The CBB :: View topic - No wonder Jo needed Anna

#1: No wonder Jo needed Anna Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 6:23 pm

An Australian study has shown that it takes 197.5 hours a week to care for 6 month old triplets. There's only 168 hours in a week and that's if you don't sleep!

#2: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 6:37 pm

That makes 65.83 hours per child. My children were neglected Crying or Very sad

I find it hard to believe that figure except that you'd need them in separate soundproof rooms to avoid them waking one another - and they are bound to all need attention at once. Triplets would also be small for their age and need extra feeding.

On thinking about it, everyone I know who has had even twins has needed some help.

In retrospect, glad mine were singletons - despite twins on both sides of the family. Rolling Eyes

#3: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 7:52 pm

Lol that is a lot, but shouldn't it be Anna needing Joey! Wink

There's a comment in Gay, where Joey can't come and teach because she couldn't leave Anna to cope alone with the girls, surely she coped all the time! See how I have been corrupted by this board! Very Happy

#4: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 12:48 am

*lol* Yes, you certainly have been, Ally!

BTW, did anyone else find it odd in "Robin" when it says that Anna is the same age as Joey? I always had her in my head as being much older!

#5: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:28 am

I do think of Anna as older for some reason -- but it is true that in Gay, the book in which Anna has the young man, she is described as "a pleasant-faced Tirolean of her [Jo's] own age."

On the Anna front, one thing that has bothered me is whether the maid Anna in New House who became hysterical over Baby Voodoo alias den Teufel was supposed to be our Anna at a younger age. It doesn't seem in character somehow, so I've done my best to classify it as a shortage of Austrian names in the mind of EBD....

#6: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:12 am

My twins were born when Jessica was 2y 3m
The only official help I had was 2 hours a week of cleaning for the first 6 weeks (I'd had a cesarian which meant I couldn't lift etc for 6 weeks). Apart from that my mum helped out a bit and Andy did a lot (although he did admit that he was glad he was returing to work after he'd had 2 weeks holiday).

We just worked on the principle that whenever friends visited they had to help out - eg help cook or change a baby

Twins do get *neglected* a lot more than just one - there were times when I just couldn't deal with toddler plus twins, so the boys had to cry while I dealt with Jessica

The boys were born in March and that year we did lots of things, including an international conference in the Neatherlands when they were 6 weeks old (Jess stayed with my parents). Looking back I've no idea how we did it, but we both felt it was easier to get out there and do things than stay at home and go mad!

But the idea of coping without modern washing machines/nappies etc Confused

#7: Author: Rachael,

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 12:04 pm

I have friends whose twins were born 18 months after their older son! Shocked

They get a lot of help and support from a Twins/Triplets group/network scheme (large buggies, extra chairs - that kind of thing) but they were also eligible for free help from a Nanny Training Agency - nannies need to do placements in families and where better place to learn ...!!

Seeing them in action (and yes, helping out with washing up, baby-minding or whatever's necessary!!) I can well imagine that your toddler took up the attention, Dawn!! Jack was into absolutely everything, whereas the twins (6 months) were happily left to their own devices, crawling and playing together
Heaven help them now they must be walking though!! Shocked

#8: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 2:19 pm

Apparently anyone with 3 under 5 can get help (not sure where from though)- I was offered it by my health visitor but didn't take them up on it.

#9: Author: HELEN W, Location: Nottingham

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:35 pm

I heard that from my health visitor aswell when I had my fourth child, others were then aged 5 2 1/2 and 15 months old, but nothing ever came of it and we just muddled through as best as we could Exclamation

It's a lot easier now that they are 11, 9, 7 and 6, well most of the time anyway.

#10: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:13 pm

Sounds like you have your hands full Helen!!!! Shocked

#11: Author: sonab,

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 3:22 pm

Wasnt there something in the papers recently about kids having too much supervision and prganised time for extra curricular activities? Apparently experts think its bad for kids to have no free time and rush from ballet to tennis to jujitsu! It caused a lot of controversy.

I dont have kids myself but I remember that it did me know harm to sit around unsupervised for ages doing my own thing or doing nothing in particular. Especially on long hot summer days.

Sona

#12: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 3:28 pm

I agree, Sona. I have a 9 yr old grandson who does golf on saturday mornings, cubs, TaiQuando (sp?), swimming and 2 other things I can't remember. He has something every evening. I bite my tongue, though Wink

#13: Author: sonab,

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 3:37 pm

I suppose if all his friends are doing it he wouldnt want to be left out. As long as he is happy. Its the same with mobiles and things that kids have nowadays. I used to have to go swimming in Saturday mornings. Not being sporty I hated it. I always ended up with blocked ears for days afterwards!! Confused

#14: Author: Chelsea, Location: Your Imagination

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 3:48 pm

sonab wrote:

It took me a while to figure out that you meant cell phones and not those things that you hang over a baby's crib when you spoke of mobiles!

I was into lots of activities as a kid. I think part of it was that both my parents worked, so it meant that they didn't have to work about supervision for me plus the fact that I had the characteristics of an ADD kid and did best when I was very stimulated - apparently if left alone in my room I'd read the phone book or count ceiling tiles!

#15: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 5:59 pm

Chelsea wrote:

apparently if left alone in my room I'd read the phone book or count ceiling tiles!

that brought a flashback of memory. I made pictures of the wallpaper in my room and told myself stories about the characters!

#16: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:44 pm

I remember counting the bricks in the exam room hall once, I'd done the ceiling tiles on the exam previously - they always gave too much time, until we got to A level and then your arm just killed by the end of the exam

#17: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 8:43 pm

Quote:

that brought a flashback of memory. I made pictures of the wallpaper in my room and told myself stories about the characters!

And just see what a wonderfully creative person it's made you!

Last edited by KB on Fri Aug 27, 2004 9:44 pm; edited 1 time in total

#18: Author: Julie, Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 9:41 pm

can't quite imagine what having twins or triplets must be like from a practical point of view

I've totally loved every aspect of being a mummy so far, but even at 13 weeks, getting both Emily and me out of the house before half past nine in the morning is a totally alien concept. Can imagine with twins, the day would probably be almost over before they were ready to go out ie neither hungry/dirty/sick etc

as for activities, just now we go to several things eg swimming, baby massage, power walking with the buggies etc but they're all social events for the mums - they babies all just lie and gurgle or sleep lol

#19: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 9:49 pm

Julie wrote:

When Jessica started playgroup and we had to be there for 9.30, the boys were frequently dirty/hungry/howling/still in last nights babygros etc and they seem to have survived!

I'd never bought anything pink for Jessica, but other people did and on a really bad day one (or both) boys went out in pink babygros cos it was all that was clean Wink

Lots of people say they don't know how we coped and looking back, it all seems really hazy and I don't know how we did either. But you do - not always very well but you *do* cope and the kids survive.

btw - we did use to refer to ours and our friends kids who all used to go to a Quaker creche together, as the "Beck Booth Benedikz Brats" -so shades of Joey Embarassed

#20: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 6:09 pm

I would agree with Dawn, although I only have singletons, many people say to me how do you cope with 3 and getting them up, dressed in time etc. The simple answer is you do because you have too - and there are lots of little shortcuts with regard to managing childcare and housework - just as cleaning the bathroom while the children are in the bath.
Also you don't seem to be as bothered about things being perfect when you have more than one, if the youngest is still in it's sleepsuit when you have to take the eldest to school he can get dressed when you come home, when Conan first started on solids his breakfast wasn't until after the school run as it fitted in better then - now I've gone back to work that's a whole new ball game of course

#21: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2004 10:15 pm

I think singletons can actually be harder than multiples

At least both boys were doing (approximately) the same thing at the same time, so I only had to juggle Jessica and then the 2 boys as a unit (eg for playgroup/swimming/minigym etc)

#22: Author: Ciorstaidh, Location: London

Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2004 2:41 pm

And there was me thinking Joey had Anna so she could get dressed herself! (I'm telling you, those wartime fashions are TIGHT!)

*testifies to having to dress & undress friends at FOCS York*

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