Stroller and registry advice!

lindam87 · July 2015

Hi All!

I'm expecting twins in December and am lost when it comes to choosing the right stroller! I'm in between the Contours Elite and Chicco Cortina and I'm not sure which is the best for twins to grow into. I really like the price point and would like to stay within the $250-400 range. They both seems so heavy and long when closed and I'm worried I'll have difficulties when I'm out and about. Is tandem the way to go or have you found that a side by side is best?

Also, I would love to hear what your absolute must haves are? i.e. Best rockers, high chairs, bottles, baby carriers, etc. These are my first kids and I don't know anyone else with twins.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

blairdavis99 · July 2015

Love my diaper genie (we go through A LOT of diapers a day here), our two Graco vibrating swings, our Dr Brown bottles, our Nalgene bottles with oz measurements on the side (we make formula in advance in 24 hour batches), our monkey crib mobiles, our SwaddleMe wraps & Dreft laundry stain spray. Also, register for A LOT of burp cloths/receiving blankets. Like 3x the amount you think you will need.

vstrasser · July 2015

We have the Baby Trend eclipse sit n stand double stroller - spark from babies r us. We love it! It pushes very easy and also easy to maneuver in stores and it doesn't seem that long when pushing it around. It's a bit heavy but I don't have any problem lifting it in and out of our mini van. Our baby trend baby carriers fit in it now and later will be able to use it with out for a long time and both kids will have a snack tray with drink holder. Also lots of burp cloths you will go thru tons of them!!

mrsrichey11 · July 2015

Stroller: Chicco Cortina is easier than the Contours to push/turn/fold/put in the trunk. It also fits the Chicco Keyfit 30 seats. If you are looking for a super lightweight stroller for when they are still in their infant seats, the double Snap n Go or the Joovy Twin Roo are great!

Bottles: Dr. Browns worked well for Baby A, but Baby B ended up just using the Medela bottles with the Enfamil nipples that we were given from the NICU. To add to this, a Boon large lawn bottle drying rack is a must! Its awesome!

Baby Carrier: Tula, Ergo, any kind of Mei Tai carrier, and the Moby. Personally, I like the Tula and the Mei Tai carrier.

Rocker: We just got a rocker with the ottoman from Walmart. I can't remember what brand, but it was like $130. We bought two, and they are pretty comfy!

High Chair: Fisher Price space saver! Its great!

Misc: Burp cloths. All of the burp cloths. Receiving blankets (honestly, you don't need the expensive ones. You really don't. Just the cheapest ones you can get at Target are good enough). Halo swaddle sacks and sleep sacks. White onesies. My twinnies basically lived in those for their first two months because you will you through A LOT of clothing changes and sometimes its just easier to put them in white onesies. Rock N Play's are nice for when you first bring them home, but in my experience I wish I would have just had them in their cribs right away. It was a difficult transition.

Ok. That's all I can think of at the moment. Congrats!

Hanniez89 · July 2015

All I know is I had a joovy side by side stroller that is the easiest thing in the world to open and close but I HATE everything else about it! My husband goes nuts every time we use it lol!!!!

As for registry I used everything!! The things I didn't have double of we just switched off with and that worked fine! Single: swing, rock n play, pack and play etc. double: high chairs, bumbo seats etc.

Must Haves:

Diapers, diapers, diapers... For days...
Diaper cream, lotion and wipes

A little first aid kit with nail clippers

I second above and love the fisher price space saver high chairs!

Bottles with all different flow nipples (I ended up having to experiment a lot and wasn't able to get them to breastfeed)

Some kind of double carrier or a wrap that works for that (shopping would be so much easier!)

Boppy pillows saved my life, but I know that they make a double one and that would have been crazy awesome

Baby monitors

I loved my swing ..... great to rock one and have alone time while the other was content in swing

Lots and lots of burp cloths !

Lots of blankets/swaddles

Lots of onesies!

dmurrie · August 2015

We started with 2 Chicco Keyfits (I regular, handed down from big sister and the other a new Keyfit 30). We used them with a Joovy Twin Too stroller until they outgrew the car seats. I loved the stroller. The car seats and either the Joovy twin too or double snap n go would be very high ony list. They don't last forever, but it was so much easier! It maneuvered a lot easier than the bigger stroller.

We now use the Contours Options with the babies (13mo now). Given the options, I'd go back and get the "elite" version, because the bottom is quite hard to get at. The thing is huge. I highly recommend making sure it fits in your car before committing. Babies R Us will let you take strollers to your car and make sure they fit. I'm not sure about other stores. There are a couple annoying things with it, but for the price and the fit, we got it. Pros: My 4 1/2 year old can still fit in either seat, which was a major plus. Most of the strollers didn't leave room in the back. That being said, DD is tiny for her age, and the twins are big, but it should last longer than other like strollers. It comes with one infant carrier holder. You could purchase the second one instead of doing a snap n go type thing. The price. The sun shades are awesome, and it's nice to be able yo flip the seats around. Cons of the contours: it can only be folded up when both seats are forward facing in the full upright position AND the wheels are facing forward. It doesn't come with trays. You can get them through Amazon for about $25 each, but definitely plan for this extra expense. There is a tiny, terribly a designed single cupholder for the parent, and many aftermarket cupholders don't fit, do plan on spending another $20 for that. The brake keeps slipping down and clicks the entire time you're out with the stroller.

Must haves: changing table and diaper pail. 2 cribs. Waterproof mattress pads, especially if one of the babies spits up a lot! At least 4 fitted sheets, prefferably more like 6 of them. If they're in separate rooms away from you, 2 monitors that don't interfere with each other... And add in another changing table and diaper pail. If you want to save money in the long run, there are diaper pails out there (like the diaper champs that we use) that use regular garbage bags instead of refill things. If formula feeding, we used 2 rock n plays for them to sit in, and it saved my sanity. Swings and/or bouncers. 2 pack n plays for travel. They can be the plain and simple versions without the changing tables and other bells and whistles. In fact, you can only use most of that stuff in early days, so then you're stuck storing all the extra parts forever. Sleep sacks or swaddle wraps are great. Lots of bottles and a large size bottle drying rack. Some sort of jumper toy or excersaucer for when they get older. I strongly feel that one of these is enough. 2 high chairs. Car seats! If you live in a cold climate, showercap style car seat covers. You skip the winter coats completely and use them. They are plenty warm enough. Borrow what you can. So much baby stuff can only be used for a few months!

MrsHT · August 2015

Congratulations on the twins!! My girls are now 17 weeks... time flies. Ok so we have the Contours Elite stroller and honestly its the best. Order a second car seat adapter and you can use it basically as a snap and go. It is a bit bulkier but its nice to have the option in a single stroller, verses having a stroller and then having the additional snap and go. The shades on the actual stroller seats are nice and large as well. Much larger than the Chicco stroller. With my son we had a single Chicco stroller and I HATED it. so I didn't even consider the Chicco double, even though we have Chicco car seats now. Good luck!!!

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