The Do’s and Don’ts of Parenting Twins

You have waited for a while to conceive and now you find out you are expecting. This is an exciting moment and you tell your husband the good news. You both are overjoyed and nervous at the same time. All parents experience many emotions as they learn they are going to become parents the first time, and even the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on. Every new child brings more change in your household and there is so much to do with a newborn baby. Both of you are still feeling elated and you both go to your appointment and suddenly find out that you are going to be the proud parents of twins. Parents can become a bit more nervous because there are only 24 hours in a day and two people to help with two brand new babies that are both going to require double the attention parents are not used to. One is easy because the attention is only going to that child, however; two babies called twins is something to think about and plan ahead for. This is where the Do’s and Don’ts of Parenting Twins comes in handy.

Parents that are raising twins realize this is a different experience than raising one child. The good thing is there is quite a bit of advice to parents of multiple births for all ages of parenting your duo.

The First Year

One of the most challenging situations is raising two or more infants at the same time. Caring for one infant is demanding enough, but caring for two means everything is doubled. Parents have to meet all of their needs and this takes constant effort; especially when both babies have to eat at the same time. This is not a time to take turns feeding them, they both are hungry at once. There is a lot of chaos and a bit of dysfunction and exhaustion when it comes to multiple births. Sleep is non-existent, while diapers are piling up and so is dirty laundry. Here are a few ideas that will help you with your twins. Prepare by stocking up on everything you will need for the first year for your twins. Get your sitters in order and have your pediatrician on call so if the twins need immediate medical care, you have this arranged. Start a routine and while you are going through your first year of twins, you are wondering how will you ever feed two babies at once. Prepare yourself for loads of crying, diapers to change and cute clothes. Prepare yourself for no sleep. Just remember this does get easier.

Twin Toddlers

After year one is done, the second year is more interesting. The twins are all over the place and they are full of the dickens, exploring and learning to communicate. Make your home a safe home because they will be playing frequently and they will take over with loads of their toys scattered everywhere. You are going to experience different challenges especially if biting starts or twins are running in different directions and you can’t catch either one of them. The good news is you will be able to sleep more and you can try potty training. This is an exciting year for parents of more than one child, it’s also challenging in other ways, but parents find that twins and multiples are more fun in the long run than having just one at a time.

School Years

School years bring on more challenges for parents and there will be many times that you will have to make difficult decisions about placement in a school for twins, like whether they should be separated or in the same class together. Parents have had to fight for their rights in some cases so the school will listen to what they want. There also will be sibling rivalry which may get out of control, but twins can also be the best of friends. Parents will have to juggle more which includes, sports, homework, and social activities. On occasion, you will wonder if you are around enough for your twins, especially that one on one time. Then the birthdays will arrive and you realize the twins are another year older, growing fast and are more independent as they find their own identities.

Family

Twins cause many challenges to arise in families that other parents don’t have. You are raising kids the same age and not dealing with kids of different ages from birth. It’s hard to manage two children the same age so parents need to be compassionate and having twins can put many strains on relationships, so make sure you cherish and nurture your marriage. If the twins’ grandparents want to help, by all means, include them because grandparents have a wealth of invaluable information to share.

Relationships between Twins

Twins share a bond that is incredible, special, however; for parents, encouraging and cherishing their bond can also be like have two children. A parents job is to encourage their twins to have a healthy relationship with each other. In addition, parents should also encourage twins to have a healthy relationship with all people they come across in life that they care for. Twins are going to fight and people are going to need your help telling each twin apart. Parents are going to have to discipline their twins and teach them the consequences of not following the rules. Twins are no different than having 2 children 9 months apart. When twins have meltdowns, parents are going to have to teach their twins what rules they should be following. Nothing changes with parenting when having twins, except parents, have to be fair to both through thick and thin and show unconditional love.

Hints

If twins run in your family because if they do you might be predisposed to having a set yourself. This is when you will have to get your management skills on the track, get some help to keep up your house and realize that there are many resources for every age of a twins life. These resources will teach you how to keep your laundry small to safety proofing your home for twins. You will take on all kinds of new challenges included taking twins to the market and to the mall with you. The main thing is that your twins feel loved, so do show unconditional love, and don’t compare one twin to the other in front of them. This can make them feel insecure and less confident in their abilities to succeed. Your twins may look alike but they are still two different people in the same look-alike body.