| Author |
Message |
    
VinnyM
Citizen
Username: Frodo
Post Number: 164
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 3:46 pm: | 
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Has anybody saved their babies cord blood? Any recs on which agency to use? Also, when do I have to start looking for nursery school and kindergarten schools?
Thanks,
Vinny |
Hamandeggs
Citizen
Username: Hamandeggs
Post Number: 284
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 3:53 pm: |
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I wouldn't worry about schools until you see who your child and which preschool/daycare setting suits him or her. So...not yet, is the answer. |
kmk
Supporter
Username: Kmk
Post Number: 1235
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 3:54 pm: |
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We saved ours on the last little one. We used Viacord but this was 6 years ago and they were almost the only "game in town".
Nursery school and kindergarten will wait!
You might want to look for childcare help however....twins means chaos in the most glorious way possible and you will probably need mountains of childcare options.
Pediatricians are another thing to start thinking about...you will see plenty of them for the first 2 years. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 7623
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 4:20 pm: |
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I don't know if there is anything like it here, but my sis-in-law joined a "mother" of twins group. There was a lot of stress being a first time parent along with the craziness of two newborns. She got advice that saved her sanity.
I know that one of the things she learned is that your child care provider must have infant twin experience.
Maybe you can find something like that around here or join an online group. |
Bill232
Citizen
Username: Bill232
Post Number: 170
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 4:27 pm: |
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We are using Viacord for our baby that is due in June. I unfortunatley don't know as many details as my wife does who did the research. They are the original company and lead in research and developemant. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2172
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 4:31 pm: |
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just out of curiosity, how much does something like this cost? aren't there like a gazillion companies that do this now?
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melicious
Citizen
Username: Melicious
Post Number: 439
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 4:42 pm: |
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Congrats!!!
Are you talking about day care (many hours each day), nursery school (a coupla hours a day), or private Kindergarten (at age 5)?
If you're looking for day care at a good place for 2 kids, you better sign on now. With each of mine, I had (and in fact with my two year old still HAVE)a hefty waiting time for the good ones. My two-year-old has been on the list for Rutgers NAEYC accredited day care for over a year - and I am on staff there. He has also been on another list for over 1.5 year.
If the caregiver has any plans to go back to work in the forseeable future, just throw yourself on some lists - just to be safe.
For Nursery School, it's usually a year at the good places (in my experience with 3 kids).
Good luck, and SLEEP NOW!!!
m
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cppkqp
Citizen
Username: Cppkqp
Post Number: 124
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 4:53 pm: |
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Yes, there is a mother of twins group: MOMIE Mothers of Multiples in Essex (County). We meet on the second Tuesday (tonight) of the month (Sept. - June) at St. Barnabas. I would be happy to tell you more about our group.
While welcoming twins can indeed bring about "glorious chaos," I respectfully disagree that you will need "mountains" of childcare options. I am the mother of a 3YO boy and 1YO identical twin girls. I had lots of help from family during the first 10 weeks, but have only hired occasional help since then.
Please feel free to e-mail me at kpisciotta@aol.com or call me at 973-275-0631.
Congratualtions and best wishes!
-Karen |
bmpsab
Citizen
Username: Bmpsab
Post Number: 220
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 5:09 pm: |
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I also want to point out that there is a mother of twins group that meets at the Mountainside Childrens Specialized Hospital. It is a larger group than the Essex county group and there are women there who work (like me) - I didn't find any women, when I looked at the Essex County group, who worked, so the Mountainside group was a better fit for me. You may want to check out both groups if you have the time! The next meeting for the Mountainside group is next Tuesday at 7:30p.m.
As a mother of 3 1/2 year old twins (and another on the way now!!), I agree with Karen that you won't need "mountains" of help. We had a baby nurse for the first 2 weeks, and then I had no help at all until we found a nanny about 2 weeks before I went back to work (I took a four month maternity leave). You can do it!!!! Feel free to PL me and I can give you my email address and number if you want to talk or if you want more info.
P.S. We used Viacord for the twins and plan on using them again with our new one (who is due in July, btw). |
Handygirl
Citizen
Username: Handygirl
Post Number: 686
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 5:11 pm: |
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It's a little early to think about preschool and kindergarten - unless you live in Manhattan. Although you should decide nanny or daycare (if you are both returning to work). Both have benefits and drawbacks.
Congrats on the babies! |
amamommy
Citizen
Username: Amamommy
Post Number: 33
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 8:03 pm: |
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We banked our son's cord blood with New England Cord Bank in 2000, then in 2002 banked our daughters w/ Cryocell (in 02 their prices were better). We are expecting a third and after checking prices this time around I see a lot less of a gap (in 2002 some were 800 and some were 2000). We've decided to go w/ M.A.Z.E (mazelabs.com), they do less advertising and their total cost for enrollment and 18 years of storage is the same price as many competitors first year only price. We still pay the yearly banking fees on our other two children that comes out to 200 a year for both, so over time we thinks it's best to do the long term buy in. Some names are Viacord, Familycordbloodservices, cryocell, Chicago Cord blood bank, etc. Good luck in your search. Just make sure they are accredited, it ensures that if they went bankrupt, they are insured and you would get the banked blood back etc. |
Tofugrl3
Citizen
Username: Tofugrl3
Post Number: 23
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 8:25 pm: |
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There are a lot of things cord blood banks won't tell you. Like if your child develops a disease, his own cord blood cannot be used since it is diseased as well. Check out this article that was in a recent issue of Parents magazine:
http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/parents/story/d ata/1144965062531.xml
If for some reason it doesn't take you there, go to www.parents.com and put in cord blood in the search box and it's the first article that comes up. Save your money. It is far better to donate it to a public bank where it is more likely to be used. |
ffof
Citizen
Username: Ffof
Post Number: 4704
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 8:32 pm: |
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Cord blood? WHat a racket.
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doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 1394
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - 8:50 pm: |
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Vinny,
Again, congrats!
Not twins-specific, but there is the Pop Culture dads' group (Dadvocacy!) meeting monthly at The Parkwood Diner - info can be found in issues of The MotherHood magazine, which can be found around town...or I have the info - feel free to PL me.
I'd agree about getting on a few lists & checking out your options if it's daycare you think you will need...
I'd say about 25% or so of folks I work with bank cord blood...it does require immediate clamping/cutting of the cord & many people prefer to let the cord stop pulsing before cutting, as the baby is still being oxygenated & this gives time for the baby to take back his/her part of the cord blood. |
CFA
Citizen
Username: Cfa
Post Number: 1635
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 4:23 am: |
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I have to agree with cppkqp. We had twin girls and it was quite easy. My ex-wife and I worked opposite shifts and we cared for the girls ourselves. Once they got a little older, they occupied each other, therefore demanding less of our time. They are now entering college. We all survived so far!  |
Wilkanoid
Citizen
Username: Cseleosida
Post Number: 575
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 8:29 am: |
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If you're looking for day care because you both work, I would start scoping places out just to narrow the list down. The earliest I know of that infants are accepted into day care is at three months of age. You can ask about the wait list lengths then, and decide when you want to enter their names.
Congratulations! |
VinnyM
Citizen
Username: Frodo
Post Number: 166
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 2:06 pm: |
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I'm not looking into daycare right now because I am going to be a SAHD. I was just worried about pre-school and nursery schools because I know a friend who is on a waiting list and I was hoping to avoid that by planning ahead |
Amateur Night
Citizen
Username: Deborahg
Post Number: 1848
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 5:35 pm: |
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Vinny, my dear, you have time. And congratulations! |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3424
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 5:58 pm: |
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Unless something has changed since my children were that age, there are no multi-year waiting lists for preschools around here, like I've heard of in NYC. In December or January preceding the fall your child will start, you apply for the school(s) of your choice. Sometimes, if they receive more applications than they have spaces, waiting lists are formed at that point, but there isn't really much you can do ahead of time to affect that.
The only exception I can think of would be for those schools affiliated with a religious congregation or other organization ... in some cases members of those congregations/organizations receive enrollment preference. So, if you were thinking of joining anyway, you might want to do so sooner rather than later. |
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