Getting your kids outside and enjoying the environment is always a good thing. It gets them out in the sun, exploring new things and keeps your house clean for just a little bit longer. Outdoor activities for 2 year old twins or triplets is just perfect – they are walking, beginning to talk and are beginning to become VERY independent!
So what are some good outdoor activities to do with your 2 year old twins or triplets?
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Author: Sophie Beck
Our twins are 21 months old, which is a stupid way to describe their age, but it feels too soon to say ‘almost two’, and I’ve been saying ’18 months’ for about six months already! By-and-large the girls are amazing and we consider ourselves very lucky to have wonderful, healthy and happy kids. They’re at an age where they understand what we’re saying and try to communicate back; they dance, they giggle, they play and engage with those around them; and they are pretty damn cute… during the day at least!
One of our delightful little bundles, Addison, has barely slept a full night in her entire, precious little life. Her sister, Isabella, has been much better- after a rocky start where I thought Izzi was going to be the troubled sleeper, we had a turnaround and Izzi has been pretty good.
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Deciding to have a baby is a beautiful and amazing decision. It is one that comes with lots of ups and downs and will be remembered as your biggest achievement in life. Sometimes the joy of finding out you are pregnant is doubled (or tripled).
Finding out you are expecting twins or triplets can bring with it lots of different emotions. It can take some time to process and to get excited about. It can be daunting at first, but there are many advantages of having twins or triplets.
Lots of people (including strangers!) will only focus on the negatives of having multiples. For example, you will never sleep again, you wont be able to breast feed, you will have to have a c-section, better you than me etc. We have come up with some advantages of having twins and triplets.
Please note: Some of these are a light hearted look at multiple birth pregnancy and birth, and are no way intended to offend.
After having your babies and bringing them home, your life will have changed a lot. There are a bunch of new routines to learn, different priorities and then there is the lack of sleep. So much lost sleep!
The first few months at home with your babies can be rocky as you are settling into the new routine and change of lifestyle. There may be times when your relationship feels like it is also changing.
Does it every feel like your relationship changed in the months after bringing your babies home? Did things get better or worse with your partner? A changing relationship after having twins or triplets can happen for a number of reasons.
Starting solids with twins or triplets is a exciting milestone. It is a time where you can start introducing your babies to different textures, flavours and help them to build different skills. Learning how to hold different foods, learn the skills around eating and give them some independence.
Deciding when to start solids can be a confusing time. There is a lot of different information and recommendations that you will see – some times it is hard to know what to follow.
Here are a few tips we have for starting solids with twins or triplets.
If you’re a parent already, you know firsthand how challenging it can be to get everyone ready and out the door on time. Between feedings, nappy changes, and outfit changes, it can feel like a never-ending cycle of chaos. Add in three babies, and that chaos can become overwhelming. But fear not, because with a few simple tricks and some careful planning, you can streamline your routine and get your triplets out the door with ease.
Whether you’re a seasoned parent of multiples or just starting out on your journey, read on to discover how to triple the fun and tackle the challenge of getting out the door with triplets.
If you haven’t already, I suggest you check out WonderFold Wagons, as they make being out and about so much easier. You can check them out here.
Author: Angelique Woodburn from the Midnight Gang
Ah toilet training! I think every parent you speak to will have some kind of toilet training story! It is such a hot topic amongst parents and strangely can come with so much pressure. If you have a toddler (or two or three!) you will no doubt have heard the question ‘are they toilet trained yet?’ Often from a well meaning friend or family member, but it can be really frustrating and often triggering when these kinds of questions or comments come your way. So, how do you know if your child/ren is ready for toilet training? What will you even need? And how do you manage toilet training with twins? Below are my top tips and checklists I have compiled over the years of working with twins as a nanny and also with my own three children.
Author: Veronica Jack
The scars from birth, paired with hours spent breastfeeding twin babies, left me couch bound. Your role as the father to our twin boys and committed partner never slowed. Changing nappies and consoling babies. Ensuring I was eating, drinking, resting and the list went on. I would cry. Cry because the babies wouldn’t latch. Cry because hormones were racing. Sleep deprivation was at its ultimate. But you…you were tired too.
I imagined mums of single babies feeding through the night while their partner slept before getting up for work. I wished I could do the same for you, but transporting and maneuvering both babies onto the double pillow was a juggling act. Impossible alone. Sometimes it would take us over half an hour to get both babies latched and feeding. By the time they had finished, it was time to begin the whole process again. All the while I was crying. Crying in pain, frustration and sheer exhaustion. Feeding two babies was no walk in the park. It was harder than I had ever imagined it to be. You put on a brave face. For me…for us. Never complaining or trying to explain how hard it was for you.
Before giving birth, I promised I wouldn’t allow myself to change. Barking orders and complaining about things like dirty dishes in the sink didn’t feel like me. As the days ticked by and the debt of sleep weighed heavily on my ability to think rationally or clearly, impulsivity took over. Words fell out of my mouth. Snappy, irritable words. I tried to stop them. I wanted to run away from myself, but you only moved closer, with a patience and empathy I didn’t deserve.
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Buying toys is always a dilemma, so much so we have written a whole blog on it, which you can read below.
Buying toys for twins and triplets
This blog isn’t about if you should buy same same, or same but different. This blog is purely to give you some inspiration on toys that can be shared by twins and triplets.
Personally I think “share” toys are fabulous for multiples, as they encourage the family to play together.
These were a HUGE hit when my twins were younger. They lead to so much creative unstructured play. Sometimes they would be a apartment block for the TY soft toys, other times a garage for the hot wheel cars.
Being translucent they look like a big stained glass window – so very pleasing on the eye.
And lets not forget the added bonus of the fact they quite easy to pick up!!!
This is still going strong in my house, and our twins are 11 years old now. i figure, if they are going to be on the i-pad then they may as well be doing something education (that is fun!).
Children interact with actual hand held pieces and an iPad, bringing a child’s game pieces and actions to life. My children used to work on the problems together.
I find with my kids that they are either both on the trampoline, or none at all. After talking to other parents of multiples, its the same at their house as well. The common consensus was to therefore get the largest trampoline you can afford (that fits in your garden of course!).
I love our trampoline. We often go out into the garden while dinner is cooking to have one final burst of energy over and done with. They love it if I squirt them with the hose. We do “high jump” and they have to jump over the stream of water etc.
I bought some soft pool balls that they bounce around in there (I didn’t want hard balls, as I could see a rolled or broken ankle happening as a result). But these ones are made totally of soft foam.
We even used our trampoline to learn letters and do sight words on.
We initially bought these for our big adventure trip to Cape York. And they have been a hit at every camping trip since. We are lucky enough to live opposite a very large park, so often the kids will go over there and play hide and seek with the walkie talkies.
They come in 2, 3 or 4 packs. Some of which are even colour coded, if thats your thing!
Floor puzzles are great for the whole family. They are perfect for developing gross motor skills, but you will find that your children will crawl around the floor to get to the various pieces, so they will develop muscle tone as well.
I also like them because they promote conversation and they naturally help each other out.
Plus, I get to sit on the floor and relax for a few minutes!!!
Where were these when I was younger? I simply cant get enough of these. A nearby neighbour of ours has one (coincidentally she has twins as well!), and I am jealous every time I drive by to take our twins to school!
You choose what swings work best for your growing family, and with over 10 different accessories, the fun never ends.
Play-Doh is so good for hand strength. Plus its cheap and easy to make.
Again, this is such an open ended toy. Add in a few of these cool accessories, and your kids will be preparing themselves for school without them even realising!!! Hand strength is the key to handwriting.
I just apologise in advance for how many Play-Doh meals you will be handed and expected to eat.
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Author: Laura Wilson
Finding out you’re now a twin mum, you realise what a special journey you’re life has taken. But when you have sisters who are yet to have kids themselves, it can be an underlying worry for them to contemplate that they too might have twins one day. Especially knowing that their chances increased the day you announced your twins. So I wanted to write a letter to my own two sisters and to other sisters of fraternal twin mum’s experiencing the same headspace.
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