The babies are six months old! I realised I had recorded the babies’ development in dribs and drabs rather than in a single blog post. So I have decided to dedicate this post just to them.
At six months old, they are fun to play with. While responsive, they can be very demanding too.
Gross Motor Skills
Many observe twins to be similar in their development and character, especially in the case of a pair of identical twins. It doesn’t seem so in our case. No.3 and No.4 have different strengths, and they are developing at their own pace.
I saw lots of stretching, leg lifting and crunches that help strengthen their core. I saw lots of yoga poses in them, especially their happy baby pose! It is incredible how babies learn by themselves, while we adults need to learn from instructions.
No. 3 seems to have consistently advanced faster in her gross motor skills. Throughout their growth, No. Three was the first to raise her head during tummy time, roll over and sit up. As of now, she can sit without support for a couple of minutes before toppling over. And guess what, she is very demanding. She would cry and scream, request to stand up even though her legs are not able to support herself. Once we give in to her demands, she would smile triumphantly. I am stranded between getting upset and amused by her.
No. 4 is different. Nearing four months old, she was still unable to lift up her head well during tummy time. I started having wild thoughts about her and wondered if the delay was due to her upper respiratory tract infection. See earlier post on this. Luckily she turns out well, just slightly slower than No. 3 in all gross motor areas, and she is more chilled. As of now, she is holding herself upright though not as steady as No.3. But her fine motor skills seem more advanced than No.3, and she was on several occasions caught red-handed snatching toys from her twin sister.
Sleep
No, they do not sleep through the night. No.4 sleeps better while No.3 whimpers every 2 hours. If unattended, the whimpers become cries and then screeching screams. Not wanting to risk waking up No.4 and to save my own back that is already breaking, I let No.3 co-sleep with me which facilitates latching. To ensure a smooth supply of milk, I take Motherlove More Milk Special Blend before sleeping. Have to thank my friend who recommended me this herbal blend to help boost my supply.
Not sure why but I have not much luck with sleepy babies, just like my first two. In the day, they typically take half an hour to an hour nap, about three times a day.
Social
They are aware of each other’s presence. I once read somewhere that babies are not social animals until they reach a certain age, like 18 months or so. Perhaps they respond to each other because they are twins. And they enjoy their older siblings’ presence.
Milk feeding is a challenge now as they easily get distracted by people around them. Often, they would look up at me halfway through latching and smile, their grin so wide that they interfere drinking.
While they like to babble and blow bubbles to express their feelings, No.4 has shown more independence in playing by herself. No.3, on the other hand, is quick to ask for attention.
Play
We took out the baby toys which we overbought for our first born. No.4 was the first to reach out for the toys at four months plus and by now, she has taken the liberty to throw toys from her seat. We have assigned their older siblings to help pick up the toys, but it has proven to be a very tiring chore as No.4 has found amusement in her new found toy throwing skills!
Food
They have started on solid food slightly before they turn six months old. No.4 has a head start on this. We saw her interest in food but resisted giving her any. She started drooling by her fifth month, and her two little front teeth have shown. We have commenced their solid diet with food gentle to their stomach such as banana, apple, carrot and brown rice. Yes, I am guilty of introducing them sweet stuff like their first diet. While I wanted to give them the tasteless avocado for their very first tasting experience, it just never worked out. The avocados I bought were all hard on the outside but rotten on the inside!
Skin
Some of you may have noticed the rashes on the babies’ skin. We took a while to speculate, and the suspects ranged from saliva to kisses to sugar intolerance. Finally, we established that these rashes are caused by the blazing heat in Singapore. The temperature in the afternoon has been consistently between 30°C to 33°C, though my phone app often indicates that it feels like 38°C. And it doesn’t help that we do not have the air conditioner in every single room. So these days, I apply sandalwood or frankincense essential oil on their face and further seal it with paraffin wax to keep the rashes under control.
For the curious
Items in the photos are:
Motherlove More Milk Special Blend*
Sandalwood or Frankincense Essential Oil (contact me if you are sourcing for this)
Fisher Price Xylophone* (Similar)
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