Best and most useful Twin advice you got

In retrospect, what is the best advice you have recieved so far regarding raising twins. (Just curious to see what everyone says. )

 

Get your twins on the same schedule and then respect that schedule. Doesn't mean you have to be rigid all the time but understand when you can be a little flexible and when the scheudule can't budge.

 

Get them on the same schedule!!! I can't imagine them not being on the same schedule. I always felt bad, and still do, if I have to wake one of them from their nap early because the other is already up, but it's a must to keep them on the same schedule!

 

If one wakes up to eat, wake the other up!! I got SO much sleep that way!!

 

Everytime you are in a store that sell wipes, buy some! You can never have too many wipes, IMO.

 

Definitely get them both on the same schedule as others have said
Treat them as two wonderfully unique individuals and respect their differences
If breastfeeding, try tandem (goes back to the schedule thing)
You CAN handle twins no matter what people think
Correct those negative people and tell them how wonderful it is to have twins
:wub: :wub:

 

"For the first year, do whatever it takes to survive. People will give you all sorts of parenting advice, some will tell you you're doing it wrong. Ignore them all. Every child is different, and you'll know what's best for you and your babies. As long as they're healthy and growing, everything else means nothing."


Advice given to us by our "Expecting multiples" instructor while we were still pregnant. Best class ever, and the same advice I try to give others

--> Andy

 

I also cannot say enough about getting them both on the same schedual!! It made it soooo much easier.

 

I agree with the others. The first thing that popped into my head on reading your question was "same schedule."

 

I roomed in with them the night before they left hospital and the day before the nurses had started feeding them when ever they were hungry so they were both on different schedules. I had no sleep that night as every 2 hours one would get up to get fed, so went home the next day feeling like crap. So as soon as they got home they were stuck on a 4 hour feeding schedule together. I wasnt having any of the feeding them 2 hours apart i would have been like death warmed up. Having them on a schedule has saved my life lol. Also sleep when they sleep x

 

Without a doubt.... schedule!!!

 

The best advice, because it is sort of meta-advice that can apply to anything, is "Take any advice with a grain of salt if it comes from someone who doesn't have twins." They mean well, and their advice might be helpful, but they probably don't realize how different your situation is from theirs.

That advice saved me from a lot of feeling guilty and worrying that I wasn't doing the "right" thing.

 

I agree with do what you have to to survive. If that means compromising, you compromise. For example, I was (and still am) a big supporter of cloth diapers. Their first three weeks, the cloth diapers I had were too big for them. In their 4 week, when I first put on the cloth diapers, I spent that first moring doing nothing but changing diapers, and often clothes and somtimes sheets. At the end of that day I told DH he had to go get some more disposibles! I did start using cloths around 3 months when they could go longer between wetting.

The next best advise actually came from a book, not a person. If you are going to breastfeed, co-sleep, you will get tons more sleep that way.

For me schedule is not such a big deal. Mine have never had exactly the same schedule, but their natural schedules have never been that different. I can't imagine waking one up from a nap, just because the other woke up! Instead I enjoyed the extra 1 on 1 time I so rarely get.

And the advice I'd give new twin parents, especially non-rich ones, is don't necessarily buy two of everything, you'd be amazed at how easily you can get by without most of the trappings of modern babyhood, better put the money in the bank than buy two of everything.

 

DITTO to what Mandylouwho said. Once I found out about the whole feed them at the same time thing, it allowed me to get several hours more sleep a night and every minute of sleep counts during those first months (and still do )

Also, as pp said, don't get caught up in other people's advice (good or bad). A mother's instict is something that is very real so follow it!!

 

Synchronize their schedules, definitely!

Also:

Don't buy two of everything.

 

Hi There,
I jsut popped over to see what's going on here and I think this post should be linked to the expecting area. If I'd have found some of these great suggestions when we were "preparing" :lol: I might have saved a lot of trial and error time. Then again maybe not! I too have found schedules to be a saving grace!

 

I definitely agree with getting them on the same schedule. The hospital nurses put them on a feeding schedule and it was a lifesaver. Also, do what works best for you. Don't stress if someone tells you one way to do something and another way works better for you. Another one, "get bouncy seats". I didn't have them at first but I think that they were the best things when the girls were babies.

 

I honestly don't know who told me to do this or if I made it up:

Each night put DH in charge of one twin and you in charge of the other. DH is responsible for when his twin wakes up, needs changing, feeding, etc. You are in charge of yours when she wakes up, needs changing, feeding. We would switch babies every night so that we could bond with each. I would breast feed the baby I was in charge of and DH would bottle feed his. This way, I wasn't doing all the feedings by myself. It worked out really well and I highly recommend it.

 

Follow your heart and ignore the "experts" because most of them don't have twins!

 

Enjoy every day, even the rough days early on when you are ready to drop because you are so tired. Someday you'll want those days back - you're going to miss the "baby stage". And enjoy all of the "firsts" of the first year - they only happen once!

This really helped me keep things in perspective when things got rough. I just thought this too shall pass... and someday I might even miss this - so soak it up while you can!

 

Well back when I was preggers I was told to wake the other baby up if 1 woke up to feed and be changed. That helped to get them on the same schedule and to let me get more sleep at night those first months.

 

QUOTE(RRTwins @ Apr 25 2007, 09:11 PM) [snapback]234113[/snapback]
Enjoy every day, even the rough days early on when you are ready to drop because you are so tired. Someday you'll want those days back - you're going to miss the "baby stage". And enjoy all of the "firsts" of the first year - they only happen once!

This really helped me keep things in perspective when things got rough. I just thought this too shall pass... and someday I might even miss this - so soak it up while you can!


Ditto this!

Also, everyone has advice to give but when it comes down to it you really are the best judge of what works for your situation so trust yourself.

 

QUOTE(Jersey_Girls @ Apr 25 2007, 11:25 PM) [snapback]233944[/snapback]
I honestly don't know who told me to do this or if I made it up:

Each night put DH in charge of one twin and you in charge of the other. DH is responsible for when his twin wakes up, needs changing, feeding, etc. You are in charge of yours when she wakes up, needs changing, feeding. We would switch babies every night so that we could bond with each. I would breast feed the baby I was in charge of and DH would bottle feed his. This way, I wasn't doing all the feedings by myself. It worked out really well and I highly recommend it.


This is totally what we did!!! We called it "everybody suffers" lol. This was def. a life saver.