How to Take Care of Twins (And Still Get Stuff Done)

It’s hard enough caring for one baby—caring two is a whole new challenge. Here’s how to take care of twins and still get stuff done.

How to Take Care of TwinsI cried when I first learned I was expecting twins. For a whole week. Every day of that week.

You see, I wanted to add to the family and give my eldest a sibling and was expecting one child. So, when my doctor announced she had good news (“Yes, you’re pregnant!”) and better news (“You’re expecting twins!”), I thought she was joking.

It already took me a while to feel comfortable having a second child, so, to go from one to three felt surreal. My husband was ecstatic, and the doctor and nurses were saying congratulations left and right.

Meanwhile, I plastered a smile on my face when inside, I felt terrified.

It’s hard to admit feeling sad and scared about expecting twins, especially when so many people struggle to conceive even one. Yet there I was, bawling my eyes out for a whole week. The fact that I’m now more confident and over the moon with being a mom of twins—and knowing how it all started—is short of amazing.

During those first several months, I learned how to take care of twins and still get stuff done. These were the tips that helped me survive those early weeks with two babies and a 3 year old. I hope you can find them just as helpful as you learn to take care of your twins:

Surviving Twins

1. Use all your baby gear

I have a love/hate relationship with swings and baby carriers. You don’t want your twins to get used to them so much that they can’t sleep in anything. But at the same time… they work.

If your twins have a difficult time sleeping in bassinets or cribs, place them in a swing, baby carriers, or wraps. They’ll outgrow the gear at some point, whether on their own or through sleep training. Use them now when you most need them.

Bouncers and mobiles are other useful items to keep your little ones occupied so you can do quick tasks. They’re also great for entertaining one baby while you tend to the other, like during diaper changes.

Free resource: Are you struggling with getting your twins to sleep through the night? How to Sleep Train Twins can help! Join my newsletter and grab the preview chapter below—at no cost to you:

How to Sleep Train Twins

2. Put the twins on the same schedule

One of the best ways to streamline your day is to put both twins on the same schedule. If one baby wakes up hungry, feed both of them, even if it means waking a sleeping baby. Put them down for a nap at the same time, and bathe them one right after the other.

I’ve tried putting them to sleep based on individual cues instead of on the same sleep schedule and I was beyond exhausted. I felt like I was on a chase, going from task to task.

Instead, I synced their tasks and put them on the same sleeping and feeding schedule.

Learn what to do when only one twin is ready to drop a nap.

One Twin Is Ready to Drop a Nap

3. Feed at the same time

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Most people assume it’s impossible or have never even heard of tandem feeding. (“Wait—you breastfeed both of them at the same time?” are common reactions I got.) With long feeding sessions and short wake times, tandem feeding can save you so much time.

Get a nursing pillow catered to twins (I loved the My Breast Friend Twin Deluxe). You can place both twins on the pillow and keep your hands free. Start with the baby with the more difficult latch. If one finishes before the other, burp him by either holding him up to your shoulder or keeping him on the pillow at an incline.

Practice makes perfect. For the longest time, I wasn’t able to burp the twins on my own and would have to hand one to someone else.

But over time, I was able to handle the feeding—from placing them on the twin nursing pillow to burping—all on my own. Plus, I couldn’t stand feeding one while the other was wailing his head off. With tandem feeding, I knew they were both nursing and taken care of.

Feeding twins with bottles can be done in tandem as well. Once your twins have control over their necks, place them in bouncers so you can hold both bottles.

4. Run errands with the twins in a stroller

You may not be able to buy cartloads at the grocery, but running errands with a stroller allows you to get stuff done. You can entertain the twins and even squeeze some exercise into your day. Taking them out on errands can save time as well as get you out of the house.

Juggling twins and an errand may seem daunting, especially when you double the chances that a baby might start crying. You may want to avoid places like the library and stick to loud ones that won’t mind you soothing a fussy baby (or two).

5. Plan ahead for bath time

With two babies to bathe, get creative with bath time. My husband and I were lucky: we were almost always together to bathe the twins. One parent was the designated bather while the other was the dryer and changer.

Whether caring for the twins alone or with help, have everything ready before starting the bath.

Set up the pajamas, diapers, vitamins, nose suctions, or other gear you might need. Prepare the bottles or set your breastfeeding station with the nursing pillow. Planning ahead is key with bathing, especially since it’s one of the tasks that need both your hands to do.

How to Take Care of Twins Alone

6. Accept help during the early weeks

Asking for help is common even with singleton babies, but much more necessary with twins. If someone can spend a few weeks at your home, even better. They can help soothe and care for the twins or tend to your older kids.

They can also help prepare meals, wash dishes, or throw out the trash. Even weekend helpers can bring meals, buy groceries, or play with the twins while you catch a break.

Caring for twins means leaning on your village, especially in the first few months. You might feel outnumbered during those challenging moments, so ask or even hire help (like a cleaning service or mother’s helper).

Conclusion

As a mom who had newborn twins and a 3 year old, trust me when I say that you can definitely handle it, no matter how daunting it can feel right now.

Use all your baby gear to make life with twins easier. Put them on the same schedule to streamline your day. This includes feeding them at the same time (even if it means waking one who was asleep). Take them with you on errands using the double stroller.

Plan ahead for bath time and get everything ready before you start. And finally, accept any help you can get, whether from friends and family or by hiring out.

From taking a shower to going for a walk around the block, you can get stuff done, even with twins in tow.

When Do Twins Get Easier?

Get more tips:

Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and grab the preview chapter of How to Sleep Train Twins below—at no cost to you:

How to Sleep Train Twins

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments

  1. This article was a good read. I wish I had read it months ago, but have figured out most of these tricks with our 7 year old, 5 year old, and 8 month old twins! We are still using swaddlers at the moment to help with sleeping/falling asleep, but they won’t work for much longer. Any suggestions for transitioning to sleep without using swaddling would be appreciated! Thanks!

    1. Hi Erin!

      We sleep-trained our twins when they were four-months-old, and we weaned them from their swaddles at that point. We did the same with our eldest when he was about six-months-old. With him, the swaddles were clearly not working anymore. He was so frustrated being constrained, but at the same time, wasn’t used to falling asleep without it, either. We tried the gradual ‘one arm out’ trick but that didn’t help either.

  2. My twins cry the through their whole nap time as we are nap training. Night training is going great but not naps.

    My question is what do we do about naps since they cry the whole time they should be sleeping?

    Thank you!

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      If they only nap once a day and they cry the whole time they’re supposed to be napping, put them down for bed a little bit earlier since they’ll be tired. Hopefully after a few days, they’ll be able to snooze for naps and adjust.

      Also, if you feel like they’re waking each other up during naps and you have the space, try and put them down for naps in separate rooms, at least temporarily. That way, they can block each other out if the other cries.

  3. Hi Nina- your book on sleep training twins was a life saver for me. We are now at one year and I feel the change to one nap starting to creep in. I would also love to see an an article about transitioning from two naps to one. The idea of it is daunting! Thanks! 🙂

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      So glad to hear the book helped you out, Erin! It was definitely a life changer for me, too. And you’re right, babies start going from two naps to one at around 14-18 months old, so your little ones are right around the corner! It can be both good and bad. Good in that you can do a lot more things during the day out and about, but bad because that’s one less nap!