You've got a stockpile of cloth diapers, plenty of socks, even a battery-driven mobile that plays tunes to keep your twins entertained. You are seeing double when it comes to major purchases: two bouncy chairs, two cribs, two highchairs and two car seats.

When it comes to bringing twins home, it's important to prepare not just the physical space of your house for the big homecoming but the emotional space of your existing family as well.

Kathy Schmitt of Elgin, Ill., a member of the Double Love Mothers of Twins club, had daughter, 3-year-old Sarah, when she brought home fraternal twins, Grace and Rachel. She talked to Sarah about how she could hold her new siblings but only with adult supervision. She also prepared Sarah for the fact her newborn siblings would spend most of their time crying, sleeping and eating with little time for playing or visiting during the early months.

Schmitt also made sure Sarah would not feel left out but would bond with the babies right from the start. "We let her go to the gift shop at the hospital before she came up to see the twins and myself, and we let her pick out something for the twins," she says. "Warren, my husband, gave her some ideas, but it was her choice what she wanted to bring her two new sisters. Before the twins were born, I had picked out two presents the twins could give her when she walked in the door."

Schmitt says the nurses let her older daughter take photographs with her new twin sisters. "One of the twins gave her a T-shirt that said 'She's the big sister,'" says Schmitt, adding the other twin gave her a magnetic drawing toy.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.