I think your approach is a great idea. We had similar ideas at first but somehow we lost our way! We do have our toys confined to one room (the main living area where we all spend most of our time) and we have toy boxes that most everything goes it to help keep it out of the way when not in use, but we definitely have a lot of "stuff". I will say though, we had to move some of our furniture to storage to make room for a big enough play area for them (regardless of how many toys there are). I wanted them to have plenty of safe room to crawl, learn to walk, etc. But I do think it's possible to keep toys to a minimum (or even use household items as toys instead - like pots and pans, tupperware, spoons, etc) if you are dedicated (and can say "no" firmly to the over-generous grandparents!). One thing that made it particularly hard for us was finding those "simple" toys. I had this idea of getting wood toys - but surprisingly few are approved for kids under 2 or 3! I didn't do a lot of research ahead of time, so by the time we were getting toys I was too harried to spend much time on it and just got what I could find at babiesrus or target.

One thing I didn't expect to be quite as taken over is our kitchen. I know this isn't toy-related, but it has still been a space issue for us. First it was all the bottles (even though I nursed I had to work full time, so we still had to have tons of bottles) and pumping stuff. Now it's sippy cups and straw cups and plastic dishes. That stuff really ends up taking up room when you have 2! But not enough to make us move into a bigger house :P

Anyway - good luck. And don't pay too much attention to people that say what you are attempting is impossible. I feel like I heard a lot of horror stories when I was pregnant with my twins, but it turns out it was not our experience at all and still isn't.

I am completely with you!!!! We also live in a small home 808 sp ft. We choose this home because we believe in minimizing our carbon foot printsince being pregnant (currently 23 weeks with twin boys, hehehehe) we have been told by people you have to move!...When are you moving? you will never be able to do it in that little house!!! we plan like you on keeping it simple I like to call it old world parenting or conscious parenting. I know many people that this style of parenting would not work for but we believe that it is the best for our family! I am not saying we will not have any plastic toys or electronic gizmos, we just want to keep them to a minimum and hope to find the balance for our family. I have chosen for the most part not to talk with people about our plans for parenting because I want to avoid the we will see comments and looks. I will be starting education funds for both boys and telling people that really want to spend money on them that we request that they put money (no matter how small) in them. I think that in America we have gone way overboard on what we think a child needs to be happy and well balanced!...
Well best wishes to you and lets keep in touch in order to give one another hints!!! also there isnt a lot of action in it but I did just find the natural parenting group

http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/natural-parenting-group

My little sister and her husband have sucessfully parented this way for years. They have no TV, they give the children 5-7 christmas gifts, they used cloth diapers and so on. The funny thing is that their two kids are much smarter than other kids their ages. My neice could read before she went to school, and they did not even know that other people lived differently than them. My neice told a friend once that they were rich. Her father and mother both work from home. (they own their own business) their father has said that he is not watching his kids grow up in pictures he is there to see it with his own eyes. MONEY MEANS NOTHING. I have to agree with him.

LJ1981, I wonder how our idea of what we want to do will evolve over time but we are going to try and stick to our guns as much as possible. I know we'll be moving furniture items into storage as well just to ensure they have a good amount of space to scoot, crawl, etc. My mom is totally on board with our ideas as is my husband's dad, and I think his sisters will respect our wishes (even if they don't agree with our ideas) and not buy the kids tons of stuff. Even if they do buy things that we don't approve of, we'll likely donate them to the local goodwill. I'm clearing out a cupboard in the kitchen just for the twins stuff, so hopefully that will hold the explosion of baby and toddler dishes. :-)
Harmeeybug, I totally hate getting those condescending looks! It's so annoying, and it just makes me more determined to make things work. My parents grew up in Europe and my Aunts, Uncle, and cousins all still live in Norway or Serbia, many of them in what we would consider small spaces and none the worse for it! Our house is 1100 sq ft and I think it'll be fine for the kids. I am planning on starting an education fund for the twins as well and I think it's an awesome idea. I agree that we should definitely keep in touch as I'm currently 24 1/2 weeks with boy/girl twins, so not that far ahead of you! Thanks for posting the link too, I'll be checking it out!
dmksam, thanks for the success story! It's nice to know that not only can it be done, but also that children can actually enjoy being raised that way. I totally agree that our society places way too much emphasis on money and material possessions when they are of far less importance than love and support.

I am so with you! Our girls are arriving in January and my husband and I don't want to be bombarded by "stuff". And it's amazing to see other peoples kids that have a house full of stuff and even they get overwhelmed by it. How do you plan on getting the grandparents on the same page? And is there a book on this?

I am by no means perfect at this, but I completely support the idea! We have our share of blinking plastic nightmare toys in the house, and their toys are definitely not all in one place! But, I believe in the same principals, and we are trying to be better.

I just have this to offer-try to make sure the living space you do have available is appropriate for little explorers. I have decided that I don't want to be a mom who is always saying "no" and "stop that". My one year olds naturally need to explore and not be stifled every second of the day. So it's just a good idea to make sure your space is baby proofed to your liking/tolerance level.

I actually don't have a lot of baby proofing- (baby gates, etc) but i am pretty lax about things, my husband isn't but we try to compromise!

Hopeful716, as far as the grandparents, aunts and uncles go, we are simply being very open and honest with them on our philosophy and why we are choosing that way to raise our kids. We plan on giving them some direction when it comes to gifts (what we feel the kids could really use), and also asking that instead of buying lots of stuff, they get each child a small thing (a book, a craft, or other simple and inexpensive thing) and put the rest of what they would spend into a savings account we'll be setting up for the twins college fund. That way the child still gets a small gift that they can play with, but nothing too extravagant. I think it's also good to donate old toys as they get older and get new ones, and it ensures that the children always have only what they need and what toys are developmentally appropriate for them. I am also a firm believer that if your friends, relatives, etc. don't respect your wishes and end up buying the kids loads of toys or toys you don't like, donate them to your local salvation army or goodwill. There may be some hurt feelings, but it was their choice to go against your wishes and they are YOUR kids. One or two instances like that and I think the family will realize you're serious and hopefully act accordingly.
As for books, one I'm reading right now is called "Simple Parenting". I find however, that it's more about resetting to a simple lifestyle after your kids are older and have already been raised with "stuff", not really starting out raising them in a minimalist way. For tips on how to accomplish that, I've actually found that the best resource is other parent's blogs. Do a google search on raising minimalist children, and several blogs should come up.
I hope we both manage to stick to this path and don't let naysayers get us down. I can tell you that my husband's boss raised all three of her boys this way and the oldest is a renowned chef, the middle is a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, and the youngest is at Georgetown. They had no tv, little toys, but lots of music, travel, and reading. I'd say she did something right.

I think you will be fine. Go with what you believe. We never intended to be labeled as "simplist" or anything like that but we are very 'old fashioned' as I like to call it. Where as we do have a TV in the house but it is rarely watched. I never placed my girls in front of a TV to be babysat. We never really had the money for electronics and such, and they have never really gotten into playing video games or on the computer. We are very strict on certain technologies of today. The oldest never got a cell phone until she got her driver's liscense and the same will follow for the twins(now 14). The oldest is weeks from 18 and JUST NOW I have allowed her to have a Facebook(I have complete access to it) and an email address(she needs it for college).

We have always been outdoors type people. My girls actually hate winter anymore because they don't like being cooped in the house.

They all make mention sometimes of things their friends have that they don't but it's more of a casual conversation than them complaining because they don't have it. I have actually had the twins tell me they have friends with too much "stuff".

I think it is simply a way of life. We can't block them from everything obviously but we can teach them what is really important. And by raising them simply, I have 3 honor students, volunteers and great teenagers.

JessAM, I think we'll be doing a good amount of baby proofing and moving some furniture around but we also will likely not be totally baby proofing everything because well, we'd be living in a padded cord free house, and that just isn't gonna happen. :-)
Whiskeytangofoxtrot, you're an awesome example of how kids can actually benefit from and appreciate growing up in simpler ways. I love how you regulated the technology with your kids, and I agree that regulating rather than totally removing or forbidding seems to work well and be more doable for most people. I doubt we'll toss the t.v., but we'll limit it, and I agree that no cell phones or computers until necessary is best. Congrats on raising wonderful kids, it's something that all us moms to be strive for!

I have to tell you...after reading your post the other day you got me pumped up to really act on the feelings I have been having for awhile now. I think it is great that you and your husband are wanting to raise your twins this way.

Although I agree that raising kids with minimal stuff is great, I would even take it further...I have been feeling the same way for our whole house. I was telling my husband that I wanted to have a huge yard sale and get rid of half our stuff. It is just too much. I have had the urge to throw everything out of our house many times lately. I feel like the less stuff you have, the less stress you feel in a lot of ways. This then translate to the kids. They feel more relaxed too. Also, in our case, it is a good way to baby proof as well. We have done so much already, but it still never seems enough. My twins are into everything!

In regards to the kids, I have already tried to limit the "stuff." They are 17 months, love books, and are already "reading." When I have bought toys, I try to buy more basic toys vs. the other kinds. But they do have a few electrical toys because they love music and dance to the songs. My thing is I don't like a lot of licensed stuff. I think children are brainwashed at a very early age to buy the toys that are based on TV or movies. With that said, in my experience, no TV has been hard to pull off. We extremely limit the amount they have seen but to say they will never watch TV was not realistic for us.

I think you will find what works for you but don't beat yourself up if things change. (For example, I was adamant I was only going to use cloth diapers and unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I felt like I had failed. I was upset for a long time because I knew I was destroying the environment but it really was too hard for me with twins. I still wish I would have tried harder. However, I had to let it go and stick to the other things I felt strongly about. There are many. :) )

I hope very soon my house and life will follow more of a minimalist lifestyle. Thanks for the re-inspiration. :)

tmt3, glad I could help! I agree that the licensed branded stuff is the worst. It makes kids into walking advertisements, and I find it frightening that by age 6 kids can identify brand logos, jingles, etc. Many of the best toys are from companies that don't advertise heavily, and I think that's great. Melissa & Doug stuff is wonderful, for example.
I agree that taking the simplifying approach and extending it to the whole house makes life easier. I've been doing that for years, I think it's part of my personality to de-clutter. I regularly go through areas of our house and if we don't use something I donate it or toss it, depending on the condition. My husband has always been a neat guy, but wasn't used to purging stuff regularly. After helping me simplify a few rooms though, he started to really like the process and feels much better knowing we only keep things we use. Now with the twins coming, we've even taken it a bit further and really gone through stuff to make the most room possible for their things, especially in our bathroom, linen closet, and kitchen. We're donating some furniture pieces to open up our living space more for them to explore and play, and putting other items in storage until they're a bit older and we don't have to worry as much about them breaking things.
Good luck on your quest to simplify as well, and keep me posted on how things are working out!

Hi there:

My husband and I are both Army officers and are raising 8 week old twin boys. We live in an 1100 sq ft house and like it just fine although we wish it had better storage. We live a minamilist lifestyle primarily because we move every 3 years and our deployments to other countries have demonstrated you don't need a lot to be happy. When you move so frequently, you realize how much "stuff' there is.

ok, so my computer hates me. Here are my favorite minimalist things I have used so far...

cradleboards-got mine in Canada for napping. Babies love them, they support the First Nation craftsmen and they are so cool.
baby carrier-we use these ALL THE TIME. Had ours made on Etsy by Loveyduds. They are so terrific for the grocery store, for doing chores, restaurants (my guys are angels in them). We had ours made to match our uniforms but they are similar to a Moby. I will probably add an Ergo carrier when they get bigger.
Crib: My guys share happily.
Car seats as bouncy seats. We use our car seats in the house as an alternative to a bouncy. I can rock one baby in the seat while feeding the other (essential to everyone's sanity).
Double snap and go. I bought mine used on Craig's list. I resisted this purchase but it was a necessary evil if I want to do things myself. In retrospect, I think you could get away with a sling and a singleton stroller but the DSG is faster. When I'm done with it, I'll resell it.
couch with washable slip covers (bought before their birth) is worth its weight in gold, my guys are barfers. This is our only couch.
I use both cloth and plastic diapers because post day care won't do cloth. I breastfeed 1/3 of feeding and supplement the rest (wish I could BF exclusively but...)

We did get a new car (to us) but our jeep was only a two seater .

We give all handmedowns to friends who are still preggers. I have no issue with using hand me downs at all and am grateful for them. We tell people no gifts but our friends did buy us diapers. We also trade toys with friends. I grew up near a library with toy lending and I hope we'll find another like it for our guys.

Nice to meet like minded people.

dolcib, it's nice to meet you as well! I can only imagine that moving so regularly would encourage a minimalist lifestyle, and I like your suggestions on how to get more out of less with your boys. My husband and I have been very fortunate to get lots of hand me downs including carriers, bouncy seats and clothes, and I did buy a second hand double snap n go from the parents of triplet girls so that I could have a way to take the babies out by myself. I love getting stuff from friends and I plan to pass everything along when my twins are done with it, though all of my friends are done having kids so the stuff will likely go to charity or freecycle. The more I compare the children of my friends with similar "simple parenting" philosophies to those whose parents buy tons of stuff, the more I realize how little children need or even want all that noise and clutter. I know that as they get older there will be more pressures on them to consume, but I hope that they appreciate the way we raise them and are able to value things like time, activities, and attention over things. Good luck to you and your husband with your boys, and thanks from a civilian for helping make us safe!