12 Essential Items for Newborn TWINS
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Since the twins are still young (3 months), the essentials are still very fresh in my mind. It’s often harder to remember everything in detail when babies are older. With twins, especially, everything seems like a blur. So here is a list of my 12 essential items for newborn TWINS.
Bottles: I highly recommend Dr Browns. I used them for LittleChefs 2,3,&4. I started out using them for the twins also, but begrudgingly had to change after LittleChef6 had issues with reflux, choking, Colic, and not latching well. We had to switch to Mams Anti-Colic Bottles . I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised that he loved the Mam’s nipple and it actually helped with his Colic and reflux. That in itself was enough to make me LOVE them so I switched LittleChef5 also, and he loved them too! I recommend at least 6 bottles per baby. Also, you can skip the tiny 4 ounce bottles and just get the bigger size and just fill half full! They will outgrow the tiny bottles by a month or two. *Obviously if Breastfeeding, skip this
Car Seats: This is a given that you’ll need 2. They won’t let you leave the hospital without a car seat for each child and it’s against the law to not have your child restrained! I HIGHLY recommend getting 2 infant car seats. I know some people say it doesn’t matter, but trust me, if you have an infant, they you will definitely need an infant car seat! Save the convertible seats for older babies. LittleChefs 5&6 use the Graco Click Connect 40. It has the no re-thread harness. You will want that!
Swings: I highly recommend 2 swings. Sure you could probably get away with only one, but it’s nice to have your hands free and trust me, you’ll need them to be washing all those bottles and baby clothes! The twins use these Fisher Price Swings.
Diaper Bag: I love my Skip Hop Double Duo Diaper Bag. It has a ton of pockets and even a separate Mom pouch. I can easily find my wallet, keys and chapstick! I also have the matching bottle bag, too cute! I actually have the Onyx Tile, but it’s showing it has been discontinued, and this color has replaced it. I love the new one even better!
Changing Table: I highly recommend getting a changing table. After all, you will be going through at least 24 diapers a day. Times that by 31 days and that’s 744 a month! Don’t worry, this will slow down as they get older. Now my twins average around 450 a month. That’s a lot of diapers! My twins use Huggies Little Snugglers. They feel so soft and are fragrance free. They’re a little pricier, but I found out 16 years ago with LitttleChef1, you don’t want to skimp on diapers, especially for night time!! I store everyday clothes (onesies, sleepers, shirts, and pants), towels & washcloths underneath the changing table. It’s a one stop shop! Very convenient! With my other 4 kids I always placed diapers on the shelf underneath and a container of wipes for easy access. This time around I bought a diaper organizer and hung on the wall to free up shelf space.
Baby Tracking App: Baby Daybook. I honestly don’t know what I would do without this awesome app on my phone! It’s hard enough to remember when one baby eats, let alone two! I love that I can see at a glance how much total formula each baby has taken that day and how many poopy diapers they’ve had. With kids it’s all about the poop! Trust me, poop worry will be a natural instinct to you when you have kids! The app also records diaper changes, baths, medication, sleeping, temperature, and more! It’s free and it’s amazing. I would be lost without it! People look at me like I’m crazy when I say I have an app that records when they eat and diaper changes (I don’t let others know I obsessively worry about my kids pooping habits, so this is just between us ). No one but another Mom knows what you’re going through, so just smile and wave. (Penguins from Madagascar). Side note: after becoming a Mother you’ll find yourself randomly quoting cartoon characters 🙂
Halo Sacks: I love to use these sleep sacks with swaddling options on babies because I don’t have to worry about blankets coming up over their faces. My ob/gyn actually gives all her new Moms these as a gift. Gotta love that!
Bottle Sterilizer: You’ll be going through a lot of bottles that first year so hence my #8 essential item! I did have the Dr. Brown’s Electric Sterilizer, but didn’t like how it left the bottles feeling slimy. I had resorted to sterilizing them on the stove top. Thankfully that didn’t last long since we switched bottles and I bought a Mam’s sterilizer for the microwave. We hadn’t had a microwave in years, so we had to buy one of those first. I’ll save that story for another time…
Double Stroller: This one was a tricky one because I had registered for the new Graco Ready2grow Click Connect Double Stroller. I had one with LittleChefs 3&4. But the new strollers have been re-designed and not very twin friendly. So I sent that one back and purchased the JOOVY ROO + Stroller . It’s a car seat frame and it works great! The car seats actually click into place and are secure. We’ll have to purchase another one when the twins are a little older. But this one helps us get them around outside of the house. I should mention that I do NOT recommend the Baby Trend Universal Double Snap N-Go. We actually got that one before the Joovy and it’s junk compared to the quality of the Joovy! The Snap N Go should be called the Strap N Go because you have to use straps on TOP of the babies to hold the seats into place. So not time saving or secure!
Cribs: I didn’t have a clue that it’s recommended that twins sleep in separate cribs. I just assumed they hung out with each other for 9 months that they’d just continue. It’s supposedly unsafe and can cause SIDS. That alone was enough to scare me to death! So my twins have MINI Cribs. I didn’t have a clue they even existed. What you learn when you are expecting multiples! Anyway, when LittleChef6 was around a month old, he developed reflux and we ordered the Fisher Price Rock N Play Sleeper , LittleChef5 got one too because I had to move to the couch and I couldn’t leave him in the bedroom! They are still using them for night sleep. So you will need 2 cribs, full size or mini, or 2 cradle/bassinets. I used the same bassinet for all my kids the first couple months beside my bed and was so sad the twins couldn’t use it.
Bottle Warmer: I love the Dr. Brown’s Electric Bottle Warmer. It easily does bottles back to back and it has an adjustable insert that fits small and large bottles. I always used liquid concentrated formula for my kids and started the twins on it also. After LittleChef6 developed Colic and Reflux, I decided to change his formula to Good Start Gentle. It was amazing the difference in him, in them! Both babies no longer had severe gas and runny weird green colored diarrhea (pediatrician actually said that was normal!!). For the first time in their little lives they had normal looking stool! The Good Start Gentle only comes in powdered form. So I use my Dr. Brown’s Pitcher and mix up a bunch of bottles and stick in the fridge and use the bottle warmer to warm them up. When I’m out I carry the formula in 2 Dr. Brown’s container and use this handy dandy formula mixer/ whisk to mix their formula. No more clumps for my little guys! Smooth formula is the way too go! Since I never used powdered formula before, I never knew this product existed, boy am I glad LittleChefsDad found it! Any cool gadget, he is the one that always finds it. I also get very strange looks from people when I whip it out. Maybe they think I’m making a baby espresso, frappe or something 🙂
The Happiest Baby on the Block: Remember me mentioning several times about LittleChef6 having Colic? Yes, you may feel sorry for him and all of us! I never had a baby with colic and let’s just say I don’t wish it on anyone! LittleChefsDad was desperate (we all were) and looking online for any remedies that may help and he found this book by Dr. Karp. I was very hesitant to even try his techniques, because well, they look stupid, but they work! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! Trust me, anything that calms your colicky baby at 3 in the morning will make you thank the Lord again and again, and then pass out! As an Amazon Prime member, we get the CD free through Amazon Music. The album contains the heartbeat noise, hair dryer, soothing rain, VERY annoying music and more. Sometimes I have to play it to calm LittleChef6 down. He will refuse to eat and then I will play the “weird annoying” music and he calms down and drinks a full bottle. What can I say? Dr. Karp is a pure genius!
I hope this list has been useful to you, and I want to congratulate you on expecting TWINS! It’s Double the Blessings 🙂
Check back weekly for more TWIN TALK!!
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