Twin Pregnancy---must have items? suggestions?

eringerard35 · March 2014

Hello! I am currently 16 weeks pregnant with TWINS (freaking out a little..or a lot). I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on must have items that you used for your twins or are currently using. Since we have to get 2 of everything, it can obviously get expensive. So I am trying to figure out some items that are an absolute must! Thanks!!!

hayleydeee · March 2014

Congratulations!

My first bit of advice would be NOT to get two of everything! We had 2 carseats, 2 high chairs, 2 cribs and 2 rock'n'plays, and even that felt like a lot. Baby gear has a way of piling up and taking over your whole house, especially when you have twins. Chances are that both babies won't be using anything else at the same time.

You can even hold off on the highchairs for a while, if finances a concern. We ended up liking the cheap booster seats that strap onto a regular chair the best. Lastly, especially if this is your first pregnancy, chances are people will get you gifts too. Particularly if you find out the sex of your babies, you can count on getting a lot of clothes as gifts.

eringerard35 · March 2014

Great! Thank you for your input! Did you by chance purchase the pack and play with a double bassinet? I am trying to figure out if I should invest in it (it's pretty pricey)

nblondheim · March 2014

I agree with pp! We have 2 car seats, a double stroller, 2 bumbos, 2 high chairs, 2 cribs, a video monitor, a play gym, a vibrating bouncy chair, a jumperoo, twin breast feeding pillow, 2 boppies, 2 rock 'n plays, crib sheets, swaddlers and swaddled blankets, Moby wrap, 2 bjorn carriers, burp cloths, receiving blankets, and essentials, (clothes, blankets, diapers, wipes, bottles, etc)
We do have the pnp with twin bassinets. We used it until this week (12 weeks old) and are now using the rock n plays instead.

ballygirl · March 2014

We were lucky that so many people gave us hand-me downs. We only had to buy the cribs and carseats. Everything else we got from other people. When people find out you are having twins, its like something snaps and they want to help you (always accept ALL help when you have infant twins...). People from work that I barely knew were giving us fantastic baby gear - swings, clothes, strollers. Definitely go for second hand for most things (other than carseats) if you can.

I love love love my double snap n go stroller. You just drop the infant car seats into it and go. Its lightweight, easy to fold and unfold, and easy to just keep in the car for doing errands. I take my girls out every chance I can get and they nap in there as long as we keep it rolling!

We used the rock n plays for sleeping. They sleep SO much better in them than the crib. They are 5 months now and are getting a little big, so we'll have to transition soon to the cribs but they have been great. They are very portable too, so we often go to my parents house for the weekend and my mom helps out with some night feedings to give us a rest and its great to have these portable sleepers that we can bring with us and move around the house to wherever is most convenient.

My girls weren't huge fans of the baby swings. We got 3 used baby swings from friends and folks at work. Two were just a regular upright seat that reclined a little and one was like a papasan swing. They liked the papasan swing the best but they are really expensive and probably wouldn't have been worth it if we had bought it new. I know other folks babies who love swings though, so, it varies from baby to baby. Maybe get one and see if they like it, you definitely don't need more than that.

Boppies come in handy for propping up the babies and for tummy time. I use both of my boppies quite a lot. Also, when they are a bit bigger, you can prop the babies up in them and bottle feed 2 at once which is a time saver. Now that my girls are older (5 mon) they like the bouncy seats more. They didn't like them much in the beginning but now we use them for feeding. I can just sit them up, sit in the middle of them and spoon feed.

The thing my girls like best of all is the activity mats where things hang down and they can look at and grab at them. We have two of these and when they seem to get bored from one, I switch them out for a few days and they are interested again. They have been enthralled by these since about 8 weeks and even now at 5 months, I can still lay them down there and they will amuse themselves for up to a half hour which is a luxurious amount of time to get stuff done!

daisy19782011 · March 2014

Here is what we have 2 of that we USE 2 of: (1) Rock-n-Plays---they slept in them until 3 months and they are very travel friendly and portable. They still nap in them even though they are sleeping in cribs at night. We have dogs, so it was nice to be able to get them up off the ground at the beginning. (2) Cribs...our kids have never slept together, but they sleep in the same room. (3) High chairs---I imagine...we are not there yet. (4) Car seats. You only need one of: (1) swing (2) activity mat (3) we have boppy newborn loungers and regular boppy pillow...we OCCASIONALLY use them both at the same time, but one would really be enough. (4) pack n play (twin) (5) bumbo,,,,,we are just getting into these, but I am thinking 1 is enough...we of course have 2!

eringerard35 · March 2014

Gosh, thank you everyone! It is great to from momma's who are currently experiencing the twin baby life!

jennylryan · March 2014

Ditto what everyone else said!
Also join your local mothers of multiples club--they are a great resource and most have sales a few times a year and you can get some great gear and clothes at decent prices!

TheDairyQueenx3 · March 2014

eringerard35 said:
Great! Thank you for your input! Did you by chance purchase the pack and play with a double bassinet? I am trying to figure out if I should invest in it (it's pretty pricey)

Don't buy the twin pack n play. Buy a regular one and 2 rock n plays instead. And only thing that you absolutely need 2 of is car seats. And Velcro swaddle blankets get lots of them.

Ylvelill · March 2014

Everyone says to join the local group of multiple moms.... How do you find one?

seawater · March 2014

TheDairyQueenx3 said:

Great! Thank you for your input! Did you by chance purchase the pack and play with a double bassinet? I am trying to figure out if I should invest in it (it's pretty pricey)
Don't buy the twin pack n play. Buy a regular one and 2 rock n plays instead. And only thing that you absolutely need 2 of is car seats. And Velcro swaddle blankets get lots of them.

I totally agree! I actually don't have rock-n-plays but SO WISH I had gotten them now that I know better

I have the twin pack-n-play and hate it. Mine refused to sleep laying flat (serious reflux, which is common in preemies. something to consider since twins generally are early). Also, when one baby moves in the twin pack-n-play bassinet, the whole thing moves which always wakes my other one up. It was a disaster honestly and we only lasted a few nights in it before I wised up.

Also, like others have said: opt for a variety rather than 2 each of fewer items. Borrow what you can to see what baby likes (especially if you're thinking of getting baby carriers. We borrowed a Moby and liked it, but not enough to buy one ourselves. I'd rather save for an Ergo carrier).

High chairs that attach to regular chairs are great space savers, lots of different places to put babies scattered around the house, twin breast feeding pillow if you plan on that, and lots of sleep swaddles (we like the Halo sleep swaddle sacks).

Oh, and congrats. Mine are 4.5 months and it's crazy but amazing.

twinmom1121 · March 2014

We have the twin pack and play and have used it for sleeping at night since we brought them home from the hospital. They are now 4 months. I like it because I can keep it by my bed . It will also be a good transition to the cribs because it is a flat surface. My babies have no problem falling asleep in their cribs (it's me that doesn't want them sleeping there yet! Ha! Separation anxiety! ) I agree with everyone else; buy 2 of everything you need (crib, carseat, etc) and one of things they can share like playmats and swings. I bought two boppy pillows and my boys hate laying on them so we never use them. I don't use them to nurse either. I would say to get a twin nursing pillow if you are planning to tandem nurse! It definitely comes in handy! Good luck to you!

bumpuser924057 · March 2014

Everyone's different, but this is what I had two of and found (or still find) useful: car seats (obviously), cribs, high chairs (we have the space savers, and I started putting them in there at about 6-8 weeks old with them reclined, just so they could be near me while we ate dinner), boppies (one in the house, one in the car), swings (I waited on this and bought a second one because they both loved it), exersaucers (same as the swing; had one, bought another later), Ergo carriers (I sometimes do one in front and one in back), and those healthy care booster seats (I keep them in the car and use them in restaurants). There are probably a few other things, but that's off the top of my head.

LucyRicardo3 · March 2014

I had to buy a new bouncy seat for #5 since I'd gotten rid of a lot of those type things in a moving sale.
Ingenuity brand- Gentle Automatic Bouncer is a FANTASTIC seat, and how I wish I'd had it with my twins.
I'd purchased the baby papasan-style with them and had to try and rock one with my foot with feeding the other. This chair eliminates that acrobatic fiasco.

jennylryan · March 2014

Ylvelill said:
Everyone says to join the local group of multiple moms.... How do you find one?

Google mothers of multiples and your city or state and something should come up if there is one near you. You could also contact local hospitals that have multiples birth classes as they would have a list of resources (mine did).

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Twin Pregnancy---must have items? suggestions?

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