There are some decisions that are unique to parents of twins. Fortunately, many of these are pretty straightforward. How long, for example, can you keep the babies in the same crib? The answer is obvious. When one baby can turn enough to start kicking the other in the head in the middle of the night, it's time to separate them.

And what about spoons?  When the babies start solids, do you simplify things by using the same spoon for both babies?  This is a gut decision.  When your gut says that sharing spoons is yucky (no matter what else the little ones share), you keep the spoons color coded at mealtime.

But there is one decision that requires a lot of thought, and even research.  One decision that will affect your day-to-day life for two or three years: double wide or stretch limo?  In other words, do you want a stroller that may not fit through doorways or tight aisles, or do you want one that becomes more impossible to steer with every pound your babies gain?

I realize that parents with closely spaced siblings face this dilemma as well.  That only complicates matters.  Quite a few double strollers are made for these families.  They may be designed to hold only one infant car seat and/or have only one seat that reclines enough for an infant.  These can be great space saving features if you have only one infant at a time.  I’m not complaining that these strollers are available.  My complaint is that several companies are guilty of using the word “twin” in the name of a stroller that doesn’t actually accommodate twins.  Thank you for making me read the fine print on all of your products.  Do not call something the Ultra Cool Deluxe TWIN Stroller if it is of no use to someone with twins.

So which option did I chose?  Both.  I decided I didn’t want to miss out on any of the ways to be aggravated by a stroller.  We have a long one to carry the car seats and have just added a side-by-side since the babies have nearly outgrown those bucket car seats.  Right now, we’re switching between the two depending on the occasion.  The little ones seem to prefer the new stroller, where they can sit up and face forward, but quick trips are still easier without having to buckle and unbuckle two sets of straps for each baby. 

Soon we will be back to one stroller and I can’t say that I’m sorry.  Sometimes having options makes things more complicated.  (It is a pain in the you-know-what to fit both strollers into the back of the van, especially if I intend to put any groceries back there so we have to make the decision ahead of time and shift accordingly.)  But there is one reason that I will be sad to say so long to the long stroller.  I’ll miss the rubbernecking. 

Since the babies face me in that stroller, nearly everyone who walks by us turns to look at them as we pass.  Some of these people are obvious and don’t mind being so.  They stop as they look to grill me on the little ones’ age, genders and twin status.  Some only take a quick look as they smile and nod, acknowledging the supreme cuteness of my babies and then moving on.  Then there are the people who aren’t really paying attention, who think I’m coming at them with a single stroller and then suffer from double baby induced whiplash as we go by.  My favorites though are the ones with the shifty eyes.  These are the people who try to get a look at the twins without anyone noticing.  They wait until I am almost past and turn only their eyes.  Sometimes it feels like they are checking up on me, just making sure that I actually have babies in my stroller. 

As much as I dislike the constant attention of having twins, you’d think I would appreciate the attempts at subtlety.  Let me assure you that I do.  But I’m still amused that these people seem to think they can look at the babies without me catching them.  I have four kids.  I see everything.

Mandy appears weekends on TriangleMom2Mom.