What are your tips for when you are alone with babies?

Toni828 · February 2013

I'm just looking for ways to make things a bit easier on myself when I am alone with the babies. What do you do when you are alone with babies?

Feeding/Burping, getting them to sleep, awake time.....I think anything will help me at this point! LOL

Ruthie04 · February 2013

Up to three months, I fed them in Boppy NB loungers. I just took turns burping them. Now, I feed them in bouncy chairs and they are old enough that they can entertain themselves with a toy while I am burping the other baby. My boys go down awake, but I do use the RnPs for naps. I just buckle them in when one of them begins showing sleep signs, turn on the ultrasound noise machine, and rock them with my feet. When they were little, I would often put one in the bouncy chair and rock it with my hand on his chest and holding the pacifier in his mouth as I held the other and rocked him with my torso (if that makes sense??). For tandem bottle feeding ideas, I would try to Google it or watch some YouTube videos. There are some practical tips on some of the other MoM's blogs/vlogs. GL!

LadyNikon · February 2013

Prepare prepare prepare. Make a few meals that can be quickly heated/ require no heat at all. We have a mini fridge in our bedroom to keep stuff handy as well. The first few months are the hardest. My boys even with one having reflux seemed easier after the first few days alone. Mainly because I just had to get the routine down.

MelleTX · February 2013

I keep my babies schedules staggered by 30 minutes so I can feed them individually. They are 11 weeks old and our daytime routine goes like this:

8:00 Twin A wakes, feed
8:30 Twin B wakes. put A in bouncer and feed B
9:00 B in bouncer. Play with and sing to A
9:30 A in swing. Play with B
10:00 B in swing. A in RNP for nap
10:30 B in RNP for nap
10:30 - 12:00 mommy makes bottles, cleans house or works

Lather, rinse, repeat every 3-4 hours

When they do need/want to eat at the same time, I sit them in their bouncers and prop their bottles with blankets. Then I sit on the floor in front of them and move back and forth making sure the bottles are in their mouths and they are not choking or spitting them out.

At night, the routine is shortened to do bath, bottle, bed between 7:30 - 8:00 They are usually down for the night around 8:00 ish and don't wake until 4ish. I don;t change or unswaddle them. I just feed and put right back down. Then they start the day at 8 am.

dgancz · February 2013

I feed them in their bouncy/rocker chairs.It works better for me than the boppys. I take turns burping them.When they were younger I would put one on their tummy on the boppy and wait for them to burp, while feeding the other.

I put them to sleep one at a time and if they are crying I just try and breathe.

In general I just try and tell myself that it will all be OK and they will bith get feed, changed and so on.I seem to talk to myself a lot.

erinruns · February 2013

Play to your personality. If you are a person who loves routine, get one going asap, even if it is just that they eat every 3 hours. If you like to wing it, go with that.

I second having food handy. I had a lot of frozen things that I could reheat quickly and eat one handed. Have your bottles made up ahead of time, and have a plan for when they're awake, and a plan for getting them to sleep.

Toni828 · February 2013

meggo1611:
Podee bottles are amazing! I found them at Babies R Us in the US (I'm from Canada). They have been a life saver! I have tried staggering my boys feedings but it hasn't been working great. So I got these bottles and I feed them at the same time while they are in their swings (obvioiusly I don't turn the swings on lol!).
I honestly just recently got my boys on a really good schedule. The last 2 weeks they get up at 6, I feed them with my husband, play till about 8:30- they crash for about 30 min, then they want to eat by 10. After I feed and play with them for a bit they are out for 3 hours mid day. I'm still working on a better evening schedule. It takes time to get used to twins on your own. I'm having a hard time giving them both the cuddle time they need.
I also got some videos- Baby Mozart, Neptune, Shakespear etc. Your babies will be a little young for them, but I always have them on in the background when they are awake. It will catch their attention every now and again and it keeps them calm. My boys are almost 4 months.

Meggo, I have been wondering about those Podee bottles. I think I may try them. I have been struggling with schedules with these boys. It seems that we get a good system going then we get off....I'm hoping it's just an age thing and that it will get better for me.

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