Twins take up alot of space! Especially the bigger they get, of course. Setting up play areas for twins takes some thought as you figure out your space and what to use. Depending on the room you are in, there are different ways you could set up a play area.
Doing this provides flexibility for mom especially if she has older children like I do! The play areas can be separated by living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. We mostly used the living room since I could see them from the kitchen, too. I set up the kitchen at times when they were fussy and I needed to do dishes or start dinner. I set up the bathroom for when I get a shower (if it’s early in the day) or I give my daughter a bath. And last, I set up the bedroom for when I needed to clean up all the rooms or put away laundry.

Let’s get started in the kitchen:

This is a common place for moms to be as we do dishes or cook dinner. Here are some ideas to entertain your twins.

  1. Bring the swings in just close enough you can see them, but not so close they will get burned by a splash from the stove or just plain old be in your way. Good for 0-5months old. Around 3 months old, you can attach toys overhead or on shoulder straps for added entertainment.
  2. Utilize your high chairs, even early on. There are high chairs that lean back for infants. They can just sit, watch, and absorb all the sights. This would be 0-3 months old. As the get to be 3-6 months old, you can incorporate rattles and small toys for them to shake and bang on their tray!

Moving on to the bathroom:

Our bathroom is small, so there isn’t room for 2 swings or bouncy seats.

  1. You can get a large blanket and spread it out on the floor. Add pillows around the edges if they are beginning to roll. Just make sure you wash it when your done. You know how bathroom floor are! Good for 0-3 months old because they are still small and don’t take upmuch space.
  2. Use a twin boppy or 2 single boppies on top of the blanket. This good around 3 months for being propped up. Or try tummy time around 4 months with toys in reach.
  3. You could also set up the play mat like the one in the picture below.

Setting up in a bedroom:

  1. If you want to use your bed, make sure they’re not rolling over yet. If they are starting to, you can get by with surrounding them will pillows, keeping the babies in the center. Good for 0-3 months old.
  2. Utilize the floor with a blanket and boppies depending on their age. Just don’t put them in a walkway.
  3. Use their cribs if they are rolling around, about 3-6 months old. Put 2-3 toys in the crib with them and talk to them as you work.

And the most used room, the living room:

How to set up Play Areas for Twins at 0-6 Months

  1. The babies’ cribs came with very thin mattress pads. We got new, thicker ones for their cribs. So I was able to use the thin pads as a play mat. They shared one for the first several months. 1 mattress for both 0-4 months, 1 mattress each around 4-6 months old.
  2. You can set up a pack n play to lay them in. This was handy so the big kids wouldn’t step on them! Plus, it had the changing table – so while I was changing one diaper I could still talk to both babies.
  3. If you have wood floors, invest in an area rug. Especially when they start to roll and crawl. Good for 4-6 months old.
  4. You can also use the boppies and swings because there is plenty of room. When they reach about 5-6 months, they may be able to sit in an exersaucer or bouncy swing in the doorway. This is nice for when siblings have small toys spread out that are dangerous for babies!
  5. Added tips: if you have a play gym, you can set this on one may and fit both babies under it. You can also put it in the pack n play and lay both babies under it. The play gym we have has a mirror attached at the top that can turn. So sometimes I could turn the mirror toward the baby on the changing table and the other would happily keep playing laying down in the pack n play. Good for ages 0-6 months.
  6. The pretty, educational play mats are also nice for color and different toy attachments. These are good for tummy time and around 2-6 months.

I hope this helps give you an idea of your needed space when your twins arrive! Before they start rolling, they really don’t take up a lot of space. We were able to keep them on 1-2 mats. As they started to roll, it was necessary to get a large area rug they could spread out on so I didn’t have to keep scooting them onto the small play mat.
How have you set up play areas for your twins before they start crawling? What has been your favorite play choice (ex. Exersaucer)?

About Jeniece

Jeniece is a work-at-home wife and mom to 3 including twins, and stepmom to 2. She blogs at On the Go Mommy about organizing a large family that stays on the go. Her goal is to provide tips and encouragement for parenting children, including multiples. You will also find topics about homemaking, faith, and planning.