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As twin parents we live in a paradox. You want your twins to grow and develop but at the same time you want them to stay cute and small forever.
When they are infants, you should be putting your twins down on a blanket for tummy time. This helps them strengthen their muscles and improve their ability to move about.
As you’ve gone through this stage, you’ve likely encouraged your children and cheered when they hit key milestones like rolling over.
The next, natural step (pun intended) is to crawl and then to take their first steps and walk.
As excited as we get to have our children reach those milestones, we soon realize that we might have more than we bargained for.
Once your twins are mobile, they don’t stop. Ever.
This can create some safety and logistical challenges. They will get into trouble.
You’re now past the stage of just setting the twins down and having them stay where you left them.
What if you need to cook dinner or take a shower and you’re home alone with the kids? Yikes.
Here are some tips to help corral your twin crawlers (and toddlers).
(RELATED: Love podcasts? Check out the entire Dad's Guide to Twins Podcast archive for additional twin tips and interviews with twin dads.)
Pack-n-play
We used a Graco Pack-n-Play for sleeping when away from home or during naps. However, it is also great for twin containment. Throw in a few toys and they can safely play and entertain each other. On occasion, I’d setup the Pack-n-Play in our bathroom so my wife or I could take a shower and still keep an eye on the kids.
Bouncers
Your twins have endless energy. Channel that with a bouncer type piece of gear like the Fisher Price Jumperoo. Jumpers and bouncers come in many shapes and sizes. Some hang from a door frame. Others are stand-alone and sit on the floor. Regardless of the type, these bouncers let your child jump up and down endlessly in a contained space.
Play Yard
If you need a larger play space, consider fencing. No, not a fence like in your backyard. You can create a safe indoor play space for your twins with a play yard like this one. These let you build a controlled space where your kids can play that is bigger than a typical pack-n-play.
Child Proof an Area
Instead of a single piece of baby gear, you can create a safe zone or safe room for your twins to wander. This room will need to be completely child proofed. Here are some childproofing tips from a professional if you need to check your preparations.
Wear Your Twins
If your crawlers are getting into trouble. Keep them close. Real close. Do this by wearing them. Carriers like the TwinGo Carrier or the Twingaroo let you haul your twins around. They will enjoy the close cuddles with you and the view from your height. I’ve worn our twins around the house when doing chores. It does make for an extra bit of exercise!
Strap into Strollers
Do your kids like their stroller? Strap them in (even if you are inside your house). It will give you a few minutes break where you know they are safely contained.
Here are some great twin strollers that will work for your family.
Always Supervised
Regardless of how you contain your crawling twins, they still need to be supervised. Keep an eye and ear on your twins and use the aforementioned gear as a helper not a complete substitute for your care.
(RELATED: Expecting twins? Avoid these 4 critical mistakes expectant twin parents make.)
What has worked for you? Share in the comments below.
Original photo by smws
We started with a play yard that was 5 ft. by 5 ft. that really helped my mother-in-law watch them while my wife and I were at work. We actually paid someone to baby-proof the house and it was money well-spent. It was done faster (especially with all that abundant time you never have), there was no trial and error I expect I would have gone through and it was effective but less evasive than I think it would have been under my watch…considering this was the person’s expertise and he knew about a few items I never had seen in my research.
Because of this, there is an upstairs and downstairs area that has been baby-proofed and while they still need to be watched (the girls will always find a way to damage themselves and each other if not watched0 it does give us great peace of mind while encouraging their motor skills.
@Rob – that sounds great. Thanks for sharing what worked in you home!