Adapting Baby Supply Lists For The Needs Of Twins Or Multiples

[~Adorkable~]

I'm getting great advice in the Life with Babe section on a general list of essentials of baby equipment. what I wonder and want your gals input on is what have you found that was specifically different because you have multiples?

•What were the things you totally needed two of?

•Things you only needed one of that you might of thought at first you needed two?

•What might have been luxuries or extras with one and because total essentials with two to care for?

•What was great for one but not really useful because it didnt work with two?


Maybe I can collect a list in this main post and make it easy for future MOMs to look it up here.

[LoisLane]

THINGS WE HAD AND NEEDED DOUBLES OF: We needed two highchairs (or booster seats), two car seats (of course), two mobywraps (we started with only one but they both loved it, so got a second) and a REALLY good double stroller. Having two little potties was an absolute necessity when we were at that stage. We also had two extra potty seats (that went on big potties) which they only rarely used.

THINGS WE HAD TWO OF BUT ONLY NEEDED ONE: We ended up with two pack and plays and left one at my inlaws and one at home. We never used either a lot, but there were moments where it was really good to have a safe place to put them. We received an extra handmedown baby bathtub but really only ever needed one (because aside from their first bath at home, with parents and grandparents watching, we never bathed them at the same time til they were big enough to sit up and then went to the tub).

THINGS WE HAD AND ONLY NEEDED ONE OF: the EZ2nurse pillow (I had boppies leftover from my singleton and they never worked with two). A bouncy seat and a swing. We had one of each leftover from my son's babyhood, and neither LOVED either, so we were fine to just have one of each for the short time we used them (it *was* nice to have safe places to put them, though). One crib (they mostly slept with us, but again it was nice to have a toddler and dog free place to put them).

I am sure I had forgotten a lot! My babes are now 5.5! Good luck and enjoy this time...

[Spring Lily]

Two:

* swings &  bouncers - it was really nice to have a place to put them when I was eating, for a place to nap, or to prop them up after eating so they wouldn't get reflux.  2 bouncers are easy to bring with you when visiting family in the early days, so you have a safe place to put them or let them nap.

*car seats

*carriers - for babywearing, actually had more than 2 so we could each wear one.  Moby wrap let me double wear them for months, though

*dressers - the clothes storage gets out of control quickly with just 1!

* double stroller - I used the snap n go for the first 6 mos or so, and by then had a better idea of what kind of real stroller to get, what my needs were

* high chairs

* tub seats - we used our for a long time, so  they were a big deal.  You can't be hanging on to one baby while you're washing the other, so the seats kept them stable & safe

* potty seats

One:

* crib - in the beginning we just used it for the mobile, so I could leave them entertained for 10 mins for a shower or whatever.  Also an easy place to get them dressed, assembly line style.  They did have a few naps in there, too.  We cosleep, so later we ended up side-carring the crib.

* activity/gym mat

* ez2nurse pillow

* baby bathtub - You bathe them one at a time as infants.  Our FP one was big enough that later on I could put both babies in it at once, one sitting up and one reclining.  That was great when they were little, before they were sturdy enough for the tub seats.

* glider

* diaper changing pad/table

* superyard - we did use this at times to give them a protected place to play, so I wouldn't worry about their big sister or our dog bothering them while I, say, cooked a meal.  When they were mobile, it came in handy for babyproofing.  Also great for putting around our Christmas tree, or for putting on top of a tarp when you're camping and they're not walking.  We still have it out and they are 2!  You might even need a 2nd one, depending on your house.

That's all I can remember as far as the big stuff goes!  I left off the obvious stuff, like clothes, diapers, a pump.

[ShanaV]

First, congrats on your twins!

Necessities when first bringing them home:
Brest friend twin plus pillow (or ez2nurse)
Aden and anais swaddling blankets (I have like 20 I think)
Moby - I put both inside when they were teeny. Now i use a Maya wrap, and I want an Ergo (we'll see if 2 are needed)
2 of the ever popular fisher price rainforest swings -- from craigslist. Got the pair for $100.

Lots and lots of diapers / wipes. We had a diaper party where guests bring diapers instead of (or sometimes in addition to) gifts. Stored them in the attic. We could exchange ones we didn't like at target or BRU.


Things you can wait on / let other people buy for you:
Toys
Jumperoo type of things - I just got 2 as gifts / loaners from my moms club.
Teething things

Didn't use / hardly used:
Pack n play
Co sleeper

Amazon has a great return policy: free returns for all baby items for one year!

That's what I can think of now.....

[gmvh]

We were pretty minimalistic, though, mind you, we didn't have any other children/toddlers that we needed to sometimes "protect" the babies from.  That said...

Indispensable:

• Mountain Buggy Urban Double.  Started using it at three months and discontinued regular use around three years.  It's not cheap so I'm glad we got loads of use out of it.
• Cloth diapers.  We kept it simple with 48 infant prefolds and Bummis covers; moved up to a larger size (can't remember which - the blue stitching...) and more BSWW covers and Snappis.
• Gender neutral clothes - undershirts and nightgowns.
• A baby bath device - we used the kind that sit down in the water and in the long run, that worked well because we could use them as they got bigger and we were ready to put the children in the tub.
• A pair of nail clippers with a good handle on them.  I still use them because they're smaller and super sharp.
• Something to support their bodies while nursing.  I started with an EZ2Nurse but ended up using four firm bed pillows.
• I had one child who liked a swing and one who preferred a bouncy seat.  We had a borrowed bouncy and bought one swing. 

In time...

• We used two FP Healthy Care booster seats instead of high chairs.  By the time they were two, we had (and still use) Kinderzeats.  The boosters were great for visiting friends and for traveling.
• A food mill for turning table food into baby food.  We skipped jars and generally gave them what we ate.
• Baby Bjorn potties.  We had two of the big ones, one little one, and a seat ring.  The little one was critical - it lived in the back of my car and I'd just pull over whenever someone needed to pee or I'd even carry the silly thing in the basket of our buggy because I had a child who would. not. pee in the toilet while out.  These are not cheap so it's something I'd buy little by little in case you've got a stubborn or particular child.  I liked having the potty in the car because I could just deal with the child who needed to pee vs. dragging them both into a bathroom that was likely gross.  I'd just toss the pee.
• A second bather.  I'd put both of them on the floor of the tub and bathe them together.

Gosh, that really feels like about most of it!  Babies don't need much (either that or my mind has completely blocked things out now that they're six)!

[Spring Lily]

ShanaV reminded me--have you joined your local twins club yet?  They usually have a loaner library of baby gear.  That way you could try things like swings and bouncers out to see what works best for your family, without a financial commitment. Even if you don't participate in other ways, that alone would be worth the membership fee.  They often have pregnancy or new parent groups, too, so you could meet others and end up with playmates for your kids.  Just a thought.

I second the recommendation for the FP boosters.  We have one for our older DC and it is awesome for taking to other people's houses.  We got a 2nd when we had the twins.  We have even brought them into restaurants because the trays are so useful.  We had to get highchairs though, because we don't have enough dining chairs to have so many boosters out.

I had a food mill, but found it too small to make batches big enough for two babies.  I ended up using my blender, instead.

[~Adorkable~]

I have joined my local parents of multiples group and an doing my best to get involved and go to everything i can with them. Sadly just missed there fall sale, look forward to the one in March. Will ask about the loaner stuff. I went to the expectant parents thing and the lady that was running it was not helpful at all, she said i should get a 24 hour baby nanny and pretty much left it at that! But in a week or so we have a new member social and I hope to learn more about the group then.

I have a top of the line industrial blender, one of the few amazing spurges in our house, can't love it enough, so I'm sure when it gets time we will use it for lots of baby stuff.

[mylilmonkeys]

Originally Posted by ~Adorkable~ 

I have a top of the line industrial blender, one of the few amazing spurges in our house, can't love it enough, so I'm sure when it gets time we will use it for lots of baby stuff.

Can you share the brand of your blender?  I'm looking to buy one, and want to invest in a good one.

[~Adorkable~]

i have a BlendTec http://www.blendtec.com/ and can not rave more about it, i was looking at that and the Vitamix one and the blendtec won for smooth sealed buttons that are wasy to clean and programed setting that i just push and walk away from. we have had it for almost a year now and love it more everyday. oh and the blender container is BPA free. we have the lowest end model, still pricy, but worth it compleately would buy it again in a second

[mylilmonkeys]

Thanks!

[Shuli]

Our were our first, so we were starting from scratch.

One:

Baby bath (When they got old enough to bath together when they were almost sitting we put them in the actual tub)

Swing (but it depends, if your babies like the swing better than the bouncy seat, you may want two of these, we borrowed one from a friend).

Pack'n'play

Crib (They slept in the same crib for about 8 months and then I borrowed one from a neigbor when they were playing instead of sleeping)

Change table

A good double stroller (I used the graco dual glider and I loved it)

Nursing pillow

Exausaucer

Floor/excercise mat

Two:

Car seats

Bouncy seats (a good place to put them when you are visiting relatives, you want to eat, after they have eaten).

Wraps/slings (one for me, one for DH. When they were little I used to wear them together)

Bath seats (to help hold them in the bath)

Potties (they actually just went on the toilet in the end, but it was a good introduction to the topic)

Booster seats (we never got high chairs and they were convenient to travel with - MIL lives about an hour and a half away).

Blankets (I think that each child deserves their own bedding)

Lots of clothes, diapers, undershirts. We landed up getting a lot of clothes as gifts and friends gave us their hand-me-downs, so that was helpful. There are some toys eventually you are going to need two of, but you'll figure that out as you go.

I think that's it, really. We didn't really get so much and a lot of the equipment we got was either gifts or borrowed. 

Good luck!

[SunshineH]

Our twins were #5 and #6 - some of our musts:

- We had 2 pack-n-plays.  One first was in the living room, to have somewhere safe to put babies away from the 2 year old.  I can't sleep with babies in my bed, but they shared a pnp in our room until they started kicking each other in the head and waking each other up.  Then we had both pnps in our room.  (Couldn't get in the closet, but we could get some sleep!)

- 2 cribs.  dd shares a room with big sister, and ds shares with big brother.  It was a slooow transition to that point, especially when they were still waking up to nurse.

- 2 highchairs - ours are white plastic from IKEA.  Pretty basic design, but they work.

- We never used bath seats.  I put both in an inflatable tub when they outgrew the baby tub.

- We've gone through 3 different double strollers.  With a toddler also it's been a must to have something to get us around.

- Baby carrier.

- It'll be interesting to see about potty chairs - I've never used one, just the seat that goes on top of the toilet.

- I borrowed some stuff - we had 2 exersaucers for a while.  With other kids around, I think we used more gear because I had other kids to tend to and needed safe places for the babies to be, and be happy, and it worked for us.  Also used 2 bouncers, but only 1 swing.  So much of the stuff is for such a short time and maybe not necessary depending on your situation.

- Babyproofing: I'm a 'put everything away because it's easier' person.  Used 2 gates, I found some huge plastic gate thing which keeps them out of our computer area and probably will be used for the Christmas tree too.

- Didn't get anything extra clothing wise except for more onesies and coordinating outfits which mostly were gifts; the twins both had hand-me-downs from older sibs.  I'm not much help there.