settling children in the morning

[terrydoo73]

I have twin boys who will be 2 in April. They come to me 3 days a week from 8 am to 6 pm. Initially when they arrive they just keep moving!! They roam about from room to room before finally settling down to play. However at about 10 am I give them a snack as they only will drink a bottle of milk before coming to me in the morning. This is usually a cereal and fruit and this is when trouble starts - instead of playing again they start the roaming and climbing. I would really love to take them outside just to calm them a bit but it is so cold these mornings and we have had heavy frost/ice on the ground so quite dangerous. Does anyone else experience this unsettling behaviour with their mindees in the morning? How do you get around it? If I close them into one room with a few buckets of toys before I know it they are up climbing over the couch and sliding down the back or else trying to get onto the windowsills or in where the television is at. What can I do?

[TheBTeam]

How about a singing/music making time after snack to get them back, sat down and focussing again.

[Lady Haha]

A couple of years ago, I had twin two year old boys like this every Saturday all day and to be honest after five months of it, I just couldn't cope any more!!!

I hadn't been registered long then and just wasn't experienced enough to deal with it!

Sorry I can't help, but didn't want to read and run!

[MissTinkerbell]

I have twins of my own - 1 boy; 1 girl - who are now almost 4 - twins are so different and often play off against one another - mine certainly do and still do.

At 2 many children do like to roam about before settling to playing with toys. My own little boy prefers to wander and is a climber too before settling to do something but he is getting better.

Try and find out what their favourite toys are and have these out for after snack time. Observe what they enjoy playing with when they are settled and have these things ready for afterwards. The music/singing idea is good but then you may find that they start the roaming again anyway. personally I think that as they are climbers and roamers it sounds as though they are children who enjoy being active - maybe a movement session until you can get outside? Pop a nursery rhyme tape and and so some singing and dancing.

I would take them outside - it might be cold (as long as its not frosty and slippery) but as long as they are wrapped up well in coats, hats and scarves - 15 minutes outside won't do them any harm and the fresh air and running about will probably calm them down so that you can get them settled to something else.

Looking after twins is so different to even looking after two children, the same age that are not siblings. They plot and they scheme against you :laughing: but saying that twins are delightful.

Perservere with them and hopefully once you get some outdoor play or some physical activity in their day things will start to settle down.

[tammys-tots]

I have twin boys who will be 2 in April. They come to me 3 days a week from 8 am to 6 pm. Initially when they arrive they just keep moving!! They roam about from room to room before finally settling down to play. However at about 10 am I give them a snack as they only will drink a bottle of milk before coming to me in the morning. This is usually a cereal and fruit and this is when trouble starts - instead of playing again they start the roaming and climbing. I would really love to take them outside just to calm them a bit but it is so cold these mornings and we have had heavy frost/ice on the ground so quite dangerous. Does anyone else experience this unsettling behaviour with their mindees in the morning? How do you get around it? If I close them into one room with a few buckets of toys before I know it they are up climbing over the couch and sliding down the back or else trying to get onto the windowsills or in where the television is at. What can I do?

spend the day at soft play lol

[terrydoo73]

Just wanted to add an update and say thank you at the same time for your replies. Today I took the decision I had had enough of this being hyper straight after morning snack so I locked my playroom door and only allowed them to play in my living room and hallway. They had a bucket of cars which is what they enjoy playing with in the living room. Then in the hall they had a tunnel and blocks at the other end of the hall. They did run from the hall around the living room but soon got fed up and settled with the cars after a while. Definately not as much noise anyway. Sometimes I think it is because they are sitting for that short period of time eating that they get a burst of energy when first put down and they just want to run about to burn off the excess energy.

Putting music on for these twins makes them even more hyper!