Category: Babies and Toddlers

Managing the daycare run with twins or triplets

Do you have an older toddler who attends daycare and newborn multiples, or are your twins or triplets starting daycare? 

There are plenty of tips online about choosing a daycare. This blog isn’t about that, it’s about physically getting everyone to and from the daycare safely!

Once you have chosen a daycare, it won’t take long for the panic about the logistics sets in.  How on earth are you going manage the daycare run on your own with twins or triplets AND your older toddler, (if applicable)???  How will you manage to carry several capsules plus carry all the paraphernalia you need to take to daycare AND still hold on to your toddlers hand as you cross the carpark?

If you are just dropping your older toddler off, and keeping your multiples at home, AND you have a partner, see if they can do at least one of the drop offs or pickups.  Or ask a nearby grandparent to help.  This will save you having to take your newborn twins or triplets out at all.

If you can’t do this, then there is still no need to stress……Twinfo has you covered with our 5 top tips for managing the daycare run with twins or triplets.

When you blessed with twins, or really blessed with triplets, there are times where you do have to buy multiple items.  (Have you ever tried fitting two babies into one car seat?).  However, when it comes to toys, then there are many exceptions to this rule.

When it comes to buying toys for twins or more, as always, it depends on the situation. Should you get the same same, or same but different or totally different?

Here are seven things you need to think about when it comes to buying toys for twins or triplets.

Firstly, this article is in no way meant to make those who were unable to breastfeed feel bad.  There are no tips in here on the physicalities of breastfeeding.  This blog is purely focussing on some organisational tips to help make breastfeeding multiples easier.

Trust me, there is nothing more frustrating than sitting on the couch, covered in multiple babies only to find you need something.  I’ve been there and done that!

Here are our top 5 organisational tips for breastfeeding multiples.

1. Go to the toilet before you start!

Make sure you go to the toilet before you sit down to feed them.  Trust me, 30 seconds of fussing from hungry babies is much preferable to having two babies pressing on your bladder, and then falling asleep on you and you having to wake them up before you wee all over the couch!!  This is especially important if your pelvic floor took a bit of a beating while you were pregnant with multiples.

Choosing one name is hard enough, but choosing two, three or more can be very overwhelming.  And that’s just the first names. 

Add to this, if you don’t know the genders of the babies…………..well you need to double this number again!

With literally thousand upon thousands of names out there, and “baby name books” that can be several inches thick, choosing names for twins or triplets may take a while.   

Please be aware that there are some names that can not be used.  Check your local Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act. 

In Victoria, for example, Section 4(1) of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996  defines a prohibited name to mean a name that:

1. Is obscene or offensive
2. Can’t be established by repute or usage
3. Is contrary to the public interest.

Author: Kath Doyle

Parents of multiples are faced with many decisions that parents of singletons don’t have to consider.  If your multiples are the same sex, one of the first ones is should I dress my multiples the same or not?

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer to this, but there are a few things to consider when you make this choice about should I dress my multiples the same or not?

Simplicity

Some parents choose to dress their multiples the same so that they only have to choose one outfit each day. While others love the fact that they not only get to choose one cute outfit each morning, they can choose two or three! 

However, choosing just one outfit isn’t as straightforward as it seems.  Babies are messy and often go through several outfit changes in a day.  If you have to change one, will you change them both so they still match?  Are you willing to do twice as much washing as you need to?  Will you take two identical versions of every spare outfit out with you?  There is only so much room in that nappy bag!

Do your multiples appear to have a secret language?

It can look like they are using their own little language to speak to each other than no one else can understand. Well – they are. The official name for it is cryptophasia, more commonly known as Twin Talk. Cryptophasia translates to secret speech and that is exactly what they are doing, secretly speaking to each other.

Multiples are known for the way that they interact with each other and the special bond that they have with each other. It is a beautiful thing to watch and can put a smile on anyone’s face.

Crytophasia is more than just speaking in secret to each other. Some multiples are able to interact and understand each other in more ways that just speaking. They mirror each others actions, using actions to get their message to the other twin and then the secret language which we can spend hours trying to understand and get nowhere with it.

Postnatal depression in fathers of twins and triplets is a topic that many people shy away from talking about. You have just brought home several newborn babies, whom everyone wants to see. The pressure is already there for this to be the most exciting time in your life!! What people don’t realise, is that it can also be extremely overwhelming and emotional.

People tend not to talk about it if they are the one suffering from it and others also shy away from raising the topic if it is someone close to them that is suffering from it.

It is a topic that does need to be spoken about and awareness needs to be raised around it.

Generally when people think about postnatal depression they assume that it is the mother that is suffering, however post natal depression in fathers of twins or triplets is just as important to consider.

One in ten new dads will also suffer from PND.

Queensland Health

New dads are prone to developing postnatal depression after their babies are born and those who are new dads to twins and triplets may be more at risk.

Indoor activities for toddler twins and triplets

Whether it is because the weather is getting colder, its been raining a lot or you simply just want to stay home and indoors – you are bound to need ideas on how to entertain your toddlers.

There is no need to rush out and buy the latest gadgets and devices, sometimes simple is best! Let them loose in the “plastics draw”, rotate your existing toys so you can bring out “new” ones each fortnight (this helps keep the house tidier as well!) or even just blow bubbles inside the house rather than the back garden.

Toddlerhood is an exciting time for your twins or triplets. They may be beginning to take those first few unassisted steps, they are probably getting a little bit stubborn and independent with different tasks and they are getting bored VERY quickly. They want stimulation and lots of it.

We have put together a quick list of SIMPLE indoor activities for toddler twins and triplets to keep them happy and entertained.

Author: Kath Doyle

When parents find out that they are expecting multiples, on top of the inevitable shock they are faced with a whole new language.  Terms like chorionicity, amnionicity and zygosity along with acronyms like MCDA and DCDA start to be thrown around very early and it can be confusing and overwhelming.  For the sake of simplicity we will just refer to twins in this article.

So, here is a quick breakdown of these terms.

Note from Twinfo:   You can read our “Dictionary for Common Multiple Birth Terms HERE.

What is Zygosity?

Zygosity in the context of multiples refers to how genetically similar or different they are.  While there are uncommon cases which do not fit neatly into these two categories, the vast majority of twins are either monozygotic (identical) or dizygotic (fraternal).

Caring for newborn twins or triplets. How to find extra hours in the day.

In the first part of this article, we looked at how long it takes to look after newborn twins.

If you haven’t read the first part of our article, check it out:

Looking after twins takes approximately 19 hours a day.

As you’ve probably worked out, when you are caring for newborn twins or triplets, your schedule leaves A LOT of things out of your life. Most days you will be lucky to do anything non-baby related or move beyond a basic animal need just to keep yourself functioning.

Things, like looking after your house, spending quality time with your partner or friends, or doing something just for yourself like reading, watching tv or exercising, will rarely happen in the first few months of your babies lives.

It is reasonable to expect that taking care of twins will take up to 19 hours a day for one carer. But it is possible to improve on this, especially as you get into some sort of rhythm.

To find extra time in your day, check our handy tips below.