Easier as they get older

My twins are 10 months and doing great. They eat well, sleep ok and are all over the place. I have been lucky to always have help(ie nanny) but as my kids get older i am trying to convince myself I can do it on my own. How do i gain the confidence and patience needed to pull this off and take it one day at a time. My biggest fears are bottle feeding both at once since they still are not interested in holding the bottle and putting them to sleep.

 

I've been doing it alone since they were born (other than the first month home from the NICU) and you really get better with practice. It is really stressful the first few times, but the more you do it the better you get! YOU CAN DO IT! :bow2:

 

You can do it!! I have done it since my girls came home from the NICU. My DH works 48+ hour shifts, so I didn't really have a choice. I have found that with doing it on your own definitely comes a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Each stage presents it's own unique challenges, but overall I think the older my girls get the easier it is. Some days are harder than others, but somehow we always manage to make it through. Best of luck to you!!

 

Have faith and confidence that you can do it, and you will!

Work on getting the babies to hold their own bottles/cups and it will make life much easier.

 

You can do it!! It does get tons easier as they get older, get off their bottles, start sleeping easier, etc.

 

Yes, the more you do it the better you feel about it. I had a lot of help from my mom when my twins were little. It was at about 8 months when I started realizing that I was less stressed when it was just me and not being at her house or having her around was working. There are always days with different challenges but it is definitely do-able with just me.

 

You can do it! It is very daunting at first. I remember being terrified and dreading the day that I knew I'd be alone all day with all 3 kids. We survived...and now its even better when it's just me (or DH), otherwise we get all off schedule. You quickly figure out little tricks and the best way to do things for your babies. I learned which baby is best to put down for her nap first, etc. Good luck!!! Before you know if you'll be calling yourself super mom :lol:

 

It's like anything, I guess, the more you do it.. the more comfortable you are. That's why I'm glad that I never had help. It would have been worse for *me* in the long run cuz I would've been used to the help and then been scared. The way it was- I had nothing to compare it to so it was nice.

You'll be fine.

 

How do you do that when my kids won't even touch them during feedings

 

Also keep in mind, you don't *have* to give them their bottles at the same time. You can always do one then the next one. I didn't do bottles much at the same time except for when they were really little. At 10 months, I was totally by myself (DH was away for 3 months). I also did not have an elaborate bedtime routine because I just couldn't. I gave on a bottle, then set her down. Gave the next, then took the first baby to her crib, then the other.

 

I fed my boys at the same time by putting them in their reclining high chairs. You could also try putting them in boppies on the floor and feed them together. Doesn't feel great on the back, but it does the job. You may want to try and do things yourself while your Nanny is still there that way you have someone to help if you need it.

ETA: my boys didn't hold their bottles until we started using sippy cups. Maybe you could let them drink water out of sippy cups with handles to get the concept down.

 

Why not ease into it? Have the nanny do something else during a feeding and you do both of them or one at a time. Then gradually work your way up to doing it all the time or whatever you feel comfortable with. GL!

 

It's so encouraging to hear all the fantastic news about them getting easier as they get older. Our twins are 5 months old, and I could not agree more. Also, for the summer I have a 15-year old girl as a mother's helper, 3 afternoons a week for 4 hours at a time. Although she's only here part-time, it is WONDERFUL and highly recommended (for those not aware, mother's helper rates are roughly 1/2 of regular babysitting rates, but with the understanding that I never leave her alone to fend for herself with the twins, hah!). We started solids a few weeks ago - first rice cereal and now squash (not their favorite!) - and I can already see a difference in them spacing their feedings just slightly further apart (namely, the one that follows solids, of course).

Did anyone have their LOs actually go backwards in the sttn efforts?? I would LOVE for them to start sttn but they're still getting up once or twice each, and on the early side of the night....which is a bummer because that's going backwards. For a while my DD ate at 1ish, then again 3ish, while my DS only ate at 3 or 4ish. Now they both eat between midnight and 1, then again a few hours later, and then wake for the day around 6ish. Fortunately my DH and I split the feedings, but we're sooooo ready for them to sttn. We were hoping starting solids would help. Any suggestions welcomed! ANother school of thought is that by sleeping in their cribs but still in our room, they may be 'encouraged' to wake and eat, know what I mean? Any thoughts on how moving them to their own rooms may help them sttn? THANKS!

 

That sounds like a great idea & a big help!