Twin essentials

[Aliceinwonderland5]

I'm 22 weeks with mcda twins and due to having some issues along the way, we haven't yet bought a single thing and probably won't until they actually arrive safely. We are expecting NICU time.

However we would like to have a list ready to buy if all goes well so we arent totally lost!

Does anyone have any recommendations for things that really helped them with twins?

The pram that pops up everywhere is the mountain buggy duet, do you think adding thr carry cots is worth it?

I haven’t had twins but had to comment 😊 congratulations, hope all is okay and they’re not in for too long. I’d say yes to the carrycots. I’m getting a baby jogger gt2 double for toddler and new baby but have looked at the out n about and mountain buggy too. I’d highly recommend fab and ell on YouTube, love their channel! They have just had twin boys before Christmas

@BCxx I'm having boys too! I'll have a look at their YouTube thank you!

@BCxx i was literally about to comment saying about fab and ell, their Instagram is really good as well they share loads of twin stuff, think they had the same type twins as you are xx

Meant to tag @Aliceinwonderland5 in that comment too☺️🤦🏻‍♀️

We didn’t bother with the carry cots, we did have the cocoons for about three months but a lot of my twin mum friends didn’t bother and actually if I were to do it again I wouldn’t either!
Have you got a twins group near you? I didn’t manage to go before our twins came but they held really useful expecting twins evenings which were great.
Bouncy chairs were perfect so when I was feeding one, the other could be chatted to etc. A twin feeding cushion was really helpful too!

I was thinking of possibly using the carrycots as somewhere for them to sleep downstairs, instead of moses baskets. But maybe not worth it then!
Noted about the bouncers and twinncushion, thanks!
I havent been able to find any twin groups near me at all unfortunately.

I don't have twins but had the out n about double nipper for my 2 under 2. I think it's similar to mountain duet, worth looking at as well. I got mine second hand and it's been amazing. We got the carrycot for DS but he was a wee chunk and outgrew it by 3 months. But i expect your twins might be more dinky so may be worth it for them.

I had the bugaboo donkey and loved it. Did use the carrycots as day beds. Congratulations!

A changing table with built in bath. That saved my back. You are changing so many nappies and giving so many baths. Having everything at the right height makes a massive difference.

Get lots of muslin cloths. They act as flannels, spit-up cloths, bibs, comfort blankets, sun shields. You can't have too many.

Congratulations mine are teens now but things I found useful were:
One moses basket downstairs and one upstairs (they slept together),
The largest cot I could find,
A sling then you can have one in a sling, one under arm and a free hand (I had an older one so was a lifesaver),
Bouncy chairs can pop in if one finishes feeding before other as their more upright.
I breastfed for a year but expressed when going out so I could breastfeed one while bottle feeding other which was more dignified than trying to breastfeed two at the same time or never ending if feeding one after the other. So a good electric pump was brilliant.
A large sheet to put over chair/sofa it's hard to catch all the sick when you're winding one over each shoulder.

Different bottle types so you can tell which has fed in the night - life saver if two of you are doing feeds.
They slept together in one cot until 6 months.
Moses baskets in the living room and two bouncy chairs.

Big basket of snacks, drinks etc TV remote for you when stuck feeding.

Spare everything - make a box for the car spare milk dummies clothes creams nappies etc - so you can just ‘leave’ the house - absolute must when things get tough!!

List of play groups - so you can get out at least once a day.

Freezer food - batch cook so it’s easy at tea time.

I wasn't even aware you could get changing tables with baths in, will have a Google!

I like the sheet idea too

My twins have just turned 1 for their pram I have the Silvercross wave double which I loved when they were still in the carrycots as it fit everywhere including my village doctors surgery. I also used the carrycots on Moses basket stands for downstairs sleeping and they were brilliant for that and lasted them until around 7/8 months. I then bought a second hand baby jogger city which is good for the school run and they much prefer being side by side.

As for a baby bath I got an awful one that I hated, I’ve just replaced it with the schnuggle toddler bath and they both fit in there at the same time, I wish I had bought it sooner!!

I never bought a twin feeding pillow, I just had two single feeding pillows and then I had the my breast friend easy feeding pillow for BF so I used to have them on their pillows either side of me on the sofa and then used to scoop one up at a time on to the breast friend feeding pillow, it’s a rigid pillow and so baby doesn’t roll into or away from you and is brilliant.

Milton cold steriliser, oh my gosh so much better and easier than the steam sterilisers that I had with my singletons.

Joie Sansa electric swing/rocker chairs, mine have absolutely loved these and they were a life saver in the early days. At one they are still being used daily and so have been worth the money and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them again.

3/4 changing mats, I have one downstairs, one in the bathroom and one in the nursery along with a nappy caddy so I have everything I need for a change without any hassle.

Muslins lots and lots of Muslins, I really like the muslinz brand from Amazon as they have lasted and washed really well.

Ollie the owl, this has been great for my 2 it has different sounds (mine like the heartbeat one) lullabies and white noise, a cry sensor that actually works and it’s rechargeable with a usb lead which saves having to replace batteries. It only needs charging every few days.

Mine are teens now too but we did have a mountain buggy with carrycots which I absolutely loved. They had most of their daytime naps in the carrycots (we didn't bother with moses baskets) and shared a cot in our room at night. Admittedly the carrycots were only useful for 3-4 months after they came out of nicu (we had 9 weeks there) as they grew too tall but still worth it imo. My only issue with them (and not sure whether design has changed) was you couldn't remove the carrycot lining to wash so my projectile vomiter required some scrubbing. We managed though (and cleaned them well enough to sell on for a good price!).
Second the twin feeding cushion - I tandem breastfed but you can also bottle feed on them and the babies are close to you - nicer than feeding them at arms length eg in bouncy chairs, and can do them at the same time.
100% agree that changing table saves your back and a big changing bag for double supplies out and about.
Also def 2x bouncy chairs - used for any time dealing with one twin, other twin could be next to your in the chair. They spent a lot of time next to me in their chairs!
My two overall best wins though were car seats which were light with a handle for the first stage - (I could just hook one over each arm and was good to go. It was my best way of dashing into the house/shop/friends etc and would also stay asleep in them. They didn't stay in them too long but was really convenient as a way of transporting them around.)
And then when slightly older we had bath seats which completely independently supported each child so they could sit next to each other in the bath without me having to hold them. Brilliant.

And yes to a downstairs changing station too - mine was on the washing machine - they were really soothed by it too which was useful!

Thank you everyone for all of the advice!

Thank you for this post. I'm 17 weeks with twins so a bit far off buying yet.
I'm clueless and have nothing left from my youngest ( he was supposed to be my last and is 8 😂)

My mcda boys just turned 3, we have the it n about nipper but for the love of god get the 4 wheel not 3. We had a 2bd hand 4 wheel, it broke (had been WELL abused and got the 3 wheel to replace it. Regret regret regret.

We had a Fraco one when they were new, so had car seats that could face us, or away or each other and then onto seats that could do the same so I had them facing me for ages, then forwards and occasionally each other and occasionally opposite as it made the luggage space huge.

Only got rid cos my 36 weekers are big and they struggled for head-height eventually.

Controversial but I loved my perfect prep. I only managed to express for about 4 months and never to breast feed before anyone lectures on why I bottle fed. But yes, 2bd hand (from a friend) perfect prep, scrubbed it, followed the instructions for regularly cleaning it and we never ever had an issue. We actually sold it on again once their milk consumption dropped but it def helped us.

A good husband who understands that your body is doing more work than his ever will and steps uom. Talk now about expectations. How long is he having off? If you're not planning a 2023 holiday how is the annual leave being used to best support you? What do you need now and once babies are here? How will that change if you're in for a long stay?

We were in 13 weeks for my singleton, so he took two weeks stat pat leave whilst he was critical, and then took two weeks AL when we got home. Work were understanding so he had random days holiday for operations etc. Hopefully yours just need to grow but it's worth him speaking to work and saying look can I do this with my leave and how accommodating can you be given I'm expecting two babies who need a bit of extra help? For me, with just one, I found it fine being at hospital all day on my own, I'd grab lunch when baby slept and he'd bring dinner every night.

Help once you're home. Are you hoping for vaginal delivery? If not you'll likely need a bit more help at home too, who can provide that and lighten your load, not hold the babies whilst you make them coffee?

Probably less clothes than you expect, but I found Vinted great as it has a"twins" category for matching stuff if they're the same size.

Good luck, they're hard work but seeing them talk in Twin to each other, negotiatate who's sitting on Mom or who's getting which toy all in their own language, kissing each others boo boos, it's the best x

Good luck, they're hard work but seeing them talk in Twin to each other

Please don’t.

Tjeu don’t need to match - they are individuals and you’ll need to fight their corner to be treated as such. Don’t make it harder by matching them.

@SleepingStandingUp
Thanks for your long response!

I have an amazing husband who is able to take 4 to 6 weeks off when they are born, or can be spread however he likes. I'm also very lucky to have a large family very close by.

It is likely a c section for me as it has not been a straightforward pregnancy. Luckily both mine and my husbands mum live within a few miles of me and are both retired and very willing to help!

Does the out n about nipper fit through normal doorways? I want a side by side but would prefer if it fits through doors.

I will probably mix feed so my husband can help so have been looking at the perfect prep machine too!

Did you quote the wrong bit? I assume you meant my comment about Vinted and matching clothes, not them taking Twin to each other?

Trust me, I'm not organised for them to match clothes all the time but having a few matching t shirts or jumpers or shorts before they're of an age to care isn't eroding their sense of self.

Actually what we did do @Aliceinwonderland5 was have a colour or shape each so when they were tiny and hard to tell apart, A was the one in stripes and B in block colours, A was in red or blue and B was in green or yellow etc. Doesn't need to long but it helped when people were like which one is which all the time

@Aliceinwonderland5 yes it does. We have a bog standard newish build and I can get it in, and my friend has a larger victoriana one with a wide hallway and it goes into her great. Also fits down the bus aisle on all our buses which mattered for us.

Hi @Aliceinwonderland5 - I've got 10month old DCDA girls and it's a experience for sure, but I love it (with a sprinkle of help me!) I was very similar and didn't buy anything until I was over 32 weeks pregnant but I regret not doing any research - so well done!

Key lifesavers for me
Feeding:
Peanut and piglet pillow (if BF) and if you plan to BF join BF twins and triplets on fb as they have loads of advice for BF and combi feeding
Lots of bottles (less pressure to constantly sterilise)
A big chillies/cold bottle for water for you! Helps you stay hydrated if you're nap trapped/feeding trapped.

Slings - we had baby bjorn minis and I had a mini monkey twin sling which was amazing for getting out with both twins. I usually always have a sling on me incase one kicks off. Twin sling meant I could stick them both in.

Moses baskets - my girls didn't take to them so they just took up space, but every baby is different

A big play mat - so you can fit both twins on for a while! We got a black and white sensory one and gave me moments of peace.

For seats - we got one bouncer because we wanted to check they liked it, we never brought another

Buggy's - started with the uppa baby tandem. Very heavy and I didn't like not be able to see both girls. Now I have a bugaboo and they're still parent facing which I like. Have also just got a Joie aire twin for holidays. The only door the bugaboo doesn't fit through is my front door! But it can be collapsed into 'mono' mode.

For sleeping the girls have a cot sidecarred to our bed - have done from the beginning!

Clothing - first couple of months they were basically in vests and sleep suits. All the very cute outfits they were brought mostly went unworn. I do match my girls mainly so I know they're both appropriately dressed. If I can get different colours I do but otherwise, most matching. But mine aren't identical so I can tell the difference.

Same as above, nappy caddies and changing tables upstairs and downstairs. Also laundry baskets for the babies as it builds up quickly. We also brought a baby bath which worked well until they could sit in the bath independently.

Clip in and out car seats - ones that are compatible with your buggy if possible - helps for getting out and about.

It's an amazing experience. In the early months I would take them out every morning for their first nap and that helped sync their schedules (and give me some peace).

Lastly twins trust has an antenatal class, we found it really useful and have a nice twin group of friends. We're not super local but having a WhatsApp group just to rant on is amazing!

Hope that helps xx

I'll have a look for the twins trust antenatal class, that's sounds like just what we need

I'm also 17 weeks with twin boys! How exciting!! Always better to be prepared I say 💙