Twice as Nice! Do You Really Need Two of EVERYTHING?
Author: Stef Daniel
Your baby registry probably looked like a long list of typographical errors. After all, everything you wanted you probably asked for two of, thinking that your twins would require it. What you're left with is a nursery full of unworn clothes, toys, and baby accessories that take up more space than your children do. The question is, what do you really need two of in order to take care of newborn twins! Besides hands, the list is rather limited.
You will need two rear facing infant car seats and two bouncy seats! You will also need plenty of clothes that are easy to wash and wear, at least two blankets, a dozen or so receiving ones and towels, some infant laundry detergent by the case, lots of diapers, and plenty of formula and bottles if you aren't nursing. Add one easy to fold and use side-by-side double stroller and a baby monitor, and you are pretty much complete! Aside from that, all else is simply a waste. In case you are wondering why two cribs are not mentioned on this list, keep in mind that the vast majority of infant twins fit easily into one crib at first and actually may sleep better together in unison. That is what they were accustomed to in utero, and it makes for a cozy sleeping arrangement once they are born. If you prefer to use sleeping wedges, then buy two of them as well.
Forget all the toys and trinkets that they are far too young to play with. Forget all the matching outfits made of silk and satin that will be ruined as soon as they spit up the first time, and forget all the other nonsense that you may be tempted to buy, thinking it will make your life easier. Equip your household with some infant Tylenol, a really good nose syringe, a vaporizer, and plenty of wipes and diaper rash ointment, and you will be as good as prepared for anything the newborns have to offer!
In the first months of life, your twins will not require that much stuff. They have no idea that they are sharing, and you will never run into the problem with them wanting the same toy to play with. That is up and coming. Twins are hectic, and filling your home with so much stuff really does nothing but provide you with a lot of environmental chaos. While they are immobile, and for the most part uninterested in anything but a nice warm bottle of milk, you are wasting a lot of money that could be spent buying diapers and formula.
Speaking of formula, the best trick that mothers of twins who bottle feed will pass on to others is to pre-make bottles ahead of time. If you start out making around 12-20 bottles (depending on how often they eat) and storing them in the fridge, you will always be no more than 3 minutes away from satisfying their needs. If your twins are on different formulas (giving you a glimpse of what is ahead), then purchase two different colors or brands of bottles, so that you and everyone else in your home will easily be able to tell them apart.
The time is approaching when you will indeed need to have two of certain things around the home. The biggest mistake first time parents make when they have twins is assume that they will be twice the work and need twice the stuff. If you plan things well in regards to their schedule and simplify your needs, you will find that having twins is quite simply, twice as nice!
