Feeding two. Bathing two. Soothing two. Traveling with two. Here’s how to take care of twins alone for different daily tasks!
Double the babies, double the stress! Especially when you’re doing it solo for any portion of the day.
From the overnight wakings times two to the not-so-simple everyday tasks (like feeding, getting baths, and going grocery shopping), here’s what twin parents said were the hardest solo moments to conquer (and how they did it)!
We recently asked our twin parent community:
What’s the hardest thing you had to learn to conquer solo with twins?
And here’s what twin parents had to say:
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Feeding time
“Pumping while feeding both of them! I’ll always be so incredibly proud that I did this around the clock for an entire year.” – Samantha
“Biggest were tandem breastfeeding and picking them up at the same time when they were babies.” – Alisah
“Feeding times. I had a twin z pillow and a supply of nappies and spare clothes etc. on the corner of a couch. Next to a TV cabinet where I had a placement for their bottles. Had to get different colour bottles because when I put the bottles down, I could forget which was which. Stubble cooler on one also worked well. It’s all about systems and routine. Break the routine and pay the price haha.” – Carlie
“Sitting crossed leg on the floor to bottle feed and using a twin nursing pillow to feed both at once. Perspective though, new moms of twins! Guess what is not fun that you will only experience once with your two cherubs: potty training!!!” – Anne
“Breastfeeding both twins at the same time.” – Jennifer
Bath time
“It wasn’t getting them in the bath and bathing….it was transferring them out of the bath and getting them dressed and lathered up! You take one out, and… leave the other? I had to do everything on the TwinZ Pillow on the floor next to the tub.” – Kelsie
“Bath time was tough for us for a while since one twin had oxygen needs for many months.” – Paige
Getting in and out of the car
“Buckling one down in a car seat, while having one foot on the stroller while the other waits.” – Christian
“Getting them from the car to the nursery door when they couldn’t quite walk yet (with two coats and two bags, in the rain). And then a few months later… getting them safely back in the car when they could run away!” – Rachel
Learn more: How Can I Carry Twins to the Car Alone?
“Getting them from the car to daycare/ daycare to car on my own. Infant through toddler.” – Meg
“Getting them in and out of the car. Shopping. Any errands really.” – Nichole
“The hardest thing I’ve encountered so far is managing getting them in and out of the car by myself. I live upstairs so I have to carry them both down and up, and I’m 4 ’11 and 110lbs. I carry them at the same time cause I don’t trust leaving one alone in the car even for a minute.” – Brittney
“Getting them into the car was what I was dreading doing solo the most. I found two slings that are easy to put on and take off that make transporting them easy! I don’t have to leave one baby to get the other. The slings are from Bambora Co. I just loosen the straps, slip them over my head and the baby, tuck it under the bum, tighten the strap, and we’re good to go.” – Beth
Going out and about…
“Everything. I was on mat leave for 14months. I remember feeling the proudest though when I took my twins to the park on my own when they were 4 months. I walked round a 5km loop. Stopped fed my babies got them home in the car seats all on my own! Loved that day!” – Julie
“When I had my boys we didn’t have grocery pick up as an option. So I would say grocery shopping because I would have to have 2 carts, 1 for them and 1 for the food.” – Amber
Learn more: 5 Tips for Successful Grocery Shopping With Multiples
“Shopping, not only with my twins but also the 3 children that came before them!” – Keri
“I’m a single mom by choice of twins and the hardest thing when they were a bit younger (they’re 6.5 now) was going to playgrounds. They both went separate ways. My son had hip issues so couldn’t do much climbing but wanted to still play. He’s doing amazing now after surgery. But that was the hardest part for me.” – Laura
“Everything. Just a month after we brought our twins home from the hospital, my 4.5yr old broke his leg. So I had to take all 3 with me to appointments by myself. Pushing a double stroller and a wheelchair.” – Jessica
“I still don’t know how to take them out to parks or playgrounds or beaches on my own because my twin boys run in opposite directions & fast!” – Amanda
Picking them up/moving around in the house
“Walking downstairs with them both till the age of 2,5.” – Manon
“Picking them up at the same time when they had no head control! Always afraid I was hurting them trying and mostly avoided it until they were 6 months honestly.” – Suzanne
Soothing them, especially at night
“Rocking them both on nights when they are both unwell and both want mama at the same time… so hard!” – Angie
“The hardest is dealing with nighttime since they don’t sleep through the night. 2 screaming babies all night when you’re beyond exhausted is hard!” – Kyra
Going to the bathroom/showering
“Using a public bathroom when my double buggy doesn’t fit through the door. So one in a carrier, one in my arms. Bag on my back and me on the loo.” – Ashleigh
Learn more: How to Take a Shower When Your Baby Twins are Home and Awake
Dealing with extra medical hurdles
“One of my twins was oxygen dependent. I had to learn how to tandem carry and arrange the oxygen tank, monitors, and all the lines every time we went shopping or to the doctor’s. Crazy to think about it now.” – Savannah
Miscellaneous
“Honestly? Letting go of the idea that everything has to be equal at the exact same moment. That’s the biggest—and sneakiest—task that I had to conquer solo.” – Lauren
“How to use any body part to do anything because I don’t have a spare hand.” – Shelley
“Feeding two at once, settling two at once, getting two out the house when I lived on the first floor with no lift. I then had a second set of twins when my older twins were 3 and had to do everything with 4. Biggest challenge then was getting places. I put a large buggy board on the back of our pram, stood both bigger twins on that and we became an absolute tank coming up the road with 4 kids on a pram.” – Lily
“All of it. And I feel like my husband doesn’t even slightly understand. 2.5 monthly old twins and a 3 year old. Changing them. Feeding them. Car seats. Pre school drop off for my oldest. Doctors appointments. Showering. Cooking. Simply eating. Feeding them. Bedtime. Bath time. I feel like I’m learning to be a mom all over again and some days are damn hard.” — Amanda
Want to learn more about getting things done when you’re solo with twins? Check out these articles too:
- Single Mom of Twins: Advice for Doing it Solo
- 5 Tips to Manage Infant Twins Alone
- Surviving Solo Nights With Twins (And More!)
- 5 Things I Learned About Managing Twins Solo
- How to Go Shopping With Twins
- Bathtime for Two: Tips to Make Bathing Twins Easier
