After learning my second child would be two children, I spent my pregnancy full of worry and wonder about what it would be like to have twins. What would I be like as a twin mom? Would I be enough? And how was this going to work? No, seriously.
I have learned a lot in this two-and-a-half-year journey, and still have much more to learn, but I want to share my top three twin experiences that have educated me the most:
The Logistics.
Having twins means everything happens two-at-a-time. Think of the hassle it is to get a baby or toddler ready to leave the house, the process of actually leaving, then the experience of being out-and-about. Now double it. Double the socks and shoes, the baggies of snacks, the car seat buckles, the bodies that need to be moved from here to there. Depending on the outing, this may involve double the wrangling, the chasing, the catching as they exit the slide. Two small children mean four legs running at the same time in the opposite direction.
It is easier to stay home, where we can work things out in private. I’ve adjusted to reading a book to two kids in my lap – we skip a lot of pages. We’ve figured out the right positions for two in the tub. We’ve learned which twin likes which cup and fork, and in what order and fashion snacks and meals can be distributed. I have two hands, but twins require I have two bodies.
The Space.
Before they even arrived, I realized I needed more space than I had. I needed two cribs to fit in one room and two more car seats to fit in the car (I’m a minivan mom now). I needed a larger diaper bag and a spacious dresser. Once they arrived, I fantasized about hiring a full-time bottle washer to manage the situation taking over my sink and countertops.
As is true of most toddlers, my twins no longer like to share, so I buy two of just about everything. This creates a few conundrums in the categories of space, storage, and my sanity. They also need more room to play and move. They take up the whole couch when we watch a movie. We have traffic jams in the hallway, on the stairs, and often in the pantry. Everything in our world—except for our family—seems to have shrunk.
The Cost.
If you’ve had a baby, you are all too familiar with the amount of “stuff” they seem to require. Even though our income didn’t double, we found ourselves spending twice as much on car seats, cribs, bottles, formula, diapers (oh, the diapers!), and doctor’s visits. Soon we will pay the price for two in pre-school, sports activities, music lessons, and someday braces and car insurance.
We save where we can; we reuse, shop at thrift stores, gladly accept hand-me-downs, and often times we do with one in cases when two would really be better. There will be more to figure out as we go, but I worry that those small sacrifices will begin to feel greater as my sons get older.
When that black and grey oven reveals two buns inside, a twin mom’s brain starts working double-time. And even though I struggled to see how it was all going to work, it turns out there was plenty of room for them after all.
Amy Davis received her Bachelor of Arts in Literature, Writing, and Film from Arizona State University. She spent five years teaching middle and high school English before leaving the classroom to raise her family. She is a mom to her six-year-old daughter and two and a half year old twin boys. When not consumed by mom duties, Amy’s favorite things to do with her family usually involve being outdoors and exploring their new location in the White Mountains.
