BABY & TODDLER

New Baby Essentials

Must Have Twin Baby Products

One baby is a handful, but if you’ve been told you’re expecting two it’s difficult to not explode into immediate panic. Dealing with twins isn’t a case of just buying two of everything but instead managing your time and efforts as best possible to keep both of your new arrivals happy and healthy. Your life might start to feel like a military operation but it is best to stay organised as much as possible. Some days might be more difficult than others but If you can organise yourself and buy products to make your life easier, It will all seem a little less stressful.

Having twins, plus another just 9 months older is a challenge, but I'm learning ‘on the job’ how to handle it, finding workarounds where I can. These products are helping me with my 3 babies and hopefully will help you too.....

1.Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine

Making bottles to the perfect temperature is hard work and when you’ve had little or no warning - very stressful! This machine makes up bottles to the perfect temperature within two minutes; a far cry from the ten tearful ones it can take when baby thinks you’re taking too long! Add 2-3 babies to the mix and this will be your best friend. We recently went on holiday and the first thing I thought was 'What am I going to do without my bottle machine?' This is definitely my No.1 product If you're bottle feeding.

2.Double Breast Pump

Double breast pumping has scientifically proven benefits as it promotes further milk production with higher prolactin levels; which increases the energy levels within the milk! There’s more double pumps on the market than ever before, so you’re bound to find one that’s right for you. I researched breast pumps when I had Mollie as I had planned to breastfeed - Unfortunately, I didn't get 1 drop of milk and my pump was given to my friend.

I bought the ARDO Double Electrical Breast pump. It is considered to be one of the quietest breast pumps and a lot cheaper than It's rivals. It was voted best breast pump by mumsnet viewers this year.

Another twin breast pump which is highly rated and Is cheaper than the one I had above is the Lasinoh 2in1 breast pump

3. Twin Feeding Pillow

A twin feeding pillow or cushion is definitely a must have for feeding – and is multi-functional! You’ll find yourself using it for feeding, napping and tummy time. I use my twin cushion every day for feeding and napping. Many twin mums I've spoken to who breastfeed have the Peanut & Piglet nursing pillow. This pillow was designed by a fellow twin mum. It isn't cheap but many twin mums swear by using this to make their lives easier when breastfeeding.

This is the twin feeding pillow I have. I place a comfy blanket over mine so it's more comfortable for babies to lie on after a feed.

4. Twin Pushchair

I use the Silvercross Wave Twin model. A big pushchair, yes, but it does convert 16 different ways and is comfy for the little ones. It certainly wasn't cheap and I do find It difficult to get in and out of my car as the base weighs a lot. It is a hassle on the school run - I'd much prefer a pushchair that easily folds up and down. We recently went on holiday and I bought a second hand Kato2 Twin Buggy. It was pretty lightweight but It was really hard to put up. The hood also needs to be detached to fold up - we ended up forgetting to take it on holiday as we'd taken the hood off the night before! Not what you need when the sun is shining and it's 30 degrees!

The Baby Jogger City Mini GT Double is another great option which is highly rated by twin mums and still fits through a standard sized door.

If you’re looking for a lightweight or easy fold option, the Joie Air Twin or Chicco Air Echo are both highly rated / tested by Which and are both on the cheap end of the scale.

I've found the Chicco Echo cheapest on Amazon.

5. Twin Baby Carrier

There’s not many options out there for twin baby carriers, so if you find one you like: stick with it! Twin baby carriers don’t need to be used just for ‘carrying’, either; plenty of mums use them to tote their little ones while carrying out other tasks around the house. I don't own a twin carrier but I do have 2 slings that myself and my husband use. My twins love being in the sling and fall asleep nearly every time they're In It.

6. Baby Bath Support

It’s pretty much impossible to bathe two babies with one pair of hands, so a bath support is imperative. This may be a seat or more flexible support, but should allow you to entrust one baby to relax in it while you focus on the other. There’s lots of brands, shapes and sizes out there, so you’ll need to choose one that best suits your little one’s body type. I only bathe one baby at the time at the minute as they cannot sit up properly, but I will buy a double support when they get bigger. I have the following:

Angelcare bath support

I bought this when I had Mollie. Baby can lie down while bathing. It's a pretty good support and Is highly rated by lots of baby magazine.

Shnuggle Bath Tub

This is my newest bath support. I bought this just before I had the twins based on reviews I'd read in magazines. Baby can sit up or lie back with their back supported. It has a ridge in the seat so baby doesn't slip down. My boys love this.

Bath Seat

I'll buy these baby bath seats when my twins get a little bit bigger as they're a bargain and you can get them in 4 different colours.

7. Play Mat / Tummy Time Products

Something you shouldn’t have to buy two of is a play-mat. There are lots of ‘jumbo’ and outsized mats available, and some with two separate interactive play areas designed specifically for twins. A jumbo play mat will allow both of your little ones to play on their own or interact, without you having to reach constantly between two. I have 1 baby play gym, 1 large quilted play mat with sensory toys and 2 tummy time mats.  

8. Sleeping - Cots

I spent a fortune on Mollies cot just 10 months earlier, so the thought of buying 2 more was pretty scary - until I found these in Mothercare. These cots come in 5 different colours (3 pastel shades). I went for the mint green as it was a perfect match for the twins nursery.

9. Sleeping - Bags

The secret to a good nights sleep. My boys sleep so much better in a sleeping bag. Sleeping bags are an alternative to baby blankets. If you opt for a sleeping bag make sure you buy one for the correct age as baby can slip down if it's too big. I bought these from La Redoute but you can find them in many baby shops.

10. Forget Ewan - you need one of these...

As a newborn photographer I buy all sorts of gadgets to get babies to sleep so I can put them into cute poses. Over the years I've tried lots of white noise machines that guarantee to get baby to sleep. A few of my clients suggested Ewan The Dream Sheep. My brother in law bought us this when Mollie was born. She loved him but he didn't get her to sleep as well as the cheaper white noise machine I'd bought for my newborn sessions. He is cute and I do love the red glow he gives on a night, but he is an expensive alternative.

I've also had the baby shusher which just makes a simple shushing noise. I came across this when I was on my newborn photography training, It did seem to work with the babies we were practicing on so I purchased one.

Anyway....Back to the good old sound spa I purchased long before any of these other products came out. This is the best white noise machine I've found to work on my babies and getting babies to sleep in my sessions.  It's a lot cheaper than Ewan or the baby shusher and works just as well. It has 4 sounds: heartbeat, white noise, ocean and lullaby. You can get it here

If you’ve had twins and found a product that’s been a life-saver, share the knowledge! Anything that can help ease a new mum’s workload is worth investing in.

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