Travelling with twins...

Travelling with your little one in tow can strike fear in the heart of any parent but what about travelling with twins? Traveling with babies and toddlers is always a challenge, but with twins it can be double trouble if you don't travel prepared!

If the thought of taking your twins on a train, plane or automobile makes you think of jumping ship, read our helpful travel tips for travelling with twins!

Parents to twins are only too aware of the challenges of having two bundles of joy to take care of. You can never be too ready for fussing, diaper changes, feedings, crying and tantrums- with two little ones to deal with! Travelling with twins means the routine that helps parents cope with twins is gone and the demands of two little ones multiply!

Travel with twins at night
Sleeping twins means less hard work! When planning a trip, try travel in the evenings or early evening so most of your travel time is when your little ones are fast asleep. This will make the journey easier on you! If you can, book a redeye flight (meaning you fly through the night and wake up bright and early at your destination) and bring comfortable travel blankets and pillows for your little ones to sleep peacefully.

If you are planning a road trip with your family and are wanting to make sure your twins are sleeping for most of the journey, keep in mind that driving through the night isn’t always safe- ensure the driver is alert and awake throughout the journey to avoid trouble!

Get your twins on the same schedule
For your own sanity, it’s a must that your twins are on the same schedule before you embark on any travel adventure! For twin babies and toddlers their schedules can make or break your ability to travel with any success! When you book your holiday or plan your journey, if your twins aren't already on the same schedule (sleeping, eating) try get them on the same schedule as soon as possible! Why is this so important? Because if your twins aren’t on the same schedule you will be like a crazy person stopping every hour and a half, for instance, to nurse each twin, or constantly having to entertain a baby, while one is awake and the other is sleeping, meaning you will have no rest yourself. It’s important to keep yourself rested (well as possible!), so when your twins sleep, try get 40 winks, yourself!

Get each twin an airline seat
With twins, you have serious double trouble to make sure you get your twins their own seats if you planning on flying. There is no way you can handle twins on your lap, even though technically can do this with twins under age two (according to airline policies), it is the better choice to get your little ones their own seats. It will be more comfortable for them and you!

Ask for help
Even if you are travelling with your twins with a partner help make use of any extra help you can possibly get. If you are flying make use of assistance airlines offer parents travelling alone- they will be happy to help if you have your hands full with twins- just ask! Most airlines allow for people travelling with children to board the aeroplane first and fast track family lanes when you are going through airport security. If you are having trouble, ask airport and airline staff for help. This applies for when you are flying- before the flight takes off, seek out an airhost or hostess in your cabin and explain you may require some assistance- for example, if you are travelling alone and need to use the bathroom, ask for help in keeping an eye on your twins.

Busy twins are happy twins
The best way of keeping your twins out of trouble and happy while on a journey is keeping them busy and happy! Keep them distracted. Keep your twins occupied with their favourite toys and make them last for the duration of the trip! Don’t bring out all the toys at once to bring travel toys and make them last so that each toy has a period of novelty and let the twins swop the toys. A great way to avoid tantrums on the road with a toddler is to splurge on a portable DVD player for the car and let them watch their favourite DVD’s or if you travelling on a plane switch the channel on the In Flight Entertainment to the child-friendly channel that will keep the little ones occupied. If your twins are a little older it’s an idea to bring along some fun activities for toddlers such as drawing or playing with stickers and paper. Many airlines have games and colouring books to keep the little ones occupied! And don’t forget the best thing about twins- they keep each other entertained too!

Pack as lightly as possible
Packing lightly seems like no small feat when you have twins in tow! More than one baby doesn’t mean double the baby goods. It’s all about streamlining and not bringing anything unnecessary along- you will already have your hands full. If you have separate baby bags for your twins, for a trip, just have one as it’s less to carry. A great thing about twins is they can share things. If you have boy-girl twins, bring lots of neutral clothing they can share instead of double sets. Bring toys they both love and can share. Bring double-duty entertainment, for example two colouring books bun one set of crayons that they can share. Don’t cart along extras if you can avoid it.

Be prepared
Make sure you are prepared with lots of extras besides what is in your baby bag. Extra cloths to cover wiped-down but still wet spots, spare clothes for the twins (and yourself, incase a baby messes on you) and any sort of cleaning supply you might need on the go (Boots has great ‘minis’ for travelling). Wet wipes are a must-have so you can clean up your twins (and yourself) with no mess, no fuss! If your twins are a bit older make sure you pack a well-stocked bag with treats and snacks- nothing worse than hungry children.

Embrace it!
The thought of travelling with two little ones is daunting but don't let yourself be tempted to stay home if you have twins- embrace it. There are many reasons to travel with twins. They both can share the experience and memories together and it’s double the fun!

A mum of twins shares her travel experience...
When my twin girls were 6 months old, I embarked on a solo trip (my husband stayed at home for work reasons) with my girls to London from South Africa- which is 12 hour flight- alone with my little ones! I survived the journey only due to the very kind help of air hostesses who were invaluable in giving me an extra pair of hands. I asked and they helped! The hardest part of the trip was getting the girls and myself through airport security and onto the plane managing them, myself, all our travel documents and their baby baggage. The ONLY sane way to do it is by asking for help, but when we got to the other side, it was well worth it! My girls are now 2 years old and travel is fantastic with them as they are each other’s little companions and it’s a real joy to see!

Happy travels...