Tips for a Stress Free Outing with Twins

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A stress free outing with twins is possible with the right tips.

Do you struggle with finding confidence as a twin mom? I struggle between feeling like super mom when we get through a trip outside the house without any hiccups and feeling like the whole world is judging me on the days where things go less than planned.

You know, the days where both kids suddenly think their car seats are the devil, won’t tolerate the double stroller and have a full out melt down in the middle of aisle two.

It’s hard to believe, especially in the beginning, that a stress free outing with twins is even a possibility.

What, with the storage unit you have to pack along to carry everything they’ll need for a day away from home. Then the strength it takes to get them prepped, in the car and ready to go. 

Clipping my seatbelt in the front seat is generally when the anxiety about all of the stares and probable meltdowns begins.

How is a stress free outing with twins even possible?

Well mama, I’m here to help you find the confidence to believe in yourself.

Believe that you CAN have a stress free outing with twins.

At least sometimes. We all know life doesn’t go as planned every single day, I swear even more-so with twins.

But these couple tips I am sharing with you today will set you up for a stress free outing with twins.

They help me find my confidence as a twin mom, or at least help me keep it together until we’re back in the safety of the car.

1. Make sure that diaper bag is always ready to go.

This is my NUMBER 1 tip for life with twins. It’s hard enough getting them out of the house, especially unexpectedly or if you’re running late.

I always have my diaper bag ready to go. When we get home from an outing, I restock the bag right then so I know exactly what the bag needs. Doing this not only saves time later, but also pretty much eliminates you forgetting to pack anything inside of the bag.

Need ideas for what to pack in your diaper bag? Click here for my ideas geared towards newborns, babies and young toddlers.

2. Put yourself together first thing in the mornings

You might not think at first that this has anything to do with a stress free outing with twins, but girl. It does.

How much more confident do you feel when you’ve showered, brushed your teeth, put on clean clothes or even put a little bit of makeup on?

My answer? SO much more confident! Feeling good about MYSELF is key to a stress free outing with my twins.

If I take the 15-30 minutes in the morning before the twins wake up to put myself together a bit, I feel much more confident as a twin mom in public. Simply because I feel good about myself.

3. Be aware of the time

Whether it’s making appointments, planning a play date or needing to run an errand, always think about your timing.

I always try to schedule things for RIGHT after my twins wake up because that is their best time frame. 

But as we all know, things happen. You can’t always do things when they would work best for you.

So in comes improvising!

This might be waking them up early in the morning so you can put them down for their nap early, or make that 9AM appointment.

Or packing in a full lunch for them to eat in their stroller or taking note of a park nearby if they’re going to need to get out and play for a bit.

It seems hard in the beginning, but you’ll start to notice what works and doesn’t work for your twins.

Kendall and Caeden can’t handle more than a few hours out of the house until meltdowns begin. So, I have to plan accordingly. If I need to run an errand, this usually means I go to Fred Meyer so that I can grab everything I need in one stop. Or a strip mall so we don’t have to get in and out of the car more than I’d want to.

4. Use the double stroller. Always.

I know I know. I used a few pictures of the twins in their umbrella strollers. Mostly because I couldn’t resisit their adorable faces. Now they are a good idea if you’re with someone else, but 9/10 I am by myself. SO, double stroller. Always.

Even if you don’t think you’ll need a stroller.

Sometimes I get overly confident and grab a cart. Those days suck.

My 19 month old twins aren’t there yet and will never sit still in a cart and are usually crying/whining within 10 minutes.

I love the double stroller for many reasons.

First- It holds the snacks and drinks. AKA the “shushers”.

Two- It holds all the crap you had to bring inside in the first place.

Three- You don’t have to worry about squirmy twins, because they’re in a seat they recognize.

Now that’s not to say they’ll never hate their stroller; because that will happen.

No, it just tends to go over a lot better than trying to use a cart where the straps are loose and they can easily escape.

Plus if you’re doing a lot of walking, the stroller is really your only bet to keeping some of your sanity.

5. Recognize your limits

Every day is not a good day to take your twins out. Not just because they will have a hard time, but because it’s hard on you.

Getting the two of them ready, out and about is a lot of work and you have to realize that you can’t do that all of the time.

At least not on your own. Plan some things during times where you can get an extra set of hands.Whether they be your husbands, moms, friends. Anyone that is willing to help.

But if all else fails, you can say no. You can postpone appointments, playdates and trips to the store.

6. Believe in yourself, and give yourself grace

A trip with twins is hard. Somedays it’ll be a breeze, and the tips up until this point will be magic.

Other days, it’ll get ugly.

Ugly, loud, and stressful.

In those moments, I want you to breathe.

Understand that those stares are likely another mama wishing she could help. She is probably wondering how she can help. She isn’t judging what you or your twins are doing.

Most of the time, the people watching are simply staring in awe as you balance the chaos erupting in front of you while you’re handling it.

Sometimes you’ll get a nasty person. A wicked glare. Whispered comment.

In those moments, as hard as it is, I want you to hold your head high because you are doing something that would melt them to pieces.

If they have the nerve to stand and openly judge the tantrums your twins are throwing at that moment they obviously don’t have kids, or at least not twins.

They are not worth losing your cool over.

They are not your people.

They are an embarrassment themselves.

YOU hold your head high.

Rock that twin mom shit.

Multitask like that mother you are, hurry through the rest of the store grabbing what things you need and hopefully there is a short line at the checkout.

Then when you get to your car, load everything up.

Just hold it together until then.

When you are seated in the safety of your car, with babies strapped in and ready to roll, you can lose it for a moment.

But lose it while you’re turning on some gangster rap.

Throw on something that’ll get your head out of that tantrum chaos and help you move on.

Because that is what we do best.

Us twin moms know better than anyone else how to throw our hair in a bun and handle it.

I hope these few tips help you realize that you can have a stress free outing with twins, and that you can be a confident twin mom.

Remember: Pump yourself up with gangster rap, throw your hair up, and handle it.

I believe in you, mama.