It’s difficult enough to take care of one baby, but these supermoms have juggled two, three—and even four!—newborns at the same time. We asked seven moms of multiples to share the parenting tricks that helped get them through their day a little easier, and they gave us these ingenious hacks that are ideal for practically any new parent.
Melissa Edwards-Hills, mom of triplets
“I want to start by saying a triplet mom, with babies in the NICU, recently asked me if it gets easier. YES! It’s hard some days, but it’s not nearly as hard as it is amazing. Here are my top three tips:
“Tip #1: Do not take advice about ‘cry it out,’ feeding on demand, or sleep schedules from anyone who does not have high order multiples. I’m yelling that from the rooftops!
“Tip #2: If at all possible, daddy helps! Period! Not negotiable. I don’t care if you have one kid or ten. I don’t care if you’re a stay-at-home mom, and he works outside the home, when he gets home, you switch off for an hour. Then split the rest of the evening and night responsibilities. My husband and I both worked full-time. He stayed up later than I did, so I did the 9 p.m. feeding and went to bed. He did the 12 a.m. feeding, and went to bed. Then I did the 3 a.m. feeding, and so on and so on. That way we each always got a six-hour stretch of sleep. On workdays, our granny nanny showed up at 6 a.m. and took over baby duties while we went to work. If you have a granny nanny, use them! They are the best.
“Tip #3: Make the next day’s formula the night before, and feed on a schedule. If you have multiples, ALL babies eat together, unless a medical reason dictates not to do so. Our schedule was every three hours. If someone refuses to eat, they wait for the next feeding. They may cry, and it may be painful to your poor heart, but this is the fastest way to teach them they can not eat on demand. Triplets can’t eat on demand, or their momma will be too exhausted to take care of them.”
Danielle Odom, mom of quadruplets
“I’m a mom of quadruplets (all girls, and they are four years old), and I would say the biggest thing is to never compare your kiddos to others. Every child develops differently, and in time will do those things that you are comparing.
“Also, always ask for help! My husband and I have raised our six kiddos by ourselves and we’re always too proud to ask for help. We have zero social lives and haven’t had a date in almost seven years. We have only been away from our kiddos once overnight (when I had our son).
“And, always have an outlet to vent. These kiddos are stressful, demanding, and can downright be soul suckers. Don’t forget who you are, and don’t lose yourself in this beautiful chaos of a life!”
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Maggie Hartman, mom of twins
“Moms with multiples are very special people. They have double the work and double the fun, no one can deny. They must also be organized—but flexible at the same time. A daily routine will benefit both mom and her babies in several ways. Babies will feel secure and safe knowing what to expect in their daily routine, and mom will feel like she’s accomplished what she set out to do. Of course, things will pop up to throw this routine off no doubt, but try to stick to it as much as possible.
“The second tip I have is to find a helper. Whether it’s family, a friend, or the teenage girl down the street, you need someone to give you a little break now and then. Don’t be afraid to ask. I was overjoyed when I found a babysitter who wasn’t afraid to babysit two babies at a time. Whatever your situation, just know that someday you will look back on this experience and wonder, ‘How did I ever get through that?’ But, you will never regret it.”
Cindy Kupiainen, mom of triplets
“Let each child have their own one-on-one time with mom/dad/grandparents, etc. Even when they are babies, do this so they can get some much-needed individual and undivided attention. When they are older, it can be as simple as taking turns going to the grocery store or having a ‘day out’ where they get to do something fun, like going to the bookstore, having lunch, or letting them pick out a new outfit.”
Cher Kimbrough, mom of twins
“Not only are they in charge, but life is WAY more fun that way!”
Brittney Mason, mom of twins
AND LIFESTYLE BLOGGER AT THE PRETTY PLUS
“As long as the baby has all their needs met, it’s okay to set them in a safe space and do what needs to be done. For me, it’s always sit one baby down to deal with the needs of the other. But for a new mom to a singleton, it might look like sitting the baby down to fill up their coffee mug, make a quick lunch, or use the restroom.
“A good sound machine is worth its weight in gold. We use the Hatch Rest and love that we can set it up on a schedule and operate it from the app. It’s important for us because we put them in between the twins’ cribs so one doesn’t wake the other up at night. It works 99% of the time!”
Maria Baer, mom of twins
AND OWNER OF THE BAER MINIMALIST
“In an effort to make the morning routine easier, we keep all of our boy/girl twins’ clothing in one bedroom so that we don’t have to shuffle from one room to another. They each have a couple of their own dresser drawers for pjs, underwear, socks, and pants, and then we hang all of their shirts in the closet—not only does it stay wrinkle-free, but they can see all of their options without tearing through a drawer. They are at an age where they ‘demand’ to dress themselves, so I keep the everyday clothing in plain view, while special occasion items and clothing that doesn’t fit lives in the other bedroom’s closet.”
Stephanie Groves is the Executive Editor of Indy Maven, and she can use all the parenting hacks she can get.
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