Feeding Newborn Twins Made Easy: Schedules & Tandem Feeding

Feeding newborn twins is basically a full time job, it’s no joke and takes a lot of time and energy. I am a twin mom myself and in this post I am sharing my top tips for ensuring your two little ones get fed as efficiently as possible.

You will learn what to expect whether you are breastfeeding, formula feeding, pumping, or even combined feeding. Plus, find out sample newborn twin feeding schedules and how to feed newborn twins at the same time. Let’s get started reviewing what you need to know to make feeding your twins as painless as possible.

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Ways To Feed Newborn Twins

Below I will be reviewing what you can expect when feeding newborn twins depending on the method you have chosen. You will find a very brief overview along with links to articles that go into a detailed explanation for each newborn feeding option.

Before we get to that though, I do want to share a twin feeding pillow that I highly recommend for feeding newborn twins. I would definitely invest in a Twin Z pillow. This versatile pillow, created specifically for twins, helps with tandem feeding two babies.

The best part about this pillow is you can use it for either tandem nursing OR tandem bottle feeding twins. So, definitely learn more about the Twin Z pillow here. It’s a super helpful item for those early days with two newborns. As a bonus, you can also use it for your twins to lounge on and for tummy time!

More help: Printable Twin Feeding Logs & Printable Twin Feeding Schedules

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding newborn twins is definitely an intense endeavor. Since a newborn schedule is unreliable, there will be times you feed your twins at the same and there will be times you nurse them by themselves.

You can use the single nursing sessions to really focus on establishing a good latch and positioning for breastfeeding. When breastfeeding twins, I recommend you get a single breastfeeding pillow in addition to the Twin Z pillow. You can check out the following article for all the details on how to breastfeed newborn twins.

Related: Breastfeeding Twins Sample Schedules

Formula Feeding

If you are formula feeding two babies, that’s a lot of bottles to prepare and clean! I recommend figuring out the bottles each of your babies likes best. Then once you know, invest in at least 6-8 per baby. The Babylist bottle box is a great option for testing out different bottles.

Formula feeding twin parents might also really benefit from getting a formula making machine. Check out the Baby Brezza formula maker and see if it’s something you think will help. Finally, check out this article to learn more about strategies for bottle feeding and formula feeding twins.

Pumping

It’s not unusual for twin moms to find themselves pumping for their babies. Twins are often born early, which means they might not be developed enough to get a good latch and suckling reflex in order to nurse.

This is actually what happened to me when my twins were born at 35 weeks. You will want to check out this article on exclusively pumping for twins to learn all the details on what to expect and how to be successful.

Combined Feeding

With two mouths to feed, it’s also not unusual for twin parents to find themselves doing a combination of different types of feeding. Establishing a milk supply for two is tough, so you might end up supplementing with formula.

Or, you could end up finding a good routine that combines nursing and pumping. However it works out, I wanted to bring up that you might feed your newborn twins in multiple ways, so that you are prepared and also aware this is an option.

Tandem Feeding Newborn Twins (Feeding Them At the Same Time)

During the newborn phase, there will be times you feed your babies at the same time and there will be times you don’t. This means that it will be very important to learn how to tandem feed your babies.

Plus, as your babies get older (around 3 months old) you will work toward putting them on the same schedule and in this case they will pretty much always eat at the same time. To learn all the ins and outs of how to tandem feed twins (whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding), check out this article on feeding twins at the same time.

Sample Feeding Schedule for Newborn Twins

Now that we have reviewed all the methods for feeding newborn twins, the other thing that’s very important to understand is the expected schedule for twin newborn babies. Unfortunately, it is an around the clock job. That’s why it is important to enlist a lot of help from family and friends or have a rotation for who is in charge with your partner.

The chart below shows you what to expect from a newborn schedule. You will have two babies that sometimes will overlap what they are doing and sometimes will not. One thing you can do to work towards getting your twins on the same schedule is always offer to feed them at the same time. Sometimes this will be successful and sometimes it will not, just use your best judgement on if the timing is right to do so.

Feeding Newborn Twins At Night

My best advice for this situation is to have a plan with your partner. Maybe you each are in charge of one baby each night or maybe you do shifts of who is in charge so you each can get some sleep. You can also consider hiring a night nanny.

Breastfeeding twin moms will have the hardest time getting rest at night. One thing you can consider is pumping for the night feeds. This will allow you to get some rest while your partner feeds your babies from bottles. For more details on the strategies you can use to get your newborn twins fed through the night as needed, check out this article about getting sleep at night with newborn twins.

Undertaking feeding newborn twins is no easy task!

This post offers an overview of what you can expect when feeding newborn twins. Be sure to click over to the detailed articles listed above on the topics that will impact you.

Having a plan, being as efficient as possible, and taking all the unexpected changes in stride are the biggest keys to surviving this strenuous (but also joyous and short) time in life with two newborns to feed. Good luck, you got this!