How can you prepare your home for twins?
Having twins is twice as much happiness but also double the effort and expense. With this in mind, you may want to use your time during pregnancy to prepare yourself intensively for the special mission of welcoming two newborns to your home at once. What should you consider? What should you check? What should be on the shopping list? Today’s post is dedicated to these things.
Do not wait until the last moment
Every parent of twins will admit that taking care of two babies is more than working full-time – it is a 24 hour a day job. When one baby is asleep, the other is awake. When one is hungry, the other one is too. Feeding, putting them to sleep, bathing, going for walks, washing twice as many clothes – when tasks keep multiplying, proper planning as well as organisation of time and space become a must.
To prepare, start as soon as possible, preferably from the beginning of pregnancy. Especially because of financial issues. Maybe the shopping to arrange your home and its layout should be done in stages or you may choose to save up so you can take care of all the shopping at the end of your pregnancy.
Examine your home and its nearest surroundings
Having learnt that they are going to have twins, many people ask themselves the question: “will there be enough room at home with two babies”? Approach the issue as a challenge rather than a problem, and consider the economic and ergonomic organisation of the existing space.
It is good if there is at least another room with a door, other than the nursery, or space for a cot in your bedroom. During the day, the babies like to wake each other up, so you may want to put them to sleep in separate rooms. If there is no such room, consider creating one, if possible of course.
The immediate surroundings are also of importance. Check the width of the corridors in the staircase, stairs or elevator door (an elevator will definitely come in handy). Analyse what it is like to move around the neighbourhood – examine the entrances to the local shops and the widths of local pavements. Remember that you must squeeze into all those places with a double pram, which is much wider than a standard one. Such a preliminary reconnaissance can help in making the optimum choice, so you can get around with two tiny passengers as comfortably as possible. Think also where you are going to “park” your pram. In the staircase? In the car? Or in the bicycle storage room in your building? – if so, make sure you have the keys. Check when low-floor buses stop at the nearest bus stop – this may be useful to know even if you usually travel by car.
Feeding
At the initial stage of looking after the babies, you will spend almost the whole day feeding them, with breaks of course. This is why it is so important for you to have a snug and comfortable place for it – something like a control centre combined with a relaxation corner. Pick a bed rather than a wide couch or an armchair – it will be more comfortable for you to feed both babies at the same time. Invest in a special nursing pillow, which substantially improves the comfort of both the mother and the children. Prepare a place within your reach where you can keep something to eat or drink, a remote control, an e-book reader, books, magazines and other items to enjoy the breastfeeding time. You may also want to buy a bedside lamp with a pleasant mild glow, comfortable large pillows for your back and soft blankets for you and your babies.
What may be useful?
Changing nappies
While the nappies for one baby can be changed in various places, if you have twins you need a comfortable and well organised area. This makes the changing and care activities easier, as does keeping everything neat and tidy, significant if you have two babies to look after.
What may be useful?
Bathing
In the initial period, until the babies learn to sit unsupported, you can only bathe them one at a time. Once they learn to sit by themselves, you may try to bathe them together. Use mats where you can fix special arm and back supports. The babies should sit facing each other, so the whole evening ritual becomes tremendous fun. We have already mentioned the importance of good space organisation if you have twins. This applies especially to bathing, as the whole process should be quick and smooth to prevent the babies from getting cold. Make sure you have everything you need properly arranged in the bathroom, and where possible install an extra changing pad there.
What may be useful?
Putting them to sleep
It is one of the most complicated issues in looking after twins. But do not worry, everything can be resolved in time. In the first 4-5 months of the babies’ lives, they can sleep in one cot. Lay them down across the bed. The closeness of the brother or sister has a calming effect on babies. However, you must remember that after a few months, when they start to roll onto their tummies or to the sides, they will need separate beds. Besides, sleeping together is a good idea for the night, and even this is not always the case. Consider additional sleeping places and “cots” to separate the babies and prevent a situation where one wakes up the other.
If the babies are going to sleep with you at times, you may want to install special protective barriers along the sides.
What may be useful?
