MOM #1
Stroller -
Graco side-by-side stroller - I loved having a side by side versus front to back. Both children could see what was going on
equally and could interact more with each other. I could lay both of them down for a nap at the same time or
individually. The stroller folded up
very quickly in less than 2 seconds and it handled very easily. The only negative is going through some
isles, but I didn’t have a lot of time to go shopping anyway!
Carseat - Most are very similar
but definitely get one with a removable base and canopy. You want to just unhook the car seat from
the base without having to unbuckle the base every time, especially with two or
more of these!
Cribs - Sooner or later you
will need a crib for each baby.
Initially, I put both of my boys in one crib and laid them sideways
versus having 2 bassinets and put that big old crib in our bedroom. We got used to it and it worked well for
us. I also laid them in the position
they were in in the womb. Studies
showed that twins like this better and we found it to be true, too. As they started to get too long for lying
sideways, we started to put them caddie corner and then eventually around 5
months into their own beds. Others have
separated their babies earlier. We have
the beds lengthwise next to each other so they can play and interact with each
other and still our 26 month old boys climb into each other’s bed and sleep
together.
Vibrating
bouncy seats
- Everyone told me this was a must but I barely used them. However, they did prefer vibrating to
non-vibrating when I did use them and it helped put them to sleep. I nursed the boys for a long time so I
didn’t use it for that second set of hands, but if you bottle feed, bouncy
chairs come in very handy and allow you to feed all your babies at once.
Swings - Both of my boys loved
their swings, so I did too! I’d highly
recommend an open top, battery-operated one.
I actually had two and they took many, many naps in them. I even found one that played music and they
loved to listen to it as they fell as fell asleep. I had two swings from the get go and was glad for that, but
others bought one first to see if both kids liked it, then bought another if
they did.
Highchairs - I have the Playskool
chairs with microban on the trays and love them. The greatest think is that they have wheels! I know it’s not easy to find but you can
call Playskool direct and order the extra bottoms to get the wheels. This has allowed me a lot more flexibility
in the kitchen and saved my kitchen floor.
They have locks on the wheels to hold them in place if you desire. Whatever kind you get, get one that has a
bar that fits between their legs there the tray attaches. It’s worth it to get newer chairs so your
kids aren’t constantly sliding out and you’re panicked half the time. The bigger trays are nice for containing
their spills, too.
Nursing
pillow -
If you decide to nurse, a twin nursing pillow is a must. You often have to prop pillows under then
ends of it, but it beats putting multiple pillows all around you. I had two, one for upstairs and one for
downstairs. It was better than having
to climb the stairs whenever I wanted one.
It really helps to talk to others who have nursed for support and
ideas. Check out our Moms’ Support
Network.
Changing
table -
Nothing magic here but I did have two of these too. One for upstairs and one for downstairs.
Exersaucer - I had two different
kinds of these, too. I’d recommend
getting ones that have lots of toys and activities on them for the kids to play
with and keep their attention. My boys
loved bouncing and spinning in them and helped keep my hands free at times too.
MOM #2
We had a Graco double stroller with front to back “stadium seating” that came with
one 5-point harness car seat and the base that stays in the car. The car seat
snapped easily into the double stroller.
Although the stroller wasn’t designed for it, we got a second Graco 5-point harness car seat
that sort-of snapped in as well. Our
twins have an older brother who often wanted to ride in the stroller. When the twins were newborns, they could
both fit, side-by-side, in the rear seat that folded back flat, like a
bassinet, and our older boy could sit in the front seat. Later, we’d put one twin in a front-pack carrier and the other twin
and our older boy in the stroller. This
was a cool way to go shopping, because it was less obvious that I had twins and
didn’t get stopped with the old “Are they twins?” routine. We also had a back-pack carrier. I used the
backpack carrier IN the house, so I could still have at least one free hand.
Sometimes I wore both pack carriers at the same time to have two hands
free. (We also used the car seats
INSIDE, when the babies were sick and needed their heads elevated, but were too
young for pillows in the crib.)
I’d recommend a CD player in the nursery. I
got the McCaughey septuplets’ CD, with their picture on the case. It is nice, peaceful music. When things got intense, sometimes it helped
to look at that picture of 7 babies!
Just be aware that the music you listen to will be forever associated
with late-night feedings. Eesch.
I was not able to breast-feed, so I pumped for a
few months. I rented the heavy duty
pump from the hospital, and we had six
sets of pumping attachments. We’d
rinse them after use, but put off washing them until we had a bunch to wash at
once.
We used two
different colored clip boards, one for each child’s weekly chart and
doctor’s visit notes. Then when someone
was helping us, they could just look at the previous few days to see what kind
of schedule they were on and how much they were eating. It would have been impossible to remember
anything without writing it down on the charts.
We had lots of bouncy seats that my mother-in-law
picked up at garage sales. We got a lot
of use out of 2 vibrating and 2
non-vibrating bouncy seats, one of each for each floor. When my babies were very young, I found it
very stressful to try to bottle feed both babies at once, primarily because of
reflux issues. So, if they were both
awake, I’d sit in a chair feeding one baby in my arms, with the other baby in a
bouncy seat on the floor where I could bounce the seat with my foot. When reflux was no longer a problem, I could
sit on the floor between the two bouncy seats and feed them at the same
time. We also used the two seats when
we started introducing “solid” food.
We had one battery-operated
swing. It was enough for us,
because we would often rotate the kids--one in a bouncy seat, one in the swing;
then one in the swing, one on the floor; etc.
We also had a portable play yard
with bassinet attachment. It was
most helpful when we only had one crib, which was upstairs. We’d let the babies take naps in the play
yard, so we wouldn’t have to go up and down stairs a lot during the day. Keep a small
plastic bin with diapers, wipes, ointment, clean receiving blankets, clean
clothes, burp cloths (i.e. cloth diapers,
great for wiping up), etc. nearby (especially if the changing table and stuff
is upstairs).
When we bought our second crib, we first put it up on the main floor--another place to
take daytime naps. We had a mobile that
attached to the crib, but it had to be wound up. What a hassle. Since
then, I’ve seen an ad for a remote
control mobile. Cool!
We got two used highchairs by Peg Perego.
These are normally very expensive highchairs, so if you find them used,
grab them. They are extremely sturdy,
even with two, 20-pound kids fighting each other while climbing into the one
they both want. The tray is very large,
easily removed with one hand, and easy to wash. The 3-point straps are adjustable--essential when our daughter
decided she would just climb out of her chair in the middle of the meal.
My twins aren’t potty-trained yet, but we have 2 potties. When one child thinks it’s cool to go potty, the other child
wants to do the same thing. You don’t
want them fighting when it comes to going potty. It’s hard enough to potty-train without having unnecessary
conflicts.
Finally, I would point out that baby gates are not
designed for twins. Don’t rely on them
exclusively.
NOTE: These suggestions are intended to give you an idea of what to
look for when you shop for equipment for your multiples. A great place to find gently used equipment
at reasonable prices is at sales sponsored by the various parents of multiples
clubs in Colorado, such as Twin Connection. Please visit other areas of
www.twinconnection.org for information on Twin Connection’s clothing and
equipment sales, which take place twice per year (usually in March and
September). Keep in mind that each of
your children is unique. Cherish each
child’s individual interests. GOOD
LUCK!