As a pregnant twin mama, one of the biggest challenges I faced when making my baby registry was not knowing exactly what I needed & how much of it. Although I knew some people with twins who gave me suggestions on certain things, the endless gear & gadgets for babies out there now are ever-changing. It was difficult to determine if I’d be okay with just having 1 of X thing or if I should double up on XYZ. I guess the worse case scenario is that I’d purchase what I needed if I ended up in that position, but the point of a baby registry is to try to get those big ticket items as a gift lol. Baby stuff is EXPENSIVE – and with multiples, it’s scary how much comes out of your wallet each week paying for diapers & wipes alone!
I’m 4 months into this twin mama thing and although their needs will forever be changing as they grow, I know what we truly benefited from having during those early months. Everything is so new and overwhelming when you welcome twins, the last thing you want to be concerned with is making sure you have what you need for two babies when you get home from the hospital. So let me help you in that department!
This list consists of 97% of the things we personally have &/or used – I did include some additional twin-focused items here and there which got great reviews from friends or I didn’t know was out there until now. Like I said, it’s ever-changing with new stuff hitting the market constantly. As our girls grow, I’ll update this post to reflect twin toddler essentials in a separate portion so it remains relevant for all twin mamas out there new to the program like I was/am!
WHAT YOU’LL USE THE MOST
Twin Bassinet – We had ours in our living room for 3 months and it was used every single day. I found it better than the DockATot because it was high off the ground and out of reach from curious pups or small children. It’s heavy-duty (Levi tried peering over a few times & it wouldn’t budge) and can also be used as a bedside bassinet if you have them in the room with you. We personally didn’t use it for such, as the girls went into their cribs right away with one of us watching them in nightly shifts. But since our living room was our mainstay during those early weeks, this served as a safe place to let the babies lie and sleep when we weren’t feeding, holding or changing them.
There’s also this Twin Pack N’ Play with a diapering station which serves a similar purpose. I think if you plan to visit family/friends or stay the night someplace, this would be better suited for a portable option to bring with you or keep at a family member’s home. It looks like it has wheels too – nifty!
Even though you won’t use this longer than a few months, they’re easy to sell/get rid of/donate. I got mine from a friend of a friend, and recently gave it to another twin mom who just welcomed two girls in May. So if you’re concerned with being “stuck” with a twin-focused baby item, there’s always someone or somewhere that would benefit from having it. FB Marketplace or Kids Consignment shops are awesome for such purposes of rehoming too.
THE THINGS YOU NEED (2) OF
Car Seats – I think that’s a given but for twin purposes, we opted for (2) of the Nuna Pipa Lite RX instead of getting (2) Doonas. These are very easy to carry on each arm if you’re on your own with the two kiddos. They also seem to have an adaptor for just about every twin stroller I’ve looked at (more shared about that below.) And unlike the Doona, which most babies seem to outgrow by age one, these car seats can be used until the girls are 18 months old (or 32lbs.) I don’t dislike the Doona at all! I think it’s great for parents of singletons all the way. But for twins, I think your money is spent better on having this type of car seat.
BabyBjorn Bouncer Chairs – Once the girls hit 7lbs, these chairs have been used. And now that they’re out of the bassinet, these are where they spend a majority of their time when not playing or napping. Although sometimes we let them nap in these too! All about survival mode sometimes, don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for choosing the easier battle – unless they’re a parent of multiples themselves, they cannot and will not ever understand what “twin mom survival mode” is haha. We have the toy bar attachment for these and the girls are often playing with them now that they’re 4 months. AND they’re machine-washable! We’ve had to throw ours in the wash several times due to unprecedented blow outs haha.
BabyBjorn Newborn Carriers – Thomas and I used these a lot while the girls were small. Now that they’re a bit bigger, I personally like using the Artipoppe carrier more (much comfier on the shoulders, but pricey.) Thomas still uses his when he’s carrying one. These are great for twins especially because they can hold tinier infants than most carriers. I know they have “twin carriers” out there, but they don’t look comfortable at all to wear and the babies will outgrow it quicker than they would one of these single carriers.
Blooming Lotus Bath Pad – I promise you won’t be using the baby tub during these first few months. It’ll be the sink all the way. And yes, you should get two because babies, especially newborns, LOVE to poop while you’re bathing. So if you’re only on baby #1 in the bath rotation, at least you’ll have another clean Bath Pad to use for baby #2’s turn.
Nanit Cameras – You can view both twins and monitor breathing/activity on one Nanit account (TG!) by using the Split View feature. But you do in fact need to purchase two cameras in order to properly monitor. However, these cameras are easily detached and come with a portable stand so you can take these with you on-the-go. Having these monitors gives so much peace of mind, especially during those scary early times when the fear of SIDS is haunting you every time your baby sleeps. It sounds a very loud alarm whenever baby is detected not to be breathing for more than 20 seconds. Thankfully we haven’t had to deal with that for real, but I listened to the demo mode and there’s no way any parent can sleep through that sound haha.
FOR FEEDING
Baby Brezza Sanitizer & Dryer: Ok, I know a lot of singleton parents did not find this very useful (based on my prior research) but I have to say for us twin parents, this thing is used EVERY SINGLE DAY. I should probably include it in the first list of Most-Used lol. Whether we’re sanitizing bottle parts or just need to speed dry everything rather than wait for it to dry on the rack (which we also use constantly btw) – this Brezza device is by far our handiest appliance.
Baby Brezza Electric One-Step Formula Mixer Pitcher: THIS THING ROCKS. I swear it makes putting bottles together in advance (ahead of the chaos tip) and having a seamless pour (aka less bubbles) so convenient. If you formula feed, twins or not, you need this in your fridge.
Twin Z Pillow – I was told this was an essential for breastfeeding. I haven’t used it myself because I exclusively pumped, then switched to formula, but every breastfeeding twin mama has recommended it. I think it’s also a great tool for tummy time and positioning babies upright after feeds, to help with the reflux.
Table For Two – My friend got us this very nifty set up, which helped me tremendously when I was feeding the girls constantly on my own while Thomas was away. Another nifty thing I saw in my research was this self-feeding pillow; I haven’t used personally but it sounds like a useful way to feed both at a time when they’re a little older than newborn but not yet holding their own bottles. Of course, always feed with supervision especially when using self-feeding things like these.
PLAY & ON-THE-GO
Lovevery Play Gym – By far the best one out there, with all the attachments that encourage brain development. Both girls fit comfortably underneath it and can stare at all the fun things for a while. Allows for us to get any of those chores done or use the restroom without having to race back to the scene.
Playpen – I found this 47″ x 47″ one on Amazon and loving it so far. Very easy to set up, lightweight and it doesn’t take up much space (yay!) so it’s perfect for the girls as infants. I had to buy a play mat for it but the Play Gym fits inside perfectly and I can step away from the girls for a moment without worrying about Levi getting too close.
Dagne Dover Diaper Bag – I did a full review about how great this backpack-turned-diaper bag is. It’s truly the best. The large size holds everything I could ever need for two kiddos. Sporty and easy to clean.
Tiny Traveler Car Camera – With two kids, I didn’t think having a mirror for each would be the best way to monitor car rides. I would be easily distracted and probably pose more of a hazard on the road looking at two mirrors in my own mirror lol. This Tiny Traveler Camera has a video unit where I can see both girls on one screen right in front of me, so I don’t have to keep redirecting my eyes off the road. *This is something you need to buy an add-on camera for*
STROLLERS
Bugaboo Donkey 5 – This stroller has been the best option for us, as I didn’t want to have the setup with one baby close to the ground – especially as a newborn. The bassinets sit side-by-side, as do the pushchairs for when the kids get older (it comes with both – the frame for the bassinet is also used for the pushchair.) In fact, our girls just graduated to the pushchair seat and it’s so exciting! The best part about this stroller is that it can convert to a single stroller easily, so if you ever have to take one baby to the doctor or something. It says to be ADA-approved but I still find it sometimes hard to maneuver through some single doorways, especially when using with the carseat attachment. I also wish the basket underneath was a bit bigger/deeper. But overall, having the girls side-by-side instead of stacked is a huge win & worth the sacrifice of less storage. *For the Nuna Car Seats, I got this Twin Adaptor for the stroller – it also comes in single formation too*
Two more strollers/means of transport to consider for when the twins get bigger:
Contours Tandem Stroller – allows the twins to face each other while operating as a long, narrow stroller formation. My mom just bought one second-hand at a local kids consignment shop and I love that it’ll make our beach and restaurant trips with the stroller much easier to get around, not being so wide. It has a much larger basket too.
All-Terrain Stroller Wagon – This formation looks super useful for when you have active toddlers & all that gear to bring with you. Think beach picnics, sporting events, etc. The canopies offer UPF 50+ protection too.
HELPFUL TWIN TIPS
To make your life easier, buy a whole day’s worth of feedings in bottles. So if there’s ever a time you don’t get around to washing them, at least you have a couple to fall back on and use throughout the day.
For the 4oz Dr. Browns Bottles: You’ll need ~20-24 (multiple feedings when they’re 0-3 months)
For the 8oz Dr. Browns Bottles: You’ll need ~10-14 (when eating closer to every 2.5-3 hours)
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Bobbie Formula Subscription – we switched to this once I stopped pumping & when we noticed the Ready-To-Use Formula was no longer agreeing with the girls anymore. We used Enfamil Neuro-Pro Gentlease until 2.5 – 3 months, which was great up until that point! Recommend if you’re formula feeding to start, as it’s easy to store and prepare – simply pop a nipple on top. But eventually, Hazel started spitting up her bottles more and we felt it was time to switch to the Bobbie Formula exclusively. Since the switch, the girls have been THRIVING and we’re so pleased with it. Also we couldn’t switch them sooner, as it recommends waiting until babies are almost 3 months – so the timing was perfect all around.
I love that I can get 10 cans of formula at a time with this subscription, unlike trying to buy in purchases of 4 max in the store because of the “ongoing shortage.” I guess they just don’t want people stockpiling formula… even though it does eventually expire lol. Nonetheless, I can easily change our subscription to be sent out every 10 days & get 10 cans delivered within 3 business days.
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While you’re at it: you might as well auto-subscribe to diapers and wipe deliveries via Amazon Prime. Despite how many you might get at your baby shower, you’ll be shocked how many you’ll go through in a week alone – it’s like 10 diapers a day for ONE baby. So 20/day average amount for twins during the first two months.
Double the amount of burp cloths & wash cloths, as well as purchase at least 4 of your favorite swaddles (we love The Ollie.) You’ll be doing a lot of laundry regardless but similar to the bottle quantity, sometimes it’s nice to just have an extra set or more on hand.
