When expectant twin parents come to us looking for support and guidance about the parenting adventure they are about to experience, one of the most common concerns we hear is about the expense of buying gear for TWO babies.
It comes as no surprise that you will have to buy two of certain things, but the good news is…there are a lot of items that your twins can actually share! When prepping for twins, parents can get rather creative to keep some of the baby expenses to a minimum.
We go into this topic in depth in our new book You Can Two: The Essential Twins Preparation Guide in a chapter that focuses on the gear and other essentials you’ll need when preparing to welcome twins into your family. We are sharing some of that advice here…but be sure to check out our book on Amazon.
Things Your Twins Can Share:
Clothes:
Yes, some of the fun of having babies is outfitting them from head to toe. The cute outfits you can find these days are on point! But when you are trying to be budget conscious as a new parent, this is one area where you can spend wisely. You purchase the basics and even find adorable gender neutral pieces that even boy/girl twins can share. Or better yet, snag some hand-me-downs!
Bottles and Pacifiers:
Ok, we know, you may not initially think this is a good idea, but bottles, dish ware, and pacifiers can be sanitized, keeping the germs at bay and a little more money in your pocket. Don’t go overboard, just stock your home with enough to get by, while having a few backups. Prepping tip: Don’t buy too many bottles of one specific brand before your babies arrive. You never know what bottles they’ll actually like, leaving you with a ton of clutter and unused items to return. Buy more once your babies arrive and you know their preferences.
Toys:
We’ve said it 100 times and we’ll say it again, LESS is MORE! You don’t need two of everything, especially when it comes to a large baby soothing apparatus. Invest your money in a few different options, and rotate your babies between them. Your house will have less clutter and you will have options when your babies get fussy!
Accessories:
You’d be surprised how quickly you can fill bins and boxes in a closet with baby accessories. Head bands, hats & booties can be fun ways to dress up your babies, especially for taking adorable monthly pictures, but babies grow so quickly that the money spent isn’t always worth it.
Nursing Pillow:
We’re going to let you in on the most amazing secret ever! You may initially think that you will need all sorts of apparatuses to nurse two babies at the same time, but that is not the case at all. The Twin Z Pillow is a game changer for nursing or bottle feeding twins…and you only need ONE pillow! This also acts as a supportive pillow while you are pregnant so get it early on if you can.
Things Your Twins Shouldn’t Share:
Our general rule of thumb when you are considering things that your twins should or shouldn’t share is to consider the safety aspect.
Cribs:
This is a tricky one because crib sharing with twins is a valid sleeping arrangement that a lot of parents utilize. We talk more in-depth about our thoughts on this in our book.
Car Seats:
It is rather unlikely that you would be driving your twins around separately all of the time. Yes, car seats aren’t cheap, but each child needs their own.
Lovies:
Just hear us out for one second…theoretically, your twins could share lovies or security blankets, but really they become somewhat personally attached that eventually it makes sharing difficult. Once they have staked claim to something that helps them self-soothe and feel comfortable, you are going to have quite a battle on your hands if you try to give it to their sibling! So in the beginning, yes, they technically could share these, however, overtime it will become harder as they claim ownership over the one they love.
High Chairs:
If need be, you could live with just one high chair, but the reality is parents who are busy with twins usually don’t want to be feeding their two babies at separate times. So, to help keep your twins on the same schedule, you might want to bite the bullet and buy two high chairs (like these awesome space saving gems).
We filled an entire chapter in our book with checklists and advice about the things you need and the things you don’t! So as you start to create your baby registry, take a peek at those pages to help you get great ideas, save space, and money!
