Customer Reviews

Ready or Not Here We Come!: The Real Experts' Guide to the First Year With Twins

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I found out I was pregnant with twins, a twin-mom friend told me that this was the only twins book I'd ever need. I found it immensely helpful before and after I had my boys. It takes you through strategies that never come up with one child: how to feed two screaming babies simultaneously, how to get them on the same schedule, how to handle all those bottles, etc. Best of all is the book's tone: funny and encouraging (similar to Vicky Iovine's "The Girlfriends' Guide" books). The book never tells you what you MUST do, but it offers real-life examples from real moms of twins, so you can try out what works for you. We mothers of twins need all the help we can get, and I really felt like this book was there for me during some very tough times.

This book has been a refreshing break from all of the boring factual pregnancy books I've been reading. Elizabeth Lyons has a way with her words that convey honesty, bluntness, sincerity, and her love for her children all at the same time. I have not put this book down since I received it as a gift 2 days ago and will probably finish it today. I love the author's sarcasm and her "don't sweat the small stuff" approach to raising her children. The author also recommended several helpful websites to visit and items to purchase. I know this book has helped me and will continue to help me throughout the first year of my boys lives. Thank you Elizabeth!

The best thing I like about this book is that it maintains an enthusiastic energy throughout. It approaches having twins like an adventure rather than an insurmountable task. I am a physician so I really appreciate the common sense practical advice. For instance, the fact that there is a waiting period for getting into the best daycare centers and it is okay to put ear plugs in, if both babies start screaming together to dull the noise! I liked it so much that I ordered the sequel "ready or not here we go". It also provides advice about what to buy and breastfeeding twins.

This book had bits and pieces of good information. Did not appreciate the numerous "horror" stories of premature labor, jokes about husbands being inept, and it downplayed the importance of breastfeeding. However, I have read six books dedicated to twins & multiples so far - this is one if easy to read, funny, and had many helpful hints on setting up for babies and schedules.

This book is a must read for parents of twins...read it while you are expecting. So much useful information...I have have had alot of success with the advice offered in this book...very practical advise...you will laugh while you read it and after your children have been born you will roll on the floor.

This book was so helpful in the arrival of our twins. There are many stories of different families and the different ways of doing things that is so helpful. The author also provides excellents tips on what to buy and what probably won't work. The book is broken up into 3 sections; 0-3 months, 3-6, and 6-9 which is very helpful. Great advice for someone who has no idea what to do with two babies.

This book is a good read but it doesnt give you omuch help. The author is more into tell her story but it's good to know that your not the only one going through it.

If you are an expecting father of twins, this book is a great read for you.

So far this has been the best book I have read on the subject of expecting twins and or being an expecting Dad. This is a book you can read straight through but you could go back and reference certain sections if needed. It is written from the perspective of parents of multiples and deals with reality; not idealistic non-breeders or parents of "singletons". There is so much great information in this book it is easy to find yourself looking for a pen and some paper to take notes. In fact, we borrowed our copy but I have put so many page markers in it we are going to just replace that copy for our friends.

It was interesting to read about something that had already taken place and realize we were not the only people subject to rude and or ignorant questions from others. The author uses stories about her own experiences as well as those of her friends and peers with multiples. The sections of information on baby gear alone are well worth the $10 for this book. When you are done listening to people whom do not have children giving you their opinions about child care, pick up this book and get the real scoop about all the poop...that you will be dealing with.

It is hard to choose the best sections but some of the highlights for me were:
- Baby gear recommendations
- What to expect from society
- How do you feed two infants
- Sleeping schedule realities
- Costs associated with it all
- Discounts available for twins
- Any reference to reality versus idealistic pipe dreams other people have

Out of all of the books that I purchased about twins, this is my favorite. It was really nice to read a book that did not try to sugar coat how difficult it is to raise twins, but at the same time let me know that i'm not alone either. This book gave you great tips and humor, too! I was pregnant with twins with my first (and only) pregnancy, So really had no idea what I was doing. This book let me know that it is hard, but you'll be able to get through it.

Upon learning that my wife and I were going to be parents of twins, the first thing we did was buy a few books so we could prepare ourselves for what to expect. What we discovered is that there are as many ways of handling twin-related stuff (feeding, sleeping, traveling) as there are authors who write about how to deal with those things. Know this: you'll figure all of it out on your own. You'll pick up bits and pieces of good information from various sources, but ultimately you are the best guide for what works best for your twins.

That said, when you're a blank slate and need some help, the various books on the subject can be a great help. I'd suggest picking up more than one to get each author's personal opinions, which many times come from their personal experience. Such is the case with "Ready or Not..." The author is herself a Mom of twins and doles out plenty of good tips and tricks. No doubt she used many of them in raising her twins. We even used a few with great success. There are some funny stories, and some touching ones. There's a great insert about a Mom who suffered from postpartum depression. It's one of the most helpful parts of the book, and a great addition that many other books lack. My wife really appreciated reading it.

The problem we had with the rest of the content was the overall negative tone. Horror stories. Tales of idiot husbands. And sometimes the negativity wasn't even that overt. There's a quiet, persistent sense of impending doom throughout the entire book. She suggests (strongly, like a warning) that new mothers of twins should take a multivitamin because there's not going to be any time in the day for the mom to eat well. We thought that particular tip was well-intentioned, but more than a bit over dramatic. We found the early days with our twins hectic for sure, but not so much that we couldn't eat. Babies nap, you know. Another example: the author writes about the transition from bottles to finger foods. She makes the point that, even though parents look forward to getting their kids out of bottles and into eating real food, it's a huge inconvenience for Mom and Dad. Her reasoning is that bottles are simple, and food requires thought, especially when the family is out and about. We also found this strangely exaggerated. Is it hard to toss a couple jars of baby food and a bag of crackers into the diaper bag instead of two bottles? Nope.

There seemed to be an emphasis on making the reader realize HOW HARD life will become once the twins arrive. The author tells us she's just being straight with us because she wants us to know the truth about how challenging raising twins can be. Well, yes, it can be difficult, but the difficulty is only as bad as you make it out to be. The author should have presented her opinions in a way that didn't require readers to carry her baggage.

There were other minor annoyances about the book. It's clearly written from the point of view of a suburban family who lives in a two story home. We found this hard to relate to because, at the time our twins were born, we lived in a two bedroom condo in the city. So, suggestions to keep a second something-or-other upstairs made us wonder if the author realized that not everyone HAS an upstairs. Or a yard. Or a basement. There were no alternate ideas presented for a family who didn't have what the author had at her disposal.

If you can look past the negativity and not get sucked into the drama of the book, then this is a good one to have. But do yourself a favor and get a few others, too.