How many blankets do I really need?

MrsVo

We had our first shower this weekend and it was so much fun!  Being surrounded by our friends and family showing their love for the girls was amazing.  I do have a question though - just exactly how many blankets do two babies need?  We got 16 of the thin-ish swaddle blankets (but none of the Aden + Anais ones I actually registered for, LOL).  I was thinking about taking some back but I have no idea how many to keep and how many to return!

2shihtzus

One thing to consider when you are thinking about how much you need is are your babies going to be in daycare or are you going to be a SAHM?

If they are going to be in daycare, you may need a few more because I always sent some of those lightweight blankets to daycare as well so I needed enough where a few could be there and then a bunch could be at my house.

I personally would say you could take back about half of those.  We used those lightweight blankets a lot but I think that 8 should be plenty.  If you are going to go buy the Aden + Anais ones that you really wanted, I would think you could take back even more.  I should mention that we didn't use those lightweight blankets for swaddling much (we used Swaddle Me's) so we didn't need as many as some might have.  We mostly just used them to lay on the floor or as a light blanket when it was a little chilly.

aprilsarahjune

Perhaps keep them until your LOs arrive and decide then.  For some babies, the swaddle blankets are too small for a good swaddle from the get-go, but for small babies, they can be very useful. 

My girls were preemies, so the swaddle blankets were all we could use in the first 2-3 mos.  (SwaddleMes don't run small enough, to my knowledge.)  That being said, we used 3-4 blankets per day per girl and did laundry every other day or so.  So, we did make use of the little swaddle blankets.

MrsVo

Thank you for the advice!  I would really like to get some of the Aden+Anais ones since I've heard so many good things about them.  I am also just sort of planning on constantly doing laundry for a while.  We don't have a lot of storage room so I would think enough to get me through 2 days at a time will be plenty. 

natb22

Here is a tip I wish I had before my babies came. The receiving blankets from the store are crap (IMO) they were no good for us. Too small even to get them swaddles, and dont stay swaddled.

We purchased the miracle blankets when the girls were almost a month old, and I so wish I would have gotten them sooner! We dont even use the receiving blankets from the store anymore.

pizzo84

I think I am the exception on this board... I could never have enough swaddling blankets! We swaddled the girls to feed them (advice from SLP due to feeding difficulties), and the blankets would get wet during the feeding, so we easily went through 16 blankets in a day. We used George brand blankets from Walmart.

I had some A and A blankets, but we only used them for night time swaddling. I had 4 A and A, and that was enough.

Of course, you never know until they get here, what surprises your twins will bring!

 

MrsVo

pizzo84:

I think I am the exception on this board... I could never have enough swaddling blankets! We swaddled the girls to feed them (advice from SLP due to feeding difficulties), and the blankets would get wet during the feeding, so we easily went through 16 blankets in a day. We used George brand blankets from Walmart.

I had some A and A blankets, but we only used them for night time swaddling. I had 4 A and A, and that was enough.

Of course, you never know until they get here, what surprises your twins will bring!

 

Haha!  You are so right.  I hate this feeling of not knowing what I'm going to need.  I really hope the girls will teach me to be more laid back.

Temp6313048411121614

I don't care for the ones from the stores, I LOVE the ones from the hospital.  I snagged a bunch from DS1 and got even more from when the twins were born.  I have a ton from the hospital and they're wonderful.  Ask the nurses if you can take a few, we took some (obviously), plus the nurses gave some to DH to use in the car when he installed the seats (we didn't install them until it was time to leave b/c he's a pro at it and it only takes him a few minutes. 

doz&koz

No joke, we probably got 30 blankets total.  We got some at showers and many, many more after they were born.  I only actually use a couple of them.  I'd take at least half of them back.  Many of the ones we got were handmade (which is super nice and thoughtful, we just have a ton of them).  They are actually a storage problem and I know sooner or later I'm going to have to get rid of some of them.  They currently take up an entire six shelf canvas organizer in the closet and a drawer in their chest. 

Just a note on the PP - we got a stern NO when we asked if we could have a blanket or two, so don't count on that.

MrsLnt

We received 3 sets of the Carter's multipacks and it was way too much.  Especially since they shrunk and LOs grew and they became useless for swaddling in a matter of a week or two. They were good for extra layers in the car seat, and inside the A+A blankets when we needed to double swaddle.  We got by with 4 A+A blankets.