Night Cap

When we left the hospital in Portland we were instructed by the doctors to give Tanner and Abigail 1 mL of multivitamin with iron every day. The multivitamin with iron was important to their growth and development because they were one month premature. We were told that these (liquid) vitamins could be given straight or mixed with breastmilk or formula. There are many brands of multivitamin available without a prescription at your local pharmacy. We have tried several but prefer Enfamil Poly-Vi-Sol with Iron ($9.45 www.diapers.com).

We began mixing the vitamins in a (2 oz.) bedtime bottle because the smell and color was so horrible that I couldn't imagine giving them to Tanner and Abigail straight from the dropper. For the first fourteen months, Matt and I would each bottle feed a baby and then I would nurse them together to "top them off" before bed. A bedtime bottle for twins means that we need to have two people around at bedtime. Bottle feeding twins ALONE is next to impossible...kudos to any parent that does it successfully. If one of us was not around at bedtime we asked a nearby family member to come a lend a hand (they never say NO to Tanner and Abigail).

photo by Marvi Lacar

Now that they are no longer nursing, they each get a 4 oz. bedtime bottle of milk and vitamins. We began transitioning them from formula and/or breastmilk bottles with vitamins to whole milk and/or formula bottles with vitamins when they were twelve months old. We started by making 4 oz. bottles with 3 oz. of formula and 1 oz. of whole milk and then increased the amount of whole milk and decreased the amount of formula each week. We have been at 1 oz. of formula and 3 oz. of whole milk for a few months now because we are trying to use up our remaining container of formula (that stuff is so expensive I can't justify throwing it out).

photo by Marvi Lacar

I admit that I was nervous about Tanner and Abigail's transition from nursing to not nursing before bedtime, but they showed no problems with the change. I plan to ask the pediatrician at their next well baby check up on September 30, if they need to continue taking the vitamins. I believe that he will say no and that we will have to transition them to no bottle before bedtime. I fear that change will not go as smoothly as the other.

Note: Having to bottle feed twins before bedtime is a challenge and one that I have not attempted (nor do I plan to attempt) by myself. We always have two people on hand at bedtime whether it is Matt and me or some other family member or friend. This makes it so much easier for Tanner and Abigail but requires a little planning ahead when one of us has to be away from home at bedtime. I look forward to the day when we can put Tanner and Abigail to bed without an extra set of hands or leave them with a sitter at bedtime...those days will be here before I know it.