Twins – 0-6 weeks

Sleeping: You can sleep them in separate cots or in the same cot. They like to be near each other. Twin babies can sleep in the same cot but at opposite ends so head to head with feet at opposite ends of the bed. See the diagram above. Alternatively, you can get two bassinets and keep them next to each other. They like to hear the other twin. They have a close bond from birth.

Clothing: they need easy dressing so zip up suits and all in ones are excellent. The wonder suit is great and economical. I recommend a zip up swaddle as it is much easier to manage feeding and changing rather than wrapping twins.

Feeding: You can feed and settle them both at the same time. Tandem feeding will save a lot of time. You can Tandem breast feed both at the same time and top them up with a bottle. One baby is usually more demanding than the other. One baby may prefer the breast and one the bottle. If you are bottle feeding twins you may make up 4 bottles at one time for the present feed and the next.

You can also use a double feeding pillow to put on the sofa or floor which makes it easy to pick them up and put down after feeding. I always recommend mix feeding twins as it is difficult to produce enough milk for both. You can breast feed and top up with a bottle or alternate feeds between breast and bottle. It also means someone else can help you as you will be doing 6-8 feeds a day x 2 babies! Develop a routine as soon as you can.

Travel: Be really organized and plan so you have all the nappies and equipment you need. A backpack is handy rather than a heavy nappy bag.  Use baby travel chairs or pods to transport them as getting them in and out of the car is difficult and pods are very convenient. If you have the travel pod you do not need to disturb them if they fall asleep. Use a dummy to console them if they are unsettled in the car. It is the only time I recommend a dummy. If they are both crying and you are distracted, then stop the vehicle and sort them out. You can also put the air con on cooler than normal as they get hot in the travel pods and that makes them irritable.

Extra help: Having twins is unbelievably hard and can be overwhelming at times. It is important to take all the help you can get from friends and family. Do online shopping for groceries and other things, get a cleaner and establish a routine which suits you as soon as possible.