Fave baby gear

Dear bloggie friends: This post is all baby talk and I totally and completely understand if you aren’t in the mood to read it…..

The babies had their 8-week check-up this morning and I am very very very happy to report they are growing and gaining weight like little champions! They are still really little, but they are chubbing up and our ped is pleased. Because of this, we are going to chill out and nix our extremely intense methodology for knowing how much they were eating each day (it involved weighing each bottle before and after feeds, a feeding log, excel spreadsheets and charts). YIP! They also had their first round of vaccinations (3 injections each plus an oral vaccination). Not much fun for either of them, but they were quickly soothed. I’m hoping they don’t get feverish or fussy today, but I’m prepared if they do and am giving them EVEN MORE cuddles than usual no matter what.

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A few commenters and IRL friends have been asking me about our fave twin gear so I thought I’d do a quickie run-down of the stuff we love. I’m sure every Mom has different likes and dislikes (and I would love to hear feedback!!), but this is what works for us so far….

Itzbeen We bought two of these genius gadgets, which have a series of timers corresponding to icons representing diaper change, feeding and sleep. We put a blue heart sticker on one and a pink heart sticker on the other and anytime we change or feed a baby, we press the timer re-set button. That way, we both ALWAYS know when each baby has last eaten/been changed/pooped/etc. We find it easier than calculating the timing from a spiral notebook, especially at night when hubs and I care for the babies in shifts.

Snap-n-go Ugly, a little rickety, hard to steer, etc, but sooooo crucial for car trips, when you don’t want to wake a baby up by moving him/her in and out of a carseat. You just snap the carseats into the stroller frame, then release them and snap them into the carseat bases in the car. I use the City Mini Duo for walks and errands in the ‘hood, but when I’m solo and taking the babies in the car, I use the SNG.

Fisher Price Rock ‘N Play swing We got these thanks to a tip from AplusB—who hubs and I visited about 12 hours before I went into labor. 🙂 I actually bought them online later that day and they arrived the day we came home from the hospital. Never ever would’ve guessed how much we would use them. We stick the babies in them for naps or quiet time. The incline has been awesome for Honey’s digestion issues. And because they are so lightweight, we can move the babes all over the apartment in them, depending on what room we’re hanging out in. We also have the Bjorn and Mama Roo bouncers, and we use them, but these cheap-o swings get used all.the.time.

Ring Sling We haven’t used our Baby Bjorn carriers yet and I know they will get a ton of use, but for random daily chores around the house, I’m really happy I have a sling. I know everyone loooooves the Moby, but with twins, I find it useful to have a sling I can just throw on without spending 5 minutes tying it correctly. Honey loves to be held and she loves doing chores with me, so I’ll stick her in our sling a fair amount to accomplish both at once. I mention this because I never had considered getting a sling (what would I need one sling for with two babies?) before Champ and Honey arrived.

Boppy I registered for one on whim and almost returned it. But then the babies came and I used it SO MUCH that I got a second one!! I use the Boppys for nursing, for bottle feedings, and as a chill-out seat for each babe. I did return the Mt Brest Friend Twin nursing pillow…it just didn’t work for me.

Carters and Gerber clothes These brands are super cheap and totally cute. And most important, when our babies were teenie tiny, their sizes are TRUE to the baby’s size! I bought some Halo and Giggle-brand preemie outfits and they were huuuuge on our babies. Gerber and Carters are little enough (ditto for their newborn size) to fit when they’re suppose to. I hope you don’t need preemie clothes, but if you do, stock up on these because it’s helpful to see your baby in clothes that fit.

Sleep gowns I love dressing the babies up in cute, even complicated, outfits all day, but at night, I say seeee ya to the onesies and snap-up footie outfits. Changing two babies every couple of hours in the night = you want it to go as quickly as possible and to agitate the baby as little as possible. The less snaps to deal with, the better. Plus, the babies look sooooooooooo angelic and sweet in their night gowns!!! I love the Angel Dear gowns: pricey, but we use them almost every night.

Sports Bra I finally wised up and got a special hands-free pumping bra after a week of constant pumping, but quickly realized I needed a back-up for when it was in the wash. I decided to just cut slits in an old sports bra instead of shelling out for another bra. If you’re a twin Mom, you’re very likely going to spend a lot of your time pumping, and I highly recommend having a bra ready to go so you can play with a baby/type/talk on the phone/whatever while you’re producing that liquid gold. I like the sports bra better because the zipper never catches, which is nice when I’m pumping in the middle of the night and a little more impatient!

Chicco Keyfit 30 carseat We debated between these and the Graco Snugrides. The pro: Our 4 pound babies passed the carseat test in them (they accommodate preemie-size babies). The con: They are a little heavier than the Gracos. The Chiccos and Gracos both work in the Snap-n-Go.

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Some other time I’ll describe how I get the babies up and down from our 3rd floor walk-up apartment by myself every day. I will say this: My soft arms from bedrest are starting to tone up, sans weights at the gym!

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T-minus 6 days til we bring the babies—via plane!—to the Northeast for a long weekend. Time to start making packing lists….