emerging from his gum. I think it's about a third of the way up at this point. Now, I know I have a bad memory, especially after having the twins, but I did not remember teeth taking so long to come in. I know you're probably laughing at me, but I seriously thought it took a few days, maybe a week and there would be a tooth. I would only have to deal with teething in short bursts as each new tooth erupted. Another hope dashed.

One baby tooth down (almost), another 39 to go.

Product Review: NoseFrida Snotsucker

Basically as soon as I finished writing last week's post, little miss came down with my cold. And then a few days after that, little man caught it as well. It was a pretty miserable week+ and I have a new-found appreciation for my ability to take cold medicine when sick. I spent a lot of time feeling useless as we comforted them as best we could. Since they're not quite six months old, we don't have a lot of cold-fighting tools at our disposal. One thing that has been recommended to us repeatedly, though, is the NoseFrida Snotsucker. I first heard of this disgusting tool when my sister had her first baby three years ago. It is exactly what it says: you use it to suck the snot out of your baby's nose. The fan-base is sizable, with almost 6,000 five star reviews on Amazon (https://amzn.com/B00171WXII). 

I've used the Snotsucker several times now and my husband used it once. He says he's afraid he'll suck out their brains. I think he just finds it super gross, which, it is. The first couple times I tried to use it, I was not impressed. I think this was when the twins were congested, but not necessarily snotty. When we got to the mucus running down their face phase of the colds, the Snotsucker worked like a charm. I especially liked to use it before feeding time so they could breathe through their noses better when sucking on their bottles. Little miss got used to the sensation, but little man never warmed to the idea and still cries when he sees the contraption coming.

The best aspect, in my mind, is that this replaced our nasal aspirators from the hospital. I've heard that even when cared for appropriately, these bulbs can grow harmful mold inside them. I like that the Snotsucker is completely clear, so if it ever did start to grow something, I would immediately see it and be able to take action. Also, I could never seem to get the bulbs to work like how the nurses showed me.

My one complaint about the Snotsucker would be the filters. They are seemingly cheap foam that you're supposed to change after each use. I never saw the snot get anywhere close to the filters, so I did not change them as often as the manufacturer suggested. With two sick babies getting suctioned a few times each every day for several days in a row, we would've burned through them very quickly. A pack of 20 is less than $4 on Amazon right now, so it wouldn't have been expensive per se, but it would've been annoying (plus I didn't have the foresight to order more filters before the colds hit). I believe I bought my Snotsucker at Target and it came with some spare filters in the box, so we just used those.

In summary, the NoseFrida Snotsucker is a great product. It does what it says it will, but is still super disgusting.

The Joys of Parenthood

*not my actual children

I have a cold this week, so this is going to be pretty short. I actually think I caught this particular illness at PAX last weekend, which would officially make this "PAX Crud". It lasts longer and is more contagious than your normal, run-of-the-mill virus. In any case, I was going to title this post "The Joys of Motherhood", but then I realized that my husband was probably going through the same thing (I haven't actually asked him though). So, without further ado, the joys of parenthood include getting:

- Head butted
- Punched in the throat
- Kicked
- Hit
- Barfed on
- Pooped on
- Peed on
- Screamed at
- Scratched
- Pushed
- Pinched
- Hair pulled

At the end of the day, though, what makes it all worth it is the smile they give you when you walk into the room. I know people say it gets better, but I'm not sure I truly believed them until now. Yes, things got better, but then new sucky things started happening. I don't know if I'm just so entrenched at this point that even a single sunbeam seems like a radiant glow, but I will continue to do some pretty silly things to see those smiles over and over.

Thanks for sticking with my cold medicine ramblings. See you next week.