TWINS // HOW TO DO MEALTIME

Holiday time I LOVE because it means lots of extra family joy,
and lots of extra meals!

Did you know that the FDA recommends eating three square meals a day, if not more? Well, I never paid much attention to the frequency with which we eat until we started feeding twins (plus one!)

 

Two additional (not to mention sloppy and uncoordinated) mouths to feed is no small feat.

 

 Not only is it costly (where do they put it all?) but the messes and time spent are nearly unbelievable. Wile I was a breastfeeding mommy of twins I learned to wolf down my food for fear of a baby needing to eat and having limited access to my hands (my awesome husband actually fed me while I fed the boys on occasion!).

 

My new speed eating skills come in handy because the twins meals require preparations and thought beyond what I can put into my own body, even if we feed them the exact same things, they still need smaller pieces, additional seasonings, vegetables, utensils, etc.

Hey, aren't we supposed to be simplifying here?

 

There are two versions of mealtime in our home:

One when daddy is home, and one for when he's at work.
 

When daddy is home it looks like this:
 

1. Daddy makes a beautiful meal

2. Mommy and daddy work as a team (unless baby girl needs to eat simultaneously, then daddy flys solo) to get highchairs set up, babies in place and food flowing We save space in our small apartment by folding our conveniently small high chairs in half and tucking them behind the tale between meals

3. Mommy cuts daddy's beautiful meal into baby sized pieces and feeds the twins

4. Twins throw half their food on the floor (on a good day)

5. Mommy and daddy feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the HUGE mess created

6. Dad or mom wipes hands, faces and trays, and whoever didn't T get that awesome job gets the box down and begins cleanup.

PHEW Is that all?

You better shut up right now!

 

If daddy's not home meals look like this:

1. Mommy cuts up something, I hope they like it

2. Mom puts babies in high hairs

3. Mom gives babies cut up stuff and they make a mess

4. Mom cleans babies and gets them out of their high hairs and leaves the mess while she feeds baby girl

5. Two hours later mom feels sad when she sees the old mess she forgot to clean... and realizes its meal time again Booo

 

So for you, my friends, I suggest this:

1. Keep it simple

2. Have a favorite food backup plan if you're trying something new
(to avoid meltdowns and cut down on tears - yours and theirs)

3. Clean it up. Right away.
I find that if I clean as I go and eat on the move then there is almost no clean-up stress. Unfortunately that means not having a sit known meal, so I reserve those for when daddy is home and there is more big person power to conquer baby food monsters.



Yep, mealtime can tend to look pretty monotonous around here!
 

 

Oh yeah, and ENJOY your time together!

 

Love love.