How do I keep up with my 1-year-old twins!

I live with my husband and my two daughters, far away from my in-laws, in a different country, and it’s just my daughters and I during the day. When they started to crawl, it was exciting! When they started to stand and ‘cruise’ from chair to chair, it was even more exciting. I used to take them to playgroups and saw how other, younger, babies were walking before they did and I secretly envied the moms!

But when they turned 1...itwas as if the flood gates were kicked open!

At 15 months they are almost running, pushing, opening, closing, taking out and throwing around anything and everything. I’ve had to put aside any sense of home decor because every place needs to be baby proof. I have eyes in the back of my head because little fingers get into everything when you least expect it. Nothing can be left at what I refer to as ‘hip level’— they can stand on their tippy toes and reach pretty far.

When one of them goes left, the other one goes right. I have to keep alert and always have a plan B (and Plan C) to keep them entertained. The more I say "no! no! no!", the more they want to do it, so here’s how I distract them:

1. Anything shiny: My husband calls the girlsmagpies – anything that is shiny always attracts their attention. A mirror, spoon, remote control (without batteries and cleaned, of course), everything’s entertaining

2. Noise is good: Anything that makes noises—toys instruments, baby and toddler apps, the TV, YouTube videos of their favourite music (Barney always did the trick until they got bored and I had to try out other videos)

3. Finger food: I’ve never been any good at cooking but for now it’s baby biscuits and cold pieces of fruit, and that keeps them occupied for a while

4. Play with them: NowI feel safe enough to have them run around our living room (connects to kitchen) so I sit and have a coffee and play referee as they discover and find new ways to play, and new things to touch!

Are you a parent to twin toddlers? How do you keep up with them? What do you do to keep twin trouble away? Do share in the comments below and get a chance to be featured in an exclusive blog!