The Best Parenting Tips for Raising Twins from Parents of Twins!
The moment you find out you are expecting twins, things change. I wish my mind had only been filled with thoughts of “double the hugs and kisses”, but that’s not what filled my thoughts.
It was “holy cow, two? how can I possibly do this?” but I did and I am and so are many other moms of twins. I reached out to some of the twin parents I know, and asked for their Best Parenting Tips for Raising Twins to share with you!
Best Parenting Tips
for Raising Twins
Schedule, schedule, schedule. And cluster care. Our twins were in the NICU for 7 weeks and we were trained, yes trained, by the NICU staff to keep the kids on a schedule and to cluster care them. If one twin is hungry, wake the other and feed them both. If one needs a diaper change, change them both. This saved us so much time and sanity and I still recommend this to every new twin mom. – FancyShanty.com
Embrace the “interruptions”. Life as you previously knew it will be different, very different, harder in some ways, and “your hands will be full”. But, peace, joy and humor can be found. When tempted to let the frustrations overpower, seek ways regain your center – take a moment to breathe, reflect, practice gratitude, see if there is any humor to be found in the “interruption”. Learn to let go. – ThingsIThoughtIdNever.com
Treat your multiples as individuals!!! Your twins or triplets are going to be referred to as a unit by practically everyone, but they don’t have to be treated as a unit by you too. Embrace their differences, even if they are the same sex. Olivia, my baby A, is a girly-girl. She loves princesses and jewelry and all things feminine. She even intends to be a princess when she grows up. I’ve already informed her that the only place she can be a princess as an adult is in Disney World. She’s totally game. LOL. Brianna, my baby B, is a Tom-boy. She loves mud and dirt, physical activity, cars, and planes, and wants to be a firefighter when she grows up. She is fiercely creative and refuses to confirm to societal norms for girls. She’ll probably play hockey and football in high school, just watch. – DeucesAreWildandAnAceintheHole.com
When the girls were babies, we would always keep them on the same schedule, even if we had to wake one to do so. We started them on a good schedule around 4 weeks. Now, they are the best sleepers. – Betsy
Schedule, schedule, schedule. Readjust as the twins get older, but stick to a schedule or the chaos will take over your life. They will appreciate it and so will you. Even if your twins are identical, they will still be different individuals. Different ideas, different speeds of learning and development, and different temperaments. Give them the ability to have choices. Sometimes they will want the same thing and other times they will want different things. But offering choices I can live with has kept the fighting to a minimum in our household. It’s also fun to discover and learn each of their personalities this way. – Jaqueline
Forget the guilt. Don’t let yourself feel it. One twin will always need more from you…but which one it is, changes all the time. At first my boy needed all of my attention, now 7 months in, it’s shifted and he’s more laid back and my girl needs me more. I had a lot of guilt at the beginning that I couldn’t give as much to her as I was giving to him, but I’m learning that it all balances out. – Amy
I will continually add to this list as I get advice from fellow twin parents and bloggers with twins. It’s helpful to hear from others who are wearing the same shoes, especially with twins at different ages.
Save this advice for moms of twins to share with others!
Bree says
I love this! I need to share this with my friend who has four month old twins. I’m always amazed by what a joyful mommy she is! Thanks for the tips!
Kristen says
I wouldn’t wake a baby to feed them. I tried but then they wouldn’t go back to sleep and then i wouldn’t.y advice do what feels natural. I couldnt get mine on a shedule and i tried. They were two indiviuals with different needs and personailty. My daughter was alwayd easy to get back to sleep. My son was not. Even today my daughter goes to bed no problem my son not so much. Tryings to get them on a shedule was harder than letting them not on a shedule. But I would say when they were awake I did try to feed both even if one wasnt hungry.
Lisa Collins says
My girl/boy twins are more like your’s! Total opposites in every way, it’s like raising two toddlers and not twins in a way.
Alina Moiseyev says
When my twins were little, I pretty much had no schedule which worked for me until they hit about 4month..than I started schedule and now they are 4years old and when it’s time for sleep, they know not to cry about it, they go by themselves,.. Expecting twins again, this time schedule will have to start earlier…
Lisa Collins says
Congrats!! Mine are 3.5 now and only one struggles with going down at night – I think she will always be my struggle. 😀