Twins & Multiples

Howdy all! My wife and I are expecting twins this spring, so I thought it might be cool to start a twins/multiples thread. We're planning on having the twins share a crib initially, as we don't have much money to spare at the moment. We're also planning on getting a Graco Duoglider stroller (there are nicer twin stroller travel systems, but the Duoglider seems like a good value), a Medela Double-Select breast pump, and Mother-Ease cloth diapers (although we'll be sticking with disposable newborn diapers for a while). I'm fairly confident in these products as I've done my research, but does anyone have any experience with these products, or suggestions in general?

Having them share a crib will last about 3 months. You will need a second crib for sure.

Look into joining a multiple births club/association in your area to get info on resources and discounts and used clothing/equipment sales.

We are members of MPOMBA and they have great member sales twice each year.

The strollers that have the children in succession (one ahead or behind the other) are much better than the ones that are side by side, in terms of getting through doors and such. I don't know about the Graco Double (whether it's side by side or one in front of the other) but there used to be a great Peg Perego...

Good luck!

When we had our twins, we put the playpen that had the basinette built-in, in our bedroom for about 3 weeks, to get used to them...but we moved them into their room together after 3 weeks. I know some people like to have their kids in the room longer, but we felt we would get better rest if they were in their own cribs. Every noise they made, you would tend to get up...& that was not good when trying to get as much sleep as possible, in order to have the energy to take care of 2 babies at the same time It's not easy!

You have to do what is right for you...but one thing is for sure, enjoy the sleep you are getting now, it will never be the same again

We have the Evenflo Take Me Too! Premier Tandem Stroller & we really like it. We decided on this one, since it was the ONLY stroller that accepted different brands of infant car seats, Graco would only take their own. Since we already had one from our first baby, no point in getting brand new seats. Works very well, not too heavy & folds really quickly. Highly recommend!

Graco Duogliders are tandem (one in front of the other). We had checked out the Peg Perego, and if money wasn't an issue, we'd definitely be getting one. I've seen a couple used ones that aren't priced too badly. I've also checked out the Take Me Too!, but since we don't already have car seats, I'm leaning more towards the Duoglider.

We're planning on having the twins sleep in their own room from day one (with a baby monitor, of course). And yes... everyone keeps telling us we'll never sleep again, but I'm hopeful that we'll sleep better after several months perhaps. Just bought a copy of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and I'm crossing my fingers.

Someone I know has twins and they joined a local chapter and said its very worthwhile. I think he said it cost around $100. to join but definately worth it because they have sales/swaps and stuff.

Find one here:
http://www.multiplebirthscanada.org/...h/chapters.php

Originally Posted by Xax

And yes... everyone keeps telling us we'll never sleep again, but I'm hopeful that we'll sleep better after several months perhaps. Just bought a copy of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and I'm crossing my fingers.

Its true. NO more sleep for you. Once they get a little older, you'll get your sleep back, but then they turn into teenagers and then start driving.... again, no more sleep cuz you're worrying and waiting for them to come home.

Originally Posted by gorf

Its true. NO more sleep for you. Once they get a little older, you'll get your sleep back, but then they turn into teenagers and then start driving.... again, no more sleep cuz you're worrying and waiting for them to come home.

So true

First of all, congratulations! We have the Graco Duoglider stroller and overall it's pretty good - it was really the only affordable tandem stroller we could find locally. However, it's very BIG - even when folded up. Make sure it'll fit in your trunk if you have a smaller car. We're also members of a local multiples association and the used clothing/equipment sales are great.

Congrats, hope everything went well for you.

We have boy/girl twins currently just over a year old.
In regards to strollers, we first bought the Graco Snap and go, which is basically a frame which we could attach our two car seats too.

Very reasonable priced ( we bought second hand at a sale through the twin group) and I would Highly reccomend it. Keep in mind that at first you will not want to remove the babies from their car seats and this stroller allowed us to swap from car to stroller in about 10 seconds.

As they got bigger, we wanted to make sure we would still have a stroller that enabled us to go out as much as possible, so we spent a little more and got the Maclaren Twin Techno, which folds up really well and is very comfy for the babies. Again we love it and I would reccomend it.

We also bought a jogging stroller, a Lov'n Care double, which is pretty great for running around the neighborhood and the occasional trail run. Only drawback to that is a lack of a sun shield.

Originally Posted by Xax

Howdy all! My wife and I are expecting twins this spring, so I thought it might be cool to start a twins/multiples thread. We're planning on having the twins share a crib initially, as we don't have much money to spare at the moment. We're also planning on getting a Graco Duoglider stroller (there are nicer twin stroller travel systems, but the Duoglider seems like a good value), a Medela Double-Select breast pump, and Mother-Ease cloth diapers (although we'll be sticking with disposable newborn diapers for a while). I'm fairly confident in these products as I've done my research, but does anyone have any experience with these products, or suggestions in general?

One thing I can say is about the diapers....my wife was SOOOOOO adamant about using cloth for the babies sake and the environment. I did not want to use cloth but I new it meant alot to her so I caved. Thankfully we didn't invest the money in them they came from several baby showers but quite a bit of money was spent on them. We used them at first I hated it from the instant I had to put one on and my wife wasn't too thrilled after about a week. Problem with them is they need to be changed constantly you cannot let a baby sit in the slightest wet diaper with cloth at least not ours she cried every time she sat in a wet diaper even for a minute including all through the night.....it is a lot of extra work always washing/changing them not that you'd want to let a baby sit in a disposable until it weighed 10 pounds but at least they can pee and won't be crying just because of the diaper.....I couldn't imagine having to do that with twins...YIKES! We quickly switched to disposables.

no one posted about the breastpump...hmm..anyways..

you might want to wait until the birth of your twins
if your wife is interested in pumping (whether exclusively or just sometimes) it might be a good idea to request testing a pump at the hospital. Different hospital carry different brands (Medela versus Ameda). Each pump has different pressure and suction controls and might work better or worst depending on your wife's engorged..um...parts. There are also different sized flanges for the breastpumps so you might want to try the hospital one or rent one from the pharmacy before investing in the Medela.

I personally use the Ameda Purely Yours because I tried the professional-grade Ameda from the hospital and the pharmacy and found it fitting to my needs. Purely yours is about $280 but its a completely sterile system (as compared to the other brands). The Ameda has a system that allows for less parts to be washed (a savior..you DO NOT want to be washing many parts after every session and waiting for them to dry). The milk does not pass thru any tubes and it goes directly goes into the collection bottle.

but if you are only going to pump maybe once or twice a week, you might invest in something less expensive...i personally use the pump 8+ times a day....I tried in using "The First Years" electric pump before and it broke down on me in 2 days..yup, 2 days after using it I had to order new (but free) parts from the manufacturer...so I guess what you pay is what you get!

anyways good luck! having a baby (or 2) is a BIG investment in time and energy..but you'll be so in love with your new bundles of joy. Enjoy!!

Originally Posted by Xax

We're planning on having the twins sleep in their own room from day one (with a baby monitor, of course). And yes... everyone keeps telling us we'll never sleep again, but I'm hopeful that we'll sleep better after several months perhaps. Just bought a copy of "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and I'm crossing my fingers.

When we had twins, my husband got up to get the babies and brought them to me in bed, he went back to sleep. I nursed and fell back to sleep and so did baby. When second baby woke, husband would take first baby back to crib and bring 2nd baby to me. Repeat all night. Each baby had there own breast so no need to turn to switch breasts so husband was not disturbed while feeding. Husband is up for maybe 45 seconds while I am only awake few minutes but still fully relaxed and easily fall back to sleep. I think it was harder on our daughter. She was only 18 1/2 months when our twins were born. She didn't appreciate all the crying, moving and being squished in the middle.

Unless your babies are collicky, you really don't lose any more sleep than with one baby. You also do not have to change them during the night unless they have a bowel movement or extremely sensitive skin especially if you give their butts some airing time during the day.

Originally Posted by Diamondog

Problem with them is they need to be changed constantly you cannot let a baby sit in the slightest wet diaper with cloth at least not ours she cried every time she sat in a wet diaper even for a minute including all through the night.....it is a lot of extra work always washing/changing them not that you'd want to let a baby sit in a disposable until it weighed 10 pounds but at least they can pee and won't be crying just because of the diaper.....I couldn't imagine having to do that with twins...YIKES! We quickly switched to disposables.

Did you use diaper liners? We used cloth (doubled at night) until they really started moving around then switched to disposable. The cloth ones leaked too easily after that. Although I used the regular flat square ones with safety pins, not the ones around nowadays that look like disposable ones with velcro.

Originally Posted by paullyn59

When we had twins, my husband got up to get the babies and brought them to me in bed, he went back to sleep. I nursed and fell back to sleep and so did baby. When second baby woke, husband would take first baby back to crib and bring 2nd baby to me. Repeat all night. Each baby had there own breast so no need to turn to switch breasts so husband was not disturbed while feeding. Husband is up for maybe 45 seconds while I am only awake few minutes but still fully relaxed and easily fall back to sleep. I think it was harder on our daughter. She was only 18 1/2 months when our twins were born. She didn't appreciate all the crying, moving and being squished in the middle.

Unless your babies are collicky, you really don't lose any more sleep than with one baby. You also do not have to change them during the night unless they have a bowel movement or extremely sensitive skin especially if you give their butts some airing time during the day.




Did you use diaper liners? We used cloth (doubled at night) until they really started moving around then switched to disposable. The cloth ones leaked too easily after that. Although I used the regular flat square ones with safety pins, not the ones around nowadays that look like disposable ones with velcro.

We used modern cloth diapers....none the less I think any cloth diaper would just be added work that really isn't needed there are enough other things to do.