Not Sure What to Have for Twins

Well, I don't have twins but I can tell you the things that I have used the most with my little one (she is now 7 months): Receiving blankets (also used as spit rags), bibs (especially if she/he is a spitter), onesies, pacifiers (I must have lost a dozen), a carrier and stroller (essential to getting house work done) and also my baby loved a vibrating bouncer. I never really used a bassinet but if you are planning on transitioning to a crib early then I would consider a pack-n-play that has a bassinet for the first few weeks/months. Pack-n-plays are also great for traveling and overnight trips.

K.,

First of all I want to say congratulations! Having twins can be such a wonderful blessing!!! When people ask me for advice in preparing for twins my first huge suggestion is to be sure to keep a record of your pregnancy and their first few months! Keeping a journal or blog and making sure you get some pictures of yourself well in advance are huge! The first few months tend to be a bit of a blur for most moms so be sure to jot down some thoughts and development about the twins every few days. You'll be tired, but it will be worth it.

The second most important thing I suggest is to try out different things to see what works for you and your family! There are many books out there that have very specific recommendations for the "right" way to do things and many parents of twins are also very opinionated about what worked for them, but that doesn't mean any of it will be right for you. Sure, read up, join your local Moms of Multiples group, there are many benefits and suggestions that can definitely make life easier.

What you will need will also greatly depend on your family situation. It did not work for us to have 2 swings for example. So having one swing, one bouncy seat and one exersaucer that we could rotate them through was great! I do recommend having 2 high chairs, 2 cribs, and 2 bumbos (of you want that sort of thing). For us, having the babies in the same crib until they were about 6 months old was fine. They definitely needed separate cribs (simply because of size) at that point, but it's different for everyone.

Clothes and blankets: Despite what some of the books recommend (they say you only need 1 1/2 of the usual wardrobe/baby care items to clothe/care for twins) ~ you definitely need double the number of onesies, jammies, socks, shoes (I sometimes even recommend that you have 3 pairs), slippers, towels, washcloths, diapers, wipes, bottles, sippy cups and other feeding items. As far as wardrobe is concerned, you may be able to get away with 1 1/2 the usual wardrobe here. Some families like to have their twins match or coordinate, in that case you need double the wardrobe as well.

Getting recommendations from other twin families is such a great way to get ideas that will lead you to the way that works for your family. Take it easy the last three months of your pregnancy. Try to get rid of as much stress as you can and don't do any heavy housework or child lifting ~ it's all about keeping those babies in as long as possible.

I wish you a great future with your little blessings!

The people I know who have twins seem to get a lot of use out of their tandem stroller. I also suggest trying the new style of easy-to-use cloth diapers that adjust in size and fit babies between 8 - 35 pounds! You could even use these for your toddler! I do sell these, but only because I stumbled upon them myself for use with my son and loved them so much that I just had to let others know about them!!! The bumGenius brand are the ones that adjust in size. They're not only cute and effective, but they'll save you a TON of money, especially with twins! You'll find them at www.SimpleCloth.com.

hello-
Are you planning to breastfeed your twins? if so theres a couple things i could reccomend. i have 8 week old twin boys and found that if i want to nurse them simultaneously(which i usually don't), one of those large, semi circular nursing pillows is invaluable- it can hold both of them so that i have free hands. Some companies make them especially for twins.
Also a breast pump is very important- which you may already have.
its useful when i nurse them separately, to placate the one who has to wait; and also on car trips when theres limited time.

How far along are you? These are my first but i know that twin pregnancy and parenting is ALOT tougher than singletons, and doubly rewarding of course. You've probably been preached at endlessy already, but I do hope that whoever your careprovider is stresses the importance of superior nutrition and LOTS of protein for healthy newborns! some doctors just assume twins will be premature and schedule a cesarean, but its not neccessary!
i had a natural birth at a midwifery center, and though my boys were three weeks early , they were healthy weights- but i had to pack it away like id never imagined!
anyway i'd be interested in corresponding more if your interested- i don'tknow any other twin moms as of yet.
hope everything goes well for your birth!
D. R

First & foremost, you NEED a Nesting Pillow from BlessedNest.com. This is THE BEST nursing pillow out there! You can read about all of the benefits of having one on the website, but let me tell you, it's a life saver!!!! I would not want to go with out mine ever again. Each of us in our family uses one to sleep with now. They're made with Organic buckwheat hulls. They're crescent-shaped so you can even tandem nurse the babies in the "football position". They have lots of pretty fabrics to chose from, so your bound to find one that matches your decor. ;o) Check it out!!
Take care!
S.

Hi Katie. I have 6 month old twins and they are my only children. You will need tons of patience and help, but it sounds as if you are asking what supplies you will need. We found onesies that open down the front as you don't have to put them over their heads were very helpful. We have used our vibrating chair and portable swing quite a bit. You will want to have lots of blankets and burp cloths. You will go through a lot of them every day. I also have a breastfeeding pillow specifically made for twins and it have been invaluable. I also liked slings and other babywearing devices have been great. We also use our double stroller that their car seats fit into almost everyday. I hope this is helpful. I have heard in through the grapevine that a twins group will be starting here soon.

Congratulations on twins! I was hoping you'd post an update after your last question. I would suggest finding a twin moms groups (there have to be some on the Internet:))

Also, check these sites for info about the easiest carseats and gear to use with twins and other little ones.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&...

http://car-seat.org/

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=Carseats...

well, i don't have twins. but some of the things i think are awesome are...
a crib that converts to a toddler bed, of course you'll need two of most things. but a crib like this you can buy at kmart for $100 and the mattress you could get at a consignment shop for $10-$20. you could easily use these until the kids are 4 or 5 depending how tall they are. two swings, but not the specially sized newborn ones, they just grow out of those too fast for the price. convertable car seats are great. they save so much money. i have one that goes from newborn to 44 pounds. i used it for my son and now my daughter. i've had it for 3 years, its still in perfect shape. you can put it in facing backwards and forwards. they have travel booster seats you can get instead of highchairs. some have the feature to lean back and sit up straight, so it's great from the start. they strap to a chair and most have a detachable tray. i have one that folds up and only weighs a few pounds. very convenient. and lastly, a great double stroller. i really prefer the ones that are front and back instead of side by side because they are easier to manuver and fit in the isles at the store. the one i have is made to hold a carseat in the back, or you can lay both seats way back. add a headrest, holder thing and your good to go. good luck.

ARM'S REACH CO-SLEEPER!!! not having to get out of bed to get the baby to nurse or to check and make sure they are okay gives you more rest! Especially with older children to care for durring the day-every moment of rest counts!!!! Number 2 baby gear item- Ergo baby carrier!! So comfy and you can wear it so many ways! Front carry, side, back pack all VERY comfy and the hood to support sleeping baby head is awesome!! My 38 pound 3 1/2 year old can still ride on my back with it!!

Lets see, when I had my twins having a swing and a bouncie was great, becase they may not like the same things. Also I would say a second bouncie was a life saver for me at night time. I was not able to brest feed my twins, I did not produce near enough for them, so they were mostly bottle fed. At night when my husband was not available and they both happen to wake at the same time, I would put them each into a bouncie and sit between them on the floor with a bottle in each hand feeding them. It was the only way that I could come up with at the time to feed two at once, but it worked just fine. Two cribs for sure, once they start to roll around they will be all over each other. Graco makes a great double stroller. I belive it is called the duo glide. It has stadum seating not side by side, much better for getting around. One thing that was nice, was on our changing table over the cover for the pad I would put one of the small water proof lap pads and then one of the thick cloth diapers over it. I would change them on that. That way if any thing got messy it was usually just the diaper and that is much easier to throw in the wash then having to go through and change the large changing pad. Kept the changing table clean. You can get a pack of I think 8 or 12 at babies R us, for about the price that you pay for one of the covers for the whole pad. Other then that, just the usual basics which having two other children, you know about, but just double the amount that you would normally get. Good luck, twins are not the easiest thing, but they sure are worth all the work. Mine are now 5 yrs old one, boy and one girl.

I do not have twins myself, but my sister in law does and she is definitly the no frills type and only gets what they really need. A double stroller is a must, especially since you also have a toddler. You could get a triple stroller, so the 1 year old can ride too, but if you have a baby sling you could always carry a baby and then have another baby and the toddler ride in the stroller. The babies can share a crib at first, but ultimatly they will each need there seperate space. Instead of high chairs i would recommend the seats that strap onto the regular chairs. I find with my toddler it saves a lot of space because high chairs are so bulky.They even make one that reclines so a younger infant can use it. I think we are going to get that for our second baby who is coming any day now. I LOVE the Boppy pillow. Even if you don't breastfeed it is great for bottle feeding and tummy time. It also helped my son get the hang of sitting up. I hear those Bumpo seats are good too. You could probably use your own judgement as to whether or not you would need two. My SIL found that she didn't need 2 bouncy seats, 2 swings, etc. She had one of each of those kinds of things and would just switch the babies around in them as needed. I hope this helps. Congrats!

I would highly recommend a double-stroller. I have one for my boys who are 6 months old and 19 months old. A family member purchased it for my husband and I not too long after we found out we were going to be having our now 6 month old. It has been a lifesaver!!!!!