Not everyone has the blessing of giving birth to twins. While one child brings immense pleasure to a family, twins bring double the joy, although double the effort as well. Raising twins is exciting but can also get a little more than crazy. Below are some useful tips on how to make raising twins less stressful for parents.
Firstly, as a parent, do not try to be a martyr and torture yourself by trying to handle the twins all by yourself. This will only prove to be detrimental to both you and your twins. Get help and do not be shy about doing so. Gather the help of grandparents, siblings, friends, nanny or whoever you can get so that you can have some time for yourself as well as retain some amount of sanity.
As your twins grow older, it is essential to reduce TV time. This may sound like a cruel act but being addicted to the TV will only snatch precious time away from bonding with the kids and establishing a routine for them. Where possible, when the twins need to sleep, do that right away and get some rest for yourself. Of course, this is not to say that you have to entirely deprive yourself of some TV time. If you put the twins in bed early, you may have some time for yourself for entertainment before getting some sleep and getting up for feeds and so on. Routine formation is therefore highly important. Having a fixed routine will ensure that you are not faced with surprises and the kids will also get used to sleeping ,feeding and waking at established times.
Do not get sunk into domestic chores all by yourself. If you find grocery shopping therapeutic, leave the kids with someone reliable and step out for some shopping time. Alternatively, you could engage the help of a domestic cleaner to clean your home, if budget allows that. In this, it is important to make time for yourself. Pamper yourself every once in a while. Go out to the spa, have a long shower at home, meet friends and so on. Given that raising twins is a never ending job, you will need to consciously make some time off so that you get to do what you want for yourself.
Of course, having said all of the above, with kids, nothing is certain. Although we wish that things would work just the way we would like them to, there may be moments where unexpected things occur. There definitely will be more than a couple of times where you will feel like screaming bloody murder. However, take heart that you have been blessed with the rare opportunity of raising twins and that as much as you will be faced with double trouble, you will reap double the joy as well.
