How to Do It All (or at least try) When you Have Twins

I feel like this past year has been a lesson in slowing down. Between bedrest, all the craziness of caring for preemie twins, and all the other ways our life has turned upside down, I’ve had to accept that I just haven’t been able to do everything. Getting just about anything done with 7 month old twins in the house is next to impossible. . . and it’s getting harder the bigger they get. When Graco® offered to sponsor this post and asked me to check out the new Simple Sway™ Swing I knew the timing couldn’t be better.

As much as I’d love to just sit around and cuddle these two little squishes, the rest of the world just refuses to stop while I enjoy their first year.

The question I get asked most often (especially when people find out I have 6 kids, homeschool, and work from home) is “How in the world do you do it all?”

Well, for starters . . . I don’t.

But I am very used to juggling. I’m not sure I’d know how to slow down even if I had the chance to. Fortunately, I have learned a few tricks over the last 7 months that have helped keep my home and work mostly functional. At the top of my list is my secret weapon: the baby swing.

My twins may be little, but they already know how to get their way. If they even suspect that I’m trying to put them down for a nap or distract them with toys so I can get something done they’ll reach a hand up to touch my face or grab onto my sleeve with a little chubby fist and give me THE LOOK.

You know the one. The one that makes you forget you were trying to sneak away to work/clean/stress eat and want to just sit and cuddle.

They can’t resist the swing though.

It doesn’t matter how awake or playful the twins are, if I put them in the swing they will almost immediately go to sleep. One twin actually slept in my swing for the first several months of her life. I was getting worried though because the swing I had was getting too small for them. I’d already banned one baby completely from the swing because she would wiggle around too much and I was worried she’d fall.

Last week I attended an event hosted by Teresa of Mom Smack and we had a great time swapping tips with other moms, checking out all the great new Graco products, and eating some amazing treats that Teresa had prepared (and let’s be honest. I’m nursing twins so I’m ALL about the food).

Before the party, I was sent the Graco® Simple Sway™ Swing and it has been perfect for my twins because it has a nice wide seat so both babies are comfortable. I have one baby that is 2 pounds bigger than the other and much more active so what works for one doesn’t always work for the other. It’s awesome to have an option that works great for both of them. I’ll often put one baby in a swing and sit at the table next to her while I get some work done. The babies love it because they can still see me . . . and they’ll usually fall asleep so I can work guilt-free knowing that they are comfortable and getting in a much-needed nap.

 

I love how many options there are to soothe a baby. You can set the swing on vibrate, have it play 1 of 15 songs and sounds, and set the swing speed to a speed that is comfortable for your baby. This swing works for babies up to 30 pounds so I’m hopeful that I’ll get another couple of months of use out of it.

With twins, especially now that one is crawling, having a few safe spots I can put them down while I attend to other things during the day is essential. The footprint of the Graco® Simple Sway™ Swing is so compact that I could even fit two next to each other without having it take up my entire room and the styling is sophisticated so it blends right into your home.

Here’s a look at my larger twin in the swing so you can get an idea of how different size babies fit:

She’s about 18 pounds now and her sister is almost 16 pounds. I loved how easy it was to adjust the headrest and straps because let’s face it, I’m always running short on time.

So here are my secrets for doing it all when you have twins:

1. Be kind to yourself. You won’t get anything done if you are tired or overwhelmed. Sometimes taking 5 minutes to yourself makes you more productive than trying to push through when you are struggling.

2. Have a plan but not a schedule. Babies are not going to work around your schedule, especially when there are two of them. You have to go with the flow a bit. Have a plan but be flexible about it. I find it’s easier to keep a to-do list (with the most urgent tasks listed first) and follow a routine than try and stick to a schedule and end up frustrated.

3. Accept help. When you have twins you’ll likely have your fair share of offers to help. Learn to say yes. Help comes in many forms. I’ll often pay my older boys a few bucks to babysit so I can finish a work project or entertain a baby in the swing while I do school with the kids.

4. Use your free time. I know. Saying you have free time when you have twins is kind of a joke. I’m not talking about real free-time. I’m talking about those 5 minutes while you’ve loaded your babies in the car seats and have to wait on an older kid before getting in the car or when you are waiting for the oven to preheat for dinner. Little moments. Take advantage of them. I make it a habit of wiping up my bathroom counter (or mirror, or baseboards, whatever needs doing) every time I’m in the bathroom. Finishing small tasks like that leave me with fewer large jobs to do.

5. Have the right baby gear. I’m usually a baby gear minimalist but that went completely out the window when I had twins. I needed safe places to put them down in every room in my house, multiple strollers depending on where we were going, and everything else in between. Find baby gear that makes your life simpler, not more complicated. That’s one thing I love about the Graco® Simple Sway™ Swing is that I can keep my babies close by and engaged with me while i’m working on other projects or paying attention to their siblings.

 

Every baby is so different. You really have to find what works for you and as soon as you find something that works, babies have a way of changing things up on you. I think they do it on purpose. I’d love to be able to get into a baby’s little mind and hear what they are thinking. If those little smirks are any indication, it’s probably something along the lines of, “Ha! You just thought I was sleeping but really I was waiting until you started getting into that projects before I decided to scream about that messy diaper”.

What was your must-have baby item that helped you get things done during your baby’s first year?

I received the Graco® Simple Sway™ Swing and compensation from Graco® as part of a sponsored program. All opinions are my own.