Reading to twins

shaunah816 · January 2013

Hi ladies,

I love reading to my boys and am aiming to do it more consistently. Right now I'm finding it difficult to read to both of them at the same time, and I'm thinking the physical logistics will only get trickier as they grow and get more mobile/squirmy. Right now I use the chair in their nursery and hold one baby and read to him. I've been thinking about moving the ottoman over to Will's bassinet, then sitting on it and holding Andrew while reading to them both. I'm thinking this won't be hugely comfortable with no back support, especially as Andrew gets bigger.

How do you manage the logistics of reading to both babies at once? I'd like to read to them in their nursery, since it's quiet and dark in there at night as part of their bedtime routine. Once they're older and start interacting with books more, do you find it easier or harder to read to both at once/answer their questions/interact with them?

aprilsarahjune · January 2013

Before they were sitting up, I read to them on my bed. We have a kingsize bed and use the wall as a headboard, so I would prop them up with pillows against the wall (could of and should have used their boppies ... not sure why I didn't). Sometimes I would sit between them and other times I would sit in front of them.

Later when they could support themselves sufficiently I would sit both in my lap. I find it easier to sit cross-legged on the floor. I know a few twin moms whose kids are unwilling to share their moma's lap, but we forced through some of the more trying, fiesty times and now it works great. Mine are now 21 months and every night they sit on my lap together and we read stories. (My lap is shrinking with this pregnancy, though, so tone now sits on my knee.)

jcath · January 2013

When my girls were little I mainly read to them at bedtime while they were in front of me in their rock n plays.

Now they will read a book in any position!

AmyJoy728 · January 2013

I've only tried a few times with them in my lap and it was very difficult. Both kept trying to grab the book or rip out pages... Lol. I'll probably try again soon.

Jeep Doll · January 2013

Right now I lay them both down on the playmat and position them in sort of an upside down V. I lay down with my head between them and hold the book out in front of me so we are all looking up at the book. They are too squirmy to hold in y lap to read. Can't wait until they can sit up better!

Jen0204 · January 2013

I sit them both on my lap but someone on my BMB suggested sitting them across from me and having the book facing them (so facing away from you and you're reading upside down). I've tried that a few times and it works well because when they get bored after 0.5 seconds they can just crawl away instead of having squirmy babies on my lap.

keg · January 2013

When they were little, I think I had them in their boppies and I'd sit facing them. When they got older/squirmier/mobile/shorter attention spans (12-24ish months), I'd put them both in their cribs and then sit on the floor in front of them. We had the long sides of their cribs together, so they'd stand at the short end for the most part. However, they couldn't tear the pages and if they decided to wander off, they really couldn't get far. :-) Now, we read two books a night--each gets to pick one. Up until recently, I'll sit criss cross applesauce on the floor and one will sit in my lap for her book and the other will sit beside me. They'll swap when we change books. Occassionally if we just do one book, they'll both sit on my lap at once. Recently, I've been sitting in the LaZBoy recliner with them wedged on each side since the floor is getting more difficult to deal with. I'll go back to the floor routine when this LO is born.

kiwi443 · January 2013

Before they could sit up, I'd put them in their boppies and lay between them so we could all see the pictures. Now, I'm able to hold both. One of mine has a longer attention span for reading than the other, so I rarely get through the whole book while holding both

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macchiatto · January 2013

I would usually put them in bouncy seats or boppies or something along those lines when they were that little and sit facing them to read to them. As they got older I would sit on the floor and if one crawled over to read a book, I'd read to him and then the other could join if he wanted. I started reading to both of them at bedtime in the rocker when they were a little older, maybe 12-15m.

Reading to twins

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