Routine Examples for Twins

Since becoming a twin momma I’ve been asked by many who have become mommies after me what type of schedule I’ve had my girls on.

I think it’s always been more of a routine than a clocked schedule (note: the times listed below fluctuated from time to time), but consistency and small changes have always worked for us.

Around the three-month mark we were able to start somewhat of a routine, but by the six month mark they were definitely consistent.

So I thought it might be worth blogging about.

Here are some routine examples that worked for us throughout various stages:

*Keep in mind that:

1) We ended up becoming co-sleeping parents for the first few months of their lives (despite thinking that we wouldn’t), so don’t be caught off guard when I mention that we put them to bed in our bed

2) Our girls suffered from GERD (or reflux) so I make mention of medication being needed

3) I’m a big advocate of Zippadeezip Slumber Sacks (I don’t work for them and have no affiliation to them), but I do mention them throughout the schedule as they were the only thing after swaddling that worked to help our girls sleep

4) We chose to keep our girls on the same routine. Some parents choose to keep their twins on alternating schedules, but we found the same schedule worked best for our family.

 

Six Months Old:

7am

• Wake them up (yes, wake THEM to keep them on the same routine)
• Change diapers
• Bottles

7:45am-10am

• Once burped put back in zippy sleep sacks
• Back to bed (on pillow in middle of our King bed) with soothers

*May stir occasionally but soothers and some calming words would settle them down

10am

• Wake up time (open curtains, take zippy sleep sacks off and burp each of them)
• Give each baby 5 drops of Bio Gaie (probiotic).
• Give each baby a dose of reflux medication
• I’d usually keep them calm after their medicine by singing softly to them in bed

10:20am

• Bring them into their room and get each of them ready for the day
• Change diapers, dress them and sing them their ABC’s while doing so, they also like laying in their crib and watching/listening to their elephant mobile

10:30am

• Bottles
• Play time (on their mat, I’d wait on putting them in their jolly jumper or activity saucer until later because they’re likely to spit up so close to a meal)

12pm (or whenever they get tired of playing)

• Swings (covered up with blankets and put soft toys in for them to cuddle and soothers)
• They’ll usually sleep for about an hour (sometimes they’d wake and then talk themselves back to sleep)

2pm

• Change diapers
• Bottles
• Play time on their mat

3pm-5pm

• Change diapers
• Put in zippies
• Nap time

*May stir occasionally but soothers and some calming words would settle them down

5pm

• Wake up time
• Give each baby a dose of reflux medication

5:30pm

• Change diapers
• Bottles

6:45pm-7:30pm

• Out for a walk with the girls

*If it’s rainy skip the walk and put them in their swings for a 30-45 min nap

7:30pm-8:30pm

• Play time (jolly jumper, activity saucer, on the play mat)

8:30pm

• Change diapers
• Bottles

9pm

• Burp, change diapers again
• Put in zippies
• Read a story to the girls
• Sing lullabies

9:30pm

• Goodnight

 

One-Year Old:

7:15/7:30am

• Good morning
• take off zippies and change diapers

7:30/7:45am

• bottles (250 ml)

8/8:15am

• playtime

9:15/9:30am

• breakfast: yogurt and fruit
• a handful of cheerios once their yogurt and fruit are done

9:45am

• morning nap (change diapers if they haven’t pooped yet)
• put on zippies and lay them down to fall asleep in middle of our King bed

10:05am

• transfer to their cribs

11:30/11:45am

• Good morning (again)…they usually wake up on their own but if not wake them
• take off zippies, change diapers and get them dressed for the day

11:45am/12pm

• bottles (150 ml)

12:15pm

• playtime

1/1:15pm

• lunch: some kind of solids (pieces of a wrap, pancakes, toast. Also cut up some fruit for them)
• purees: 1/2 jar veggies mixed with 1/2 jar fruit

2:15/2:30pm

• afternoon nap
• change diapers, put on zippies

3:30pm

• wake up
• take off zippies, change diapers

4pm

• bottles (150 ml)

4:15pm

• playtime

5:30pm

• dinner: whatever you’re eating for dinner just in tiny pieces
• purees: 1/2 jar veggies mixed with 1/2 jar fruit

6pm

• playtime (if they get fussy strip them down to their diapers, keeps them happy for some reason)

6:45/7pm

• change diapers, put in new onesie and sleeper

7:15pm

• bottles (200 ml)

7:30pm

• put in zippies
• story time and lullabies in our bed
• transfer them to their cribs

Good night.

Two-Years Old:

7:15/7:30am

• Good morning (they’ll wake up on their own)
• change diapers
• bottles (7 oz)

Playtime

8:30am

-Breakfast:

• Scrambled eggs and fruit and then yogurt or apple sauce or
• Waffles and fruit and then yogurt or apple sauce or
• Bagels with butter and fruit and then yogurt or apple sauce or
• Toast with raspberry jam and fruit and then yogurt or apple sauce

**they’ll let you know whether they want apple sauce or yogurt, 9 times out of 10 it’s yogurt

Vitamins: give mixed in yogurt or apple sauce. ½ tsp of liquid multivitamins mixed with ½ spoonful of powder probiotic each.

Get dressed after breakfast

Snacks throughout the day:

• Yogurt raisins
• Sliced peeled apple
• Sliced grapes
• Blueberries
• Graham crackers
• Bear paw cookies
• Veggie straws

12pm

Lunch:

• Kraft dinner
• pb and j sandwich cut in strips
• mini pizzas
• hot dogs with ketchup
• sliced meat (cut in pieces) with some sliced cheese and wrap

Right after Lunch:

• milk in sippy cups

12:30/1pm

Afternoon Nap:

• change diapers

3pm

• they usually wake themselves up

3:15pm

snack time

5:30pm

• dinner: whatever you’re eating for dinner just in tiny pieces
• purees: 1/2 jar veggies mixed with 1/2 jar fruit or a yogurt if they didn’t have it at breakfast

6:45/7pm

• change diapers and put on jammies

7:15pm

• bottles (6 oz)

7:30pm

• have them brush their teeth in the bathroom
• story time with the girls sitting with you in the chair
• in their cribs and sing their lullabies

 

Good night