6 Months with Twins: 6 Things I Can't Live Without
Buying for babies can be confusing and overwhelming. Buying twin gear? That can seem like an impossible task, especially if you have no experience with babies, OR with twins (that was me, btw). Well from a twin mom who has survived the first year, I have a short list for you.Ok, so the list of things I can't actually live without is probably pretty long, but I'm going to focus on what's become absolutely essential in our lives since Jude & Luca arrived a little over 6 months ago, and believe it or not, the list only consists of 6 things!Update: No it doesn't, you guys. I wrote a post about more essentials. (It'll open in a new window and there are more at the bottom of this post!)It's amazing how many things are on this list that I said out loud on several occasions, "Oh, I'll never need one of those, let alone two. What a massive waste of money!" (ahem, number 1...)Not only was I naive and had no idea what I was talking about 6 months ago (or you know, like yesterday because let's face it, I'm winging this motherhood thing all day everyday), but I wasn't always taking into consideration that there would be two newborns. That seems really silly for someone who was pregnant with twins, right? I know. Trust me. Like I said - naive, and had no clue what I was talking about. Anyway... Let's just dive right in to this list. Here are the 6 things I can't live without after my first 6 months with twins!
Twin gear you need
1. Baby Brezza Formula Pro (originally this said 2 bottle warmers, but we upgraded)
Yes, warmers. Because two babies, you guys! In the middle of the night when both kids are screaming bloody murder and NEED. FOOD. NOW. I do not want to be waiting for a second bottle to be warmed up. Being able to get them both ready at the same time does make a difference. And spring the extra few bucks for the quick warmers. Every second of time is precious at 1 am and again at 3 am and again at 6am....... Anyway, I digress. What makes an even bigger difference though, is having Baby Brezza on my side. Don't know what that is? BB is my bestie, you guys. The Formula Pro is like a Keurig for formula. It keeps water warm at the perfect temperature and at the push of a button it measures your formula for you and spits it out into a bottle already mixed up. It's basically magic. And at all hours of the night it's ACTUALLY magic!
2. A baby carrier
I currently use the Solly Baby Wrap, and I love it. I was even able to use it with both boys at the same time before they became massively huge babies. I did want to try some other ones and never did, but this has saved my sanity on more than one occasion when one baby is extra fussy and I either want to be able to use my hands or I need to tend after the other baby. It's been so nice to slip a baby into the wrap and have him asleep within seconds. No exaggeration. Seconds! These things are amazing.
3. A good double stroller
This one seems pretty obvious, but our stroller choice was pretty limited because these things, when made for multiple kids, are CRAZY EXPENSIVE! We majorly lucked out and had some friends (who have 3-year olds twins) sell us theirs for next to nothing, and it just happened to be the stroller our carseats fit into. How serendipitous. So which stroller is it? It's the PegPerego Duette. And yes, it has a steering wheel. So freaking cool.
4. Baby Tracker
This is officially the most used app on my phone. Ok, that's a lie. Instagram is the most used. Or is it Snapchat? But Baby Tracker is probably a very close second or third! I can easily add in information for both kids and it's really easy to go back and forth between the two of them. I tried about 7 other apps before landing on this one. That's no lie. At least 7 others. Major trial and error, but you get the info without having to try 7 times to find the best baby tracking app ever. It's also completely colour coded for all you fellow type A's out there and you can sync the info so that dad, grandma, or any other caretaker can track what's going on, too. My second pick? Glow Baby. It's much prettier than Baby Tracker and even lets you track the texture and colour of your baby's poops (ummmm, yeah. Seriously.), but it didn't cut it for me because as a milk-pumping mama for the first 5 months, I didn't want a separate app to track that too, and guess what? Baby Tracker lets you track when you pump, how much, and even keeps an inventory for you, which is honest to goodness THE most fantastic part about this app. So if you don't pump, maybe GlowBaby is your best pick. If you do, go for Baby Tracker. All day heart eyes for this app.
5. 4Moms Bounceroo and Mamaroo
I was super hesitant to get a bouncer or swing because you just never know if your baby will be THAT baby that hates them, but we happen to have one that likes to bounce and one that likes to swing. And if you're going to get a swing, the Mamaroo is the one to get. It's magic. And it takes up way less space than almost every other swing out there. We sadly got ours a little too late and the boys had outgrown their need for swings and bouncers by then. They pretty much hate the things now, but for the first 4 months these are absolute lifesavers! Jude always loved the Bounceroo and it was a go-to when we absolutely could not get him to sleep!
6. Jolly Jumper
Because some days it's the only way I can eat a meal, fold laundry or drink my coffee while it's still hot without worrying that someone needs something or will start crying. Just get one. Or if you have twins, get two. Seriously, this is one of those things you need two of if you have multiples, and you can always find other moms selling theirs online, so you can save some $ that way, too!
Want more twin gear and info on surviving twin motherhood? Check these out:
