Having Twins - General Advice

[rpcyclone2013]

Hey Fanatics,

The wife and I are expecting twins in late November/early December. Wanted to start on a thread for any other parents of twins (or parents with multiple kids) on general advice/things to do. A few of the questions my wife and I have:

What kind of stroller do you use?
What kind of bassinet did you buy?
How long did they sleep in your room (if at all)?
Did you purchase 1 or 2 cribs?
What kind of pack and play did you buy?
Should I buy a minivan? Currently, we have a 2018 Ford Fusion and 2008 Jeep Liberty so feels like one of us needs to upgrade.

We live near Ames so it's easy for us to get to Ames or Des Moines to purchase things if you recommend a certain place in Central Iowa.

We're excited to bring 2 new Cyclones into the world, but I'm terrified as well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bigman38]

Can't help with the twins part but moving the baby out of our bedroom once they were sleeping for 5-6 hours a night was the best thing for everyone involved. Takes some hard nights of letting them cry, but needs to be done.

 

[Cyclone06]

Bed Bath and Beyond coupons can be used at Buy Buy Baby. We have built up a good collection and they always come in handy. They do not expire, my wife carries three in her purse always.

You will get so much advice, some good, some bad. You and your wife will figure it out, don't over think things. What works best and is good for you and your kids is different for others.

When it comes to purchasing, we've always ended on middle of the road + in price/features. Currently have 2 under 2. We do not not have the fanciest stroller at the farmers market but we also kept $400-$500 in our pockets. That philosophy has worked well for us on other purchases too.

Also be prepared for life to change. If you are always on the go, like to go out, etc. that will be incredibly different (and can still be done, its just much different). If you are prepared to accept the changes mentally, you will have not have any issues, and have no reason to be "terrified."

 

[KnappShack]

Have a 6 week old.

Facebook Marketplace has saved us a ton of cash. We'll turn around and resell the swings and gear for about what we paid.

I am 100% behind buying a minivan. It's a minivan. Sure. It's not the hottest thing on the road, but beyond practical.

Your wife will be your new superhero.

 

[laminak]

I didn't have twins, however with my kids, we probably slept in the room with them until they slept 4-5 hours.

We got a minivan (Honda Odyssey) with our first and it's been great to pack up kids for any small trips or hauling new furniture.

For us, most Graco furniture worked well. We did the combo child carrier/car seat, pack-n-plays, and strollers.

Don't forget baby monitors!

I also had a lot of this to get me through the baby and toddler years:

 

[Isualum13]

Hey Fanatics,

The wife and I are expecting twins in late November/early December. Wanted to start on a thread for any other parents of twins (or parents with multiple kids) on general advice/things to do. A few of the questions my wife and I have:

What kind of stroller do you use?
What kind of bassinet did you buy?
How long did they sleep in your room (if at all)?
Did you purchase 1 or 2 cribs?
What kind of pack and play did you buy?
Should I buy a minivan? Currently, we have a 2018 Ford Fusion and 2008 Jeep Liberty so feels like one of us needs to upgrade.

We live near Ames so it's easy for us to get to Ames or Des Moines to purchase things if you recommend a certain place in Central Iowa.

We're excited to bring 2 new Cyclones into the world, but I'm terrified as well.

Thanks in advance.

First, congratulations!

Second, I'm not a parent or an expecting parent, but I would say skip the mini van and get an SUV if you get something. Something biggish with four wheel drive. An often overlooked thing in vehicle safety is having a bigger vehicle than the idiot that ran in to you has, unless you plan on crashing into a lot of walls.

 

[KnappShack]

I didn't have twins, however with my kids, we probably slept in the room with them until they slept 4-5 hours.

We got a minivan (Honda Odyssey) with our first and it's been great to pack up kids for any small trips or hauling new furniture.

For us, most Graco furniture worked well. We did the combo child carrier/car seat, pack-n-plays, and strollers.

Don't forget baby monitors!

I also had a lot of this to get me through the baby and toddler years:

I forgot baby monitors!

We have one that goes on his foot. It measures his heart rate and blood oxygen. Has let us sleep a little better. Wasn't cheap, but I think it's worth it.

 

[rpcyclone2013]

First, congratulations!

Second, I'm not a parent or an expecting parent, but I would say skip the mini van and get an SUV if you get something. Something biggish with four wheel drive. An often overlooked thing in vehicle safety is having a bigger vehicle than the idiot that ran in to you has, unless you plan on crashing into a lot of walls.

The thing that I've heard is the side doors sliding open is a game changer. You essentially can be hands free since you can open them with the key fob. My wife is an SUV person so she is pushing that a little, but I think the minivan would be more practical.

 

[Gonzo]

Congrats! I didn't have twins, but I am a twin. A few things my mom was very adamant about was us developing as, and being treated as individuals. So for instance, throughout our childhood if anyone ever referred to us as "the twins" she would politely remind them of each of our names. She never dressed us identically. And when we started elementary school, after kindergarten our school had two classes/teachers for each grade, and she would request us being placed in separate classes. Just a few thoughts. Get your sleep now.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Congrats! I didn't have twins, but I am a twin. A few things my mom was very adamant about was us developing as, and being treated as individuals. So for instance, throughout our childhood if anyone ever referred to us as "the twins" she would politely remind them of each of our names. She never dressed us identically. And when we started elementary school, after kindergarten our school had two classes/teachers for each grade, and she would request us being placed in separate classes. Just a few thoughts. Get your sleep now.

Holy crap, there's two of you ?!?!

 

[rpcyclone2013]

Congrats! I didn't have twins, but I am a twin. A few things my mom was very adamant about was us developing as, and being treated as individuals. So for instance, throughout our childhood if anyone ever referred to us as "the twins" she would politely remind them of each of our names. She never dressed us identically. And when we started elementary school, after kindergarten our school had two classes/teachers for each grade, and she would request us being placed in separate classes. Just a few thoughts. Get your sleep now.

I've heard this same thought process. My best friends growing up were twins and they were always referred to as Tim and Luke. Compared to my wife's cousins who are always labeled the twins. We're not finding out the genders of the babies so we're jokingly telling my wife's parents that they should call them Baby A and Baby B instead of the Twins.

 

[Gonzo]

Holy crap, there's two of you ?!?!

 

[VeloClone]

Congrats! I didn't have twins, but I am a twin. A few things my mom was very adamant about was us developing as, and being treated as individuals. So for instance, throughout our childhood if anyone ever referred to us as "the twins" she would politely remind them of each of our names. She never dressed us identically. And when we started elementary school, after kindergarten our school had two classes/teachers for each grade, and she would request us being placed in separate classes. Just a few thoughts. Get your sleep now.

I coached one of a set of triplets in soccer for a couple of years. She had a sister in gymnastics and another in swimming. Their parents followed the same philosophy and they pursued separate sports and were in separate classes as possible. Eventually another sister joined our team and finally we had all three. Mom and Dad admitted to being relieved that all were now in the same sport on the same team but the fruits of their efforts were evident as they were very much their own people. I used to say that in the personalities of the three there was a "mom", a "dad", and a "kid".

 

[VeloClone]

I've heard this same thought process. My best friends growing up were twins and they were always referred to as Tim and Luke. Compared to my wife's cousins who are always labeled the twins. We're not finding out the genders of the babies so we're jokingly telling my wife's parents that they should call them Baby A and Baby B instead of the Twins.

I ran track in high school with identical twins, Tim and Tom. The coach referred to them as "i" and "o" when assigning events but I think he honestly couldn't tell them apart. Luckily they were both sprinters of comparable ability.

 

[Carlisle Clone]

I have twin boys who are 8 years old and can offer a few tips

-Buy the minivan. As the person above noted having the two sliding doors makes it easier to get in on both sides. Sometimes you may even be carrying both babies. With 2 newborn babies fashion and style are gone, your just trying to survive man.

-This is going to be TMI but if they are breastfed make sure its from a pump so you know how much they are getting. The wife would feed them both at the same time and one was getting more than the other. We found out quickly so measure from the pump going forward so they got equal or whatever made them full.

-Get a front to back stroller and NOT the seats that are side-by-side. The front the back only takes up half the sidewalk while the side-by-side takes up the whole thing. This will save you some dirty looks.

-We never dressed our boys a like. That's just creepy.

-Take care of your wife.

-Accept help if its offered.

-We had a big bassinet that they slept in together(feet to feet) for probably the first 6 months.

-Get a baby swing. This will become a second hand while changing or feeding the other.

-Don't be scared. It really isn't as bad as it seems in your head.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Not twins, but two kids under 4. We had both of them sleeping in their own rooms early. If you listen to some experts, they say the first year in your room. But we did more like 2 - 3 months, tops.

My wife didn't want a minvan. The crossover style vehicle is big enough, but the sliding doors would be nice.

We got video monitors for both kids. It doesn't need to be a special "baby camera" though. Any cheapish wifi camera will do. Both of ours are d-link, and they work quite well. It provides such peace of mind that I'm not sure how we'll transition away from them . . .

 

[rpcyclone2013]

I have twin boys who are 8 years old and can offer a few tips

-Buy the minivan. As the person above noted having the two sliding doors makes it easier to get in on both sides. Sometimes you may even be carrying both babies. With 2 newborn babies fashion and style are gone, your just trying to survive man.

-This is going to be TMI but if they are breastfed make sure its from a pump so you know how much they are getting. The wife would feed them both at the same time and one was getting more than the other. We found out quickly so measure from the pump going forward so they got equal or whatever made them full.

-Get a front to back stroller and NOT the seats that are side-by-side. The front the back only takes up half the sidewalk while the side-by-side takes up the whole thing. This will save you some dirty looks.

-We never dressed our boys a like. That's just creepy.

-Take care of your wife.

-Accept help if its offered.

-We had a big bassinet that they slept in together(feet to feet) for probably the first 6 months.

-Get a baby swing. This will become a second hand while changing or feeding the other.

-Don't be scared. It really isn't as bad as it seems in your head.

Thanks for the reply. Definitely looking at the front to back strollers - just deciding which one to get. I have a pretty calm demeanor and that's been reflected in how I've approached this. However, we started our registry at Target yesterday and I got a little freaked out based on all the options/things we'll have to buy.

 

[jsb]

Hey Fanatics,

The wife and I are expecting twins in late November/early December. Wanted to start on a thread for any other parents of twins (or parents with multiple kids) on general advice/things to do. A few of the questions my wife and I have:

What kind of stroller do you use?
What kind of bassinet did you buy?
How long did they sleep in your room (if at all)?
Did you purchase 1 or 2 cribs?
What kind of pack and play did you buy?
Should I buy a minivan? Currently, we have a 2018 Ford Fusion and 2008 Jeep Liberty so feels like one of us needs to upgrade.

We live near Ames so it's easy for us to get to Ames or Des Moines to purchase things if you recommend a certain place in Central Iowa.

We're excited to bring 2 new Cyclones into the world, but I'm terrified as well.

Thanks in advance.

My parents had two cribs for the first several months. One downstairs for naps and one upstairs.

Buy the minivan. That double stroller will take up a lot of room.

Twins are lots of fun, but can be very hard as well. Give yourself and your wife a lot of grace over the first two years.

 

[STATE12]

Thanks for the reply. Definitely looking at the front to back strollers - just deciding which one to get. I have a pretty calm demeanor and that's been reflected in how I've approached this. However, we started our registry at Target yesterday and I got a little freaked out based on all the options/things we'll have to buy.

Definitely so many more products and options out there than what is needed. Some are helpful, others are a waste. I approach it with starting small and get things if there is a need for it. More cost effective than purchasing expensive things with all of the bells and whistles and they don't even use/like it.

 

[mramseyISU]

I didn't have twins, however with my kids, we probably slept in the room with them until they slept 4-5 hours.

We got a minivan (Honda Odyssey) with our first and it's been great to pack up kids for any small trips or hauling new furniture.

For us, most Graco furniture worked well. We did the combo child carrier/car seat, pack-n-plays, and strollers.

Don't forget baby monitors!

I also had a lot of this to get me through the baby and toddler years:

Oddly enough I've had to resort to the same coping mechanism with a kid in Middle School.