Starting from scratch- what do I need to buy in preparation for twins?

[ByeBabyBatshit]

I've seen some really helpful threads on the Pregnancy boards about what equipment you need to 'start you off' with a new baby. I'm 16+2 with my first DCs, twins, with no family history of twins and no twin mums among my friends (and very few friends who are mums at all!), so I have no idea what I need to buy! I'm after any hints about what I need, twin-related or not twin-related, as my 'starter kit', as I'm starting totally from scratch!

Muslins

Lots of them

Congratulations x

Hhhmmm ... OK def the muslin squares as above! Plus

Lots of nappies

Somewhere to sleep - we had them in one cot until they got to big, then in a cot each. Didn't bother with moses baskets

Bouncy chairs - they napped in these from the word go and when they were a little bigger I could feed them both at the same time in them. Also when they started on solids they sat in these as they seemed too little for their highchairs. We didn't bother with the all singing all dancing type, just one with a bar to hang toys from and adjustable sitting positions. Also you can bounce one with your foot while you cuddle/comfort/feed another

Some basic bodies and sleep suits (supermarket own brand multipacks did the job) - you'll probably get given loads of cute outfits and they grow sooooo quickly that there is no point in spending loads on clothes (although very hard to resist!)

Some bottles and microwave steriliser - even if you plan to breastfeed, you might express milk and get someone to help.

Ohh someone at the door, maybe more later!

Ear plugs :)
Congrats!

and umbrella folding style double buggy that can be used from birth. Get a very lightweight one in case you end up with c-section.

The buggy situation could be the subject of a thread by itself. I was thinking of those ones where the babies are sort of stacked one on top of the other, as I live in a narrow townhouse with a v narrow porch, and there's no way a double buggy would fit.

Muslins - at least double the amount you think you need.

Vibrating bouncy chairs.

Feeding equipment - bottles and steriliser if FF.

Vests and babygrows - cute outfits are cute but a complete faff esp in the very beginning.

Swaddle blanket and sleeping bags.

Somewhere to sleep - we used carrycots from thei buggy during the day downstairs and they shared a cot in our room at first.

The buggy situation is a minefield - decide what's important for you. We wanted a travel system to take the car seats. I also have a narrow front door but my buggy gets in, just, I waned them side by side and parent facing. Best thing to do is go to John Lewis or somewhere and try them out.

Muslins - at least double the amount you think you need.

Vibrating bouncy chairs.

Feeding equipment - bottles and steriliser if FF.

Vests and babygrows - cute outfits are cute but a complete faff esp in the very beginning.

Swaddle blanket and sleeping bags.

Somewhere to sleep - we used carrycots from thei buggy during the day downstairs and they shared a cot in our room at first.

The buggy situation is a minefield - decide what's important for you. We wanted a travel system to take the car seats. I also have a narrow front door but my buggy gets in, just, I waned them side by side and parent facing. Best thing to do is go to John Lewis or somewhere and try them out.

Muslins- (they double as so many things, i used to fold them over top half of cot to save on sicky sheet changes) yes! Lots of nappies, wipes, cream. Lots of sleep suits and vests, i didnt bother with outfits apart from ones that gave easy access to bottoms:) A couple of soft blankets, handy for laying on floor for them, or putting over them when they are in bouncers or carseat etc. Many bibs, i always found the soft neck ones easiest as no tying involved. Little nail clippers. Sleeping bags. Cotton wool & little top and tail bowl - bathing newborn twins not always possible.
As above, buggy will be personal choice, i had a Maclaren side by side until they were 9 months then a Phil & Teds which was brilliant. Also had slings for when me and husband/friend/sister/motherinlaw were able to come out with me! Good luck and keep us posted:)

Agree with all of the above plus I could not live without a swing, one or two depending on space. Ideal for one twin to be in while bathing the other for example.

I breasted so had two lovely useless Moses baskets! The babies slept in the bed and shared one cot for a while.
I would definitely invest in the vibrating bouncers.
Plenty vests and babygros.
Don't bother with outfits, theyre not comfy and they're a pain to wash and dry and they'll have grown out of them in a flash.
Soothers, one has one, the other doesn't and they are great IMHO.
A sling if you have a needy baby it'll be the only way you can do anything.

I have an Out n about nipper buggy. It is fab for walking and my older DD sits on it too but I would get the City Select if i was back again Looks great to me as DD2doesnt like facing away from me.

A playmat and a mobile, so that one can be enteratined whilst the other is being fed/changed etc.
Sleeping bags
lots and lots of vests, babygros and muslins
Bouncy chair
Dangly swings that hang off door frames
Bumbos

Please don't bother with a bottle warmer or a nappy bin/holder , you really won't use either of them
We used moses baskets for the first couple of months, and then into one cotbed top to tail, then into a cotbed each.
Maclaren buggy, but it is so personal and depends on cars/houses/other children etc, so you need to road test as many as possible.

It is a complete blast being mum to twins - good luck!

Yes to swinging chairs, were a life saver for me. Lots of vests, sleepsuits, bibs, muslins etc. We didn't use moses baskets- they shared a cot in the night and we used a travel cot with a raised mattress downstairs in the day.

Congratulations and Good luck! Being a twin mummy is knackering but very, very special and be prepared to be stopped alot on the street and in shops!

We love our nappy bins, have one up and one downstairs and wouldn't be without them! Agree on the bottle warmer though!

We love our nappy bins, have one up and one downstairs and wouldn't be without them! Agree on the bottle warmer though!

What about baby monitors- do I need to have two of them?

no tips just sending some good luck your way, what an amazing start to your family! am sure you'll get the best advice here.

No, one baby monitor is enough. We actually barely used ours. All our children are blessed with a cry that even the neighbours can hear.

Muslins I used loads with the bottle fed twins, but very few with my breastfed singleton.

I would say lots of ready meals (for us), and the swing chairs were the most essential items in the early days

hi baby I may be inheriting some small baby clothes soon are you anywhere near Reading ???
g {grin}

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far- don't let me stop you if you have more as it's really useful!

Thanks for all the congratulations!

Galaxy- That is such a kind offer- thank you. DP informs me that Reading is an easy drive from where he works, although it's not very near where we live. PM me if you like. Thank you again!

Okay - I don't want to cause any angst to someone expecting twins but I wish I had read this before buying half of John Lewis baby department....

www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/search/label/Baby%20Shopping

There are some key differences for twins - you really do need something to get them round in and car seats are non negotiable if you drive but I wish I had never bothered with expressing (and therefore the steriliser). The point is not that you will never need this stuff but that what you need depends on your babies and how you decide to parent. I changed my views on that when the boys were actually in front of me. When you know you need something that can't be borrowed the internet delivers very quickly.

I found that some things really weren't that necessary and other new parents had stuff they hadn't used.

I haven't been brave enough to try elimination commuication so nappies are necessary but don't stockpile the smaller sizes as they grow through them quickly.

Good luck

PS kimono style vests are lovely when they are very little :)

Amazon do brilliant deals on nappies and wet wipes. You save money buying in bulk!

I also live in a townhouse with narrow hallway and the icandy peach twin fits perfectly as its no wider than a single pram.

Other things I could not live without:
Bouncy chairs

Large playmat

Travel cot with bassinette level and nappy changing mat (which they sleep in when downstairs) from mothercare

Nappy bin downstairs and upstairs

Bath chairs from Mamas and Papas means you can bath them together in an adult bath

Double electric breast pump (hire from breastpumps.co.uk)

I mix feed and recommend nuk teats/bottles if you find you need to use a bottle as they do not seem to cause nipple confusion.

You can buy most things like bottles, steralisers, feeding pillows from Amazon on next day delivery so don't bother buying everything before you need it as you will quickly run out of space!

Things I have not used are

Double feeding pillow, just could not get to grips with it and prefer to just hold them with my arms!

Bottle warmers, its quicker to use a jug of hot water

Double baby carrier, they were too heavy to carry together after a few weeks..

We actually use our bottle warmers all the time as they were NICU babies and got used to having milk nice and warm. We tried doing jugs of hot water but it was just too hard to make sure they both got a good temp in the middle of the night.

One thing i would say is do not buy a drop side cot if they're sharing, it's just too easy to forget to put the side back up for the second baby when you're sleep deprived!

My essentials list always seems a million miles from that of others. You'll find your own `essentials' but can get pretty much anything 24/7 so we didn't buy much & everyone seems to be really generous in buying for babies, especially multiples. Not that I didn't spend hours researching which of everything I might buy should I decide it would be useful (bottles, pump etc).

I agree totally with that article with the exception of nappies (but we were lucky enough to be given enough cloth nappies for our two).

My most useful stuff:
Babygrows. Surprised myself by hating having them in anything other than white sleepsuits til they were a few months old.
Dreampod/sleeping bags
car seats / buggy
slings
Rocker chair that we still use now (23months) & I decided a second would be useful when they were 10wks or so.
Playmat big enough for two (Taffs toys)
travel cot for sleeping downstairs / cotbed for upstairs
Nappy bin (but only for cloth, disposables go straight to outside bin)
CD of children's music to improve my repertoire. Not essential but saved my poor boys from some inane drivel...

Least useful buys:
bibs, muslins, scratch mits/booties, nipple cream, cotton wool/buds, baby toiletries, infacol, outfits, blankets, breastpads, top & tail bowl

Didn't bother with: moses baskets, baby bath, bath seats, baby monitor, steriliser, bottle warmer, feeding pillows, posh pram (friend gave us double buggy), sorting out nursery til they were 6months.

You will definitely only need one baby monitor unless for some peculiar reason you intend to put them in separate rooms!
You will be given LOADS of stuff, even from people you hardly know.
We didn't use the second cot for the first six months.
Grobag sleeping bags are wonderful things.
Consider borrowing/handmedowns/buying secondhand etc whenever possible. It's lovely to give your new tiny people the best of everything etc, we all want to do it, but they are only going to get more expensive as time goes by, culminating in a double whammy of school uniforms etc that you always have to buy two sets of because they're the same size. And they don't care if their outfit has come from John Lewis or the NCT sale, only you do. It's also less depressing when they spread something tomatoe-ey on their clothes if said clothes only cost 50p.
The one thing I wish I'd researched more was the buggy, MIL wanted to buy it for me, DP asked me if I knew which one I wanted yet, I said the best I'd seen so far was this one in Mothercare, why? Phone rang, ended conversation, a few days later MIL turned up with the one I'd mentioned - if conversation had gone on I would have said I didn't think much of it and was planning a trip to a Big Town to do some test drives in a specialist shop.