Step by Step Parenting

To say I’m a minimalist when it comes to parenting would be a wild understatement.

I found out I was pregnant for the first time when I was only 19. Between that, and the fact that it was during the pandemic, I learned to get by with very little. And honestly, I just don’t see the point in lots of baby products.

I could go off on a whole side tangent about how the baby industry is just preying on scared and anxious moms to sell them things they don’t need, but that would be a whole other essay entirely. (sidetone: turns out, I don’t need to write it, because someone already did!)

But that side tangent aside, I just don’t see the practicality in so many “must-have” items.

For example, a changing table. Why are they sideways? Changing a diaper going in from the side just seems… inefficient? Maybe it’s a skills issue on my end, but I would rather just get on the floor and change them with the baby facing me. I’ll admit it, it probably helps that I’m still in my twenties and don’t mind getting up and down from the floor. But still.

But also, baby monitors. If you live somewhere large enough to genuinely need one, then that’s great and I’m kinda jealous. Luckily (unfortunately?) for me, everywhere I’ve lived has been small enough that you can hear a baby from any end of the house. And I just don’t feel the need to have video surveillance while they’re sleeping.

And don’t even get me started on the car monitors, wipe warmers, that trendy $200+ changing pad…

That’s not to say any of those products are bad, or that if you purchase them, you’re silly or dumb or anything like that. Truthfully, there’s no telling what I would buy if I had an unlimited budget!

But with two babies and being on a tight budget, that’s just not my reality. Due to my finances and the amount of space I have, I’m forced to narrow down my list of favs to the true essentials. With twins, there are also some items you need two of, but some items you can get away with just one.

Here are my top 10 recommendations for what you actually need for twins, and what you need double of, from the time they’re born up until three months old.

1. Car seats x2 and the Graco DuoGlide stroller

When I had my first daughter, I had a friend give me their Doona that they rarely used. It was a car seat that popped right into a stroller — the wheels folded up under the car seat when needed — and it was beautiful. I knew it was pricey, but since I was gifted it for free, I missed out on the experience of shopping for baby carseats and strollers.

With the twins, it was a different story. Not only did I have to shop for “travel systems” for the first time in my life, but I needed one that would accommodate twins and not cost as much as four months worth of rent. I was floored by how expensive some of the options were! And if the thought of coughing up over $1,000 wasn’t bad enough, many blogs insisted that I also needed a bassinet stroller, a little pop-up stroller, and a single-child stroller. All that in addition to infant car seats and a double stroller.

Yeah, that’s gonna be a no from me! Instead, the Graco DuoGlide stroller was the perfect option. The infant car seats click right in, and then it transitions seamlessly into a stroller where they can sit up as they get older.

2. Diapers and wipes x2

Most babies, especially in the beginning, go through eight to ten diapers a day. Multiple that by two and you’re at roughly sixteen to twenty diapers per day. So for the week? That’s almost 100 diapers. Whatever you do, make sure you have a ton of diapers. 

Also, I would definitely buy at least some preemie diapers. My mom and her twin were both over nine pounds when they were born, and I made it all the way to 38 weeks with my twins, so I was convinced I wasn’t going to need any. Imagine my surprise when I birthed to five-ish pound babies and had to scramble to get preemie clothes and diapers last minute.

Don’t be like me. Be prepared.

3. TwinZ pillow

This is one of the few twin-specific things that I splurged on, and it was worth every penny. You never realize how difficult it is to simultaneously feed two five-day-old babies until it’s four in the morning, it’s your first night home from the hospital, and everyone, including you, is crying. Not to mention there are countless ways to use this pillow as the twins get older!

4. Momcozy bottle washer

I kind of hate that this made the list. It goes against my whole minimalistic-aka-broke mom values. But newborns eat eight to ten times a day, so that’s already roughly sixteen bottles a day for twins, even if you reuse some. That is so, so much to wash by hand, and then you have to hand-dry them with paper towels (because there’s no time to wait for them to air dry!) or run them through the dishwasher (but again, time consuming!).

Bottle washer to the rescue! It can wash the bottles in around half an hour, and the absolute, hands-down best part is that it completely dries the bottles!!! That feature alone makes it worth it, in my opinion. Trust me, bottles will quickly become the bane of your existence pretty quickly with twins. You need free hands and free time as much as possible.

5. Burt’s Bees burp cloths x4

You’ll want burp cloths for your diaper bag, the nursery, your car, your nightstand, and just about every room in the house. I seriously keep a stack of 10-15 burp cloths on my coffee table downstairs, and another stack like that right next to the rocker in their nursery. 

I’ve tried lotsssss of burp clothes, but these are my favorite because they… well, it’s gross, but they soak up the most. Sorry, had to say it. A close second, though, are these specific muslin burp cloths I get on Amazon. 

6. Ergobaby carrier x2

When I had my first daughter, a baby carrier was a nice little splurge, but not a necessity. Oh, I want to go hiking? Let’s throw on the baby carrier! I’m in the mood for extra snuggles? Time for the baby carrier! Don’t feel like pushing a stroller at the mall? Baby carrier!

With twins, however, I would argue a baby carrier is essential.

The first few weeks, I would mostly use the carrier for convenience. As newborns, the twins slept so much, and I was home 24/7, so we didn’t really go anywhere. But as their wake windows got longer, their schedules became unaligned, and life gradually returned to normal (for everyone else), mama had to find a way to get things done!

I started using the carrier to make sure Evelyn would take a nap at all, and while she slept, I was still able to walk the dog, do dishes, cook, and anything else that didn’t involve sitting down or bending over. It was exhausting, but it was better than needing to go back into the nursery to console Evelyn every ten minutes, or be trapped in the recliner for over an hour. There’s nothing wrong with being nap trapped, and I’ve been known to intentionally nap trap myself from time to time, but with five kids, sometimes, I just need to get stuff done.

The baby carrier becomes even more essential when it’s time to actually leave the house. If I don’t have another adult with me, and I have to go to the grocery store, the only way to pull this off at this age is to wear one baby and place the other, in their car seat, in the basket of the cart. But Megan, just bring the stroller! Yeah, I could, but then I’m pushing the stroller and pushing the cart, or vice versa. It’s honestly easier to just wear a baby.

And then finally (apparently I’m really passionate about baby carriers), having these on hand will just help you have fun, and when you’re in the newborn trenches with twins, you’re gonna need that. My husband and I were able to take the babies hiking with the carriers. My friend and I went to the Cheerwine Festival with them. My mom and I can walk the big kids to the park more easily. It’s just nice to have freedom, because most of the time, that’s hard to come by as a twin mom.

7. Pacifiers x2

Neither of my twins loved pacifiers, but it was still nice to have them on hand, and when they worked, they were helpful. I made sure to have a few different brands and varieties laying around, just because there’s no way to be sure what baby will like before you actually try any.

8. Baby rattles and teething toys

These sat in the nursery closet for the first couple of months, anxiously awaiting their turn. Right before the twins reached three months old, they were finally old enough to really start enjoying them!

We would scatter the little rattles, teethers, and lovies around their playmat when they were doing tummy time, which helped keep them interested and entertained. Eventually, they started trying to grab the toys and bring them to their mouths. Now, I have some in every room of the house, and I make sure to always take some with us when we are out and about.

The twins really weren’t interest in them until right before the three month mark, but it’s still nice to have them early, so I included them in this article. I’ll share more specifics whenever I get around to writing the 3-6 month version of this post (step one is waiting for them to turn six months old, though!).

9. Momcozy milk pitcher

If you decide to formula-feed from day one, this recommendation probably is not the most beneficial, but if you’re breastfeeding, this little pitcher is super helpful. Plus, the pink one is adorable!

Since I was exclusively pumping, all of the milk I produced was dumped straight into this pitcher. I produced so much, and the twins ate so much, that it just didn’t make sense to individually measure it out. This pitcher also made it super easy for anyone who was watching to twins to make them bottles.

10. Swaddles x2

I used these Velcro swaddles with my first daughter, and I loved them so much that I bought them again in preparation for the twins. Now, if you’re amazing at swaddling with muslin blankets like my husband is, you might not need these. But if you’re like me, and struggle a bit, these swaddles are so helpful.

You won’t want to use them once the twins can roll over, though, and unfortunately for us, that happened way earlier than we expected. Our pediatrician explained that when babies are on the lighter side, they might hit some milestones like rolling or crawling earlier because there’s just less baby to move! When that happened, we switched from swaddles to sleep sacks.

At the end of the day, please remember that these are all just suggestions, based on my own lived experience as a mom of newborn twins. If there are things on this list that you don’t care for, or things that aren’t on the list that you think should be, no judgment! In fact, go ahead and let me know in the comments. I think it’s so interesting to learn how other women mother, and we all have so much we could learn from one another.

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