When it comes to having twins, there's mention of twice the diapers, twice the work, double the giggles, and double the love, but one thing that doesn't really come up are the challenges that come when you have to sign up multiple children for the same activity at the same time.
Sometimes, it's not an issue.
But when there are limited spaces available, and you have twins, you suddenly need double the spots for your children. Things can get dicey fast, if not nearly impossible.
Finding two childcare spots for our twins when the time came? Impossible in our city; people who sign up on waitlists as soon as they find out they're pregnant wait years and still don't secure a spot.
Luckily, we found out we were having twins pretty early on. Some people don't find out until they're 20 or more weeks along. Imagine signing up for one spot once you find out you're pregnant, then finding out you're pregnant with twins several weeks later, and then needing to update your waitlist request. You can't just add a second spot to your original request, so your second twin's spot on the waitlist could be hundreds, if not thousands, of spots further down on the waitlist by the time you find out you're having twins.
Another tricky sign-up situation, at least where we live, is securing two spots in the same class for swimming lessons.
Our city has a first-come, first-served set-up, with very limited spots available, so before the sign-up time goes live, you need to have signed up for an account and know which pool you want, the name of the class you want (do you want to be IN the water (and if so, confirm you'll need two adults since you have twins) or watching from the sidelines?), the time slot you want, and how many spots you need.
In addition to all of that, make sure whatever day of the week you pick doesn't overlap with any other extracurricular activities your twins are involved in. You don't want to frantically pick a date to make sure you secure a spot and then realize, a week or two later, that you double-booked their swim classes on the same night and time they have soccer, which you'd already signed them up for weeks ago.
Then, you need to have the fastest trigger fingers in The West because if you don't submit your payment information faster than everybody else who's typing furiously on their phones and laptops at the same time, the four spots (that's right, only four, so we need HALF of the available spots to get both of our twins into the lessons) for that class will be gone faster than you can let out an aggravated wail of despair.
Against all odds, we somehow secured the two spots on the day we wanted. Having the specific course number for the exact class we needed (plus the same information for our back-up choice) was helpful for quickly finding and adding the class to the sign-up page, and having our payment information saved in the account profile settings also helped speed up the process.
With that hurdle behind us, all we needed was to figure out what we needed for the first class to be a success. Because, as anything else goes with having twins, once you do something successfully for the first time and it goes well, like the first stroll out of the house after you're settled back at home, the first trip to the grocery store, or the first family trip together, it's no big deal after that.
Before swimming lessons start
In the weeks leading up to when swimming lessons will begin, tell your twins they're going to be starting swimming lessons and talk about how much fun they're going to have. We told our twins that once they're done all their lessons, they'll get to go to a water park we drive by almost every day, so that's been one of their biggest motivators.
Have them pick out bathing suits and swim shirts if you don't already have them or if they've sized up since the last time they've worn them.
Watch videos that show what swimming lessons look like, so they can see what the pool environment looks like if they haven't been to one before.
Tell them that it can sometimes be a bit loud in the pool, so they aren't surprised when they hear kids splashing or a lifeguard's whistle.
Explain to them how there's a deep end and a shallow end and how they can't run near the water. If they've used flotation devices in previous pool situations, let them know that they aren't going to have those this time around (unless you know they're going to for your specific class).
If they'll have a swim instructor, warn them if you're not going to be in the water with them, so it doesn't come as a shock when you don't jump into the water alongside them.
Remind them they have to listen to their swimming teacher, just like they have to listen to mom or dad or their teachers at preschool.
If you took lessons when you were little, think back to what exercises you did (e.g., floating starfish, kicking your legs, blowing bubbles in the water, etc.) and explain what your twins' teacher might have them do, so they can get an idea of what their teacher might ask them to do when they start their lessons.
What to pack in your swim bag
Last week at swimming lessons, another child's grandmother wartched me unpack our swimming bag and get our twins out of their jackets and boots and into their swimming gear and flip flops, so we could head to the pool.
She commented how organized I was. I smirked internally because I knew what the situation would look like in the change room with our twin toddlers if I WASN'T organized, and I told her, while laughing, that I kind of had to be.
The grandmother laughed along with me, and another mother, who was getting her baby ready for their swim lesson looked at me and said, "You don't HAVE to be." The way she said it, I could tell she agreed with the grandmother, and she meant it as a compliment. She was trying to point out that I put in more work than was necessary (i.e., the bare minimum) for our outing, and it seemed like she was impressed with how structured our change time was.
But most things have to be pretty regimented when you have twins. The order of operations needs to be figured out ahead of time. It might sound silly, but that's the difference when you don't have multiples.
But most things have to be pretty regimented when you have twins. The order of operations needs to be figured out ahead of time. It might sound silly, but that's the difference when you don't have multiples.
When you have one baby and you're in a change room and realize you forgot to put on a swim diaper, you can grab your baby, grab the diaper, and go get them changed and it's no big deal. When you have two or more kids in the mix and realize you skipped that step, chaos unfolds faster than you can think. You suddenly have two children who want to run around the room, and you have no extra hands because you're trying to stop your kids from running around and slipping on the wet change room floor, while you try to come up with a plan to get everything back on track.
But if you plan ahead and try to anticipate problems before they happen, you can skip that whole problem step.
All of this is to say that I really thought about this packing list before our first class and everything went smoothly. Other than everything taking twice as long for getting changed before and after classes, which is to be expected when you've got two toddlers to wrangle, we've run into zero issues after several classes.
The packing checklist
Similar to your diaper bag for twins, you're going to want a bigger-style bag for your swim gear, since you'll need to pack two of everything.
Make sure to pack:
- Bathing suits with swim shirts because the water can be cold. If you live close to the pool, save yourself the headache of getting changed at the pool and get changed at home. If you're still in potty training mode, have them wear Pull-Ups underneath their Little Swimmers, so you can just remove the Pull-Ups once you get to the pool change room. It makes things go more quickly in the change room, which can be chaotic in between swimming lessons. For the first class, wear a swimsuit under your clothes in case your twins decide they aren't getting in the pool without you. But, hopefully, if you tell them how cool their teacher is going to be, they'll hop into the pool without any issues.
- Flip flops for twins (and parents). Every pool will be different, but at our pool, you have to go through the change rooms in order to get to the pool, even if you're a spectator. Bring flip flops for yourself, just in case, and bring flip flops for your little ones, so they don't slip on their way to the pool and to, hopefully, keep their feet safe from stepping into anything gross by the pool or in the change rooms. Pack an extra bag to toss wet flip flops into after class, so the inside of your swim bag doesn't get all wet.
- Towels (one for each twin). Even if you plan to use just one towel for them to share, bring two because if it falls on the floor before everyone's changed and ready to go home, you're going to want a back-up that isn't covered in stuff from the pool change room puddle.
- Diapers or Pull-Ups and wipes for after class. Don't just bring two, bring four, in case you accidentally drop one on the change room floor (this happened to us last week, and I was so happy we had back-ups in our bag)
- Cozy clothes for after class. Make sure they have a bit of room and aren't skin-tight since skin can be so sticky after being wet. Don't forget fresh socks in case the ones they wear to the pool get wet while you're in the change room before class.
- A big garbage bag for wet clothes and towels. If you're still potty training, you'll also want to pack smaller bags (one for any Pull-Ups you remove before class, and one for wet Little Swimmers after class is done). Pro tip: As soon as you get home, toss the wet stuff directly into the washing machine. Not only will it not sit and get stinky, it'll be washed and ready to go back into the bag right away, so you aren't rushing around to pack the swim bag the following week when it's time to head to the pool.
- Body wash, shampoo, and lotion if you choose to shower at the pool. The idea of showering two toddlers at the pool while other people try to squeeze by to get to or from the pool isn't very appealing to me, plus we live close to our pool, so we get changed right away and they rinse off at home instead. This way, we avoid the chaos of the change room and they still get to rinse off soon after, so their skin doesn't dry out from being in the pool (oh, the joys of eczema and other skin-related issues that premature babies have to deal with, all because they were born before they were done percolating).
- Change for locker access. Call the pool ahead of time to see if you need a quarter or other change to store your stuff in a locker.
Get ready to jump all in
Any new situation might seem scary to your twins for the first time if they don't know what to expect, so make sure they have an idea of what to expect before you take them to their first swimming lesson.
And for you, as the one packing things, once the first lesson is behind you, you'll be in the swing of things.
If you plan ahead, you should be able to avoid any unforeseen issues and everything should go, well, swimmingly.
If you plan ahead, you should be able to avoid any unforeseen issues and everything should go, well, swimmingly.
Just like lots of other firsts with your twins, once you've had a successful first trip to the pool, every other outing after that will be no big deal.
Have your twins taken swimming lessons? What did you find most useful for your first trip to the pool? Let us know in the Comments section below or connect with us on Instagram to share your thoughts!
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