Anyone blessed with twins can attest to the fact that the first few months present a strong learning curve followed by a few years of juggling, prioritising and running on empty.
Rather than get easier as they grow, things can spiral out of control when they become mobile – one will head off one way and the other inevitably, heads the other. By the time they are old enough to keep each other company and play quietly, you and your partner may find that you are husks of your former selves, buried beneath a pile of dirty washing and dishes.
For the trailblazers who have gone before and honed twin rearing down to a fine art, some valuable tips, tricks and lessons can be learned. Sit back and relax (oops!) take a moment out of your precious time and allow me to provide you with the low down on surviving twins.
Helping hand
Before you put your hand up to stop me, I assure you, finding a reliable nanny in Melbourne can be a cost effective solution, furnishing you with a dedicated carer whose time is devoted to making your life more comfortable.
Compare this with the cost of a regular day care centre and the numbers add up. Add to this the peace of mind gained knowing that your little ones are in the arms of a trained, caring provider whose concentration is fully focussed on making their and your life simpler and more fun and you have a winning combination.
Perhaps you don’t need a full time nanny, but just a little alone time occasionally – forming a relationship with a trained carer can mean the children are comfortable with them and you can leave with the peace of mind that all is well.
Feeding Facts
If you have decided to breastfeed you’re in luck! Nature has provided two perfect receptacles to feed both babies at once. Ensure you are comfortable before beginning – twin nursing pillows can be a godsend at feeding times.
Newborns can take a little time to get the hang of sucking and techniques for attaching and disengaging baby are often provided by a nurse whilst in hospital. Don’t worry about milk supply being an issue. If you are eating an optimum diet, the baby’s sucking will stimulate as much milk as they need.
When bottle feeding twins, the twin nursing pillows come to the rescue again. To imitate the close bond which naturally comes with breastfeeding and to keep feeding an intimate occasion, hold the babies close, preferably ‘skin to skin’. Research provides evidence that skin-to-skin contact has far reaching positives effects on infants such as regulating heart and breathing rates, along with body temperature.
Try to rotate the babies for each feeding session. This will give them balance to their eye muscles, assisting to strengthen their vision.
Carrying on
Parents of twins quickly get adept at performing any number of difficult manoeuvres with one hand. Fortunately there are a number of twin carrying devices which will handle two babies with ease – leaving you two free hands to carry on with.
Bathing Blues
Attempting to manage one slippery, wet baby at bathtime can be tricky – two is downright harrowing! Turning your back on a baby in a bath for just a second is impossible – for this reason, if you haven’t got an assistant available, it is often safer to bathe each baby every other night.
Once babies are old enough to sit up, there are a wonderful array of bath seats which suction onto the bottom of the bathtub which allow twin babies some water time together.
If you are a household with twins or are expecting them to arrive any day, go online and take advantage of the experience of past survivors. There are fantastic support networks filled with tips and tricks to make life easier for you, your partner and your babies. Avail yourself of this wealth of knowledge and you can discover that parents of twins truly are, doubly blessed.
