After officially making it through 18 months with twins, I can confidently say that there are a few things that made our journey more successful. Being a new parent is hard, and if you're a twin parent, it's even harder.
Our first year with the twins tested our patience in ways I never thought possible. Every waking minute was filled with caring for our babies and toddler. The exhaustion is real!
Looking back on those first pivotal months, I can say with absolute certainty that these items made our life a whole lot easier. I can't imagine what it would have been like without them, honestly.
If you're pregnant with twins and trying to figure out what you will need, I hope this list helps you out!
1 - Twin Z Twin Nursing Pillow
Absolute must have. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this pillow saved my sanity, or what sanity I had left.
When I was flying solo during the day I could prop both babies in a hole and feed them their bottles simultaneously.
This pillow was an absolute game changer! There is nothing worse than having a screaming baby waiting for food, except if you have two screaming hungry babies. This pillow will help you survive the first few months with your twins.
2 - Double Stroller
There are a lot of great double strollers out there, but my absolute favorite is the Zoe Double/Triple/Quadruple stroller. We have the Zoe triple stroller to accommodate all of our kids at the same time and we absolutely love it.
The best part about the Zoe double, is that you can easily add a seat attachment to have it be a triple, or add another double attachment to make it a quad.
But if you're looking for something with a smaller price tag on it, The Joovy is a close second in terms of quality.
Our main points when we were looking for a stroller was that it could recline to nearly horizontal so that our twins could take a nap while we walked.
There were a lot of days when the only thing that would calm our kids down was taking a long walk.
Other things to look for: a large basket below that can hold ALL the baby items, snacks, bottles or whatever you need. I like having snack cup holders to contain goldfish and animal crackers.
And a stroller needs a mommy cup holder too. I love bringing my morning coffee or water bottle along while we're walking.
And make sure you take a look at how well it folds up. If you're going to be putting it in the trunk often for day trips, you'll want a good folding stroller!
3 - Umbrella Double Stroller For Traveling
We love this travel stroller by Dream On Me. Whenever we travel we bring this one instead of our Zoe Triple stroller.
For one, our Zoe stroller is so much bigger and doesn't collapse as small as we need it to when we're checking it at the airport or taking a road trip.
Second, it's not as expensive as our Zoe and we're less concerned with something happening while we're on the road.
This stroller has treated us really well. We've taken it on road trips and flown with it. It's held up well! And if you're traveling, this bag will help.
4 - My Favorite Bottles
We tried several different types of bottles when our twins were preemies, and nothing worked well to alleviate their gas and calm their bellies.
Cue the 3am google search to find a bottle that would work for us!
The MAM bottles are our absolute favorites. I bought two to see if they would work, and praise Jesus! They did.
These bottles are annoying to clean, I will admit, because they have 5 parts to them. But once you get used to taking them apart and putting them back together, you'll be so glad you bought them.
The MAM bottles prevent gas and help cure colic in babies. The venting system eliminates bubbles which can cause gas, colic and reflux in littles.
They come in tons of different colors and two different sizes. We used the 5 oz bottle when they were little, and the 9 and 11 oz when they started consuming a lot more milk. Give them a try!
5 - Twin Carriers
There are so many great twin carriers and Baby Bjorn's out there. We got the Weego Twin Carrier as a gift before our twins came.
I used it all the time when they were little and fussy. I would scoop them up and carry them around the house together while I was cleaning or playing with my toddler.
But if you're not interested in having both babies in front, then the TwinGo Carrier is for you!
I've heard great things about it on my Twin Mommy Facebook groups. This one comes highly recommended by many moms.
Either way, you'll be glad you have a twin carrier to keep them both close to you on the days when nothing else keeps them happy. All babies love being near mommy's body. And daddy's body too.
6 - Twin Nursery Center
A twin nursery center is super helpful to have when you're having two babies. This playpen will come in handy as they get older and you can use it when you're traveling, or to just contain them with toys while you're cleaning a bathroom.
Also, a twin center is awesome because it comes with diaper/wipes storage, and two baby bassinets. This one on Amazon has everything you need and comes in different colors.
7 - Extra Diaper Stations
I bought this diaper caddy to keep extra diapers, wipes, and other essential baby items in another room besides the twins' room.
I had this caddy on our main level so that I wouldn't be running upstairs every time the twins needed a diaper change.
Having extra diaper changing stations around the house is a huge help when you're taking care of a baby! I recommend this one, but there are so many great ones on Amazon.
Whatever your need and décor, I'm sure you'll find something that works for you.
8 - Bottle Holders For Baby
I saw these on a Twin Mom's Facebook Group and I thought, I need that.
When you're feeding one baby, it's so easy! Just hook that baby up with your open arms and you're good to go. But feeding two babies at one time, while caring for a toddler, is a LOT harder.
I highly recommend a bottle holder like this one, or like this one that comes in many colors.
Our preemie babies would eat every 2 hours, and being able to do a few feedings with the bottle holders while supervising them made life so much easier.
I was able to play with my daughter and keep an eye on the babies at the same time. She didn't feel left out, and our twins sucked down their bottles with ease. Win win.
9 - Baby Swings
When we had our firstborn, of course we got a baby swing. She wasn't a huge fan of it and we never used it for her. She preferred to be held, so we held her.
With our twins, we figured we would wait on buying a second swing until we saw if they both liked being in it. They loved it. They both loved being in the swing.
They loved the movement, the rocking, the music, the mobile. Our twin girl, Evelyn, had horrible gas and acid reflux, but when she was in the swing it was like she was a new baby.
Some twin mama's swear by the mamaRoo. I can't comment because I never tried them, but worth noting it works with a lot of babies!
10 - Sound Machine
The best invention for a baby! I don't know how anyone survives without a sound machine or a fan.
White noise is key for all of our kids to get a good night's rest and not wake up to any little noises outside their room.
They don't hear any cars outside, they sleep through us watching a movie that suddenly gets loud, and they fall back asleep easily with the background noise. It's an absolute must have.
11 - Baby Brezza
I will admit, we never ended up getting a Baby Brezza, but I know so many twin moms and second time moms that swear by this baby item.
We went to Minnesota for a family trip and our dear friends had a Baby Brezza for their baby. Seeing it in action made me wonder why we never bought one when our babies were drinking formula!
It makes the bottle making process a lot easier, and having extra time is crucial when there are two.
12 - Burp Rags
Two things you'll never have enough of: diapers and burp rags. You will go through so, so many burp rags. I only added this one because, well, you'll be buying more after you bring home two. It's inevitable!
Even though we had so many burp rags AND we bought more after they came home, I still felt like I was doing laundry every single day.
Trust me, just buy a bunch right away! You'll be so happy you did.
Multiples are hard. Twins are hard. Babies in general, are really hard. But these things make life just a little bit easier. I hope you find something that will help make your first year a little smoother, and a whole light brighter.
As always, drop me a comment or let me know if there is any way I can be praying for you! I hope you have a chance to enjoy the blessing of your new baby. And just know, the newborn phase won't last forever. So, even though it's hard in the beginning, it does get easier.
And the joy of hearing two babies laugh is the best sound in the world.
With joy, Jessica
Please note that this blog post includes affiliate links from Amazon. If you do choose to purchase something, I may earn a small commission – at no additional cost to you. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own. Thank you for your support!
