I had a hard time trying to figure out what we would need when I was pregnant, so I'm writing my own list of things we loved using for our newborn twins. Most of these things will be helpful if you only have one baby as well, but you won't need double.
1. Aden & Anais swaddle blankets
These blankets are one of our most-used items. We use them for swaddling, keeping babies warm when they're a little cold, and as a nursing cover. I love how light-weight they are, because then your babies don't get overheated while swaddled. They also make a less-strange nursing cover than those giant aprons in my opinion. I was gifted two sets of four at one of my baby showers and I am so grateful! I think that is the minimum amount you'd want to get for twins if you plan on using them for swaddling.
2. Swing/Mamaroo
With twins, it's super nice to have two swings. We borrowed a nice swing from my sister in law (similar here.) It was so nice that we didn't have to get two. For our second swing, we decided to buy a Mamaroo. I was lucky and was able to try it before we bought it because our NICU had one. It was nice to have two different kinds of swings, because sometimes one baby would prefer one over the other.
3. Bottle sterilizer
We were given some microwave sterilizing bags from the NICU, but those were time consuming and a little annoying to use. We bought the Munchkin Steam Guard Electric Sterilizer and love it! You can fit tons of bottles in it at once. All you have to do it pour a little water in and push the button, and when you come back needing a bottle they're waiting for you clean and happy. If bottles can be happy, that is. Even though we only do one bottle a day now, I still love using my bottle sterilizer. I put my pump parts in there to sterilize them as well!
4. Lots and lots of diapers
I know this should go without saying, but seriously, stock up on those diapers. We decided to cloth diaper, so we bought 24 OsoCozy Prefolds in Infant size and used a few Thirsties size 1 diaper covers
because those were small enough for our little 6 pound babies. If you're going with disposables, I've heard great things about the Amazon Mom diaper program, so check it out.
5. Like a million pacifiers
But really, it's nice to have a bunch of these because they tend to disappear. We have six Soothies that we got from the NICU. Whenever anything hits the floor at the hospital they have to get rid of it, but we were able to take them home and clean them and make a binkie stockpile. And do you know how many binkies we can usually find at once? Two. Out of six. So yeah, I highly suggest loading up on binkies.
6. Stroller that accepts two carseats
This is a biggie. You do not want to have to pull two babies out of their carseats every time you go somewhere. We have the Baby Trend Double Snap N Go because we have Baby Trend carseats. These kind of strollers are nice because they don't take up too much room in your trunk (we have a Prius for goodness sakes) and are easy to use.
7. Boppy Pillows
Having two Boppies is nice, having one is pretty much necessary. I am still using my Boppy for nursing when I'm at home. Having two means you can prop both of your babies up using them when they get to the stage where they can't sit up but hate laying flat on their backs. They're good for propping up reflux-y babies too (preemies are very prone to reflux.) They make tummy time more enjoyable for babies who don't like laying flat on their stomachs. They can even be useful for propping up both babies while you bottle-feed them simultaneously.
8. Playmat
I held out buying one of these because I thought they were expensive, but when I found a great deal on one I gave in, and I am so glad I did! It is so nice to help keep one baby entertained for the 10-15 minutes I need to take care of the other baby. It's much better than having to let one cry while feeding/changing/whatever the other one. We have the Fisher Price 1-2-3 Musical Gym which is apparently discontinued. But for a similar one click here.
What are your newborn essentials? (twins or not)
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