Helpful Hacks to Organize this Twin Life

March 12, 2018

twin parent organization hacks

Parenting is one of those things in life that will stretch you and grow you more than you could possibly imagine. Prepare to gain some mad skills, particularly if you will be parenting multiples. For most parents, being organized is a nice plus but for twin parents, it’s survival.

Now not everyone is going to be a Martha Stewart, but most twin parents will have basic systems and tricks in place to save both time and sanity. TwinGo has put together some of its favorite hacks for keeping your twin life afloat. Without further ado, here they are.

Code Your Life

Color coding is one of the best things twin parents can do to keep track of what is for who, especially in those hazy newborn days. What’s great is you can transition the care for your littles to others with ease. Handing off blue and green bottles at the church nursery will make it a whole lot easier for nursery workers to report back who drank what.

Labeling can also be a great way to prevent losing that baby item you love the most. Mabel’s Labels are great for labeling coats, shoes, bags, and food storage containers. Keeping track of that overpriced environmentally friendly sippy has never been easier.

Clothing Boxes

It may seem like your infant twins are going to be chubby blobs forever, but they will literally grow before your eyes, usually tripling their body weight by their first birthday! It goes quickly, so you will want to have their clothing organized the best you can.

There is nothing sadder than realizing they didn’t get a chance to wear those super cute matching rompers at 6 months because you didn’t come across them until they were hitting 9 months.

Keep the clothes that currently fit in their drawers/closet, and have a 3 to 6 month box, a 6 to 9 month box, and a 9 to 12 month box easily accessible and well labeled.

Keeping an empty box nearby for outgrown items really helps. Diaper boxes can be great for this and can make it easy to visually know what is in each box (e.g. Size 1 for newborn clothing). Calendar reminders to sort clothes can be super helpful too. That phone may come in handy for more than just taking cute pictures of those chubby bunnies!

Knowing what you do and don’t have is half the battle.

Well Stocked Baby Stations

While you don’t want your house to look like a warehouse storage center, thoughtfully stocking well appointed areas of your home with necessities will make life so much easier. Baby zones on each floor of a multi-level house really minimize frustration.

Keep a changing station near your main living area that includes diapers, wipes, and some basic onesies. An accessible nursing basket in a few key spots will make it easy to meet your twinzies needs. Stock it with a water bottle, some snacks, burp clothes, and a nursing pillow or two.

Keeping a small supply of emergency baby items in your car will also ensure you aren’t stranded without the basics. An outfit, a small bit of emergency formula powder or snacks, diapers, wipes, and onesies can be a lifesaver!

Keep key supplies easily accessible and you’ll keep calm as you twin on.

Shop it Like its Hot

We get it. You probably barely have time to catch up on the latest episode of The Bachelor let alone spend hours shopping for household items. But, internet shopping has revolutionized parenting.

Here’s the thing, establishing a system is hard, but once established, it is smooth sailing.

Try to set aside some time (if possible before the babies even arrive) and get some key items on auto delivery. Get into the habit of ordering groceries and other household items from your favorite stores. Once you have started, your ordering history is often saved, and you can easily click what you want the next time. Hooray for auto deliveries!

The Night Shift

This simple trick can have a huge impact on your day. The basic idea is to set aside a little time each evening to prep for the day to come. Sometimes it may only be 5 minutes, but do what you can to tidy the kitchen, stock your baby stations, do a quick pick up, and lay out some things for the next day can make your morning. Think breakfast items/packed lunches for daycare or preschool/outfits/coffee pot fully loaded, etc. You may not feel like it at the time, but morning you will thank evening you for a smooth start to the day (and a nice warm brew).

Be a Minimal Mom

We all know that minimalism is hot, but is it even possible with twins in the mix? We think so.

As a twin parent, it is easy to get caught in the trap of thinking you need two of everything, but it is a beneficial exercise to carefully consider for which items this is true.

Most of us find that we have too much of everything, especially clothing. The key is figuring out what is useful to you, and limiting what you allow into your home to what is practical, purposeful or beautiful.

Carefully curate your home, life, and calendar, and you will find that it is easier to move through those early days of twin parenting. Sometimes more is not better, it is just more.

We hope that these basic principles of organizing your life will help make the transition to twin parenthood an easy one for you. By the time your twins are no longer tiny, your life skills list is going to be pretty impressive!