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Safety in Numbers
Corralling Twins and Keeping Them Safe
By Alexandria Powell
"Within two hours, our house was locked down so that our kids would be relatively safe," Norris says. "[The childproofing expert installed] magnetic locks on all the kitchen cabinets, a removable gate that blocked them from going into our formal living room, wedges under every bookshelf so they can't topple, etc."
Many parents of multiples designate a room for their little ones, or enclose part of a room. This can be a real sanity saver for times when you have to step away for a second – to change a diaper, fix a snack or even use the restroom yourself.
"You need a corral," says Angela Drinkwater, a New York mom of identical twin boys. "[When my boys were small] we used two sets of plastic fences to corral our entire living room. We kept that area more baby proof than the rest of the house, and we could always see what was on the floor in that area ... it was a smaller location to check, but still huge enough for them to play."
As Drinkwater's sons grew, she converted her dining room into a gated-off playroom. The room was visible from the kitchen and contained only safe toys and shelving that was too high for the boys to reach.
Away from home, one of the best ways to hang on to both safety and sanity is to have reasonable expectations of what you and your multiples can do, Lyons says. For example, the climbing gym at the park may be a great idea if you have enough adults along to help with each child. But if you're alone and have two little ones climbing in two different directions, it's not such a hot idea.