Read Part I
Part II
Part III
As the twins grow older the, we realized that things became a lot easier for we parents and also the caregivers. Here I document the various methods we used to make things more manageable.
As we started them on solid foods, the meals had to happen together to save time and make the process more manageable. Both were strapped to their bouncers and fed. We feed them alternate spoons and if we break the rhythm they object. And if one wants water, the other wants it too. But when one of them is not in a mood to eat we fed only the one who was cooperative and then the whole process needed a repeat performance for the other one.
Infact as soon as they were old enough, bath also started happening simultaneously. To promote harmony, playing together and to save time. But sometimes with them jumping up and down, I have to be ultra careful so that they don’t topple off their tubs.
Any work that is not important to be done by self should be outsourced- for the first time in my life I am giving my clothes to the iron-wallah, I have neglected my garden, I let the maids make my bed, I even allow them to make juice for me if I am in a rush. I cook only after they have arranged all the raw materials near the gas. And I don’t put them back and neither do I clean the work area afterwards (filthy!!). I haven’t folded clothes since last year. To me, it is more important to maximize the time spent with the kids.
It is good fun when they are playing together but tiring when they gang up against me. I will be cooking and they will take turns to empty the vessel drawers. I was forced to install a half gate in my open kitchen and the boys feel very insulted for this slight. We had to fix locks for even the shoe cupboards and they hate us for that.
Around 8 inches of my kitchen counter is unused because they have the habit of pulling down anything that is placed on the counter. They even started fumbling with the cooking gas knobs and holding the lighter against the burner. They will pick up the knife from where ever it is placed hence need to be extremely careful. They also like to explore the refrigerator so whenever we open the same, we need to ensure that they do not pull down the glass bottles.
When they were younger, we could as an option make them sleep in turns. But now they do not like it if one of them is outside and the other one is taken for sleeping. So it is essential that both are in the same room and sleeping at the same time. We take the milk bottles and one sleeps with me and the other with Dad and somehow all of us have got adjusted with this arrangement. So much so that once I was trying to accomplish this feat of making them sleep alone, Ojas walked out of the room with a pillow and called his Dad. Dad was busy talking to a guest so he protested by laying his pillow on the floor and lying down there.
Sufficient milk is filtered and kept ready in a borosil jar. Extra bottles sterilized by evening. Even if one of the two wakes up in the night, we rush out and get 2 bottles of milk so that if the other wakes up because of the noise, the milk bottle is handy to calm them. Whoever leaves for the gym first, places the milk bottles by their side so that the other person will find it easier if they wake up.
When we go out, Ojas sits in the front seat with the seat belt and I sit with Tejas on the lap or in the next seat with m at the rear. The milk bottle/ mobile phone/ keys keep them occupied throughout the drive. Hubby & me take responsibility of one child each and mind our respective charge only, especially when they are running around the entire party hall or resident complex or shop. This stage is still easier then having to carry them without putting them down or holding their hand while they walk along with us. At least our hands get a break but we need to be extremely vigilant regarding their whereabouts especially in stores which has trial rooms and electrical room etc.
When they are quarreling for the same toy we try diverting them with a board game or the football which is their favourite or some nursery rhyme like “chubby cheeks, dimple chin” where in they need to participate with appropriate responses. They get sufficiently diverted and become friends during the game.
With twins, the challenges are compounded because they fuel each other with ideas for mischief. More often than not, Ojas does the ideation and initial demonstration and Tejas emulates it after improvising on it. Following the laws of Synergy, 1 + 1 is more than 2 here!
Part II
Part III
As the twins grow older the, we realized that things became a lot easier for we parents and also the caregivers. Here I document the various methods we used to make things more manageable.
As we started them on solid foods, the meals had to happen together to save time and make the process more manageable. Both were strapped to their bouncers and fed. We feed them alternate spoons and if we break the rhythm they object. And if one wants water, the other wants it too. But when one of them is not in a mood to eat we fed only the one who was cooperative and then the whole process needed a repeat performance for the other one.
Infact as soon as they were old enough, bath also started happening simultaneously. To promote harmony, playing together and to save time. But sometimes with them jumping up and down, I have to be ultra careful so that they don’t topple off their tubs.
Any work that is not important to be done by self should be outsourced- for the first time in my life I am giving my clothes to the iron-wallah, I have neglected my garden, I let the maids make my bed, I even allow them to make juice for me if I am in a rush. I cook only after they have arranged all the raw materials near the gas. And I don’t put them back and neither do I clean the work area afterwards (filthy!!). I haven’t folded clothes since last year. To me, it is more important to maximize the time spent with the kids.
It is good fun when they are playing together but tiring when they gang up against me. I will be cooking and they will take turns to empty the vessel drawers. I was forced to install a half gate in my open kitchen and the boys feel very insulted for this slight. We had to fix locks for even the shoe cupboards and they hate us for that.
Around 8 inches of my kitchen counter is unused because they have the habit of pulling down anything that is placed on the counter. They even started fumbling with the cooking gas knobs and holding the lighter against the burner. They will pick up the knife from where ever it is placed hence need to be extremely careful. They also like to explore the refrigerator so whenever we open the same, we need to ensure that they do not pull down the glass bottles.
When they were younger, we could as an option make them sleep in turns. But now they do not like it if one of them is outside and the other one is taken for sleeping. So it is essential that both are in the same room and sleeping at the same time. We take the milk bottles and one sleeps with me and the other with Dad and somehow all of us have got adjusted with this arrangement. So much so that once I was trying to accomplish this feat of making them sleep alone, Ojas walked out of the room with a pillow and called his Dad. Dad was busy talking to a guest so he protested by laying his pillow on the floor and lying down there.
Sufficient milk is filtered and kept ready in a borosil jar. Extra bottles sterilized by evening. Even if one of the two wakes up in the night, we rush out and get 2 bottles of milk so that if the other wakes up because of the noise, the milk bottle is handy to calm them. Whoever leaves for the gym first, places the milk bottles by their side so that the other person will find it easier if they wake up.
When we go out, Ojas sits in the front seat with the seat belt and I sit with Tejas on the lap or in the next seat with m at the rear. The milk bottle/ mobile phone/ keys keep them occupied throughout the drive. Hubby & me take responsibility of one child each and mind our respective charge only, especially when they are running around the entire party hall or resident complex or shop. This stage is still easier then having to carry them without putting them down or holding their hand while they walk along with us. At least our hands get a break but we need to be extremely vigilant regarding their whereabouts especially in stores which has trial rooms and electrical room etc.
When they are quarreling for the same toy we try diverting them with a board game or the football which is their favourite or some nursery rhyme like “chubby cheeks, dimple chin” where in they need to participate with appropriate responses. They get sufficiently diverted and become friends during the game.
With twins, the challenges are compounded because they fuel each other with ideas for mischief. More often than not, Ojas does the ideation and initial demonstration and Tejas emulates it after improvising on it. Following the laws of Synergy, 1 + 1 is more than 2 here!
6 comments:
ooooo..I loved your post. Gives me a good idea of whats in store! I am in the 'carry them always, don't put them down stage', so, no matter what you say, I am just waiting for the walking stage.
It just shows how much more alert we have to be, that one partner cannot relax on outings, or in the car and at home, it is always..'oh..you are here, where's the other guy?'! Which stage of theirs till now, did you find the easiest?(Or didn't such a time exist at all?)
You guys sure have it all figured out and you almost make it sound easy....makes me wish I had twins the first time around :)
really neat how you and your husband coordinate the parenting!
LOL at 1 + 1 > 2 !
they are growing up!!
good that K and you have found a way to keep things asier on ourselves
they still do not sleep right thru the night? how do u manage to get to the gym and work on time then?
Boy, that's a handful, I need to stop whining now. :) But looks like you have tremendous organization capabilities, you need that with twins I suppose. Still, kudos !
I am loving your double trouble posts. So much fun and so insightful. And I just can't help but wonder at what an incredible TEAM the husband and wife have to be.
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