It's Twins: Parent to Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence

by Susan M. Heim and Vonetta Flowers

Written by a mother of twins, this complete guide to raising multiples from infancy through the high-school years offers insight and advice from moms and dads at various stages of twin-rearing. Offers... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571745319
• ISBN13: 9781571745316
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Twin Thumbs Up!!

I love this book! The articles, personal experience stories, and Points to Ponder are a wonderful blend of information, emotion, and help to parents seeking guidance and choices for their own parenting styles. No children are alike, and one approach does not fit all. This book understands that parents want to learn about different parenting approaches. The Points to Ponder help parents think through their various options. "It's Twins" is very well organized by developmental stages. As a teacher, this book was also very helpful to me in understanding the dynamics of the twin relationship and the issues faced by the twins in my classroom.

I could relate to so many of the stories

It's Twins is a wonderful way to connect you to other twin parents. So often as new moms and multiples moms we get overwhelmed and feel very housebound. This book helped me laugh and cry with other parents who had similar experiences. I am a mother of boy/girl twins who are now five. I, of course, had to laugh at a story about birthday parties for boy/girl twins. It was a pirate and princess party. As you can imagine half way through the party, the pirates were chasing the princesses all over the backyard. As my children get older, I can relate to the stories about school placement, friendship problems, academic differences, and basic gender differences. This is a book that I will continue to consult as my children become pre-teens, teens, and beyond. It is made up of short stories so makes an excellent nightstand book. You can read a couple pages a night and still feel you are getting good information.

It's Twins

This review may be biased since one of my stories is in this book. On the other hand, prior to becoming a mom, I was a counselor and have read many counseling/self-help books. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I read every twin-specific parenting manual I could find (three books at the time). None of the books were as helpful and as interesting as this book. "It's Twins" by Susan M. Heim is conveniently broken down into four different developmental sections (Ages 0-1; Ages 2-4; Ages 5-11; Ages 12-17). This makes it easy for the reader to quickly refer to the appropriate age level. Each section is then further broken down into Twin Tales, Twin Tips, Intriguing Twins, Twin Trivia and Points to Ponder. The Twin Tales are real-life stories written by parents of multiples (one of which is mine). These tales make the book more personal than other twin parenting books available. I only wish I had had the Twin Tips regarding air travel (which is three pages long) before I traveled with my twin toddlers since there were so many helpful suggestions that I could not find anywhere else (and believe me, I looked). I have found this book to be extremely helpful in understanding and parenting my twins (and I am not just saying that because my story was in it). I only wish it had been written before they were born!

Essential Reading for Twin Parents!

This book offers essential information for parents of twins and multiples. It is an amazing collection from parents who have experienced birth through college with twins. The detail is great and the writing styles fresh and natural. Check out Joanne Higgins Ensign's realistic view on breast feeding twins in the article "Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Breastfeeding Twins." The collection of articles reads like a round table discussion at a coffee shop. Informative, quick and straight to the point. Some articles like Cheryl Oberbeck Burn's "Twins Tale, Spring Parrots," offer surprising depth and vulnerability. In few words she conveys the challenge of making the preschool decision, doing the right thing, and being your own person. Each article is followed by questions to assist the reader making their own choices. This book offers a large amount of information in small bite size portions. A book to keep and reference again and again.

Invaluable advice

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (5/07) Raising twins can be a real challenge. Susan M. Heim offers invaluable advice in her new book "It's Twins." The Forward of this book has five great tips: encouraging both parents to work together sharing the responsibility, accepting assistance from others, allowing children to mature at their own pace, allowing children to sleep in their cribs for their own safety and your sanity, and most importantly remember your spouse. Life with twins is a test but also a blessing. The changes in your life are multidimensional. Only parents that have experienced multiples can truly understand the challenges parents of multiples face. Ms. Heim has first-hand experience in this fascinating role. Parents of children close together still have not confronted the same challenges I am the proud parent of a set of twins. Our sons are now adults and I'm living proof that you will not only survive but there is life after twins! I cherish each memory of their childhood. We also have a daughter that is 2 years older than our sons. Ms. Heim is so right when she says the experience of raising a single is different from raising multiples. We were very blessed that our twins were born healthy and came home the same day I did. While our twins are not identical and we could tell them apart, for years no one else could. I still smile at this fact because even their hair color was different. I now have a friend with twin grandsons, they look so different but I can never remember which one is Cory and which is Cody. Raising twins was one of the most challenging and most wonderful experiences of our lives. "It's Twins" by Susan Heim is an invaluable asset to every parent of multiples. I wish I'd had a copy when my twins were born! This book is divided into sections by ages. Each section offers tales, tips, profiles of twins, trivia, question and an area to record "your own special moments and memories." There is even a list of twin names. I love the "Twin Tales," stories sharing the joys of raising twins. This book is laid out in a commonsense manner. The information is easily accessible for the stage your twins are going through. The information is both entertaining and educational. The cover is charming, not too busy and very tempting. I could only wish there was a section on twins after they are grown! This book would make the perfect gift for parents or grandparents of twins or multiples.