Without doubt, the toddler years with your twins, triplets, or more will be full of laughter and amazement, not to mention CEO-level management. It is a time during which you will see clear evidence of the bond that has been forming between your children since the moment they were conceived. There are also many common challenges parents encounter while raising multiple toddlers. The bottom line is that these little people, while only two or three years old, are thoroughly convinced they rule the roost. That's the bad news. The good news-you're not alone!

A little advance mental preparation goes a long way toward long-term sanity. Knowing what's coming will ensure that you are at least one step ahead of those of us who had no idea what we were in for.

If Will Be a Very Noisy Time!

Two and three year olds are notorious for having an opinion on nearly everything. They are also prone to needing to express those opinions-loudly-at each and every opportunity. That in itself makes for a potentially deafening environment much of the time. However, put two, three, or more toddlers with opinions in a room together and you'll quickly find value in construction-grade earplugs.

Additionally, toddlers don't merely express their opinions; they need to be sure you've heard them. They don't really care whether or not you agree, but they do require an indication that you're listening. Until they receive that acknowledgement, they will continue to repeat the same comment or question over and over (and over) until you respond-and then possibly a few more times even after you've acknowledged them. Be prepared to make the words, "Uh-huh," "OK," and "Yes" staples of your vocabulary.

The Art of Childproofing Will Be Taken to a Whole New Level

Toddlers love to explore. Multiple toddlers tend to take the concepts of exploration and adventure a few steps further and-trust me-they will get into things you never imagined they would (or could). You've likely seen the pictures of one twin standing on the other twin's shoulders in order to retrieve the ice cream from the top shelf of the freezer. I had to screw the floor vent into the floorboards in my sons' room because they continued to remove it, even after it had been secured with professional-grade carpet tape, and stuff everything under the sun (including the contents of their nappies) down it.

Multiple toddlers barely speak your language, but they have a way of communicating with one another to strategize a way of reaching the tallest spot in the house or opening anything with a certified childproofing mechanism. In fact, most childproofing mechanisms don't work for too terribly long with multiples. These days, if I need an outlet cover or a door knob cover removed, I just call on one of my boys. The lesson: If it gets too quiet in the house and you know they are not asleep, be very concerned!

Potty Training Requires Utmost Patience

Regardless of the training program you use, it's a safe bet that your multiples won't take to using the watering hole at precisely the same moment or in precisely the same manner. Sounds frighteningly familiar to the sleep training routine you went through when they were six months old, doesn't it?

I can almost guarantee that for awhile, once you get child #1 out of the Supermarket restroom, having ascertained to the best of your ability that child #2 does not have to go (and even possibly after convincing her to try anyway), child #2 will announce that she now has to go…right now…or else. And rest assured, it will be the day you decided to try putting them in real underwear, so you won't even be able to rely on the Pull-Ups. What you will be able to rely on is the fact that a clean-up request will be announced for Lane 6 momentarily.

Patience is the key when potty training multiples. It may not even be worth it to form a strategy for this task because when and where they use the potty is one of the few functions over which children have complete control. It's also a good idea to keep a training potty in your car for emergencies. The answer to "Can you wait three minutes until we get home?" is typically going to be "No".

They Are Finicky, and They'll Switch on a Dime

Know that the minute you produce the apple juice your two year old has requested, he'll decide he wants orange juice and will accept nothing less. The issue when you're raising more than one toddler at the same time is that the instant Katie decides her apple juice isn't going to work, Kelly will insist that hers isn't going to work either. Same goes for shirt, pant, and shoe selection.

You must determine when you will draw the line on the constant need for modifications, and know that the point at which you choose to draw the line can change at any time given how much sleep you had the night before or how many times you've had to go through the change routine already that day. I usually try to make it quite clear up front that there is time and opportunity for one choice per meal, outing, or movie watching session.

There Is No Such Thing As a Family Meal That Consists of Fewer Than 20 Options

At some point you will likely determine it's time to begin serving "family dinners," whereby you all gather around the table for a delicious, healthy meal you've slaved over, accompanied by some good old-fashioned family conversation.

Such intentions are absolutely to be admired. Be prepared, however, for the fact that in all likelihood, your toddlers won't like what's being served (and if only one does, the other may well suddenly change her mind, as I mentioned earlier). I used to become so frustrated when I'd cook a nice meal, only to have it accompanied not by conversation but by constant screaming for Cheerios, marshmallows, or pizza, that I devised a solution that does indeed work about 60 percent of the time. I put applesauce, yoghurt, and a fruit or vegetable that I know they like on the table with the other menu items. This way, there's something I am certain they will eat even if it's not what they'd order off the menu given the choice, and my husband and I don't find ourselves having to stand up every four seconds to retrieve such an item from the fridge or cupboard.

It's Expensive

Obviously, you're going to be dealing with multiple shirts, shorts, and shoes for the next 16 years or so. However, the toddler years with multiples can be expensive for more reasons than just clothes. It is usually during these years that we start signing our kids up for music classes, parent/tot swimming classes, play groups or, for the extremely optimistic fathers out there, golf lessons.

In most cases, you will be responsible for registration and participation fees times two or more. Be sure to inquire whether there is a discount for multiples. Very often, at least the registration fee will be reduced.

Although it can be expensive, try not to opt out of such activities for financial reasons alone. The time away from the house and the social opportunities for the kids are both important. One trick we've used is to set aside holiday and birthday money given to the boys instead of spending it on yet another toy. When it comes time to pay the fees, the money is available. Plus, the grandparents from whom the money often came in the first place are thrilled to be funding experiences for their grandchildren.

You Are Going to Need a Hobby That You Greatly Enjoy

There is a reason the term "The Terrible Twos" has gained a lot of notoriety. It's a time during which toddlers learn a great deal, that is exciting to watch. It's also a time when you will be challenged almost constantly in terms of your ability to be patient and calm, and possibly not to shout "Shut up!" at the top of your lungs as everyone vies for your attention simultaneously for the sixth hour in a row.

It will be critical to your sanity during this time to have a hobby you enjoy and can lose yourself in as often as necessary!

It's Going to Be Messy

Toddlers have little or no need for order and cleanliness. Find me a toddler's room that is cleaned by him or her on a weekly basis and, well, I'm moving in with you for a week to absorb your strategy. Play-doh will end up on the floor (but hopefully not in the carpet), crayon will end up on walls (buy the washable kind), sip cups will spill (even though the manufacturer claims they are spill-proof), and more urine will likely hit the floor than the cute little potty bowl.

I know without a doubt that I could clean all day, every day, and be able to start all over again once I was finished. Keep the following running through your head: "I have toddlers. The house is going to be messy. It won't last forever." If it gets to a point that is intolerable to you, consider hiring a cleaning service to come every two weeks to at least clean bathrooms, dust, and hoover. Those are the things you probably won't get to after you've wiped up the play-doh, crayon, spilled milk, and urine (over and over again).

Occasionally, even amidst the endless tossing of Legos, demands for one more bedtime song, and orders to retrieve a blue plate instead of an orange one, I can understand the toddler mindset. After all, who wouldn't make the most of an opportunity to draw with reckless abandon on walls, decide the Monsters, Inc. character on his dinner plate is too scary to eat off of, or express every opinion she has?

As Clair Adams Sullivan said, "Our children are here to stay, but our babies and toddlers and preschoolers are gone as fast as they can grow up and we only have a short moment with each." I will try to remember this the next time Henry informs me, with as much frankness and as little apology as anyone his age can, "Me no like Mama sing song. Hurt me ears."

Elizabeth Lyons is the author of Ready or Not... Here We Come! The REAL Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year with Twins.

For more information you can visit Elizabeth's site at www.elizabethlyons.com

You can purchase the book through www.amazon.co.uk

"I received this book about a month before I was due to give birth to my twin girls. I was very interested in what the author would have to say, especially as, like me, she already had a 2-year daughter to consider when her twins arrived! However, in all honesty, I ended up reading the book quite half-heartedly at that time, due to the 'information fatigue' I was suffering after having previously devoured every piece of twin-related information I could lay my hands on!!

In addition the layout of the book - it is split into chapters dealing with before the birth, then months 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12 - made it even easier to skip or even miss out certain chapters - I got as far as chapter three, dealing with 0-3 months, then decided that the remaining chapters could wait until I had had my twins and they were closer to the relevant age period then I would dip back into the book as necessary.

A few weeks ago, with my twins now 9 months old, I finally got the chance to sit down and read this book properly - and I have to report - once I started reading it, I could not put it down until the very last page! Having been through nine months of twin parenting already, the earlier chapters served more as a reminder of the good and bad times of those early days - each page had me nodding my head in recognition of some conversation / dilemma / event that is particular to parenting twins.

Topics such as the complexity of choosing a twin buggy suitable to your own needs (I am now on my fourth different model in just nine months!!), and conversations with strangers ("you've got your hands full haven't you") had me laughing out loud with their spot-on observations. The latter sections of the book have given me a fair idea of what is come between now and the magical one-year stage.

The appendices of the book also provide, for those who have the time and energy, a guide to preparing your own baby food as well as quick and recipes to make for yourself during the first hectic few months.

In conclusion I loved this book - it's a humorous, well-observed guide to life with twins - at the very least it will provide you with a few laughs, at the most it will be an invaluable guide to the first year of parenting twins. It is full of ideas and reassurances, written in a very accessible way - the written equivalent of a chat with your best friend!!

If you are expecting twins or have twin babies - go out and buy this book!! When you finish reading it lend it to your friends and family so they can understand what your daily life is truly like (and so they can then realise just how much of a hero you are for being able to cope!!)."

Nana

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