When I found out I was pregnant, I had no idea what I was going to need for the baby. Then I found out I was having twins...and I thought I was clueless before. I did all the research, read all the articles, read countless reviews and tried my best to pick what I thought was best for the twins. I still felt like I was unprepared. Having twins is overwhelming and with some trial and error I finally figured it out! This is what my husband and I used to get through the first 3 months of the twins lives.
Here's my list:
- I got SO lucky and got not one, but TWO Pac N' Plays. At first I thought it was a little excessive and even thought about giving one away. I'm so glad I kept them! When they were first born the boys could fit in just one and did fine. Once they started getting a little older and rolling around it was a God send to have two. To be completely honest, they've never, not once, spent the night in their nice fancy crib that I spent so long redoing. They sleep in these every night. And I love that they're so easy to fold up and take anywhere. We had one that was Baby Trend and our other was Graco. I HATED...With. A. Passion. the Baby Trend. It was impossible to fold up and it was always difficult to lock in place. I used to get so mad at it that I threw it down our stairs once...So I definitely recommend the Graco Pack 'n Play! I LOVE it!
- This Snuza Hero is my best friend. No one talks about SIDS, but it's a real thing. If we didn't buy two of these I'm not sure our boys would be here today. Yes it sounds dramatic, but I honestly believe it. Me being the mom I am, I did a whole TON of research. I'm talking a ton of research on SIDS. Turns out babies who are born with a low birthweight (check), boys (check) and multiples (check), have a higher risk of dying from SIDS. So, as you can imagine I didn't sleep the first two months of the boys' lives. The first night we used the monitors was the first time I got real sleep since they were born. We have a lot of false alarms but we've had a handful of times were I had to shake one of them awake because they stopped breathing. Talk about terrifying. I bawled my eyes out every damn time. Now, I was told apnea to a degree is normal in babies. NOPE, sorry I am NOT ok with that. I recommend this to all of my pregnant mama friends.
- Burpy Bibs are one of my favorite things we got for the twins. They double as a burp cloth and a bib. They're also made out of the muslin fabric so they're super soft and reversible. They snap around baby's neck and cover most of their body, it helps that they're adorable too!
- Motherhood Maternity No Seem Clip Down Nursing Bras were my life savers! They're SO comfy and are easy to nurse with. They just clip down and voilá boobie time! I stocked up on these bad boys. They aren't super sexy, but let's be real what's sexy about a baby yanking on your nipple?
- There was a time when the only thing that would calm the boys down, was being in their Safari Dream Bouncers. They vibrate, sing and bounce. The boys ADORED them! The only downside is that they don't bounce by themselves. I didn't really mind though because I would just sit on the couch, plop them in front of me and use my feet to bounce them.
- I don't know what I would have done without my Spectra Breast Pump. It's hospital grade, dual pump and so gentle. Not to mention it works like a pro. There were nights were I had to pump every two hours because I was producing SO much milk! Not to mention, when we traveled cross country. My husband would drive a couple hours at a time without stopping and I sat in the back and pumped (buckled in don't worry). It saved me so many times, especially when I was engorged. I'm definitely keeping it for our next baby!
- The boys LOVED being swaddled when we first brought them home. These Swaddle Me Sacs were perfect because they couldn't break out of these. They have little velcro sections that make it baby escape proof. We used these every time we put them down to sleep and they loved them!
- It's no secret that I'm paranoid about the products I buy for the babies. I feel good about bathing them with Ava Anderson Baby Shampoo (Although I think they changed their name to Pure Haven Essentials now?) It lasted forever (with twins mind you) and I love the way they smell after it. My husband and I both have sensitive skin and we assumed the boys would too. They haven't had any problems at all with this shampoo. Definitely a must!
- Along with the bouncers these Portable Swings were the boys favorite. They sing, rock, have a timer and fold up flat to take on the go. I can't tell you how many times these swings saved me. Any time I couldn't get the boys to calm down, I'd plop them in the swings, turn on the music and let them rock. No joke five minutes later they were out COLD.
- Ok, so I'll be honest here...I started off using Dr. Brown's (and still do). I loved Dr. Brown's just for the fact that it helped with the boys GERD, but I HATED all the different parts. Washing them is ridiculous. I tried an Avent bottle that someone gave us just for kicks and I LOVE them so much. The boys do great with them and bonus they're easy to clean!
- Having two babies at the same time isn't an easy task. But hauling around a bulky, heavy, long, obnoxious stroller definitely doesn't help. I also hate the fact that most strollers only last six months to a year before you need to buy a whole new one. I love Graco Ready2grow Click Connect LX Stroller. It's pretty compact for a double stroller and I love the fact that I'll never need another stroller ever. It has TWELVE....count 'em t.w.e.l.v.e. positions. Definitely a must have for my twin mamas and even my mamas with two babies close in age. The only reason I struggle with getting it into the back of my Jeep, is because I'm a weakling. (Which I'm working on!)
- Giving the boys a bath is one of my favorite things. I remember how excited I was when we gave them their first real bath. They loved the water so much and this Babies "R" Us bath is perfect. It suspends the baby in the water and is big enough to be used when they're older.
- Everyone knows that you need countless receiving blankets when you have a baby. Well of course with two you need more. I love love love these muslin blankets. They're soft, thin and big! The boys love them and can use them for a long time.
- If you aren't strictly breastfeeding (and lets be honest that's hard with two) then you definitely need bobby pillows. There're twin bobby pillows, but I never used them. I just put my two next to each other and it worked just fine! Plus, they each have their own now which is cool. I love the fact that you can get practically free nursing pillows from this awesome site.
- Anyone who's ever breastfed a baby or babies knows you'll leak at some point. Please please please avoid the disposable breast pads. Take it from a mama who has had mastitis FIVE times that they're no good. I was told by my hospital nurses to ONLY use cloth reusable pads. I love these! I think they work so much better than the disposable ones anyways.
- I was iffy about using binkies with the boys because I've seen kids get CRAZZZY over them. The boys love these WubbaNubs though. We have the lion and the monkey, and they go everywhere with us. They come in so many animals/characters. Love love love these so much.
- Speaking of breastfeeding, Medela Lanolin really saved my poor boobies. I had a rough go of it at first and was in a LOT of pain. This cream helped me so much with pumping and breastfeeding.
- Being a first time mom, I became a safety freak (cliché I know). I looked up so many different carseats and finally settled on the Graco Snugride Click Connect 35 LX with side impact protection. The carseats have these side impact cushions that are really just baby airbags. The boys are comfy in them and pass out every time we go somewhere. Another thing I love about these carseats, is the fact that they go from 4lbs-35lbs. This was SO important with having twins. You never know how big they will be when they're born. The boys hardly fit in their carseats before we left the hospital. Good thing they passed their carseat tests! Don't forget two extra bases for hubby's car. I recommend this to both my multiple mamas and my singleton mamas.
