Parenting twins: real-life routine tips from a mum of seven

Routine is key for Samantha. As a mum of seven, she knows that without a plan for the day, life can quickly feel stressful and confusing.

For many parents of twins and triplets, getting into a rhythm can feel like the difference between coping and simply getting through. Twins Trust supports families to find routines that work for them, whether that is around sleep, feeding or the practical realities of caring for more than one baby at once.

Samantha found the key things that worked for her to create a routine to fit around her family. It was about finding systems that worked and working as a team and learning to accept support.

Born during a pandemic

Samantha’s twins, Ameliah and Levi, were born in April 2020. They arrived three months early, during the Covid pandemic. When they were finally able to come home, Samantha and her family lived in their own pandemic bubble.

It was during those early weeks that Samantha reached out to Twins Trust. She was offered support from a Norland nanny volunteer, and she also found comfort in reading about other families who had been through difficult starts.

Samantha added: “When I was in hospital with the twins and I was reading other people’s stories of hope on the Twins Trust website, it gave me hope. You need the stories to inspire you and keep you going, it’s a long journey when your babies are premature.”

Ameliah and Levi were born at 27 weeks and spent 61 days in hospital. Samantha is a twin herself, and her cousin, who also has twins, recommended she join Twins Trust.

Finding support, and finding a rhythm

Samantha was juggling the needs of the twins alongside the needs of her older children, and she knew she needed a routine she could rely on.

“The support I’ve had from Twins Trust has been incredible. The Norland nanny helped me get the babies in a routine. I was worried about them sleeping safely and she helped with that.
I worried about tandem feeding and how I would do it all.”

For Samantha, bedtime was not just about getting the twins to sleep. It was about creating a calm end to the day as part of the daily routine. She focused on a gentle wind-down and on keeping things consistent.

“I was helping to show them when it was bedtime. I’d talk to the babies a lot and that’s great for their communication. Lights would go off and it was winding down time and bath time and massage. That routine really helped them get the sleep they needed.”

She also had to make the routine fit around the practical demands of a busy household, including the school run for her older children at 3pm. That meant thinking carefully about daytime naps and planning her time around them.

“They slept from 12pm to 3pm, so I knew that was my window for anything else that needed doing, including work.”

Adapting as the twins grow

Walking became a regular part of Samantha’s day too. Getting out with the twins in their buggy, and taking them to the park, helped her build movement and fresh air into the routine.

Evenings were structured as well, keeping to a tight routine. After school, the focus was on clubs, arts and crafts, completing homework and preparing dinner. Batch cooking at weekends helped make weekday meals easier when time was tight. Samantha also involved the children in making their own meals on a Friday, choosing something they could manage themselves, like pizza.

As the twins grew older, Samantha realised she needed more advice about sleep, so she signed up for a Twins Trust sleep workshop.

“I was trying to put all the children to bed at the same time and it wasn’t working.”

She began to stagger bedtime instead, leaving the oldest children downstairs where they could help tidy up toys in return for extra TV time. That shift helped the older children feel involved, while also easing the pressure on Samantha at the busiest point of the evening.

“The oldest children then really benefited and that helped me as a job was done. The older ones then got a book read to them that was more appropriate for their age so they enjoyed that.

“More children always creates more challenges but Twins Trust has been so useful for me. The charity has helped me with sleep routines, plus reading the magazine has been quite enlightening.

“You don’t know what you don’t know as a mum. You have to keep adapting your routine and learning along the way.”

As the family grew, Samantha adapted again, this time with washing. What had once been manageable became overwhelming without a clear system, so she found a way that worked for everyone. The result was simple but important: a calmer home, and plenty of clean socks.

“I had to look at the washing in a different way. I had to reframe it when I felt like it was overwhelming. I had fertility issues and it took me 10 years to have the children. I’m now living the years that I prayed for and I’m so grateful.
“It’s not easy and some days are better than others. It’s all about a clear routine and communication in a big family and finding what routine works for you.”