New Year - New Babies!
I have recently learned of two families I know who are now expecting twins in May and June, so this year is going to a spectacular and memorable year for them for sure. I'm very excited for them!
So today I am going to focus on what I think every twins' mom should be equipped with before getting home from the hospital and additional items to be on the lookout for after they come home. I'm also going to explain why.
You won't need double of every kind of toy or piece of equipment, but sometimes 2 of the bigger, every day items might save your sanity.
2 carseat/carriers
This is an obvious one, but if you don't plan ahead you will realize how expensive carseat carriers and the whole combo sets can be! My advice is to do your research, watch for sales and when family asks what they can buy, you should make sure to ask for assistance with these items, which you'll use every day.1 twin stroller (different than a double stroller)
There is a "twin" stroller and there is a "double" stroller. When shopping around, find out if you're looking at a twins style or a double. Some brands will say "Twin" stroller, but look closely and see what the real details are and how they will or will not work for twins. The reason I suggest this is because a true twin stroller will usually have the same size seats for the babies/children and the double stroller usually has one smaller unit and one larger, enabling only one carseat to be clicked in for daily use. For example, it might be referred to as a 60/40 split. The bigger kid goes on the 60 side (up to 60 lbs.) and the smaller kid goes on the 40 side (up to 40 lbs.) In this style you cannot click two baby carseat carriers into it. That is not what you want to have happen as a mother to twins and you don't want to find out after you fall in love with the style or buy it that it doesn't even work for your needs. That would be a very expensive mistake!
I personally have 2 twin tandem strollers, which is the type on which the seats are one in front of the other. I call one my "winter beater" because it's a little older and I'm willing to allow it to get all salted up and dirty from the winter weather and slushy parking lots. The spring/summer stroller will hopefully stay in clean and "pretty" condition for a few years. The kind of strollers we have are the Peg Perego Duette and Duette 2. I was able to find both of these strollers for $100.00 and $150.00 on online classifieds ads. This is a far cry from the minimum $850.00 for a brand new Peg Duette!! Yikes!
The beauty of the tandem style is that you will more than likely have no problem getting through doctor's office doorways, mall doorways, down aisles in tight stores and so on. Additionally, you can get tandem brands that allow you to setup the seats in three ways. 1. Both babies facing away from mom/dad 2. Both babies facing mom/dad or 3. Babies facing inwards, looking at each other. I personally enjoy my twins facing each other so they can interact and keep each other occupied. I am sure when they are older I will be facing them away from each other on days they are fighting or having tantrums.
When the twins are babies, the tandem stroller will accomodate both infant carseat carriers.
You will also become an expert at manoeuvring that sucker in no time! People will probably stare at you in awe as you come down the mall or hall. The one thing these tandems don't have is a back up beeper signal, which I really think they should have! They have them on mini-vans, so why not gigantic strollers too?? You do need room to back up and turn, but with patience you'll figure out how to do it like an expert in no time.
The triple stroller is another story and if you have to go the route of a triple stroller, don't be surprised if you feel like you're on exhibit as onlookers' eyes bug out as you pass by.
**I don't recommend the most current versions of Peg Perego, which have "steering wheels" (see above pic) to move the front wheels. I used the triple mentioned above of this brand as well, and it was impossible to turn the wheels all the way to make tight turns. The wheels are only able to turn so far and do not swivel like the older models do. I really do recommend getting a gently used older model that allows for all of the wheels to turn a full 360 if needed.
2 High Chairs
I recommend a full sized high chair versus getting the type you attach to a kitchen table or a booster seat.
What I like about the free standing/full sized high chairs are they are spacious for the baby, they have a large tray/eating surface, they have a 5 point harness (at least you should try to get a 5 point harness,) they can recline 2-3 positions, they adjust up or down in height.
The booster seat or table attachment chairs cannot compare to the above. We used the full sized chairs for our twins' first 17 months. During that time we could adjust each baby's chair for their specific needs. For example, one of the twins didn't have very good neck control when he first went into the highchair, so we could recline him to a comfortable position so he wouldn't struggle to drink his bottle. You can't do that with a booster or attachable chair. They don't recline.
We have the Fisher Price Rainforest Healthy Care High Chairs and I love them. They are easy to clean. The seat cushion comes off very easily and can be thrown in the washer with the harness and hung to dry without losing shape.
4 bassinets
I suggest 2 bassinets in mom and dad's room and 2 on the main floor where you will probably spend most of your time. This will be a huge time saver for you, as you will not have to run up and down the stairs all day long when they wake or cry.
2 or more playpens
We used one playpen in our household and had an extra playpen at each grandparents' home. Our twins were able to take their naps in a shared playpen--they didn't need each need a playpen.
1 or 2 swings
I would suggest starting with one swing and seeing if each baby will even like a swing. I know many babies don't end up enjoying the swing and it becomes a very large dust collector. We had one swing from our first child and we did end up getting a hand-me-down swing, which was in perfect condition. Our babies loved the swing.
1 Exersaucer
This is an item, which I didn't see a need for two. By the time the babies can go into an Exersaucer, they are most likely bigger and a little more independent. Both babies will not necessarily want to do the exact same thing or even care if they do. We would usually put one baby in the Exersaucer and the other in the Jumperoo if we needed some free hands time.
1 Jumperoo
See above.
What is a Tumzee? It's a fairly new, Canadian product, that is meant for assisting with the development of a baby's upper body strength (shoulders, arms, necks.) It's an addition to regular tummy time. Many babies hate being on their tummies during a period when it is very important for their development. Our babies, given that they were so premature, needed all the help they could get with this area of development. They spent the majority of their first 3 to 3.5 months on their backs or sides and very rarely on their tummies. We had a lot of catching up to do and the Tumzee helped. It can get babies eye level up to the area of their toys dangling off the playmat, for example, and that can begin to interest them in holding their heads up and using their arms to do so.2 Bumbos
I love the Bumbo! I think it one of the best recent baby inventions! Since it helps children sit before they are technically at an age they can do it on their own, it is a really big help for preemie babies (as long as they are at a point they can hold their own heads up.) You can take the Bumbo when you're on the go and easily put it in your trunk and use it at the park for picnics or where ever you won't have a proper high chair. Until the grandparents were able to get enough high chairs for the twins we would often take at least one Bumbo with us when we visited. The tray you can attach is also a great accessory to have for playtime or eating time.
2 interactive playmats
At first your babies will most likely fit on one playmat together fine, but as they grow it will become more awkward and a fight for the babies to reach for toys they want. I ended up getting a second playmat when they were obviously too big to share one.
When you think of twin babies think double the spit up, double the mess and double the need for blankets/burp cloths and the like. You will have much less time for laundry, which is the reason I say you will need dozens of receiving blankets (I didn't use burp cloths--too small.)
4-6 sleepsacs
For example: Back to Sleep or Grobag. Depending where you live, you may want to have the light weight ones and some heavier weight sleepsacs. It will also depend when the twins are due to be born. If they will be born spring-summer, then I would suggest having 4 light weight sleepsacs and maybe 2 heavier/bigger ones, which can be grown into in the fall/winter and vice versa.
The Back to Sleep brand in particular offers the choice of being able to bundle the baby. You can easily put the baby in the sleepsac, zip the baby in, then wrap a matching piece of material around the back and tummy to bundle the baby snug, which secures with some velcro. This was a nice feature in the early days and a big time saver if you're not good at getting a nice tight bundle on your own with a receiving blanket. The other bonus is that it can't unravel when the baby shifts and moves about, as a receiving blanket probably would. If you end up living in a NICU for a while, you'll probably have the process of bundling a baby with a blanket down pat, and the baby will probably be snug as a bug. Either way the sleepsac is quick and easy and I loved them.
Tonnes and tonnes of diapers. Again, when people begin to ask what can they help you with/buy for your twins on the way or once they've arrived, ask for help with diapers. Whether the gift is actual boxes of diapers or gift cards to the bulk store or grocery stores/pharmacies.
Bibs...many...many...many!!
We had about 60 bibs in the early days, especially when they were bottling and learning to eat new foods.
I could go on and on I am sure, but these are the main things I recommend without thinking about it too much.
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