The Top “MUST have’s” for Your Twin Baby Registry.
These are the items that we reached for the most during those first 10months.
TWINS! Congratulations, Mama! I know you are already thinking about what you need two of vs. what you need one of and how you can save money, because TWO babies is just… a lot. Am I right?
First of all, make sure you sign up for an AMAZON BABY REGISTRY! You get a bag of goodies shipped to you, it was by far the easiest registration process to put together, AND the best part is the 15% completion discount for everything you didn’t get and the 1-year return policy for things like that preemie outfit they never could fit into.
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The Only 17 Things You Actually Need to Survive the Infant Stage with Twins
Each photo is linked to Amazon for you to check prices and add to your registry easily.
17 Things You Need to Survive Infant Twins to Put on Your Twin Registry
Here’s a quick list of what you need one of and what you need multiples of.
Keep reading to find out WHY you need multiples of some of these items!
- ONE glider rocking chair. We have this big one and this small one. You will spend hundreds of hours rocking over the next few years, might as well be comfortable while you are doing it.
- TWO carseats, for two babies.
- TWO strollers. One for the carseats, and one side by side sitter.
- TWO play pens. One big one and one small one.
- TWO boppy’s, for two babies.
- TWO diaper bags. One big one and one small one.
- SEVERAL silicone hangers for toys.
- TWO portable feeding chairs, for two babies.
- LOTS of pacifiers, because you don’t want to be on the hunt for one when you need it.
- LOTS of cloth diapers. We had 16 all-in-ones and 12 two-in-ones. Now that they are 11 months old, we have only been using the 16 all-in-ones.
- TWO muslin blankets, for two babies. More if you want, but two was enough for us.
- TWO basket organizers. One for each end of the house.
- ONE tap light.
- ONE groomer.
- ONE aspirator.
- TWO mushroom teethers.
- THREE baby carriers (at least three…. we probably have eight or nine of them) you’re going to want options depending on your situation.
Okay, but WHY are these items important? My name is Carmen, and I have four kids. My twins were babies #3 and #4 for us. What I loved with my singleton babies, was either not as important or just didn’t really “work” with the twins. Keep reading to find out what my fav’s have been so far, 11 months into our twin parenting journey.’
Check out some other posts about pregnancy and being a twin mom that I think you would enjoy:
breastfeeding motherhood postpartum pregnancy twin mom
ROCKING CHAIR
A glider or a rocking chair is 100% worth investing in if someone doesn’t gift you one with your baby registry. You will spend hundreds of hours rocking over the next few years, so this is an investment you will be glad you made! We have two of them (I linked both of the ones we got) and we were actually able to find both of them second-hand and gently used. You don’t need to have two rockers… BUT I do love that there is one in my bedroom and one in the twins bedroom. My favorite is this big fluffy one, because I can comfortably rock both of the twins at the same time in it. The smaller one is better for just one child at a time.
CARSEATS
These are the carseats we had. Since you are having twins, it is a good idea to make sure the infant seat can be adapted to accommodate a premature infant. These should have weight specifications for as low as 4lbs, come equipped with infant inserts and low harness settings. Get the ones with a “base” you can click them in and out of. If you plan on swapping vehicles often, it’s worth getting two extra bases so you have them in each vehicle. It really does make getting the carseats in and out a 100x easier.
STROLLERS
A universal double stroller FRAME to set your carseats on. Trust me, you NEED this. So, the downside is that the carseats don’t actually “click” onto this frame, they kinda just perch on top of it and then you buckle them in. BUT you are definitely going to want the option to plop those two heavy carseats onto a stroller frame and go. This thing folds up super flat, for a double stroller – so it stays in the back of the SUV 24/7. It is relatively light weight and easy to open and close. One of my favorite things about it is how big the bottom basket is! It is big enough to put the small playpen, the two fold up high chairs, a diaper bag, AND a luggage back in the bottom of it. It has held up pretty well to our daily use and loading it down with way more than it was intended to carry.
Double umbrella stroller. Do you need two strollers? In my opinion, yes! For the first 3-4 months, all we used was the frame stroller that the carseats set in, but once they were more alert, they really enjoyed being able to sit up and look around. There are SO MANY different stroller options for twins and everyone has their own preferences. However, as a family who travels a lot – we love the simplicity of this small and lightweight umbrella stroller. At 21lbs, it is the lightest on the market for twin strollers and I can open/close and load/unload one handed. It has thin breathable fabric and five point harness’. The seats recline individually (only a little bit, but still helps). And when its folded up, its barely any bigger than a folding camping chair!
PLAY PEN’S
Small Play pen with Bassinett top. I laid both the twins side by side in the bassinet setting of that playpen next to my bed for 10 months straight. It was perfect for us, because it kept them close by for easy nighttime feedings, and they got to be together. The one I linked here was rated the highest for weight at the bassinet height, because I knew I would want them sleeping together and next to me for as long as possible. I also loved that it had the drop side option, which I kept low so that I could easily reach them from my mattress.
Extra large play pen. Do you need two playpins? Yes. We used the small one bedside for them to sleep next to me in the master bedroom and have continued to use it for them to sleep in when we stay in hotels during baseball season. The large one though has been perfect for them to have a safe space to play in and hang out in during the day. We have two other big kids, plus their friends and others at our house regularly. This gives the twins a place to be where I don’t have to worry about them getting stepped on, or getting into something they shouldn’t. And from 3months old till 9months old or so, they took their daytime naps in this big play pin laying on boppy’s, because I was not ready for them to nap in another room without me.
BOPPY PILLOW’S
Boppy This is one of those things that some people use and some people don’t. I’ve had four kids though, and I used it with every single one! (My husband also happens to think it’s the perfect gaming pillow for the COD ;p). I didn’t use it for breastfeeding, but I did use it for supported tummy time and swaddled and snuggled daytime naps. Snag you two of them, so you can have one for each baby!
DIAPER BAGS
Extra-large diaper bag with twice as many pockets. I went back and forth on rather or not to get this diaper bag or a smaller one, but I am so glad we went with the bigger option. There is more than enough room to pack everything I need for the twins, plus some snacks for me, AND even a cloth baby carrier.
Travel diaper changing center. This goes everywhere with us. It is perfect for taking one twin to the car or restroom for a change, while leaving the other twin and main diaper bag with someone else. We have also been known to only take this inside when going to a sit-down out-to-eat restaurant. Those booths are crowded enough without having to bring the bulky diaper bag too.
TOY HOLDERS
Silicone hanging toy holders. We have one on each carseat and one on each portable baby chair. It keeps them from throwing toys onto the floor! The babies also just love to chew on the silicone.
PORTABLE CHAIRS
Two fold up portable baby chairs with feeding trays. We travel a lot for my oldest son’s tournament baseball team (like 3 weekends a month for 10 months out of the year a lot). So, we bought these chairs with the intent of using them while we are at games and hotels, but we quickly realized we preferred these to the cumbersome traditional highchairs at home too! We got rid of the highchairs, and use these chairs at home, in restaurants, at hotels, at baseball games, and when visiting friends and family in their home.
PACIFIERS
Mam pacifiers are my favorite. We exclusively breastfed and so having a passy was very important for me, especially since there were two babies! Sometimes Mama just needs an extra minute or five to run to the restroom or grab a drink before she sits down to nurse and then subsequently get nap trapped. A good passy will buy you some precious minutes, and I personally never had any issues with nipple confusion introducing a pacifier early on.
CLOTH DIAPERS
Cloth diapers. These all-in-ones are my favorite this time around. We did two-in-ones and all-in-ones with our middle child, but with the twins – the all-in-ones have been the way to go. Life is just a little more chaotic with two, so we simplified anywhere we could. We cloth diaper at home mostly and use disposables when we are traveling. I have tried SO MANY different brands, and in my experience paying high dollar just isn’t necessary anymore. This Happy Flute brand quickly became my favorite because they are easy to launder, never leak, no blow outs, no skin reactions, and they are very affordable!
BLANKETS
Muslin blanket for the win! Buy the extra large one and skip the nursing cover, skip the special swaddling blankets, skip the carseat cover, and skip the comfort blanket – this one will meet all of those needs! I tried a lot of different brands of muslin blankets with the twins, and ended up getting rid of all of them except TWO. These two are the favorites for me and the twins, because they are the softest and thinnest/most breathable material.
BASKETS
Cloth basket organizers. We had one of these in the living room and one in the master bedroom. I kept all sorts of baby essentials we might need like diapers, wipes, Aquaphor, snacks for mommy when nursing, lotion, teething toys, extra pacifiers, burp rags, etc. It is nice to have things you reach for often within arms reach in places you hang out most often. Like by the rocking chair or master bed.
MISC.
Tap light. Perfect for those middle of the night dream-feeding sessions. Ambient yellow light gives you just enough illumination to do what you need to do without fully waking up babies.
3 in 1 nose, nail, and ear picker. Grooming is essential and this thing has been awesome.
Nasal aspirator. The hospital will usually send you home with some of these, but this one is better. It is clear and comes apart, so that you can make sure you do a good job cleaning it.
This mushroom teether is an all time favorite. It is the first toy/teether we introduced because the mushroom part completely covers a tiny baby fist when you wrap their hand around the stem. Giving them something to chew on that’s not their fist. Bonus, it also has a suction pad on the bottom, which we now stick to their tray when we are at a restaurant waiting for food to be delivered.
CARRIERS
The Weego TWIN Baby Carrier ➜ Buy Online I have a love hate relationship with this carrier. I love that I can carry both babies at the same time, and when they were 4lb preemies at 3 weeks old on our trip to New York, it was a lifesaver. For the first 6 months, I used this carrier often for contact naps during cold baseball games and grocery shopping. The twins are now 11 months old and I still put them in it from time to time, but not very often. Downside: it is bulky, unbreathable, hot fabric and we live in Texas where it is regularly hot. The bulky-ness, plus the whole having two babies on the front of you means you do not have the arm space to do anything except carry the babies. Also, you cannot breast feed in it, because there is too much fabric between you and them.
Ring Baby Carrier (soft). Before the twins were born, I couldn’t imagine that I would ever want to hold only one baby at a time. However, once they got here I quickly realized that #1 often times they don’t want me at the same time, #2 they each had their own preference of what carrier they liked best, and #3 when there are extra people around to help carry babies – you let them. The ring carrier is soft, fast, thin and lightweight, snuggly, and packs easily in the diaper bag. I always take it with me.
An easy clip on baby carrier, like this one. I prefer the cloth carriers like a moby wrap or the ring carrier, but my two big kids and my husband prefer one that clips on. And honestly, it is easier and faster to get on and off of other people if you are helping someone who doesn’t know how to put a baby carrier on themselves. These do not pack as easily, but they are still worth taking with you. Something like this is good to use if you are alone and you don’t want to carry both babies in the front Weego carrier. You can wear one baby in this one on your back and the other baby on your hip/front in the ring sling carrier.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by trying to plan for twins, I hope that this list helped! These are the things that got the MOST use in the first several months of the twins life. Fill up that baby registry with as much as you want, but if you’re having to cover down out of your own pocket don’t stress over the stuff you didn’t get.
You got this.
xoxo Carmen