18 months and more challenging than ever

At a year and a half, I though that I would be past the hard part. I breastfeed my girls for 14 months and once that was done... I was sure I would be on easy street. However, they are still waking every night and I have to struggle to get them to nap at the same time. All the single baby mommies seem to have everything under control- running errands with their kid or taking them to the bookstore or out for lunch to keep busy during the cold months. My twins are extremely active- so I have a difficult time doing those things. Is it just me that thinks this age is very hard with twins? When or does it get easier?

 

My girls are also 18 months old so I can relate to some of it. I breastfed my girls for 12 months and it's harder after you stop because now there's all this washing and preparing bottles (we took away bottles at 16 months). I found the first year to be much harder though because of the lack of sleep and they were generally difficult babies.
I would never take my girls to a book store alone because I wouldn't be able to keep track of both of them and I would be EXHAUSTED. They are active girls but not unusually so, in my opinion. Just having two little kids who want to touch/rip and don't understand consequences is really hard.

 

18 months was hard for me as well. I remember thinking when they turned a year "oh once they start walking everything will be so much easier". :rotflmbo: At 18 months they still did not listen and they did not understand time outs. They would run in opposite directions. They could not tell me what they wanted and would just grunt and whine.

I would say for me it got better (I doubt it will ever get easier) once they hit 2. I can tell them "let's go to the car" and they will listen instead of running into the street. I started using 123 Magic around 22 months and that seems to help with the discipline. They will sit and watch an Elmo dvd and I can leave the room for a few minutes without them screaming at the baby gate.

I'm very lucky that my boys are great sleepers.

What is your scheudle like for naps and bedtime?

 

You aren't alone! Twins are hard!!! Mine just turned 2 and we're finally able to do most things and things are actually (dare I say it :laughing: ) getting easier. It's so hard cause at that age they still don't follow directions and are learning words and how to communicate, yet they have all kind of crazy energy x2!!!
All I can say is it does get better, just hang in there. :hug:

 

Mine are 18 months and I find it very difficult. They are so active and impulsive. I take them places, but it's such a struggle. I've cut back a bit on our activities to keep them contained and me sane. We go to the park once a week with our twins play group. I'm exhausted by the end of it. We only go to enclosed parks, but I run around the whole time keeping them from falling off the play equipment. I took them on a train ride at the mall by myself one rainy day this week. It was great fun, until they had to get off. They didn't want to. I was by myself so I had to carry one and one was running off ahead of me. My DD was pitching a fit while strapping her in her stroller, and my DS was off running around the food court about 15 feet away. It was awful, so I won't be doing it again by myself anytime soon. I take mine to the gym and to a mother's day out program. Both very helpful.
I was out shopping last week and everywhere I turned there was a singleton Mom's with a cute little cooperative baby in a sling or backpack. I felt like screaming!! :crazy:

 

sorry for the struggles... but I think its pretty normal!

Its hard to see moms of singles doing things that I just wouldn't even think of... which is the reason I still use their car carriers and the DSNG!! like this morning it was easy to run into the dr. office w/them b/c I didn't have to deal with unstrapping them... then restrapping them into their carseats... that's never fun - they pitch a fit if they don't want to be going.

out to eat? yeah, I don't think I'll be attempting that by myself any time soon either!

I only go to enclosed parks too... I do go out with a few groups, some with singletons or siblings and my twin/triplet group... I went to one park that wasn't fully gated about 4 months ago w/a bunch of singleton moms... that was a disaster... so until they listen better, its not worth the stress!

mine do seem to be starting to listen a little better, but I also have realized that I need to help them in training... I keep saying that I need to take them one at a time to walk with me to the mailbox at the end of the driveway - sounds easy right? well, the few times I've attempted it with both it was disastrous. But in their defense I tend to just do everything together with them, and avoid things that are hard... but then I realize they won't learn the hard things...

good luck! and good luck to all of us!

 

p.s. good for you for bf'ing them! I know several different times when it seemed that mine were waking up every night... I would have a sippy cup of water ready and try to give them that. I would not bf them ... its hard, but worth it if you can get them to eventually sleep all night... most of the time now if mine wake they are sick or I think their mouth is hurting them... I give them a teething table and they seem to settle down...

 

I remember posting on here at 15 months thinking I was about to lose my mind. That feeling lasted easily til 18 months. Then things have s.l.o.w.l.y gotten easier since that point. They listen better, they are much better at communicating, etc.

:youcandoit:

 

Thank you for all of your replies. I am hoping that it gets easier when they start to listen a little better. It is good to know that I am not the only one going through this with my twins. Some days I feel like I have it all under control, and other days I have no idea how we will make it from b'fast tp bedtime.