The baby product market can be overwhelming with all the options available. So, I have compiled my top 10 list of favorite baby products, with a few favorite twin-specific products at the end!
1.Snuggle Me Organic: This one I am going to classify as a nice-to-have, but maybe not a MUST have. When it comes to twins, or even one baby, there can never be two many places to "set" baby(ies). Let's be honest, sometimes we just NEED our hands free, and the Snuggle Me provides that perfect cozy place to set baby. There are many differing opinions floating around about whether your baby should sleep unsupervised in this lounger, or other similar baby loungers, but for our family personally, we used these for SUPERVISED sleep only as a SIDS precaution. We used the Snuggle Me's a lot when we were out and about at family and friend's houses for babies to nap while on the go. So, overall, if your aunt is dying to buy a Snuggle Me for you off your baby registry, LET HER!
2. SwaddleMe Original Swaddle: We starting using the SwaddleMe swaddles from night one in the hospital, and never looked back! I swear these swaddles are why our babies were good nappers and sleepers from the get-go. After the initial first couple weeks of SURVIVAL mode when newborns need to eat like every 5 minutes, the twins started having nice LONG sleep stretches, waking up just once a night to get some milk on board, and then started sleeping through the night right around 3 months when they decided they could wait until morning to eat. One thing I love about the SwaddleMe swaddles is how easy they are to use. When it is 2AM and you just want to get back to sleep after tending to two newborns, the last thing you want is to have to deal with wrapping up two wiggly babies in those big ole swaddling blankets. The SwaddleMe's just taco-tuck around baby and secure with velcro. A lifesaver to make naps and nighttime quick and seamless!
3. Dreamland Baby Weighted Sleep Sack: Just like some adults sleep with a weighted blanket to help them sleep, this is the weighted blanket "baby edition!" These sleep sacks are great and I think they have really helped the twins establish good nighttime sleep. One dislike: the "swaddle" portion that comes with the Dreamland sleep sack for babies that are still being swaddled is really tough to use effectively, and AJ and I could never get it to be tight enough to stay put without the twins escaping. So, we opted to continue to use the SwaddleMe's until the babies started showing signs of rolling over, at which time we transitioned them out of their SwaddleMe's and into the 0-6M Dreamland weighted sleep sack (but without the tricky swaddling piece, which is completely removable!) Use code KATIECARLSON for 15% off your Dreamland Baby order!
3. 4Moms MamaRoo Baby Swing: When you have a baby (or babies) sometimes you just need a set of extra hands, but, when that's not possible, MamaRoo is there to help. I set the twins in their Mamaroo's while I get a pot of coffee brewing and my oatmeal cooking on the stove in the mornings. Having a place to set baby from time to time is just NECESSARY, and the MamaRoo's provide a rocking, swinging, bouncing place that really does mimic "the real thing," aka mom's arms.
4.QuickZip Crib Sheets: I will never forget when I couldn't get Delaney to burp after a middle-of-the-night feed, so I set her down in her crib and started to swaddle her when she PROJECTILE vomited all over herself and her crib. I called for AJ to come help me and I changed baby girl, while AJ unzipped the soiled crib sheet, replaced the waterproof pad underneath with a fresh one, and zipped back on a clean sheet. Before I was done putting Delaney into fresh jammies, her crib was clean and ready for her! LIFESAVER, and so FAST!
5. Hatch Baby Sound Machine: We started using this noise machine from the day we brought the twins home from the hospital on. We use it for bed time AND during all the twins naps. We prefer the "Ocean" noise setting. The different nightlight features makes for the perfect subtle glow during quick, middle-of-the-night feeds without being so stimulating to your baby (and you...ha!).
6. VAVA Baby Monitor: We love this monitor! You can connect multiple cameras to one monitor screen, so we have a camera pointed at each crib so we are able to keep an eye on both cribs simultaneously on a single monitor. It has two-way audio, so you can press the "talk" button on the monitor if you need to speak to your spouse in the nursery or soothe your babies from afar. The only thing I would change is I wish the cameras could connect to an app on your phone via bluetooth, but unfortunately, this is not a feature of the VAVA.
7.UBBI Diaper Pail: NO "special" liners/trash bags (you can just use your regular trash liners!!), no smell, sleek design. Enough said.
8.Skip Hop Silver Lining Cloud Baby Playmat: The twins spent more time on this playmat than anywhere else during those first several months! They loved the hanging toys, from a rattle toy, to a mirror toy, to toys that light up and play music. The mat itself is soft and (lightly) plush and perfect for comfortable tummy time while still allowing them to push up with their arms to get their head and chest up. The mat also comes with a cloud pillow to prop baby up on for tummy time, but we never really utilized it. Some mom's swear by a tummy time pillow though, so I'm sure many would love that extra feature this playmat has to offer!
9.The First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn to Toddler Tub: I love this bath because it grows with baby! When the twins were 3 days old, we were giving them their first bath at home using the "infant hammock" that keeps baby safely hanging partially submerged in the water. From there, they move up to the reclined position, and finally to the sitting up position. It's affordable and versatile. We have had MANY bath time memories using this tub!
10. Baby Jogger City Mini GT Single/Double Stroller: I use this stroller almost every single day! We live by a lake that has a gravel path around it that we LOVE to walk around, so I opted for the "GT" version of this stroller which has wheels designed to be "all terrain" that are able to handle more than your typical "walk in the park." Obviously, we have the double stroller, and I personally liked how the twins are side-by-side instead of one sitting in front of the other. For me, I just could picture the future fights deciding who got to sit up front, and I like that the twins get to sit right next to each other! That being said, I do think Baby Jogger has some front-and-back stroller options that may be more doorway friendly.
Twin Specific:
The Twin Z Nursing Pillow: Hands down, an absolute MUST HAVE, and my favorite product to use for the twins! The Twin Z is a must for tandem feeding, but, listen up, if you cannot or do not want to breatfeed your twins, STILL BUY THE PILLOW! You will use it to tandem bottle feed, as a baby lounger, a floor seat, for tummy time, the possibilities are endless. Buy the pillow.
Baby Trend Twin Nursery Center: We used this nursery center all day, every day for the first 3 months. It comes with a portable changing pad, and two bassinets that clip into the pack and play making it the perfect mobile nursey to have in your bedroom before you move your baby/ies into their cribs! Even though the twins have since moved into their nursery and now utilize their cribs, we still get a ton of use out of the pack and play, and love to bring it outside and put the babies in it with a light blanket draped on top to give them some shade!
Joovy Twin Roo+ Car Seat Stroller: This stroller rocks. Although we use our all-terrain Baby Jogger City Mini stroller for our longer walks around the lake, we use our Joovy when we have the twins out and about in their car seats. The Joovy Twin Roo+ makes running errands or trips to the grocery store with twins possible! They make several car seat adapters for this stroller frame. For us personally, we have Chicco car seats, so we have the Chicco adapters installed. All you have to do is unfold the stroller and *click* the carseats into place and off you go. SO FAST & EASY! Definitely a twin family must-have.
With love,
Katie
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