The Power of Two

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When I was a young girl, my father taught me the power of two. Once, when he needed to distract me, he gave me two yummy, crunchy pretzel sticks. Another time, we were in the candy store and I was having trouble making a flavor decision. My dad was an old pro so he didn't sweat it. Instead, he bought me two lollipops, one for each hand. My best memory of double gifting from my dad involved candy canes. For a Christmas treat, he gave me two fat, striped peppermint sticks to put in my stocking. The power of two was an awesome experience and I'm so glad my dad was able to bring it to life for me. That's why it shouldn't have been a surprise when the ultrasound technician informed my husband and I that we were having twins. We believe in the power of two and decided they should have strong names. For this reason, we named them David and Joseph, the wonder twins. Now that they are getting older, I've had the privilege of some great learning moments. Some of them are good, others are bad, and there are even a few ugly ones. This is why I've decided that twin mamas need a forum. I'm going to start out light and share four tips I've learned along the way.

1. Don't always dress your twins alike, especially if they are identical. At one point, my fraternal twin boys looked so much alike. I made the mistake of dressing them the same, down to their bibs and pacifier holders. Everything was fine until they woke up from their naps and it was feeding time. When I couldn't identify which child I was holding, I found myself stripping them both down, looking for the birthmark that confirmed David's identity. I found it and in the spirit of all twin mamas, I saved the day! Whew! What a close call.

2. Be sure to label their bottles, pacifiers, and other items that are easy to mix up with a permanent market. This will help you prevent them from passing germs to one another. There's nothing worse than taking care of two sick babies at the same time. And of course, we don't want to add sick parents to that tricky equation. Sterilize! Sterilize! Sterilize! The dishwasher is a good friend for this task. It gets really hot and sanitizes those items quite well. Babies R Us even sells dishwashing powder that's safe for babies.

3. If you have older children, like I do, prepare them for the transition of having two new little ones in the house. Allow them to share how they can help with the newborns and cut them some slack when they don't come through. Trust me when I say their intentions are good, however, the focus may not be there.

4. Connect with parents of multiples to discuss best practices and to experience a unique connection. You will grow tremendously as a parent from these relationships. A community of parents of multiples is just what you need when you're about to pull out your hair and run for the hills.

Well, there you have it. These four ideas aren't representative of all you'll need to fulfill your duties as a twin mama, however, it's a start. The beauty of it all is the ability we have to exchange information in real time. So, let's keep this discussion going by sharing your experiences in the Comments section. Twin Mamas unite!