If you are a parent of twins, do you consider spending one-on-one time with each twin?

Many experts encourage parents of multiples to spend one-on-one quality time with each twin and make it a part of their daily routine. This not just helps parents to know each child independently but also allows kids to bond well with each parent.

Both my twins have different personalities. One is an introvert and other is an extrovert. One is highly dependent on me and other is fairly independent. They have different temperaments, likings and interests too. I have also noticed that they behave a lot different when the other one isn’t around. So spending one-on-one time with each of them looks essential to us and helps us understand them better. We get to explore their individual nature, their needs and also their behaviour.

The only struggle, however, we face is managing time. When A&A were young, I used to make the most of the breastfeeding sessions with each of them in order to spend our one-on-one time. I would make funny faces, talk, cuddle and would make it special. Now that they are growing up, it looks a bit difficult. They always want to be together and if me and my husband try to take them out separately they don’t really cooperate. So taking them for outings individually doesn’t really work for us.

Now through our daily routine, we have figured out  some ways to enjoy that special one-on-one time at home itself.

Bath Time
I give bath to both my kids separately and so find it a good time to bond and connect with them. Morning is anyway a time when they are fresh and in a good mood too. So I make the most of that time by talking, sharing and even playing with a little splish splash.They find it fun and usually tell me about their friends, things they learn in school, what they want to play with, what each of them wants to eat in the day, etc.

Night Time
We have an arrangement where my husband puts one child to sleep and I put the other. We read books, sing rhymes, etc. All four of us sleep on the same bed, but one day my daughter sleeps on her dad’s side and son on mine and second day vice versa. So we utilize this time before bedtime to talk and chat separately with each of them. At this growing stage, there are a lot of things we feel we need to make them understand individually (like good or bad touch) and learn too (good habits,potty training,etc). I personally find this time of the night the best to counsel and talk about them in detail.  

Early Riser
Since the beginning, it has always been that one of my kids need less sleep. In the morning my son wakes up early and during afternoons, my daughter takes shorter naps. Though they have similar routine and are on the same schedule, still I usually find a good half an hour to spend some alone time with my early riser. We cuddle, play, tell stories and simply enjoy each other’s company. 

Spending some one-on-one time with each of them can help in a major one to build their self-esteem and encourage individuality.

Did you find this post helpful? What special do you do to spend some one-on-one time with your twins? Do share in the comments below.

This post is a part of#BlogchatterA2Z Challenge on the alphabet ‘G’. You can find all 26 posts on ‘A to Z of Twin Parenting’ under the hashtags #atozoftwinparenting and #themomsagaswrites on Facebook and Twitter.