How to Survive the First Six Months

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Everyone says this- but you will be surprised how fast the first six months (with twins) flies by.

I remember just staring at the twins when they hit the six month mark like daaaang.

As long as each day felt before that moment, the last six months felt like a blur.

In six months, I had watched the twins go from 5 pound itty bitty preemies to almost 18 pound chunk a monks.

I had conquered newborns, colic, shots, colds, nursing, teething, and the well being of TWO BABIES. 

Then, like any sane momma would do, I started looking at all of the pictures along the way and became ‘overly emotional’ as my husband put it.

But hey, six months is a freaking accomplishment!!

Not only is it an accomplishment baby wise, but me wise as well!!

I kept two infants strong and healthy, but I have also created a semi-successful blog, started towards my dreams of being a cake decorator, and grown big time as a person.

There have also been quite a few bumps over the last six months. My husband lost his job at one point, his car was in two accidents, and we almost learned the hard way why blankets DO NOT belong with babies while they sleep.

But everything that has happened has given me some great tips to share with you guys in regard to–

Surviving the first Six Months.

 

 

Tip #1: Forget the Clean House

This has got to be the first one to go. Now I am not saying forget it all and just let the shit storm take over- but you’ve got to lighten up a bit. And it may come with time but trust me when I say letting the house go is the best thing I’ve ever done.

I still clean the house. But not everyday, or even every week like I used to.

I have a short list of things that get done (for the most part) every day, but aside from that- Ehhhh.

I let it slide.

Because seriously, NO ONE CARES.

And if they do- tell them to clean your house.

You’re doing gods work taking care of two infants with the same exact needs 24/7. The house can wait. The babies won’t.

Tip #2: Stick to a Budget

This is kind of a weird tip- but hear me out.

You’re about to be spending allll of your money on your twins.

Your electricity bill is going to go up because well, the babies need a warm house.

Same with your water bill- because laundry.

And then add in all of the diapers, clothes, and other necessities that come with the territory and BANG!

You’re broke.

So come up with some sort of budget that will work between you and your significant other before it’s too late!

Tip #3: Buy More Bottles than you Need

Something that will get old REAL quick is doing the dishes.

You might think that oh, I can just wash the same couple bottles throughout the day. I’ll be okay.

WRONG.

I have enough bottles to get me through an entire day and night. And honestly the only thing holding me back from getting more is the lack of space.

Twelve Dr. Brown bottles and parts takes up quite a large amount of space.

So instead I wash a load of bottles once a day and deal with it.

I recommend buying at least four per baby to get you through the day.

Tip #4: Get Outside

This is one more for your own sanity.

Get outside with the twins! Whether it’s for a walk around the block, or out to the zoo. Go do something!

It will take some willpower and getting used to, but eventually you’ll get down the whole leaving the house with twins thing.

Once you do- life gets a tad easier.

And trips to Target become reality again!

But if you’re nervous, just start small. Go for walks around your neighborhood. Then move on to other places as you get the hang of things!

Tip #5: Buy Lots of Snacks

Something you’ll learn quick with twins is that days are hectic. Especially if you don’t have some sort of schedule.

This means that regular meals end up on the back burner. The only ‘real’ meal I eat most days is dinner.

During the day I normally snack on bars, string cheese, chips&guac, bananas and peanut butter by the spoonful. By far not the healthiest of things but I mean it gets me through the day so…

Anyways, what I am getting at is most of the time, making up breakfast and lunch isn’t going to happen.

So buy lots of snack and easy foods that you can grab real quick when you need it.

Tip #6: Stay on Top of Laundry

You have probably seen the abundance of memes about piles of laundry taking over the house after baby and let me be the last to tell you- it’s not a joke!

I don’t know where it comes from, but I always have at least one load worth of laundry around the house. And then another load waiting to be folded… and another one waiting to be but away.

Laundry is flat out over whelming after baby. Between their clothes, your spit up covered clothes, rags, other clothes and blankets there is just so much to do!

I try to stick to ‘do one laundry chore per day’.

That means, I wash and dry all laundry one day, fold it the next day, and put it away the third day. And then start again.

I find the never ending mess to be more manageable that way.

It also leaves something for hubby to help me out with that isn’t too overwhelming and complicated.

Tip #7: Buy These Baby Essentials

Everything you need for baby is going to be linked in the following posts.

Creating a Registry

Necessities

Diaper Bag

Top 13 from Amazon

Make sure to check them out & print them out for future use!

You can also pin them for later 😉

Tip #8: NO BLANKETS (yes even in the rock and play)

This is one of the reminders you hear over and over. It was drilled into my head by just about everyone, but I figured they were fine in the rock and play.

I would snuggle the twins up in the rock and play with blankets and swaddles before we transitioned to their cribs like this;

That is until one day I hear muffled crying on the baby monitor.

I didn’t think much of it at first because I was working on sleep training the twins and was letting them cry it out.

But something about Kendall’s cry just didn’t sound right. So I went into their room.

There I found Kendall had pulled the blanket from around her and trapped her face under it.

She was struggling to breathe.

Terrified and on autopilot, I grabbed her, stripped her clothes and my shirt off and rocked her.

She was burning up. And once we were in the light, I noticed her face was almost purple.

I sat down in the tub with her on my lap, turned on some cold water and massasged her face and scalp while she calmed down.

That is when it hit me what had just happened.

We almost lost our baby girl because I was dumb and put blankets in their sleeping quarters.

So please take me seriously when I say NO BLANKETS. PERIOD. 

Tip #9: Change Baby When They Wake Up

It’s all about routine when it comes to life with twins, so make their changing habits a schedule as well.

I find it best to change them right when they wake up.

Some people like to change right before sleepy time, however, I find that wakes them up even more.

Especially if you do the whole cry it out thing.

The only time I change them before sleepy time is actual bed time. Which in that case we change them, offer one more bottle, and read some books before putting them down for the night.

Tip #10: Pump While they Nap

If you’re an exclusive pumper like myself, getting that pump time is crucial.

Or even if you nurse, you still need some solid pumping time.

I find the best time to be right after you put them down for naps.

Once they start getting bigger, it does get more difficult. But nap time is always optimal.

You can read more about my exclusive pumping tips here.

I used to pump every three hours around the clock for 15 minutes a piece, however now I have worked the pumping into my own schedule.

I wake up around 6am and pump for about 20 minutes, 8 am for 15 minutes, (babies wake up), then another three times during the day each time the twins take a nap for about fifteen minutes.

The last pump of the night is around 9pm, after the twins go down for the night. I usually pump for 20-25 minutes. Then I have been able to get through the night until my 6am pump. However, sometimes I’ll pump around 2-3am if my boobs really need it.

If you would like a more detailed pumping schedule go ahead and leave a comment below and I’ll get a whole post written about it!

Tip #11: Always Have More Diapers

Don’t learn this one the hard way.

I always have at least one extra box of diapers laying around JUUUUST in case. And I mean, I have needed that extra box more than once.

Odds are, you aren’t going to be able to get out whenever you want or need to. Things come up.

The twins get sick, you get sick, cars break down, ect. Life happens. Always.

Like a few weeks ago someone backed into my husbands car while he was at work. So now we are sharing a car and getting out to grab diapers is not something I want to have to do. I would have to; wake up, get him to work WITH the twins, stop at the store WITH THE TWINS and then pick him up at 6pm WITH THE TWINS all because I didn’t plan ahead.

It might not sound like a lot of work to you yet, but trust me. All of those trips will take EVERYTHING out of you.

Plan ahead and always grab two boxes of diapers.

Tip #12: Keep Yourself on a Schedule

Do this one for yourself.

You will feel so much more accomplished when you actually have the time to get things done.

I follow a pretty loose schedule for myself, just so that the unexpected can work it’s way in and not throw me completely over board.

Essentially, I just get up in the morning BEFORE the twins (when possible) and clean up the house, get a chore done, suck down coffee and then plan out my day.

This way I have already gotten the ‘necessities’ done for the day if all hell breaks loose once the twins wake.

Tip #13: Go Out to Eat

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Rough days happen, and lazy days happen just as often.

Don’t force yourself to make dinner every single night.

I try my best to make dinner most nights, but sometimes I just call my husband and ask him to grab some BK on the way home.

Or better yet, I wait until he gets home and take the opportunity for some small ‘me time’ and go out to grab dinner.

Some of my favorite me times have been running out, blasting some Beyonce and grabbing McDonald’s.

It’s the perfect amount of time away to refresh yourself after a day of needy screaming twins.

Tip #14: Let Them Live in Sleepers

I hate seeing all of the moms who dress their kids up every day.

Honestly, they make us twin mommas look bad.

I see a baby in cute overalls and a onesie and all I can think to myself is SCREW THAT!

All of that would add so much to diaper changes. No thank you. And then to still have to change another baby?

NO.

My kids live in sleepers 80% of the time.

Yes, even if we go out somewhere.

You know how much easier it is to unzip a sleeper instead of unbuttoning overalls, unbuttoning the onesie and THEN getting to the changing part??

Too much work for me.

Let them live in sleepers. Buy cute ones if that makes you feel better about it.

Tip #15: Take Advantage of Naps

This is one of the things I constantly have to bug my husband about.

The second we get the twins down for a nap on his days off, he turns on the Xbox and zones out.

He doesn’t think ahead like I do.

When the twins go down for a nap is the BEST time to get a few things done real quick.

Prep bottles, change the laundry, tidy up the toys or get whatever you need to do DONE.

What do you think my kids are doing as I write this??

SLEEPING.

It is near impossible anymore to get anything done while they’re awake since they’ve reached their mommy obsession phase.

Tip #16: Re-Think the Puppy Idea

I often see families contemplating if they should get a puppy around the time their babies are born.

And while my twins LOVE our dogs- I wouldn’t ever choose to do this the way we are again.

Dogs are just as needy as your babies. Especially if you have a puppy.

Just to give you an idea, my mornings between the twins and my two dogs are exhausting.

The dogs need out, to be fed and given attention- but so do the twins.

They both need to be cleaned up after.

They both need walks.

It is freakin hard most days and honestly I feel awful for our dogs while we’re in this weird stage where I can’t walk the dogs and the twins at the same time. I would lose the dogs to the squirrels and cats walking by.

I really urge you to rethink getting a puppy until you for sure have the baby thing down. Especially with twins. 

Tip #17: Make Bottles Ahead of Time

If you bottle feed- bottle prepping will make life SOOO much easier.

I always have the next bottles ready to go in the fridge because once the twins wake up, they get HANGRY real quick.

And they don’t mind cold bottles. I introduced room temp/cold bottles to them right away and it is such a lifesaver.

Tip #18: Do Not Wait for the Crib

I waited, and I am so mad at myself for it.

We are currently sleep training the twins in their own cribs and it has been a struggle.

They slept for almost six months in their rock and plays.

All snuggled up tight and comfy, just for me to throw them into their cribs where they suddenly have tons of room.

They did not take well and sleeping was a struggle for a while.

As nice as the rock and plays are, I suggest transitioning to cribs sooner than later.

Tip #19: Twins=SAME SCHEDULE

Oh jeez. If you’re twins aren’t on the same schedule, say goodbye to your entire life.

The days where my twins refuse to sleep and eat at the same time are MISERABLE.

I do my absolute best to put them down at the same time, feed at the same time, ect.

Everything. At. The. Same. Time.

If you don’t, you’re going to get stuck in a never ending tending to babies needs cycle.

I get a few hours to myself each day and without them I would lose it.

Tip #20: Don’t Forget About Yourself

My last tip for you guys- you are important too.

My favorite mom quote is;

Don’t ever think for a second that your own sanity is worth less than anyone else’s.

You are important.

And raising twins is freaking hard and takes a toll on every aspect of your body.

Check out my 23 tips for self care if you’re needing some ideas on how to take care of yourself.

Do you have any other tips & tricks I might have missed?

Go ahead and share in the comments below for our other twin mommas!

Thanks for reading guys, don’t forget to check out my twin pregnancy series for everything you need to know along the way to meeting your twins!