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Multiples
Twins + Toddler What's your schedule?
What does a day look like with your twins and older toddler?
My husband works long hours and I'm trying to picture the bedtine routine on my own if anyone has any tips.
Thanks!
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Re: Twins + Toddler What's your schedule?
Emerson goes to preschool from 7:30 to noon. I STRONGLY recommend that you get her into something along those lines-even a Mother's Day Out program.
I give the twins their bath in the morning while she is at school and give Emerson her bath in the evening. While I bathe Emerson the twins generally hang out in the swings, bouncers or boppies...whichever they will tolerate at the moment.
It's tough. Get ready.
Ougrad, I am envious that Emerson has a daily program like that. Right now we have DD in a program (Mother's Morning Out type program at a church)....but it is only 2 days a week, from 9:15-11:15. It's just not long enough. She adores going, and it would be so great if it was daily. The days she is at home are tough. I want to make sure she gets enough attention, and doesn't watch Dora all day.
As far as nighttime routine, we do baths for the twins around 5:00, then follow up with DD. The pesky "witching hour" is hard. The twins generally cry for a few hours. I have just learned that they have to cry and I can't constantly soothe them during this time. It is tough, but I hope once they are sleeping all night it will give me hope! HA!
griffin was in full time daycare during my maternity leave- but after that I went back part time so i have all 3 kids with me at home on Mon/Tuesdays every week, starting at 4.5mo.
we'd play in the am in the house, then the babies would take a nap from 9-10am... during that time Griffin and i would get dressed and have some alone play time or reading time. Then we'd go for a walk or go to the store- but almost always got out of the house for a couple hours.
come home- lunch/bottles, etc -- then naps for all 3 around 12:30... they all usually napped for about 2 hours - then we'd play, go somewhere (if we didn't go out in the am), etc.
DH comes home around 6pm - he usually cooks dinner - something quick, we are not fancy dinner people- eat at 6:30ish... bed at 7:30 for the kids. We let Ds1 stay up a little later and watch a show if he's a good boy while the others are getting put to bed.
we do baths every 3 days usually - right before bedtime.. so it's not part of our daily routine. We do all 3 together now. When the babies were smaller I used to bathe them during the day, whenever i had time.
my twins are almost 4 months and my older DD is 2.5. I have the babies who just catnap in 1/2 hour doses and scream a lot. The only time they just chill out is first thing in the morning, so breakfast time is the calmest part of the day. The babies still hate being in their carseats and strollers, so I don't take them out much. I get out more with just my older daughter while a sitter watches the twins.
I can't do bedtime with all 3 by myself yet without going insane. It's hard enough getting the twins to bed on my own (I'm breastfeeding, and it's a feat to get them settled in their cribs) while DH gets our toddler fed and bathed. I am usually finished getting the twins to bed right when she's ready to be tucked in. I give the babies their baths during DD's nap, not at bedtime, because they also dislike baths and I don't want to give them another reason to cry during witching hour.
Don't want to scare you, but there is no way I could've gotten through this time without lots of help. DD was in daycare full time for about 6 weeks, DH works from home a lot, my sitter comes two mornings a week, and I still feel completely overwhelmed.
Molly-keep the faith. I used to laugh when people said it gets easier. I can't say it's easy but, it has gotten easier. At this point the babies will sit on their own for 20 or 30 minutes and let me bathe Emerson and get her dinner before they need me. I just posted the other day that I am looking forward to the day when they can interact and entertain one another.
I was quickly informed that that's when they start fighting over toys and such-lol.
I think it's going to be a long road. : ) Like many of the other MoM's of 4 monthers, I'm really starting to enjoy the twins.
This makes me happy to read!
I work FT, so all 3 are in day care during the day. DH has a long commute, so I pick the kids up at 5 and he gets home at 6. In that hour, I get dinner ready. Depending on the mood of the kids, I can cook something decent or we'll eat mac'n'chz. Usually, though, the twins will tolerate their swings (or I can back carry one while I cook).
When I have the kids by myself (DH is also an Army Reservist), night time looks like this:
between 6-6:30 (closer to 6 when I'm by myself), I bathe the twins. They can't sit unassisted, but I put about 1" of water in the tub and lay them both in it at the same time. I make sure they're each covered with a warm wash cloth, and they get their bath. Meanwhile, DD1 watches a show (Diego or Thomas these days).
After bath, the twins eat. DD1 is still watching a show. After they're done, they go to bed.
By now it's usually about 7. DD1 and I will play for a half hour, then start her bath & bed time. She's in bed by 8:30.
After all kids are in bed, I get bottles and bags ready for the following day, as well as laundry and diapers.
It takes a day or two to get into the groove when DH leaves, but we come out ok on the other end. DD1 watches more TV than I would like. I just remind myself that this, too, shall pass.
we don't have a set schedule at this point....twins are bottle feed and eat every 3-3.5 hours. Twins usually wake at 6:30-7:00 and have been sttn the past couple weeks. Occasionally they will wake btw 3-4 for bottle.They are just now starting to organize their naps with a 30-60 minute nap about 8:00. They eat and we go out of house!
it might be for a playdate, to starbucks, carwash, inlaws house to play, inlaws come to our house to play with oldest ds, have friends over for oldest ds to play with...something is usually planned :-)
oldest ds naps from 12:30-3:30. During that time I make dinner, clean up, prepare bottles for rest of day/night and have some much needed 'me' time :-) The twins usually take their longer nap during this time also.
The evenings for bedtime are the craziest!!! We finally got it figured out that works well for us...the twins both have reflux so feeding them both in bouncy wasn't working, they always spit up...sometimes projectile.
So we usually eat dinner together at 6:00, then I take whoever needs to eat first upstairs, change and feed for bed. Put that baby in bed (they usually put themselves to sleep without crying, YAY ME!!!). Then Dh comes upstairs with oldest ds and other baby that he has been entertaining. I take other baby, change, feed and bed. honestly, it is about a 2 hour process right now to get all kids in bed BUT they are all in bed by 8:00 and I know it will get better :-) Occasionally I will have one baby who has already eaten in bouncy while I feed other. I have an extra bouncy seat and swing upstairs for this purpose.
We give oldest DS bath every night, the twins get a bath every other night.
It is tough but you have to keep trying to figure out what works best for you :-) trial and error and yes oldest ds watches more tv than I would like...but like all things with this age, it will pass. Its not forever :-P
good luck!