Motherhood Minis: Bitesize Interviews with Real Mums - Twinning with Amy Trigger.
Welcome to the start of our interview series, Motherhood Minis, featuring bitesize interviews with real mums. Short and sweet but packed full of tips and insight into the lives of our Matchstick Monkey parents and their little ones!
This week we’re catching up with mum and blogger Amy Trigger to see how she’s getting on with parenthood, her little ones, teething and being an Instagram sensation.
Twins are rare, but identical red-haired twins? What are the chances!? It’s really not hard to see why 19-month-old Summer and Skye have become the stars of their Mum’s Instagram account @thetriggertwins.
Amy and her husband James live in the South West with their twins and ‘naughty tortie’ cat, Cookie. As well as posting on her Instagram, Amy also writes her own blog Simply Twins where James also contributes, making sure we get to see things from Dad’s point of view too! They cover all kinds of topics in a refreshingly honest way, with some really great tips for any parents of twins, or parents full stop!
Amy, tell us what you’ve learned about the reality of having children that you could never have predicted before having your own?
Amy: How relentless it really is, and how much it truly changes your life and your outlook on life.
Do you think parents, mothers, in particular, have a tendency to put themselves under pressure to be the perfect parent?
Amy: Yes, definitely! I think it’s tough with social media because everyone shares what they’re doing, so it makes you doubt yourself as a parent. There are things I wouldn’t have even questioned if I didn’t have the internet! It can become a little bit competitive.
How do you get “me” time?
Amy: I’ve always been strict with the girls’ bedtime routine so me and my husband get our evenings together.
Your Instagram account has become incredibly popular. Do you now see yourself as an influencer?
Amy: No, not really!
Has your growing Instagram following changed your day to day life?
Amy: The only way it’s changed my life is that sometimes I’ll think ‘that would make a great Instagram photo!’ and I’ll often share parts of our day in my stories, which I really enjoy.
Why do you think your account has become so popular, is this something you planned from the start?
Amy: I think it’s probably become popular because my girls are quite unusual - twins with ginger hair! I started my account to document my pregnancy and life with twins, to help and connect with others but I never expected to get so many followers.
A little while ago, you reviewed one of our Matchstick Monkey’s as an “Essential” item on Simply Twins (to read the review, click here). What are your absolute favourite baby and toddler products?
Amy: As a twin parent, our twin pillow has been the best product for us. It’s been great for sleeping, feeding and relaxing. I’ve also really loved our Matchstick Monkeys, they’ve been the girls’ favourite teethers since they were very small and it’s also been brilliant for saving my fingers from bites when applying teething gel. Multipurpose products are always great!
That’s great to hear. Obviously, we’re super interested in all things teething! It can be quite a challenging time for parents and toddlers too. How old were your children when they started to teeth?
Amy: They got their first teeth at around 9 months but I felt like they had symptoms from around 5 months.
Did any of your children have symptoms of teething, or did they just come through without a fuss?
Amy: So much dribble! Lots and lots of dribble for the first teeth but not too much complaining. The final teeth (canines and back molars) are causing them the most pain. They bite on their fingers and hold their ears.
Did you use any teething products? If so, what helped?
Amy: We found bonjela gel, anbesol liquid and Nurofen to be the most effective products.
So, if you could invent something specifically to help parents, what would it be?
Amy: Some sort of energy-replenishing potion haha! I feel like I’ve been tired for 19 months and there’s only so much coffee can do!
Thank you, Amy!
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