How To Cope With Twin Toddlers

Lets face it, disciplining one unruly toddler is hard enough but throw another one into the mix and you will find yourself constantly exhausted and feeling like your in a permanent marathon while they run rings around you.

So if you find your twins are constantly wearing you out and playing off each other and you are just constantly exhausted, why not try out these tip tips for dealing with twins:

Get a new playmate for your twin toddlers

An older brother or sister, grandparents, the kids from across the road (while you sit and have a coffee with their exhausted parents). Bringing someone new into the house, even just for ten minutes of hide and seek will lift the mood of your twin toddlers (hopefully wear them out), and give you some peace.

Get your twins out and about

Lets face it, trying to entertain twins on your own all day every day is pretty much impossible, so get your twins out and about:

• Take them down the road to see the neighbour’s cat, take them to local parks. It doesnt have to be grand outings, just somewhere different, like the end of the road to pick flowers is more than enough for your twins because it is something new and exciting.
• Team up with some other parents so the kids can play together and you can have a coffee.
• Local toddler groups are quite possibly the best place to meet other parents, they have new toys for your twins to play with, new people for your twins to meet and the best bit is that while they are entertaining themselves, you are free to relax.
• Indoor soft play areas are another really great place to take your twins. They are safe and child friendly, so you can sit on the laptop or have a drink while your toddlers go off and explore. There are lots of new toys, lots of space to run around and new friends to make, which means they get warn out and you get the added bonus of an early night.

Separate your twins

I don’t mean send one to the other side of the world or get them adopted (although you may feel like that at times).

Just have your toddlers doing different things at different times. So if bedtime routine is brush teeth, get changed have a story, try having one getting changed for bed as the other twin is cleaning their teeth and then swap them round. This way they cant cause mischief with the other one and you should have a calmer bedtime.

Give your twin toddlers routine

Having a set routine is really important for young children, and having a set routine with twins is even more so.

Chasing your toddlers around the house before bedtime because they don’t want to brush their teeth is not doing anyone any good. They are getting excitable, you are getting stressed out, both of which are not going to give a good nights sleep.

Having a bedtime routine for example, means your toddlers will know exactly what is coming next and will be calm about it. The unpredictable not knowing what comes next will get your twins worked up, so keep it calm, keep it the same.

Make your twin toddlers stick to house rules

House rules let your twin toddlers know exactly what they can and cant get away with. It is important you stick to these house rules and correct anyone who strays from them. Giving your twins warnings and giving your toddler time outs work wonders on the twins who don’t want to do as they are told as they will be missing out while you have fun with the other twin.

Reward your twins good behaviour

Rewarding good behaviour is really important. If one twin sees the other toddler getting a treat or praise, they will try their hardest to get the same.

Rewards don’t have to be big, they can be a couple of pennies to put in their piggy bank, it can be a 1p sweet, they could get to choose which park they want to go to that day.

Distracting your twins works wonders

When you see the first warning sign that a tantrum is about to ensue, take a deep breath, walk over to one (or both twins) and distract them. Ask them if they would like to watch some TV, if they would like to do some drawing in a different room. Offering favourite activities of your twins work best as you are trying to take their mind off what ever has upset them.

Sometimes moving them into a different room can be enough, but avoiding other tantrums will take a bit more hard work.

Just remember putting in the effort early will stop a double temper tantrum kicking off.

Check out this link for more advice on helping you cope with twin toddlers.