Let’s face it, being a mom of twins is not an easy thing to be. In fact, some days it may seem that you will never get through the day. I know that I feel like I have more of these days than days where I feel like I have it all together. And do you know what I do when I just can’t seem to figure it out? I ask other twin moms, the ones that have already been through what I’m going through. Who better to ask than someone who has already mastered the very thing you are struggling with?
Mom advice that worked
Just the other day I had called my own mom, (she’s also a mom of twins), as I was struggling with getting my 2 year old twins to listen to me. They, of course, were jumping on the couch and laughing at me when I tried to put them in time out or yell at them. I felt defeated to say the least. Well, my mom of course had great twin advice, and you know what- it worked! They haven’t done it since.
If you were wondering her advice was to take something away that was of value to them. I took my daughters gigantic bear she carries everywhere, and she immediately decided she’s rather have her bear.
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There really is no better way to get some tips and advice then from other mothers that have been there themselves. They are the only ones that know exactly how you feel and what to do when you just can’t figure it out.
So moms, whether you are new to the parenting thing or not, we as parents need advice sometimes. I have asked moms of twins, if they could give their best advice to a new mom of twins, and what would it be?
Where Can You Get Advice From?
I happen to be quit lucky and had my very own mom that knew exactly what I was going through. However, it was very helpful to find other mothers that had twins with other siblings around 2 years apart. It’s a different situation depending if there are siblings or not.
So, where did I find other moms that had twins and one more? Believe it or not facebook groups are amazing for this. There are so many amazing woman willing to help and give advice. There’s also mom blogs (my personal favorite). I became obsessed with the advice other mom bloggers had for me and my twin mom struggles.
Here are 25 of the most useful advice from twin moms themselves.
Tip 1:
Get those twins on the same eating and sleeping schedule is important starting from being very young.
Many of the twin moms I asked talked about how important a schedule is. Most moms said having a schedule for their twins is what made their day. I find that having a scheduled nap time, dinner time and bed time, makes my day more organized. I know when I will have time to do what I need to do, and organize my day around it.
Tip 2:
Do not co- sleep twins together. This way they will learn from the beginning, to sleep on their own and it will be so much easier to do bedtime.
If your twins get used to sleeping together in the same space they will always need each other to sleep. When my twins were born, I would have them sleep next to each other but in separate sleepers. There are some great co-sleepers are perfect for this. I also would use 2 bouncer chairs and place them next to each other. They never, not once, slept in the same space. To this day they share a room, but not a bed. They fall asleep on their own. I think this is great twin sleeping advice!
Tip 3:
Cherish every single moment. Take lots of pictures and videos because it will go so fast.
Taking pictures of the twins and my oldest son is one of my favorite things to do. I know that may sound crazy, but some days when I need a smile, I look back at the memories and they really do make you feel like you got this. It will remind you that you have happy, healthy children. All moms, including twin moms, need this perfect capture of memories, to look back when the days seem dreary.
Tip 4:
Go with the flow. Don’t sweat the small stuff. There are 2 of them and one of you so give yourself some grace. Nothing will go as planned.
I know this advice is kind of the opposite of tip 1, make a schedule, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Sure schedules work, and will make meals and bedtimes easier to follow- but being a parent of twins means sometimes you have to drop the plans and go with the flow.
Tip 5:
It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to not be your best and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and sad. Get help, ask for help. It’s encouraged. People will want to help you, they just won’t know how. Educate them and never say no to an offer for help.
Asking for help is something I learned your friends and family love to do. I have colleagues of mine always offering to watch the kids for me just so I can go get my nails done. People who care about you, will understand and want to try to help in any way they can. Being a mom of twins, is hard. So ask and take the help!
Tip 6:
No button sleepers. Zip up sleepers only. They are so much easier to change those diapers.
This will save you lots of time and hassle. Buttoning up an entire onesie from foot to chin is a pain, and you can mess up the buttons leaving you frustrated and having to do it again. This is not such a big deal if you have one kid, but when you have two to dress and many diapers to change, these are not a good idea at all. You can buy the zipper onesie on amazon.
Tip 7:
Sleep training is a life saver. It really helped the twins sleep and we got our sleep too.
Sleep training is wonderful. I also used sleep training for my first born and it really helped. You can hire a sleep trainer or read up on some sleep strategies. Twins are not easy, and as a parent of twins you need your sleep too. When the twins have a good sleep, so can you!
Tip 8:
Breast feeding is great. Formula feeding is great. Combo feeding is great. Just feed your baby in a way that works for you.
There really is no way to make feeding easy when you have twins. I exclusively breast fed my first born, but I just could not do it with 2. I was literally feeding all day. These are one of those moments I spoke about before, when you have to sometimes just go with the flow. If they’re breast feed, great, if they drink formula, great, if they do both- great!
Just feed those hungry babies in whatever way works for you and them!
Tip 9:
Clip their nails when you are holding them so they are used to it.
Personally, I like to cut their nails with an infant scissor. This is much more safe than nail clippers, as if they move their hand it will not clip their finger.
You can also try cutting their nails when napping if that works better for you. Since you have two, you have to figure out what the best way that would work for you.
Tip 10:
Keep your sanity and focus on you. Get away once in a while and have some mommy time away. Do the things you need to do to keep your sanity.
Self care is extremely important especially when you are stressed and overwhelmed ( and believe me, you will be both)! I know it seems like there will never be any time for yourself, but this is where you can ask for help. Making sure you are okay is the most important thing for new moms, especially a new mom of twins!
You can read more about mommy burn out here.
Tip 13:
Use different colors for everything!
This means literally use colors for everything. Even if your twins are the same sex, making colors associated with each twin will make finding their things so much easier. Even now as my own twins are older, they know everything that is pink or purple is my daughters, blue is her twin brothers and everything green is my oldest son. If I can not find a certain item in different colors then I label them with their designated color. I bought label stickers with their names on them, and bought them with their specific color. It makes finding everyones stuff so much more organized and just easier!
Tip 15:
Hug them a lot, it keeps you sane.
Advice that is so simple, yet so true, especially for the times your twins will drive you crazy- and they will! A hug from your little ones will always make the stress and anxiety of a hard day go away. It’s magical!
Tip 16:
A mug that keeps your tea or coffee warm.
I never realized how important this was until I was drinking cold coffee every day. You will need coffee all day long, and their is no time to keep making it once it is cold. Find yourself a spill proof, travel coffee mug. It’s a twins moms best friend!
This travel mug is amazing. It keeps my coffee hot for up to 12 hours. And the best part is when it tips over, no spillage!
Conclusion
The best advice for parents of twins, is advice from parents of twins that have already been there and learned what works best. If you have more questions on how to handle something your twins are doing or want to just talk to other moms of twins, join some twin mom facebook groups. To get more advice from moms of twins you can look at some other twin mom blogs.
Here are some other great twin mom blogs to check out:
twinwinning twin mom blog
I'm 40 years old and a mom of 2 three year olds and a first grader. I am also a Special education teacher. My passion has always been to help people, which is why I started this blog.
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