Posted on: Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

You don’t need two of everything. I promise you. Well, except maybe for your favorite vice.
I fell hard into this trap. The world—and mothers of singletons—make you believe that you need two of everything because you are having twins. You will fall into this trap—just like I did. It’s a conspiracy.

Obviously, you need multiple outfits, diapers, bottles—things like that. You will survive, and your kids won’t be too scarred, if you only have one bottle warmer or play saucer.

Save your money. College will be here before you know it.

I do highly recommend two bottles of your favorite adult beverage. Or dessert. Just sayin’.

Have fun when people ask (for the millionth time) “Are they twins?”
Let me set the scene. Dinner. Actual dinner in a restaurant. The food is hot. The kids are asleep. You are going to get your first hot meal in what seems like centuries. The fork is poised at your mouth. You catch someone moving towards you across the room. They come closer. Closer. They stop at your table and ask, “Are the twins?”

If you don’t have multiples, you don’t get this. Crazy people don’t leave their food to walk across an entire restaurant to ask stupid questions like this. If you are a mom of multiples, have fun with it! I would always answer their (stupid) questions sweetly, with a little dig buried in my answer. Sometimes they got it, sometimes they didn’t. But, my husband and I laughed about it.

One lady, gets up, walks across the restaurant and asks, “Are they twins?” I replied, “Yes.” She proceeds to turn to my husband and asks “Are you the father?” (Really. You can’t make this up.) He looks up at me and I replied, “Well, actually, he is only the father of this one.” I point to my daughter. “My boyfriend is the father of the other one.” I point to my son. The woman gets huffy and leaves. I bet she won’t be walking across a crowded restaurant to interrupt some poor, sleep-deprived, shell-shocked parents-of-twins any stupid questions in the future. You’re welcome.

You do not need a diaper bag the size of carry-on luggage.
I was pregnant with twins. I needed a diaper bag. I needed two of everything. I needed a diaper bag bigger than the average diaper bag. I was on complete bed rest and had time to scour the Internet for the perfect one… one big enough for all the stuff I needed to take with us on our excursions. You know, because I was going to be one of those super- moms who were out and about every day…

Just so you know they do sell diaper bags the size of carry-on luggage. I bought one. A very nice, very large, very expensive one. I carried it twice. It was too big to lug around with two babies. I seriously considered putting the kids IN the diaper bag and carrying them that way, but the authorities tend to frown on that.

So, stick with a larger, normal sized diaper bag. Stock your car (okay, when you have twins it is a mini-van) with a box of diapers and wipes for backups. Just carry the essentials in your diaper bag. You don’t need three outfit changes for each kid. Keep a couple of spares in the car. Throw your wallet and cell into the diaper bag, don’t carry a separate purse. When you have twins, easy is the name of the game.

What have I done with my carry-on luggage-sized diaper bag? I use it as carry-on luggage, of course.

Do what is right for you.
Unless you are a twin, and your mom has experience with twins, you have to do what is right for you. Don’t listen to her. Don’t listen to Dr. So and So. You are going to prop a bottle once in a while. You are going to leave your twins unattended to go to the bathroom. You are a mom of twins. You are not super mom. (Sorry to burst your bubble.)

I know, I know. You read the child books and they tell you to not do this or don’t do that. Those are written for women of singletons. You are a mom of multiples. You have to do what works for you. Remember? Survival of the fittest. (Obviously, within reason and with safety in mind.) If you have to prop a bottle to feed the second one… do it. You are right there. I promise you, it doesn’t make you a bad mother. Really.

If propping a bottle makes you a bad mom… my kids are going to be in therapy for years.

Take pictures. Take lots of pictures.
Whenever I do guest postings on parenting topics, I always include this one. It is something we all know, but life tends to get in the way and we forget. Take pictures. They grow so quickly. Last week, I brought my kids home from the hospital… this week, I am planning their 4th birthday party. It went by that fast. There are days I remember. There are days I don’t. There are days I cried. There are days I laughed so hard my sides hurt.

Take pictures. Take lots of pictures.

The Twin-Mom Pact

I hope you laughed at these tips, but took them to heart as well. I want to leave you with this… it WILL get easier. Or, at least that’s what the twin moms before me have said.

Mine are almost four and I am still waiting for the easy part… but, it WILL get easier.

(Okay, I’m going to let you in on a secret… you HAVE to tell other twin moms that… it’s part of the twin-mom pact.)

Author: Julia Gibson is a mom of twins, wife, accountant, scrapbooker, card maker, and self-proclaimed nap sneaker. She blogs about life, crafts, recipes, simplifying, organizing, reviews, social good, survival tips for moms, and anything else that makes her laugh at Mom on the Run x2.