Having a child is a wonderful and life changing event; however, having twins, triplets or quadruplets can turn your world upside down. It is important to have a plan with your significant other to divide up responsibilities, chores, mealtimes and play times.  Setting the expectations up front can really help with the stressful moments of parenting multiples.

Here are some things to think about when raising multiples:

1. The Baby Binder. Create a baby binder with important information about each child such as doctor visits, weight, height and feeding and diaper schedule. Keep a journal of each babies’ progress so you can remember to tell the doctor about any symptoms that might seem strange or abnormal, or for general questions.  Each baby is different in their own way.
2. The Laundry. You will have more laundry than you ever thought possible so come up with a plan to divide up the chore with your loved one. The laundry will pile up, so plan nights to fold laundry together and talk about your day.
3. The Diapers. On average, you can expect to use about 70 diapers per week, per child, for the first several months of your babies’ lives. While they decrease in numbers as the babies age, the cost goes up as you move into larger sizes. Decide whether you want to use disposable or cloth diapers. Although disposable diapers are more convenient, cloth diapers are better for the environment and are much less expensive. There are also diaper laundering services available so look into this if it’s something you’re interested in. Whatever you choose, list diapers on your shower registry so that you will have plenty on hand when the big day arrives.
4. The Cleaning. Keeping the house tidy is challenging with one child so make a plan with your partner for keeping the house clean whether it be dividing up the chores or hiring a housekeeper.
5. The Back Up Plan. Work schedules and traveling for work can be stressful on the family. Have a back-up plan for when one person must travel or stay late for work.  Have a family member or babysitter on hand for those moments.
6. The Meal Plan. Preparation of meals can be time consuming when there is little time to spare with multiples, so plan meals for the week on the weekend and have exactly what you need on hand to prepare them. It’s a good idea to have a meal schedule each week that also includes busy nights that may require takeout.
7. The Budget. Budgeting for multiples can be challenging. In terms of money-saving tips, consider asking your doctor for sample products so that you can try them out before purchasing. You can also write to various companies explaining that you are a new parent of multiples and request samples of their products to try. Some companies have new birth programs that you can enrol in to receive samples.
8. The Sleep Space. Have a plan on how you want your multiples to sleep, either in one crib or separate cribs. I encourage keeping all the babies together in one nursery to avoid extra expense and having to run from room to room to care for them. Most multiples want to be together so consider how you want them to sleep before you bring them home.
9. The Nursery & Bathroom. Consider the different zones for the babies including a changing zone, a play zone, a mommy and me zone and dedicate one bathroom for the babies’ bathing and all the baby care items.
10. The Clothes. Organize the closet with dividers for the different sized clothing as the children grow to alleviate having to locate the correct size when dressing the children.
11. The Kitchen. The kitchen is one room where the entire family gravitates to, including babies. Dedicate one lower cabinet in the kitchen as their cabinet and place toys and playthings in that cabinet so they have a place to be directed to when you are preparing meals, bottles, etc.
12. The Toys. Having multiples also means having numerous toys. Dedicate a closest, chest or space in the family room for toys and limit the number of toys that they play with. They will concentrate better when the number of toys they have access to are limited.