Friday, June 5, 2015

Tips for New Moms of Multiples...

I've been thinking of the best advice I could've received when my twins were babies,
and here are 14 tips I came up with. Hope they help.

1. Nothing can prepare you for the 24 "hourness" of a new baby. 
Let me say that again. Nothing can prepare you for the the 24 hourness
of TWO babies!! Nothing! (Oh yeah, I changed it up a bit).
Prepare to be unprepared!! (I could almost end this post right here).


2. No one else has it together either, not even moms of singles, though it
may look like they do. (I know, I was one of those 4 times
before our twins came along...never once did I have it all together).
Just remember, this is your family.
You and your husband decide. Seeking advice is good, but you know your
babies better than anyone.

3. Never turn down an offer for help, because it might be your only chance
to take a short nap :)


4. Never turn down an offer for someone to watch your older children for you.
They need to get out too :)


5. Pray. This should really be number one on this list.
Pray about everything. Pray without ceasing. Pray for your children. Pray
for your husband. Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. Prayer is best advice for just about
any parenting question :)

6. If someone wants to give you a really special gift, don't ask for a new double
stroller, you can pick a good one up at a yard sale or on Craigslist. 
Ditto on the extra crib.
Ask for a weekly PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICE for the first 6 months. 
Seriously.


7. Important!! When one baby wakes up at night to be fed, wake the other one up 
right after you've fed the first. I do believe "the feeding schedule" was created
by a mom of twins. (You'll thank me for this in about 3 weeks).
It's the best way to guarantee some solid sleep...
for you :)

8. If you have older children, your are blessed. 
You have instant entertainment for the babies
so you can cook a quick dinner, or throw in a load of clothes, 
or change out of the pajamas you've been wearing for 3 days :)

9. If you've always done the grocery shopping, this might be a good time for your 
hubby to learn. However, it was a huge break for me to get out of the house.
Since my twins are the youngest of six,
I would take one or two of the older kids with me,
and leave the rest with daddy. I think my twins were 4 before they saw the inside of
a grocery store. They were filled with wonder and awe...it was like 
Disneyland for them! "Oh, this is where we get all this magical stuff we call FOOD!"


10. When you do venture out with the twins, be prepared to be stopped by everyone!
However, if they mention that they too are parents of 
multiples, feel free to pick their brains for all the tips they can offer.
It's okay, because they stopped you, after all.

11. Strangers will ask to hold your babies. Perhaps with your first child, you would 
have been shocked at this thought. However, if something possessed you and your
husband to go to a buffet type restaurant with 6 children, and a 
kind grandmotherly type lady sitting at the table next to you asks you if you'd
like her to hold one of your crying babies so that you can hold the other crying 
baby while your husband takes the other kids for refills...
LET HER HELP YOU!!!
Your husband is going to get the kids dessert anyway, and since you'll be going
home with 4 sugar high children,
take her help now, because you can't take her home with you!
(Haha, don't ask me how I know this).


12. If you have identical twins, mark all of your photos!!  You'll be glad you did this.
We dressed our boys in different colors almost from the start, but we had so many
gifts of "lookalike" clothes, that this wasn't always the case.
We got creative and sometimes put their pacifiers in the photo next to them,
because those were different. When they were about a year old, we got ID bracelets,
and placed them on opposite arms.
This is the only means of identification in some
of our photos.
We do think they are both going by the same name
they came home from the hospital with :)
(However, there was that one time when our older son switched things up, so,,,.)
Just sayin :)

13. We forget.
What I mean is, when we pass one stage of life with multiples, we forget
the details of that stage. Of course there are things that stand out (as #11 proves),
things we will never forget, but the day to day details have changed enough
in our own lives that we truly forget how difficult those first few months/years can be.
You WILL get through it, and before you know it....

14. PUBERTY hits...
and you find out all over again how different being the mother 
of multiples can be...
um, can you say "TWINAGERS!"
(btw, getting them to pose together for photos at this age is almost impossible!!)


Never forget that they are two VERY different and unique people,
and of course, always remember...


Good luck!!

7 comments:

  1. Haha, great tips. Having our twin grandsons was quite an education. Babysitting them now is still an adventure.
    My grandsons are like night and day, one is always positive, one negative. It just makes me laugh. Even though they are twins, they are such opposites. The one that sees the glass half empty, is exactly like his uncle, my 5th child. So with him, since I have already raised one of him, it is a riot. One of them is like my son the Dad, the happy glass full grandson. So it has been so interesting to watch.

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    1. Very good point Farm Girl! So many think that twins are alike, especially if they are identical, but they have their own personalities, and we need to be aware of the uniqueness of each child. My twins are very different in personality and temperament too.

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  2. Those are great tips! I don't have any twins, though when I was a girl, I always wanted some! :)

    Your twins are very handsome, and you have some really great photos of them!

    Deanna

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Mrs. Rabe. I've heard so many say that they always wished they had twins...haha, I don't remember ever thinking that, but they are a double blessing!

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  3. My Sister's twins just turned 22:) I know she felt a lot of these same things over the years! Enjoy your two handsome boys, HUGS!

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Thanks so much for stopping by :)
Blessings,
Marcia