The fact that Leslie Pave, a chef from San Francisco, has not just one twenty-seven pound toddler, but two, makes me wonder how buff her arms are, or at the very least, how she writes her two blogs: deglazed.com and menuboom.com. With twins popping up around every Starbucks in my neighborhood, I often wonder how parents do it. Sure, it’s double the love, but it’s also double the diapers, double the feedings, and double the chasing them down once they launch on two sneakers. I asked veteran moms of twins, including Leslie, to share their top survival tips to help women who are expecting twins better prepare. Hopefully, these tips, once checked off moms-to-be lists, will enable them to spend more time admiring their tummies while anticipating the blessed day.
Top 10 Survival Tips for Parents Expecting Twins
- Time with the Grandparents. Accept help from your parents around the clock, if they offer, no matter how badly your ego will be bruised or personal space violated.
- Feed Your Twins, Feed Yourself. Find extra money for take-out. Live off leftovers and don’t feel bad about it.
- Maternity and Paternity Leave. Get more time off from work than you think you will want or need. Nothing is worse that watching your sleep deprived husband stumble onto the bus only two weeks into the madness. I felt like a helpless little girl wanting to yell, “Don’t leave me here alone with them!”
- Supply Stock. Be well stocked up on diapers, formula, wipes, blankets, burp cloths, clothes, socks, and little hats before the babies arrive. Sending people out for supplies adds to the stress.
- It’s Not the Same. Forget the advice you get from singleton baby books. You are not going to “wear your babies” all day long. You are not going to sleep in bed with them. It’s just different having twins and singleton parents/authors don’t get it.
- Schedule = Sleep. Get them on a schedule, the same schedule. Sleep training is a beautiful thing.
- Find Community. Join a twins group. You will love the support and comradery you get from other parents with twins. National Mothers of Twins Organization is a great place to start. Meet some locals with twins and start your own playgroup.
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