Twins - New York,NY

Since you're already a mom, you know a little about what to expect. What you should work on first is what you would need double of. With my twins, the really only essential items for us to have two of were cribs and swings. We did have to exersaucers and infant rockers, but they weren't a must. For clothing, it's hard to guess what you'd need. My twins were born at 38 weeks and weighed 8 lbs 7oz and 7lbs 13 oz, so we didn't need any preemie clothing. They were able to wear 0-3 months, and by the time they were two months old, they were in 3-6. It's so hard to tell with kids.

Congratulations, and good luck! My suggestion to you is to join a local twins club for mothers of twins. Mine is amazing, and it's great to have that support!

Hey, A.,

I'm late coming to this question, but I had a couple things to add. I found the book "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets or Quads" to be really helpful during my pregnancy (http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Expecting-Twins-Triplets-Revi.... It just gives you some perspective on how a twin pregnancy is different from a singleton one. Some of the suggestions (like how much they think you should eat) are a little OD, but I still found it incredibly valuable.

Also, I don't know if you've thought at all about breastfeeding, but it is definitely doable with twins if you're determined. For this, the EZ-2-Nurse Twins pillow -- like a Boppy on steroids, basically -- is indispensable. I used it to nurse my twin daughters well past the one-year mark. (Fwiw, nothing burns more calories than breastfeeding twins!)

Try to line up some help for the first weeks (and months) after the babies are born, if possible. My mom moved in with us for the first three months after our daughters were born, and it was a life-saver. Those first months are exhausting.

Other than that, I'd second most of this advice about what you need, but add that once our daughters got to be around 6 months or so, we loved having two Exersaucers. It was a good place to park them if you wanted to take a shower, or sit down and have a sane, adult meal. We got two different kinds and switched up who went in which one, so they wouldn't get bored.

Good luck and take it easy during your pregnancy!

Twins are wonderful! Congratulations. I have 2 1/2 year old b/g twins and they are so much fun and just keep me laughing all day (most of the time!!!)
You do not need two of everthing. You do need 2 carseats and 2 cribs. In my case I didnt need to buy anything as far as clothes. I had lots from my shower and once I had them everyone bought them clothes. SO AMNY CLOTHES!!!! I think people love the idea of buying two! I waited to get the smaller size clothes. I had newborn and 0-3 months but once they were born (at 37 1/2 weeks) I still had to get a few pairs of smaller pj's. But dont get too many b/c they will outgrow them SO, SO quickly. As far as swings and bouncy chairs, we recieved 2 of everyhting for our shower but we decided to only open one of each and return the others if we found we didnt need them. In the end, we DID return the 2nd of each. there wasnt enough room and no need at all to have 2 of each thing. we rotated them in each so everyone had a chance in each thing. When you are purchasing 2 things, like the carsears and cribs, ask about discounts. Babies R Us gives a twin discount (i think 10%) off the second item. Also, I have a great vidoe monitor that I could not have lived without. Its called the dancing daisy. Its a handheld monitor and it comes with up to 4 cameras you can view on the one monitor. Its awesome and reasonably priced. Well worth the money. As they get older it serves as a means of entertainment too! They will make you laugh so much. Enjoy it. It can be scary, but sometimes just b/c the doctors immediately make you "high risk". Take a deep breath and I wish you lots of luck and a wonderful pregnancy. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!!! :)

CONGRATS!! i feel like it was just yesterday that i asked the same question on here! We had boy/girl twins born in December - early and tiny (27 weeks gestation... 1lb 13oz & 2lb 6oz) and were in the hospital NICU for 11 weeks... i'm sure yours won't be THAT early, but just make sure you're prepared for them being at least a little early, twins often are! We were nowhere near prepared but at least had their hospital stay to get things ready!

You already have great responses, but i'll just weigh in...

The only things we NEEDED two of were the carseats and cribs. We only used the basinette when my son came home... when my daughter came home, 10 days later, we went right to sleeping them in the crib (they're still sharing one crib) - so i'd say any basinette/baskets are an extra, not necessity.

Another must for me: a really good breastpump (unless you're planning to exclusively feed formula)... i intended to exclusively nurse, but it didn't quite go as planned. So i pump and they get bottles ofmy milk, and some formula.

other than that we've found it helpful:
*2 Boppy pillows - if only one of us is home, we can sit them each in one and bottle them at the same time, and they like to sit propped in them while we play... not necessary but nice!
* a bouncer & swing to give your arms a break - but not necessarily 2 of each (one of our twins likes the swing, the other prefers the bouncer)
* a pack-n-play (they nap in it together during the day and can use later on as playpen wherever you go - very portable!)
* a double stroller
* a monitor (we just have a basic audio one, i felt the video one was just an uncessisary luxury!)
* "tummy time" mat (or we often just use a nice thick quilt for tummy time)
* 2 Bumbo chairs (our babies are too small to use them yet, but a fellow-twin-mom swears by hers!)
* and evenutally 2 high chairs (we have the compact ones that strap onto a diningroom chair)

And clothes... by far the #1 thing i'd recommend is Halo Swaddlers (the NICU sent us home with 2 and we got a few more!) so much easier than swaddling with a blanket! And our little ones fuss a lot less in them!
* The gowns are nice for night changes - no snaps!
* Lots of onesies and one-piece outfits that are easy to snap open
* And a few cute outfits for outtings!
As far as sizes, even our TINY preemies didn't fit in preemie clothes long, but get plenty of NB, 0-3mth, 3mth, 6mth, etc... it all depends on if you're having boy/girl or same sex twins as to how many you need... we needed almost 2 separate wardrobes (but got more than enough from our shower and from hand-me-downs of other twin and singleton parents we know!)

My biggest philosophy in our twin journey so far is that hand-me-downs are gold! Their nursery is full of nothing but hand-me-down and garage sale finds.

Sorry my answer was so insanely long!!
Good luck!! If you have any other questions i always love to talk twins!

I dont understand what mono twins means, but for cribs, at least at first, they will probably sleep better if they're in the same crib, until they get mobile and can accidentally hurt each other.

What I couldn't live without when our twins (#3&4 children) arrived:
2 car seats, 2 cribs (my twins shared one crib for the first few weeks) one really good double stroller, 2 bumbo seats (great for feeding once they are on solids), one pack n play w/ changing station (our home has 2 floors), and a really good bottle sterilizer (counter plug in or microwave model). We had 2 bouncy seats but you can live with only 1, and none of our kids liked swings.
what you do not need 2 of: bassinets (didn't use any with the twins-just straight to cribs), infant bath tubs, boppy pillows, activity mats
as for clothes, you will need plenty of the essentials: onsies, nightgowns (makes for easier changes at night), one piece outfits with or with out feet, socks (get all white makes for an easier laundry day)
Try and join your local mommy/parent of twins group, they have a great support syatem and some fabulous tag sales.

Identical twins, WOW!! I have fraternal twin boys who are now 2. I delivered them at 30 weeks and they were 3.3 lbs and 3.7 lbs. Even the premie clothing was HUGE on them. I wait until you find the sex, and then buy the basics for newborn. If they are premature and need to stay in the hospital (mine were in for 6 weeks), the hospital will provide what they need for the first few days/weeks. That will give you time to purchase the correct size clothing. They tell you not to put the babies in the same crib, pack n play, etc. , which I followed. Everyone else I know put their twins, even triplets, together in the same crib using foam separators until they started rolling over. If you already have one crib and one pack n play from the previous children, than you are all set. You can either put them together or separate them, see what you like and how comfortable you all are with the situation and then go from there.
My advice is take a deep breath, and enjoy the ride, and TRY TO TAKE IT EASY!!! Cannot imagine being prego, let alone with twins (!) with 2 children to care for as well. Let me know if there is any way (from Michigan ;) ) that I can help or support you. Feel free to e-mail me anytime!!
CONGRATS!!!

Do you still have stuff from your other 2 kids that can be used?

Next, since you are having twins... perhaps you will have a baby shower? And if you register somewhere, you can perhaps get these things from the baby shower?

I LOVED the Moses Basket I used for my son and my son loved it too. He could use it until he grew out of it at about 3 months. Then you'd need 2 cribs.

Start making a list... of everything you will need... for clothing, if the twins are the same gender, they can just use each others. If not you will need to get 2 of everything, per their gender.

All the best,
Susan

Two car seats, double stroller, lots of onesies, one piece easy on-off
outfits. Moses baskets are a waste of money IMO. Chances are they
will be smaller than a single, so have some small sizes on hand. I always
loved the nightgowns. Easy to change especially during the night.
Just think what you would need with one and double it. Congratulations.

Hi! The 1st year is tough but having twins is the best!! You don't need 2 of everything such as toys, books. I found that I needed 2 cribs. I never got a bassinet or moses crib (waste of $ when u have 2 to buy for). In terms of clothing. I would get the basics now but nothing seasonal. My kids were supposed to be born in May/June & they came in April. So many of the seasonal clothes that I bought & washed were given away cuz they never fit into it. My daughter was even too small 4 preemie clothes. Best of luck, like I said year 1 is the hardest but it still such a cool wonderful experience. Feel free to contact me. =o)