8 Things I wish I knew Before Having Twins

One month before I gave birth to my twins, a friend asked me what the hardest part of raising twins would be. I said “sleep.” Then she laughed and said, “I bet you’re going to wish they never slept!” That sounded crazy at the time — how could it be a challenge to get two newborns to sleep? How hard could it be to get two babies to sleep, even if they were right next to each other all night long? Pretty darn hard, as it turns out.

Here are eight things I wish I’d known before having twins:

1. Twins wake up at the same time every single night. For years after my children were born, people would ask me what time my twins woke up. “6 am,” I would reply confidently, thinking that was some sort of superpower that I’d figured out. No one with a singleton could claim that kind of information. But, in reality, 6 am is the time my twins wake up every day — on weekdays and weekends, during summer and winter, during naps, and at night. It’s the time they wake up every day because they are born on exactly the same schedule. They’re never more than 15 minutes apart, which means that my children have woken me up for four years straight at 6 am.

2. Twins take twice as long to learn everything. Despite getting woken up in a similar way for seven years so far, my children reached milestones at entirely different times from each other. Just when one child was starting to crawl, the other would be learning to walk. One would master drinking from a sippy cup at the same time the other would start spilling his milk all over himself. I can tell my children apart, but they are years behind where I thought they’d be because of their twinness.

3. Two babies mean twice as much laundry. If you have a child, then you know that diapers are perhaps the most disgusting thing in the world. Imagine multiplying that by two, and you can start to understand the laundry situation of having twins. On average, I do at least 10 loads of laundry a day (and that’s with me trying to be stingy and not wash clothes every time they get dirty).

4. Twins need their own space — and then some. Just when I thought I had enough space for my one child, I discovered that twins need their own bedroom. And not just any bedroom — a room with two cribs, two changing tables, and two sets of everything. Twins also need their own toys, their own chairs at the dinner table, and their own spot on the couch. Basically, they need their own everything.

5. Twins take twice as long to put to sleep — and stay asleep longer. People say that twins are easier because they like each other’s company, which makes naps (and bedtime) go faster. This is true most of the time, but not always; sometimes one twin wakes the other one up during naps and nighttime sleep. Then there’s the fact that they’re both in one crib, and you really want them to be able to fall asleep on their own. Putting two babies to bed is basically like putting an older child to bed, except you have twice as many arms.

6. Twins are twice as expensive — at least until they start paying for themselves. Having two babies isn’t twice as much work — it’s exponentially more difficult. It took me 10 months to lose the weight I gained during my pregnancy with twins, and that was after working out regularly for an hour a day. Twins are expensive because you have to buy double the diapers, clothes, toys, etc. You also have to hire a babysitter twice as often and eat out twice as much.

7. Having two babies means twice the love. I can’t imagine loving one child more than another, but sometimes people ask if it’s “easier” having twins because you have someone to share your love with, especially at times when caring for them is really hard. The answer is no, it’s not easier; it’s just twice as wonderful.

8. Twins are a complete blessing. I never would have guessed that having twins would be the most amazing experience of my life, but it has been. From the moment they were born, my twins have brought me more happiness than I ever could have imagined. They are my reflections, my partners in crime, and my best friends. I can’t imagine my life without them.

Having twins is truly a unique experience, one that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Though it’s been hard at times, it’s also been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. If you have a twin, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t have a twin, imagine all the things that would be different if you did, and then multiply them by two.