The idea of caring for a newborn child can be daunting for new parents, let alone thinking about two babies at the same time. Unfortunately, twins not only means you’ll need double the support, but it’s likely to require much more than you and your partner can offer. Being prepared in advance will help you to manage the burden and lessen the weight on your shoulders. This article will take a look at 6 essential tips for taking care of your newborn twins.
Relax your standards
At some point you’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that you can’t maintain a spotless house, you’re not going to be able to do the dishes or even give your home a quick vacuum. Accepting that this isn’t within the realms of possibility is important. You don’t have just one newborn on your hands but two and so the dishes can wait a while.
Ask for help when you need it
Recognising when you need help is perhaps the most important part of being a new parent. Being able to not just accept help but ask for it can be vital to managing your new twins. Don’t be afraid to ask friends or family for a little extra support. You’re likely to find the amount of stress you’re under will double and when taking care of newborn twins, it’s likely you and your partner will find very little time alone together and this could put a strain on your relationship as well.
Connect with other parents
Meeting other parents is a great way to build a support network with people who understand what you’re going through. Taking care of newborn twins is understandably more taxing than if you were to just have the one baby and so finding a group who understand and know about your daily struggle will help you to feel safe and less judged by others.
____________
Read More:
Newborn Sleep Facts Every New Parent Should Know
Tips to Make Your Newborn Comfortable in the Summer Heat
4 Effective Ways to Bond with Your Baby
____________
Be prepared for everything
This sounds like a basic tip for new parents and in some way it is, but when it comes to handling twins, you need to make sure you’re always prepared. Prepare all the bottles for the day at once, carry twice as many nappies as you would for one baby and always have two changes of clothing – plus one for yourself. Try and think ahead. If you and your partner are as prepared as you can be, handling baby twins may become a little easier.
Find your routine
Simultaneous feeding is a big advantage for parents with twins. By feeding the babies at the same time, they’re more likely to mirror each other’s sleep cycles and you’ll find yourself slipping into a routine fairly easily. To make things easier for both you and your partner, try keeping track of your babies’ schedule in a notebook. It can be confusing when managing twins as to who’s done what and when so keeping a record is the perfect way to fall into a steady routine.
Don’t go mad with the shopping
Believe it or not, twins can share a lot of clothing. Try to refrain from going onesie mad and buying two of everything. Your babies will grow so fast that they’ll barely wear a lot of their clothes anyway, so sharing the clothes between the two of them is a great cost-saving tactic for taking care of newborn twins.
Resources:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_caring-for-newborn-twins-or-multiples_3590.bc?showAll=true
http://www.parents.com/baby/twins/caring/how-to-organize-your-life-with-twin-babies/
{{cta(‘6e355ee0-7da2-465a-a182-751f0cf1e3eb’)}}