It's been a while since Pamela Fierro had toddler twins. But she still remembers a rather unique handcrafted gift from her now 11-year-old daughters. "There was the Mother's Day when they decided to color a wall in our house with a permanent marker," says Fierro, author of The Everything Twins, Triplets and More Book (Adams Media Corporation, 2005). "I wouldn't say that was my favorite Mother's Day gift at the time, but I do look back on it and laugh."

It's true – moms of young multiples are skilled at handling whatever their toddler tornados can dish out. But what do they really want on their Mother's Day plates?

"That's what moms of multiples need," says Linda Ann Olson, author of New Psalms for New Moms: A Keepsake Journal (Judson Press, 1999) and mom of twin sons. Maid service or a spa day would be great, adds Olson, but even a few hours of babysitting while a harried mom shops, naps or goes to lunch with a friend is appreciated.

And the more hours the better. Last year, Elizabeth Lyons' husband and four children – including toddler twins – treated her to an overnight stay in a hotel. Lyons, author of Ready or Not ... Here We Come! The Real Experts' Cannot-Live-Without Guide to the First Year With Twins (Finn-Phyllis Press, 2003), took a girlfriend and stayed in a nearby town. "It was close enough that if I had needed to get back, I could," says Lyons. "It wasn't terribly expensive, because it didn't involve a plane ticket or a long drive. After you have multiples, you realize what a luxury it is just to sleep or take a shower. An entire 24 hours of rest was amazing."

Best of all, getting toddler twins involved in giving Mom some time alone is as easy as offering to babysit. OK, so that isn't always easy! But Mom is guaranteed to love the break. "You come back refreshed," says Lyons. "For a mother of multiples to have that time to just focus on herself or her friends – or even her nails – whatever she needs to do, is wonderful."

It's also wonderful if the gift somehow validates the importance of the job a mother of twins, triplets or more does for her family. If you think toddlers aren't up for the task, you may be surprised! They just need a little help.

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