A Day in the Life of 2 Year Old Twins

One of the most asked questions here at Twiniversity is, “What does a day in the Life with Twins look like?” Although no one’s life looks the same, check out a typical day for twin mama Paige and her 2 year old twins.

Life with 2-year-old twins is nothing short of wild, unpredictable, and full of surprises. From the moment they wake up—often way too early—until you finally tuck them in at night, it’s a non-stop ride of snack requests, toy-sharing negotiations, and endless giggles (and maybe a few meltdowns). Here’s a glimpse into our typical day at home with two-year-old twins (28-month-olds), to be exact!

Our Day At a Glance

Before diving into all the nitty gritty details of our daily agenda, here’s a quick look at the key parts. The times listed are averages for us. 

Task	Time
Wake up	6:00 am – 7:00 am
Breakfast	9:00 am
Snack	11:00 am
Lunch	3:00 pm
Naptime	12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Snack	5:00 pm
Dinner	7:00 pm
Bedtime	7:00pm

This general schedule gives a sort of daily “rhythm,” but we’re also flexible with the exact timing of things outside of naptime and bedtime. So, on some days, the times listed above could change by 15 – 30 minutes. 

Wake-Up (6 – 7 am)

In our household, the twinnies wake up between 6:00 and 6:30 am. Since our son can climb out of his crib, our morning begins when he wanders into our bedroom with a massive smile on his face. Some days, he’ll yell “bodyslam” and jump on top of the bed with us or crawl under the bed to harass the dog. 

After his shenanigans, we return to the nursery to get his twin sister out of her crib. Before heading downstairs, we’ll take off diapers, use the potty (oh, potty training!), and get dressed for the day. 

Breakfast and Early Morning Routine (7 – 9 am)

Once we get downstairs, the kiddos usually find a toy to play with while I make breakfast. If it’s a good day, I can get away with them both eating the same meal. If it’s a “let’s-make-mommy-work-a-little-harder” type of day, I may cave in and make one of them something different. (Hey, they’re still at the bottom of the weight charts, so I gotta pick my battles!)

At some point before or after breakfast (about 6:30/7 am), I try to have the twins help with some sort of chore. I am trying to instill in them that they’re part of the family unit and that we all work together and help. Some days, they hand me the dishes from the dishwasher while I put them away. On other days, it’s helping scoop food into the dog’s bowls.

After breakfast, they usually hang out with Daddy for about 10 – 15 minutes before he heads off to work. Once Daddy leaves, the kiddos naturally gravitate towards a toy or activity. I let them play until they come to me with a request for a more organized activity. A little after 8 a.m., weather-pending, I’ll usually take them outside to play in the backyard for about a half hour. I find this change of scenery helps keep them engaged without me having to direct them too much. 

Sometimes, we’ll even get the wagon (because we got rid of our stroller), and I’ll walk the dogs while pushing them in the wagon. Wagon walks are my fave! I can get some exercise in and sometimes even play a podcast or audiobook. Meanwhile, the kids love pointing out things that they see on the walk and the movement is soothing for my sensory-seeking son. After being outside or going on a walk, it’s back to free play for about 10 – 15 minutes.

Late Morning + Snack Time: 9 – 11am

I say “late” morning because after being up at 6am, 9am already feels so late (am I the only one??). Around 9ish, we have some sort of snack to refuel. 

On a typical day, I try to plan an activity or excursion for around 9/9:30am. I feel like this helps break up the day and make watching two toddlers play feel less overwhelming. It also gives me a chance to get errands (like grocery shopping) done. 

Here are examples of “activities” or “excursions” I’ll plan:

• A trip to the grocery store (usually once a week)
• Going to our local library (we usually go every Tuesday), they run toddler story time most weeks during the year. Plus, they have books and toys that we don’t have at home. 
• Going to the Amish food market (Thursday mornings)
• The playground (I’ve only recently started taking them to the playground by myself as they tend to run off in different directions. It’s been going well so far, but they only get one warning each about running off, and if they don’t listen after that, we leave.

Note: It’s taken a bit of time to build up the routines to take them on these excursions by myself, especially since we started potty training around 24 months ago. I always put a portable potty in the trunk of the car, so I feel safe knowing they can poop or pee on the go if needed. 

If we don’t go on an excursion, I try to have them do a more organized activity at home, such as a craft, coloring, a sensory activity, a dance party, hide-and-seek, Spanish notecards, a tea party, helping me bake something, etc. 

Early Afternoon + Nap Time (11 am – 2 pm) 

Recently, I’ve switched to having my kiddos eat lunch before their nap since we started pushing nap time later. Now, we have lunch right around 11 a.m. My twins are still on the little side, so they’ll have milk and/or formula after lunch (we’re still trying to bulk up).

Once their tummies are full, we’ll have a little more free play and eventually read a few books to help them settle down. Lately, they have been super into these Daniel Tiger books that their grandmother gave them. 

By 11:45, it’s time to get ready for a nap. I’ll have them both attempt using the potty and then put on diapers before nap time. Our daughter is pretty good about telling us when she needs to go at this point. However, our son definitely still needs these scheduled prompts. (Soon, I’ll also try to have them stop wearing the diapers at naptime, but one step at a time.)

Typically, they’ll nap from about 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., but 1.5 – 2.5 hours is the full range, depending on the day. We’re definitely trying to keep this afternoon nap as long as possible! We almost lost the nap to the grip of a nasty 2-year-old sleep regression. Thankfully, we made it to the other side of that without having to say goodbye to it yet. 

Afternoon + (2 pm to 4:30 pm)

After naptime, we’ll usually go right into some free play for about 20 minutes to a half hour. Then, around 2:30, we’ll have a light snack. If we already went somewhere in the morning, we will typically stay home for the rest of the day. If we didn’t go somewhere in the morning, then our afternoon excursion window is about 2:45 p.m.—4:00 p.m. If we don’t go anywhere in the afternoon, we’ll usually split up our time playing outside and inside. 

Around 4, if we’ve been fairly active and occupied during the day, we may hang out and watch an educational show for 20 – 30 minutes. Our favorites are Ms. Rachel, Telelingo, Aprende Peque (con Isa), Daniel Tiger, and Blue’s Clues. This provides a much-needed afternoon break for Mommy.

Dinner + Evening (5:30 pm – 7 pm)

By 4:30, I’ll start getting dinner together while the twinnies play on their own. Between 5:00 – 5:30, the twins will eat. Daddy’s home from work by then, and we’ll usually spend 5:30 – 6:30 just hanging out as a family, playing, and getting our final zoomies out. 

Some nights in the summer, we’ll also go to our local pool for about 45 minutes to an hour. If needed, we’ll have one more snack and some milk during this window as well.

By 6:15, we start settling down by reading some books together in the living room. Every other night, we’ll have baths at this time, too. Then, we’ll read one or two final books in the bedroom and make a final trip to the potty before the twins lay down in their cribs around 6:45/6:50 pm. Sometimes, the kiddos will talk to themselves for 5 to 10 minutes before falling asleep by 7:00 pm. And that is the day!

This is by no means a perfect schedule. And as mentioned, the timing isn’t always exactly the same every day (besides nap and bedtime, which are fixed). But the consistency of our routine does help us stay on track with nutritional goals and sleeping goals. It also helps the twins know generally what to expect each day.

Read more Day in The Life with Twins stories:

• A Day in Life with 8 Month Old Twins
• A Day in Life with 5 Year Old Twins
• A Day In the Life with Twins Instagram Series

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