My twins are now six months old (as of December 2018) and it’s hard to believe that we have come from the stage of them struggling to suckle as little 34 week arrivals to chubby boys trying their first solids. When online, I often see posts by expectant twin mothers asking what they should buy in advance. For what it’s worth, here’s my personal list. This blog has no commercial purpose and is merely a hobby and so everything I’ve recommended below is there because we genuinely found it useful.
Things we’re glad we bought:
Mountain Buggy Duet v 3 – we knew that we wanted a buggy/pram that had twins side by side rather than up and down. In pregnancy we met a couple who had the latter and they said their twins were now throwing tantrums if placed in the lower seat. I decided that if getting a side by side prevented just one tantrum, it was a tantrum worth saving. There’s very few doors a Mountain Buggy Duet doesn’t fit through. I like the fact that it has air tyres, which make it lighter – plenty of people complain about punctures but the only time it’s happened to us it was our own fault (forgetting basic GCSE Physics, we blew up the tyres in a cold National Trust car park one November afternoon and then wondered why one blew when we later pushed the buggy into an overheated house). The buggy genuinely is all-terrain. We haven’t tried a mountain but it has coped with forestry tracks and some Welsh hillsides. It has been great to trundle to our allotment with it and spread out a picnic rug for the boys. There’s plenty of room to store changings bags, coats etc., and if it really does do the boys “up to four years” as promised, it will have been cheap at the price. I always carry a decent bike chain so there’s no way it can be stolen while I’m in a weigh in clinic.
Fixed car seats – although I’ve had the odd pang of jealousy when seeing another mum carry a baby into a café in a car seat, I don’t regret opting for fixed car seats (in our case, the Joie Spin 360). There’s no way I’d be able to carry two babies in car seats now – the combined weight of babies and seats would just be too much. It’s also just so, so, so tempting to leave a baby to sleep in a car seat – I soon reached the point of being so sleep deprived that all advice about SIDS began to seem irrelevant – and not having the option to put the seat on the buggy or carry it into the house removes the temptation of leaving a baby in there just too long.
Snugglbundls – https://www.snugglebundl.co.uk/ – these are, simply, the BEST THING EVER. Out trainer on a TAMBA course recommended them and they have been invaluable for carrying the boys in and out of clinics and classes where buggies are not permitted. I had a c-section with Twin 2 and they helped me with that early lifting. They have also been fab mini picnic rugs when on the grass or by the sea. They should only be used for short distances. I preferred not to use them in car seats (although they have been tested as safe) and I have been asked why I am talking to my shopping – but they are genuinely my no. 1 recommendation for pregnant twin mums.
Co-sleeper cot – we bought a twin co-sleeper cot on Ebay – one of the ones that has one side down and is anchored to the bed (Arm’s Reach). It can later double as a playpen. In those early long nights of breastfeeding two babies around the clock it was amazing.
Travel steriliser – Small, compact, takes up no space in the kitchen and can go for 24 hours using the same water and Milton tablet. Also good for trips away!
Simple baby gym – I was given one second hand by a friend but I’m still so glad I didn’t invest in any of the fashionable, music playing ones. Whatever you get, find one that (a) can go in the washing machine, even on a cold wash, and (b) has toys that hang down so that your twins can pull themselves up on/chew/reach for.
Breastfeeding pillow – different feeding pillows suit different people but for me the Peanut and Piglet, bought secondhand online – the cover can be removed and washed – was a lifesaver in the early weeks of cluster feeding.
Thermometer – having one helps enormously if you have a poorly baby early on.
Things we regret buying:
Large steriliser/pack of bottles – When pregnant, I browsed online lists of “essential” items to purchase and these two featured strongly so I duly found a discounted pack of Avent bottles and a pretty big steriliser. I wish I’d done more research – firstly I ended up not using that many bottles at all and secondly my twins, as is often the case, were premature and the Avent bottles were simply not right for them. We ended up getting in MAM ones (which sterilise in the microwave anyway and seem to be preferred by many early babies) and my breastpump parts and the odd bottle could have been done in a travel steriliser, taking up less than half the amount of space in a crowded kitchen.
Two swing chairs – when pregnant, we bought two swing chairs that play music. One twin cried most times he wasn’t being held for the first few months and neither twin loved it. As I write, one swing has never been out of its packaging and the other is being outgrown. I should have got two cheap second hand bouncers.
Seasonal clothes – firstly we were given so, so many clothes, both new and secondhand, by generous friends. Secondly, by the time my boys grew into them (one twin is still in 1-3 month clothing at 6 months) summer was over and it was just too cold.
Things we didn’t buy but wish we had:
Easy use single sling – I have one “clingy twin” and slinging him is the only way to get anything done at times. Unfortunately, I am the kind of person who can’t get to grips with wrap type ones, especially when a baby is crying at top volume. I wish I had got one that just clipped the baby in.
Clothes for premature babies – Hubristically, I was convinced that prematurity was something that happened to other people and that, as I was feeling fine, all I needed was two really small vests just in case. When my babies arrived early and suddenly, premature clothes proved harder to source at short notice than we had expected and this added to the stress.
Things we’re glad we didn’t buy:
Twin sling – We are lucky enough to have a local sling library. I’ve hired the “Mini Monkey” twin sling and I love having the option of using it, especially when popping to a shop that isn’t great with the buggy. However, I don’t use it enough to have made purchasing it worthwhile and my little guys have nearly outgrown it now. Looking at tandem baby wearing forums, there seem to be an awful lot of twin slings for sale “never used” or “hardly used”.
Cloth nappies – I honestly meant to use cloth nappies and protect the environment but at this moment in time, sleep deprived and exhausted, I am so glad that I didn’t do that to myself. Besides, my area incinerates waste (still not ideal, obviously, but probably better than adding plastic to landfill to enter the ecosystem) and my home isn’t big enough for a tumble dryer so there’s already enough washing hanging up!!
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Overall, if I had the time again I would buy much less in advance. In the days of online delivery, almost anything can be ordered at short notice when you are sure it is genuinely needed. Good luck!
Turning the Leaves 