playing outside with runaway twin

[overseasmomma]

My b\g twins just turned 1 and I'm having an awful time taking them outside to play. My girl listens well and likes sticking close by(mostly) but my boy is a dasher and loves making a run for it. We play alot in the enclosed grounds of our condo but I would love to take them to the park without fear. How do other moms of multiples handle outdoor play?

[gmvh]

When my two were in their one year old summer, a friend and I scoped out all the parks we could think of and found one that was not enclosed with a fence but was perfectly situated in a naturally formed bowl. We could see all over and it was steep enough that a young child wasn't making it anywhere fast. It was a little out of my way but it was so nice that they could wander without me worrying about them. That, coupled with gathering a group of families to go together, worked perfectly. Good luck!

[DeerMother]

Mine are almost two and I have never taken them to a park by myself. I will go w/ a friends who has a singleton or (obviously) w/ another adult. Like pp mentioned, there are some locales that are safer than others. I won't go anywhere where there are cars nearby if ratio is 2 adults : 3 dc. We've been working on "stop" for close to a year so that we can go to the park w/o another adult but I'm just not comfortable w/ their knowledge/action of the word yet.

[Intertwined]

We just don't go to places where I can't have complete control over them. We have a park nearby that's totally away from the road. Like, I'd have to have a bag on my head to allow him to get to the street. I can take them there and then I just watch him like a hawk. I am often dashing around containing him. If the playground is fun enough he will stay on the equipment and play. He really likes to play with his older brothers and sisters so that's also helpful, maybe have a playdate with some older children to engage your runner? We go for short trips right now, 30 minutes max. It does get easier as they get closer to 2.5 and then much better at 3 and 4. My worst runner is now four and I can't think of the last time he took off.

[Valerieg]

My DD was a dasher...DS stays close-by...but I've always had more than just the two of them when out and about (babysitting, friends kids, etc). My only advice is to find a park/playground that is contained. The one we go to most often is surrounded on one side by a mountain biking trail, other side is frisbee golf, trees, and then sand volleyball courts. It's quite a walk to get back to the actual playground but once we're there it'd take them quite awhile to get anywhere unsafe or where I couldn't see them.

I'm going to be pretty fortunate. When my twins are old enough to run around a playground my older kids will be 6 and 4. I'm sure they'll help me contain them.

[sbgrace]

I always went with another adult so there was one adult to be with my non-bolter while I could go after my runner.

He grew out of it.

[Shuli]

I am very lucky that the park near our house has two entrances with benches in the middle. I can sit on the benches and face the playground and will see anyone leaving unauthorised or unaccompanied. We live in a gated community with about 100 other families so there is almost always other people around, especially on the weekend and we all look out for each other's kids. There are other playgrounds in the area that are open and I hardly ever take them there because my wanderer can just take off. If I didn't have the "safe" park on my street we probably would have to just stay in the back yard.

[overseasmomma]

Ok, guess I will just have to be patient. I do have a mothers helper come by a couple of times a week (we can't afford more than that) to help me take them to the park. We go out daily for walks in the stroller and I've been tempted to stop by the park and let them run around, especially my oldest dd. Dd1 who is 3 years old is a bit of a help, but she's 3 so she sometimes does things like cut in line on the slides and other stuff that need my supervision. I think its not just the fear of them dashing out onto the street but rather, how to supervise 3 kids? Like, one of the twins will be climbing the stairs to the baby slide and needs help and the other will be running towards some other structure that needs spotting. Then, my oldest will fall of her bike or something and I'm left feeling so defeated, like I shouldn't have left home. I was really looking foward to park outings....oh well.

At least I know that I'm not alone in this. I thought things were looking up now that they are more mobile and play well on their own but, as with everything with the twins, some things get better but new challenges arise!

[GPTwins08]

I have had this problem with my b/b twins for a long time.  It was incredibly frustrating and a little embarrassing. It made it really hard to go to many places without a helper or my husband. It has gotten a lot better though at 3.5 years old.  I hope it continues to get better but I am still having this issue a little.

[queenofchaos]

sounds like you have your answer, but I just wanted to second the notion of having a helper.  at this young age, an extra set of hands is necessary.  even if one didn't run off, there are still circumstances that arise where you will need the help.  bummer, but it will get better as they get older.

[emsumm]

I just go.  I don't want to stay in all the time, so we pack up and we do it.  I have one runner and one that will stay relatively close (or is at least slower).  Worst comes to worst, I grab the slower one and chase after the runner.  Usually, it's much better than I expected.  I'm not going to always wait to have another adult with me to take them on a little outing.  The more you do it the more adept you get.  You will learn tricks to keep them contained.