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Have you wondered how the heck you ever get anything done during the day while home with baby or babies? I know I did. I searched many months ahead of time for the magic bullet to keep everything happy and harmonious.

Now that I’m a mom of newborn twins, I know there are no quick-fix answers. That said, it can be done. Today I’ll share some things we’ve learned at our house.

First, a few caveats before we jump into our tips for a morning routine with babies:

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Baby age

This routine will vary a ton based on baby age. My babies are in a bit of a unique situation as in they were quite preemie. 28 and 6 to be exact. Right now they’re an adjusted 2 – 3 months. Different aged babies may nap more or less, or find something other than staring at the ceiling the most fascinating thing ever.

Baby sleep habits

Another huge consideration is your baby’s sleep habits. Are they sleeping through the night, nursing every two hours or somewhere in between? I know for us, when the babes were only going 2 – 3 hours between feedings, everything was just survival mode. Read: lower your expectations for what you can get done during the day!

But when they started going four – five hour stretches, everything changed for the better. And five months out, they made it from 7:30 – 4 AM most days. From six months on we pretty strictly enforced 7 to 7. Yes twelve hours straight!

So be sure to read how to help your baby sleep 12 hours.

There is hope, ladies!

Okay! With those two caveats out of the way let’s dig into the morning routine.

As a new mom only a few months in, here are my top tips.

1. Get up earlier than the babes (if they slept well)

You’ll see a lot of advice to get up earlier than the baby. I’d agree with this…in most cases.

Here was our routine at five months, when the twins still got up once or twice per night.

In our household, dad would often take the morning feed. I know, I’m lucky. Hands off, ladies. 🙂 Since we both work from home, this is daily quality time he gets with the boys. If he took the morning shift, I’ll catch a few z’s or pump, or just check my phone in bed before venturing downstairs.

If I was on duty, I’ll try to knock out a few essential things before the babes get up: putting the previous night’s dirty bottles away, emptying or loading the dishwasher, and starting the coffee. I straighten the remnants of last night’s “party,” [burp cloths, random toys, clothes covered with spitup] and get the table for two situated on the ottoman and ready for action.

Now at eleven months, with the twins sleeping seven to seven, if I don’t get enough sleep I only have myself to blame.

If you’re struggling with sleep training be sure to check out the Moms on Call program, which saved our sanity.

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Pro tip: you will go through a ridiculous number of burp cloths. I registered for and ordered all types of cute ones, but the old fashioned kind–cloth diapers–are still the best.

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2. Maximize feeding time [by tandem feeding + pumping]

This is how we made it work when the boys were just a few months old. I preferred to tandem bottle feed, often while pumping. You need the best breast pump for that! Here’s how I made it work.

The boys sat in the table for two on our ottoman while I sat on the couch. One bottle in each hand and hands free pumping gear for the win!

Now that the boys are eating formula and solids, my husband and I divide and conquer. He makes breakfast while I feed the boys and straighten up.

This sounds like a lot, especially when you add screaming babes into the mix. The key is to make it fun! We try to make this a calm and fun time by turning on classical music in the background. It sets us all up for a good day!

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Pro tip: Anabelle makes some of my favorite dresses that double as robes, pajamas, nursing wear, and still okay for casual outings, too. They’re also flattering. No one will ask you when you’re due [baby in hand!] while you’re wearing these.

Read: How to tandem bottle-feed and tandem breastfeed twins.

3. Make the most of naptime

After breakfast and burping, these babes are usually ready for a nap. Finally, time to do all the things! Hold up. Maybe not that many things. Here I’ve learned they key to success is to set realistic expectations.

Wah wah… that sounds totally lame, but stay with me.

During naptime, I can check off some to-dos that don’t require deep thought: answer emails, write a blog post, or fix up workouts in training peaks. I can’t deep dive into some soul-searching poetry or any project that requires concentration. YMMV. I usually save those concentration projects for times when I really have help-help–dad, mother-in-law, babysitter, etc.

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Pro tip: For best sleep—before baby can roll over—consider swaddling during naptime. Here is my review of all the swaddles we’ve tried.

4. Don’t do menial household tasks during valuable time

During the last tip, you’ll note I didn’t mention empty the dishwasher [again] or fold loads of laundry as naptime activities. Though you can bet both are sorely needed [again] by this time of the day.

One thing I’ve learned is not to “waste” naptime or babysitter time for household activities. Unless it’s an emergency, ie we’re expecting guests. I can do all those things when the babies are awake–it’s fine to be constantly interrupted. I save naptime and helper time for the good stuff.

The good stuff for me is writing, working on my businesses, catching up with my athletes, or working out. The laundry can wait.

Read: New mom hacks to save you time with a new baby

5. The schedule is everything

Every twin mom knows you live and die by the schedule. One wakes, the other one is woken. One is hungry, the other gets fed regardless. In our case, the NICU put the boys on a nice three hour schedule, a pattern we’ve stuck with except for overnight.

One thing I did for caregivers is put the boys’ schedule on a large chalkboard like this one in the kitchen. It outlines feed, play, and sleep times and other essential details.

I also use a simple notebook like this one to jot down what I want to accomplish for the day + our schedule.

At eleven months I rarely deviate from the schedule unless there’s a must-do thing like a doctor’s appointment. The boys are so dialed in that they are thrown off by even a thirty minute variation.

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Advice for the next day:

A solid morning begins the night before. Before I go to bed, I’ll run the dishwasher and lay out clean bottles. I’ll be sure my favorite Spectra S1 pump is charged for middle-of-the-night pumping. Also, I run the dryer to make sure no clothes are left wet. T

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The Actual Schedule

All that said, here’s what our actual schedule looks like at eleven months.

Sometime between 5 and 6 AM, I get up. This is me time, and I’m usually pretty productive. About once a week, I wake up between 1 and 3 AM and start things up then. YMMV.

7 AM—twins formula

8 AM—twins solid food in the toddler table

8:30 – 10

10 – 10:30—Our Walk

10:30—Babysitter arrives

11:00—Formula

12:00—Solids

12:30 – 2:00—At 12:30 they go down for nap 2 and sitter leaves.

2:00—Playtime or walk whenever they wake up

2:30 Babysitter arrives

3:00—Formula + playtime

4:00—Solids

5:30—Sitter leaves, sometimes they take a catnap during this time. This is usually the fussiest time of day.

6:00—Bathtime, Milk, Story

7:00—Bedtime

Working from home with babies

The cool thing about the schedule above is it minimizes sitter time and maximizes the time blocks I have to work. And I get plenty of face time with my babies throughout the day, too.

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If you’ve worked from home with babies, what are your best tips for a happy and organized morning? Anything I should try?? Let me know in the comments!

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You might also like:

• 3 new mom hacks to save you hours per week
• How to tandem feed twins to save time
• 5 tips for a productive morning routine with babies
• Four most comfortable and flattering maternity dresses [for 2019]
• The real deal on getting back in shape after baby
• The real hospital bag must-haves [from a twin mom]

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