I’ve had friends, family members, and even strangers ask me ‘How do you manage with twins?’ I must admit some days I don’t know how I survive, but here are a few things that I’ve learned so far as a mother of 2-year-old twins boys (AND a 5-year-old girl):

Most Outings Can Be A ‘grand Production’ – Just Be Prepared!

I remember before the boys started walking, the daycare drop off process each morning was about 25 minutes. There was a process to get the boys out of the car into a double stroller to transport them from the car to the building; a process to get them out the car seats once inside the classroom, then the last step was packing up the two car seats and double stroller in the daycare closet so my husband could repeat this process during pickup at the end of the day (Whew!)

The daycare drop off process has improved significantly but other outings, such as dining out for dinner or a grocery store run, always require some thought – like which stores have enough seats in their shopping carts for multiple children? Or which restaurants have enough high chairs for 3 kids? Some of the simple hacks that have worked best for my family have been our portable (and collapsible) high chairs we keep the car if we decide to go out to eat. Also, I typically opt to go to Target with the kids since their shopping carts provide seating for all three kids plus enough space in the cart to shop!

The Challenges Of Potty Training!

I’ve always heard that potty training a boy is harder than potty training a girl, so I knew that when I started the process with my boys it would not be as easy as it was with my daughter. But I think what’s even harder than potty training a boy is potty training TWO boys at the same time! My first attempt to potty train was this past Christmas holiday where I decided to ‘suspend’ the use of pull-ups for a few days and put the boys directly in underwear, in hopes that the boys would feel uncomfortable if they use the bathroom on themselves (this approach worked well for my daughter). Needless to say, this was an EPIC FAIL!!! Just the process of trying to keep track of the last time twin A used the potty vs. when Twin B used the potty was a challenge. By the end of day 2 of this process, I quickly decided to go back to the drawing board. After some thought, I chose to focus on potty training one twin first. So far things are working out well! Fingers crossed we will have at least one twin potty trained before their 3rd birthday! Hopefully, the second twin will soon follow suit.

Expect A Little Chaos (everyday!)

This is something that I am still trying to learn, understand and accept. Our morning routine of waking up, getting dressed, having breakfast and heading to daycare is absolute CHAOS! Our dinners include the preparation of each meal, sitting down to eat and the clean-up afterward is complete PANDEMONIUM! My day-to-day processes are still undergoing improvement and I hope that as they get older, things continuously get easier; but in the meantime, I celebrate the small accomplishments (like when the kids eat all their food with no complaints!)

Some of my stories may sound familiar to most moms no matter if you have 1 child or 8 children. As moms, we know that some days can be more challenging than other days, and a routine/process that worked well a few months ago may need to be adjusted or revised as the kids get older or schedules change. Personally, I’ve learned to not get too comfortable and quickly adapt to change. I must say it’s been a challenging, yet fun ride and it will only become more exciting as all three of my kids get older!

#me3project Discussion Starters:

• Do twins run in your family? Are you a mom or dad of multiples? Describe a typical day in your household.
• What are some ‘life hacks’ you’ve discovered (or created!) in raising multiple children?

Nia Peace

Nia Peace is an IT Professional at Accenture who has over 10 years of experience across the Banking, Travel and Transportation, Pharma and Utilities Industries. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling with her husband and three small children and exploring local family friendly activities. Nia has a passion for mentoring and serves as volunteer with many organizations including Junior Achievement, Communities in Schools, and EmpowHERment, Inc.