To ask for advice on what to do with twins all day? Help!

[user1470039899]

Hi,

I'm hoping to get some some good advice and help, I hope this is the right place to post. I've got 16 month old twins who were born very prematurely at 24 plus 6. They are doing great and I love being a SAHM but I'm really struggling to fill the days. I'm worried I don't instinctively know what to do and that I'm a rubbish parent. First time Mum and I have the twins on my own from 6am - 10pm when my husband returns from work. I have no friends with children and no family nearby. I go out every day but must spend some time at home as I run out of free things to do! We do lots of stories, shape sorter, toys but it only seems to fill half an hour. I'm totally at a loss what to do! Any advice on activities or toys you have found good to play with your children would be brilliant! Thank you!

I dont have DTwins but I am one I have DD and FosterDC who are the same age. I rotate toys and in desperation have sat them in the bath with bath paints. But I did let them fight learn to play without me. Cardboard boxes provide hrs of fun our sand pit is in a tent they can play whatever the weather and no worries about creatures using it as it can be closed up.
Can you afford help one afternoon evey week for a few hrs to take them swimming or even just to have a coffee alone with a book.i also have a pass to our local wildlife centre and go all year round for a walk and a picnic.
It is a hard age but ends to soon take pictures and enjoy

In the early years twins club was my absolute saviour! I met some of my closest friends there - our children are 8 now and we still meet up as often as we can.

I also went to every other toddler/baby group I could find. If I didn't like a particular one I didn't go back, but soon got into a routine of going to a few each week. Those groups were all about me getting to spend time with other grown ups!! My boys didn't really care where we were as long as there were toys and snacks (actually that's still the same now!!)

Sounds like you are doing a great job. The only other thing I could think of were things like washing up bowls of water for water play, pasta to play with, painting with hands/fingers. Also is there a twins or multiple birth group near you just so you can meet other mums in the same situation as you.

I also think you are doing fab! They are still quite young for playing with toys, my son started to love model cars and his garage (it's the Little People garage) at around this age I think.
One thing I used to do in the Summer is bath him in a large tub trug (flexible bucket) outdoor or in the living room, he loved to splash in there sometimes for a whole hour.
He liked me to draw animals and vehicles on paper too. And we sometimes used to go to Mothercare to look at the toys. If you have a tablet, there is also an app called Youtube kids, worth having a look at. You can look at videos of things they have seen in their books or things they might like particularly.

You are so so close to them entertaining themselves/each other! My 19mo plays with blocks, trains, trucks etc for ages and will look through books, chase his brother around etc. Also he loves Thomas &friends and CBeebies. Oops.

I have 2.5 year old twins, I've always found the days hardest if we were in the house all day. At least get to the park or a play group in the morning and the afternoons fly by. Although I have an older one so have school runs to do which passes some time! I work 3 days a week and have to say that was possibly the best decision I ever made, but completely understand that that's not right for everybody.

I got a massive Happyland bundle on Gumtree when my daughter was about that age, great investment. She used to just play with the farm but now (2 1/2) gets a lot more out of it. Sounds like you're doing great! Obviously with twins you can also do some guilt free tv time. I think at that age it was all Mr Tumble, Ra Ra, and Duggee. Should be able to get yourself the odd 20 minutes of peace!

My daughter was also a really fussy napper up to about 15 months - would only feed to sleep on my knee - but that suddenly changed too about then and she'd sleep in the buggy, on the couch. .. so the light might be at the end of the tunnel!

Good for you enjoying being a sahm; i hear what you're saying, you're not complaining about that - just how to better entertain your twins. Hats off to you! I found the mini bead roller things (that you seem to get in all banks and doctors surgeries) really good at that age as well as small climbing tunnels, mini piano (if you can bear the noise), and soft play centres. They were a god send but I can imagine it's no holiday in those with twins. Don't be afraid of the TV or Ipad in small doses! We bought DS a little red car and trailer which he started getting the hang of that age but also see how that might start arguments in your house!

Thank you so so much everyone, some amazing ideas, I've already implemented some, thank you! I think I was having a tough few days as they've been ill and up all night for 4 nights in a row with me sitting in the feeding cushion all night so I was exhausted. Feeling much more positive now as we've turned the illness corner! Thanks again everyone x

Also twin mum, mine are school age now but I would suggest trying to make friends with another mum of twins as it helps to have someone in same situation.
Could you find nearest group and aim to go just once or twice or ask you health visitor if she knows any mum with twins of similar age.
I also did Gymboree as good discount for two (or three) plus "sing and sign as in our area you only pay for adults so it's not too expensive, it does get easier regarding entertaining them😊

We used to have a very structured day which involved taking DS to and from playgroup twice a week which helped.

Every day we did something like toddlers, church toddlers, NCT music group (this was a case of having a box of instruments/books/tapes that was passed round the group - took it in turns to make a list of songs and lead and host) coffee at friends, library, walk to playground.

They used to help with the routine things like breakfast (learned to butter own toast), sorting washing of sorts, emptying the dishwasher .

Sandpit was a godsend. They had DH's old dinky cars from when he was a child and drove them round and made roads. Once when DH was away at a weekend and we were at a loss, we went to the garden centre and bought some bedding plants and planted them in a pot at home - sort of worked.

It was exhausting and most of my day was planned around getting them to bed at 8pm on the dot so that I could survive the next day.

Se to remember sitting on the back step blowing soap bubbles for her to chase....