double the love: essentials for twin newborns (first 3 months)
These past few months have been a whirlwind, but wanted to share some of my must have items for other upcoming twin parents. Note: I am not affiliated with any of these brands, nor are these affiliate links.
Twin-Z: My go-to for comfortable tandem nursing in bed. I use this all the time for tandem nursing sessions, and I love the back support. You still need to prop up the sides to make nursing more comfortable, its generally great. The cover material is soft, but can get really warm at times, and you can remove it (with some wrestling) and its machine washable. You can also use sit to prop them up for some cute pictures, and also tummy time. Highly recommend this pillow - link here. Note: I received this new from my registry.
My Brest Friend - Twin Nursing Pillow: Easier hands-free nursing, but less back support. I also use this pillow because unlike the Twin-Z, its completely connected in front of you, and its slightly easier to be hands free. This pillow doesn’t have as much back support as the Twin-Z, so you’ll likely need to use some additional pillows for props. I used this brand of pillow for my first and also really liked their products. Note: I purchased this used on Facebook marketplace - link here.
Double stroller and two bassinets: A lifesaver for early walks, but gets heavy fast. I ended up pushing my twins in the stroller more than I thought I would, and so our Uppa Baby Vista was really convenient to do this. We did have to buy both upper and lower adapters so that we could install the two bassinets, but it was great for stroller walks so that they could nap in their bassinets. We also got upper and lower stroller attachments so that we could push our two Nuna Pipa carseats on it as well. Now that my twins are ~15.5 pounds each, its starting to get really heavy to push up and the hills in our neighborhood, so I’m going to get a new, lighter double stroller. Note: we purchased this used on Facebook marketplace, but the adapters new (since we couldn’t find them used).
Ubbi diaper pail: Essential for containing newborn smells (yes, they exist!). We didn’t use a diaper pail for our first child, and thus I didn’t think we needed one this time around. I had forgotten that during the newborn stage, newborns go through 10-12 diapers a day, multiplied by 2. I also found that newborn poop does have smell (not like toddler poop, but they are not benign poops either), and so we quickly found that our system of just hanging a plastic grocery bags for diapers was not cutting it. We ended up getting two of the Ubbi diaper pail (one for each floor), and also purchased the Ubbi order absorbing gel. Yes, the absorbing gel was needed. Note: We picked up two Ubbi diaper pails used for free, and we purchased the gel.
Bottle Washer (Momcozy KleanPal Pro Baby Bottle Washer and Sterilizer): A worthwhile investment for reclaiming your time. With our first, we thought that $300 for a bottle washer seemed absurd, but then when we thought about how much time we spent washing these bottles over the first year of his life, we decided to get one for the twins. We wanted one that we didn’t have to pre-wash, so I chose this one. The other popular one is by Baby Brezza, but I chose this one for the easy interface, and we keep it next to our sink (water source and to drain). We used this nonstop for the first 1.5 months or so while I was trying to get a hang of nursing and for my milk to come in. Note: We got this new off our registry - link here. Keep in mind that it requires specific Momcozy bottle washing tablets, so factor that into your purchasing.
Baby wearing - This might be controversial, but I did not end up wearing my twin newborns as much as I thought I would. I purchased a used Weego on Facebook marketplace, and I think I wore them maybe two times. I thought it felt pretty awkward getting them into the carrier while they were so small, and then by the time they felt sturdier, they combined were 20+ pounds. Now both of them are almost 16 pounds each, and I do not want to carry both of them. Often my husband and I will each wear one, or if I’m by myself I’ll wear one baby (one who is awake or is fussier), and push the other one in the stroller.
Lastly, I highly recommend seeing if a friend of family member will set up a meal train for you! This was more critical than I thought (we didn’t have a meal train for our first), but having some meals ready for you was such a nice comfort as. new parents, and way to keep you connected to the outside world. This was so much more appreciated than I thought it would be.
Hope this helps! You got this mama!