Two times the babies means two times the fun…but it also means two times the stuff. Although there are a lot of things you’ll need double the amount of, there are some things you can get away with only having one of. But which is which?
Two of:
- Food: Moms who plan to use formula will end up needing double the amount for as long as they plan on formula-feeding. And once your babies hit the age where they start eating more solids, you’ll need double the amount of that too. However, you can be economical (and have more control over what goes into the food) by making your own baby food, which you’ll be glad to find is one of the few things you can take care of in one fell swoop – just double the recipe!
- Diapers: As you might have guessed, diapers certainly aren’t something you’ll want your babies to share, so you’ll need twice the amount of diapers as parents of a singleton would. On the bright(ish) side, you’ll be able to buy in even greater bulk, driving down your total price per diaper.
- Seats (car seat, high chair): No sitting on laps quite yet. Each baby will need his or her own car seat, and later on, own high chair. There’s no safe way to get away with only one here – if you can envision a scenario in which your babies need to ride in the car together, you’re going to need two car seats.
- Pacifiers: Although some parents get away with binky-sharing, giving each baby his or her own pacifier is a bit more hygienic, and is usually recommended by healthcare providers. Plus, having a color-coded ID system can be more helpful for identical twins than you might think!
- Clothes: Though they can share clothes if they remain the same size for a while, it still makes sense to buy twice the clothes as you would for a singleton.
Only need one of:
- Nursing pillow: Unless you’re double-backed, you really only need one nursing pillow. This changes however if you expect your partner or somebody else to also handle a heavy brunt of the feedings, and will want to feed at the same time as you.
- Changing table: Unless you’ve got a whole bunch of help and will be able to change two diapers at once, you don’t really need an extra changing table. If you will have another person around quite frequently, you may want to consider a bassinet that doubles as a changing table as your extra.
- Toys (for now): Until your matching set of cuties gets a bit older, you don’t need to buy two copies of every toy. One set of blocks should do the trick until they’re about a year old or so, at which point you might want to invest in duplicates to avoid some twin fighting over their favorite toy.
- Diaper bag: You only need one diaper bag – just make sure it’s a big one! Though you’ll have to pack double of a few things, like pacifiers, diapers, and prepared bottles, everything should be able to fit in one large diaper bag.
- Humidifier: This is a solid reason to have your bundles of joy sleep in the same room. Humidifiers can be pretty expensive, so room-sharing sets you up with a perfect “two birds, one stone” type of deal.
- Baby tub: Similar to the changing table, it’s pretty difficult to bathe two babies at the same time when they can’t so much as sit up by themselves. They can bathe together once they’re ready for the big tub, but for now there’s no great need for two.
- Swings, jumpers, and the like: Babies love these sort of contraptions, but although it makes sense to get a variety (like say a bouncer, swing, and walker), you don’t need two copies of each. Rotating your babies through the devices will give them enough time at each so as to not cause a fuss. This is another thing you may consider doubling up on later in the game, especially if both babies show a clear preference for the same swing or jumper, but for now, only buying one of each will give you the chance to test-drive the whole range before deciding if there’s one that you could use two of.
- Stroller: You only need one stroller, but not just any stroller – think of a double stroller as the SUV of strollers as opposed to the single stroller sedan. Double strollers let you mosey around town with both babies in tow, and attract double those gazes from passersby that just scream “oh my gosh, those are the cutest babies I’ve ever seen.”
- Baby monitor: If your babies share a room, there’s no need to buy more than one monitor. Using one monitor will also help you more quickly discern between their different cries, which can be helpful as you learn more about their wants and needs, and can also be used as a parlor trick, provided you have the right audience.
- Breast pump: This is a bit of a trick item – you only need one breast pump, but with twins, a double pump would serve you far better than a single one. Breast pumps are often available through your insurer, so it can help to enter your insurer in your Ovia Settings and find out if yours has the benefit available.
- Baby carrier (twin kind): Another halfway one, using a twin baby carrier can make your life much easier without needing to get yourself cloned. Many twin baby carriers let you wear both of your babies with them facing each other, so although they can’t quite see each other with you in the middle, they can still play feetsies.
