Entertaining/managing toddler twins

[Agingmumoftwins]

My DTs are 13 months and just walking. They don't like sitting in the buggy any more, but aren't really good enough to walk any distance yet, so what can I do to entertain them, seeing as we can't go for walks any more (at least until their walking is better)? We've done soft play twice this week and I just can't face it again!

Also, do any twin mums have trikes for their toddlers, and how do you manage those? I was thinking of getting them trikes for Xmas, but we'll only be able to use them when both DH and I are there to push them, which seems a shame.

This was the hardest time for me. They are gorgeous at that age, but hard work.

We fenced off most of our living room for them to play in, so basically put anything we didn't want them to mess with in a small section and then had a huge play area for them. Then invite friends over?! Not sure, especially in winter it is hard with two. Those trikes are impossible to push if you have two... Can you get to playgroups? I woudl do that every morning, then have lunch and they'd have a nap, then try to meet with a friend in the afternoon...

Thanks 8, yes I've toddler proofed the living room, and we do get out to a couple of groups (I also work part time, so they have 3 days at nursery doing lots of fun messy activities).

It's really just the outdoor stuff. I suppose I've just got to grin and bear it, and in a couple of months they'll be much more stable and we can play out in warm waterproof clothing and wellies!

It's good to know I'm not the only one to find some of the stages hard going, sometimes with twins it's much harder than for my singleton mum friends.

yes this bit is harder...definitely. especially in winter as playgrounds are all wet, and you can't just let them go off an climb around on their own. At least you get a break during the week. If they are at nursery those days, then is fine to chill out at home - (but know they get a bit restless...) Maybe try soft play for a couple hours then loads of stories, dancing to music etc at home?

It gets easier, my two are 5 now. And they are the best of friends, they laugh constantly and play together so nicely...whereas my friends who now have little ones are having lots of bickering, arguments to deal with.

Ah, it's so lovely when they play and giggle together, isn't it! Even when they've been little horrors all day, that sound of them giggling together melts me every time!

My boys are 18 months so I can remember that phase you're talking about quite clearly. It was short lived, thankfully! In no time at all (much less than 2 months, more like 2 weeks) they were running around and since then, every day we have togged up (in all weather, I've bought them wellies and anoraks) and gone for a massive run on the common near where we live.

We also love playgroups, and at around 14-15 months they suddenly went mad for books so we often go to the kids' reading area at our local library. Recently they have started pointing out all the diggers and woof-woofs in the 'that's not my...' series, which is most exciting.

I find music classes are just too much like hard work with 2 - especially 2 who don't like to sit still and watch.

Do you have a local twins club? Ours (Wandsworth) runs a great playgroup, it's great as they can't escape from it! Also through the club I met lots of other twin mums and we organise our own playdates so we can just go to each other's houses for the usual mayhem in a different environment!

Hang in there.. I've realised everything is just a phase. You'll have something else to worry about next month and will wonder what all the fuss was about :)

Oh and trikes - yes we have them, but boys have only just this week worked out that they need to push themselves along with their feet..! Until now they have been very cross with us for not pushing them about enough.
We fared slightly better with the sit-on plastic cars and things they use at playgroup.

Hi Binky yes I have a great twins club once a fortnight, but there aren't any there the same age as my twins. I have playdates with singleton mums, but they're all getting so big and boisterous it's hard to manage them all in one of our houses!

Thanks for the advice about the trikes, I think we'll leave them for now (one of my playgroups has them, so they will get an occasional play on them), and buy them when the DTs are ready to push them about themselves.

Oh, I can hear noises from upstairs, sounds like they're awake! Thanks again for your advice, better go and entertain them!

Would def. invest in those balance bikes when the time comes, we didn't...and our two are still trying to learn to ride without stabilisers, while all their friends who had them are zooming around on bikes.

Those push around bikes we used a bit, but they soon got too big for them, and they are kind of a pain to push long distances!

they need to be a bit older for the balance bikes but they are great.
with the trikes I used to push one and pull the other and they thought it was great. Bobby cars are also good, you can tie a rope onto them and pull them along.

I used to take mine to the playground and put them back to back in the babyswing.

We went out in all weather, they wore waterproof trousers (even before they could walk they would sit, crawl and roll around in them) and jackets to keep the wet off.

I never found it a problem to take the 2 swimming either. They bob around on the water with armbands on quite happily.

Thanks loopy I'll have a look for balance bikes, as I don't want them disadvantaged and not able to ride bikes - especially as we live right next to a lovely flat cycleway.

We do waterbabies every Saturday, and occasionally take them to a local pool as well, but the thought of doing that on my own is really scary (also my local pool requires one adult per child under a certain age, so probably wouldn't let me in with both of them).

Hi there

My DTs are 18 months now & I still find it really hard to take them anywhere outdoors in an exposed space on my own (as they both run off in different directions & just too dangerous). Just invested in a pair of twin reins - have seen other people manage two outdoors with them, but not quite sure how this is going to work yet..

Just to say if you've got the room, mine love their pop up tent & tunnel. Have great fun playing peekaboo with eachother, plus folds flat, so really easy storage. Clearing the room & throwing a ball around keeps them occupied as well. As does padding round the settees with cushions & letting them have a good bounce around. They're just getting into playdoh now as well, which can while away half an hour if you're lucky. Failing that there's always CBeebies! Have got waybuloo on series link!!!

Just wanted to say I feel your pain my 2 are almost 15 months and into everything, really hard too take them anywhere as they just get up to so much mischief!

The best thing I've found really helpful is my toddler wagon which they love when they are going stir crazy I stick them in it they hate the buggy but love being in the wagon.

Also seperating toys into different boxes and swopping the boxes every half hour, so in one I have play food, cups and stuff, one musical stuff, another cars...

Wagon -www.step2uk.com/prodpage.asp?productid=483

Hope that helps

Could you still take them in the garden with waterproofs on? Waterproof booties might be worth buying until they're ok in wellies? Probably help your peace of mind for a while if you can spend a bit of time out there come rain or shine. Don't wait for them to be walking better, if they're warm and dry it won't matter.
A few things that kept my 2 happy around this age was a box with shredded paper in (or just torn up catalogues whatever), god they loved it! (or two boxes but my 2 shared ok at this point). Also oven trays and a box of magnetic letters seemed quite interesting.
We have any amount of plastic stuff in our garden inc trikes, a little tykes car (v.recommended as at this age they can both fit in!) but the cheap ride-ons from mothercare were the best for all my kids. Like these but usually cheaper in store. Easy to ride or push inside or out. Little buggies also v.v.popular, they can chase each other round and round, really good pressies.
My two are 2 on Monday and I still haven't taken them swimming, the thought terrifies me.
By xmas things will be so different and you can do lots more. Although soft play might become more difficult, I don't dare take my 3 (I have nearly 4yo at home too) without someone else as dd is too much of an escapee.

I remember my boys loved (and still do at 3 1/2) pushing dolls buggies. I got the very simple umberella ones that were easy and light to fold up and put on the buggy when they had had enough. they weren't very interested in dolls or teddy bears but would fill the seats wiht other little toys (:)at the memory!)

I was lucky enough to have a playroom so they could pretty much do what they liked in there and i could shut them in to keep the house clean, them safe. Then in our fenced in garden we had a paving stone path all around the back of the house, we first had ride ons and then progressed to trikes and then bikes which they would ride around on for hours, plus a sandpit a slide etc. Means you can wrap them up and put them outside to play for an hour or so each day, whatever the weather. Lifesaver, as i found playparks quite dangerous places when mine were small.

I gave up on the buggy early on - at about 18 months as mine didn't want to sit and would fight. Prob only an option for me because i lived in the sticks and drove everywhere. I wonder now if i gave up too early. I did try twin reigns (as mine had a terrible habit of running off) with mixed results.

I look back on it and laugh now but it can be a very trying time! It will get better.

My DD (one of DTs) only walked at 16 months, whereas DS2 (other DT) walked at 12 months. It made swings etc a bit of a nightmare but I just put DD in one of those all in one waterproof suits and let her crawl around everywhere! We used to go to the swings with them strapped into pushchair, and then let them loose once safely in playground.

I do remember well though the phase when they wanted to be out of the pushchair walking, but I was too scared to let them both out to walk at once (we live surrounded by rivers and open water).

At least the weather is crap anyway so you have extra reason to be at home!

I never had trikes for mine, except one hand me down one we kept at home in the garden. When they turned two we got them micro scooters which are fab. I think the youngest they can really master those is 18 months though and often well past two.

just wanted to say we bought smart trikes for our twin boys who are now 16 months and i had managed to push them both together on my own quite well during the summer. there is a knack to doing it and could only manage a short distance (round the block) got lots of smiles from drivers etc passing me but yes it can be done! I am finding this winter so far just awful in terms of what to do. I go to mums and tots 2 mornings a week which is a life saver, lots of visits to grandparents houses which i am lucky are both sets within a few miles, trips round the supermarket even when i don't really need much, its just a place to go for half an hour for a change (lol) and thats about it. roll on spring!

I was lucky that mine were this age in the summer (just turned 19mo) and we did go out to the park/in the garden a lot. Perhaps you might have room for some things that we had in the garden at home? Ball pit, sit on rocker, small slide, trikes...

I also got a season ticket for our local children's farm which has a soft play and a playground. I find that it's so quiet during the week that I can let them walk if I have someone else with me (even if that's a mum with a singleton).

We also started to go to toddler groups at about this time, and really started to get benefit from them at about 16mo. (the flip side of having the benefit of the summer and the good weather is that all playgroups and classes cease during the summer just when we wanted them most)

We do a music class, but I have girls who don't have the same need to crash about . Have you investigated Gymbabes or Tumble Tots? Often they have a discount for twins.

We have waterproofs and often go to the park on a dry-ish day but I am finding in the last few weeks it's too cold (especially as they refuse to wear gloves and hats) but we kept going to the park right until the end of October so there will be hope for March.

This is a grim time of year isn't it?