Trying to find - and buy - the right equipment for triplets is a daunting and frustrating endeavour. I've spent hours on-line looking at carseats, for example, only to find that they aren't compatible with any tandem strollers, or aren't available in Canada. It's like searching for the Holy Grail!
I've surfed countless multiples websites, read hundreds of reviews, watched YouTube videos, checked shipping costs for items from New Zealand, scoured the local on-line classifieds and kept a running list of what fits with what, when and how. We also have to consider that if the babies are under 5 pounds (which is the minimum weight accomodated by most carseats in Canada), the hospital will not let us leave if we don't have one rated to 4 pounds.
Basically, what I've decided at the moment is that we're going to go with the Chicco Keyfit carseat - very highly rated for babies starting at 4 pounds - and a Double Snap N Go stroller frame by Babytrend (no longer available at retailers in Canada, of course!). The stroller will take two carseats, and is pretty bare-bones: no canopies, trays or cupholders. Just a simple frame that weighs a few pounds. I'm looking at a used one locally for $30. Like most triplet parents, we're planning to push two and carry one, at least in the beginning. The Snap N Go will only accomodate the infant carseats (the Keyfit goes up to 22 pounds), so by the time next summer rolls around we'll be in the market for a new stroller and carseats. While this seems like a short-sighted solution, it makes the most sense when you consider that the babies won't be going for long walks outside over the winter - the stroller will be used for indoor excursions mostly, so something cheap, light and easy to maneuvre is key. Once the good weather hits, we'll probably buy a proper double or triple stroller. By that point, the babies will be able to sit upright in the stroller itself without the carseats. That gives us a LOT more choice.
Everyone tells us that we should have a bouncy/vibrating chair of some sort. I know my nephew, Liam, absolutely loved his little swing and when he was totally inconsolable, a ten minute ride would often calm him down considerably. Again, space is a huge issue for us, so we need to find one that is compact. I think Fisher Price makes something like this, but I have yet to look too deeply into this.
We also will be buying a sling for each baby, and likely one or two Ergo carriers. This gives us the flexibility of carrying them when we're out for short trips, or when I'm at home with a fussy baby (or two) and would like to have both hands free. I do know of some triplet moms who sling all three at once (two in front, one in the back), but when they're infants I'd much prefer to have them within immediate eyesight and reach, so having one perched on my back would probably make me a little nervous.
Given the skin sensitivities that run rampant in our family (poor Liam, at two, still has very bad eczema), we won't be using commercial wipes or creams (other than the infamous Boudreaux's Butt Paste!). My sister has used water and washclothes very successfully, and I think we'll follow suite. I looked into cloth diapering, and while idealistically I love the idea, I don't know how feasible it will be for three. My sister switched from cloth when Liam was very young because the diapers didn't fit properly, but once the babies are a little older, we may consider cloth and a diaper service!
Lastly, the car. We leased a new Subaru in January, and found out that it will not accomodate three carseats across the second row. In fact, none of the Subarus would work for us. We were looking at SUVs instead, but because I'm short it became apparent that I'd have to lean into the SUV to extract babies, and the middle baby in the centre row would be almost inaccessible. If we were to put a baby in the back row, many of the centre seats in SUVs only fold 45 degrees, making it almost impossible (and unpleasant) to fiddle around with a carseat + babe back there in the middle of February. We need something lower to the ground that I can literally step into, with stow n go/ flexible seating, more child-friendly amenities and more cargo room in general. We need.... gulp... a minivan. Once we wrapped our heads around that chilling fact, we decided that we're pretty keen on the Honda Odyssey. I test drove one a month ago, and found it handled very much like a car. The brand is reliable, and Honda is currently offering some pretty good cash payment incentives, so we may end up with one in our driveway reasonably soon. Very happily for us, Edward's parents have offered to take over the lease on our lovely Subaru, which spares us about $8,000 in penalties and debt if we had to break our lease (and we only had the car for a few months!!!)
All these gear permutations and combinations stream though my brain at 4am when I'm lying awake in bed! On the bright side, pregnancy insomnia means that I can accomplish quite a bit during my hours of hopeful (ie. hopeless!) repose.
No comments:
Post a Comment