Buy double of everything, They said!

Right, so I knew no better. No idea what to buy for twins. If somebody said there’s a thing such as baby deodorant, I probably would have googled it.

Everyone wanted to advise me on how i'll need to buy double because i'll be 'having twins'; “you’ll need two of these and two of that, buy this but don’t buy that”. By the end of my pregnancy, I ended up with about 24 baby vests in first size. After doing my usual washing, I have about 15 still left in the draw?!

It was partially my fault if i'm honest, I could not help but get ahead of myself. These were my first babies AND they were girls, what do you expect? Automatically i stopped shopping for myself and everything in my shopping basket was baby related. You know you're going to become a parent when all your internet tabs start with newborn.

Now that my twins have arrived, however, i know that you definitely do not need to buy two of everything!...i mean where would you put it all? Financially, you could also save a few quid by sharing items between them. Below are a few things i found i definitely needed or did not need. For new mums/dads, are any of these on your checklist of items to buy?

My top 5 items I doubled up on

1. Nappies & Wipes

Best believe you will go through sooo many nappies and wipes before you know it. Buy several packs because your babies are going to poop from this earth to the next in their early days. You'll find that you can get many free samples from baby packs throughout your pregnancy. This definitely comes in handy but you'll also be able to see which nappies you might prefer. If you're having a baby shower, hint that you'd love nappies! As for wipes, i found some brands better than others as my babies' bottoms are sensitive. Do make sure that you're happy with the brand if you ARE going to buy in bulk. Otherwise, keep your receipts just in case :)

2. Bottles

Unless you want to be sterilising bottles several times a day, purchase more bottles. With the twins i probably go through 10 bottles a day. Although i breastfeed, I mostly express and also give formula. It really helps to have enough bottles for when you're out and about or just plain old tired.

3. Bibs or Burp Cloths

Initially when the babies were born, i could just use a burp cloth and everything would be fine; however as their appetite increased the milk began to flow like Niagara falls. If they don't dribble, they spit up, and i personally don't like re-using wet bibs; therefore half the washing basket is full of bibs.

4. Baby Rocker

I'll put my hands up and say no, i did not buy a baby bouncer, rocker or swing before the girls were born. I wanted to wait to see how they would get on, especially as i thought i didn't have the space.

Shortly after the girls arrived, I had to approach this topic of playtime sooner rather than later. If i needed to cook or shower, where could i put the girls. I couldn't carry them all day everyday to soothe them both. The first baby swing i bought was the Mamaroo. WOW! That's was a small dent in my pocket but i had heard it was the bomb! So many great reviews that i thought my girls deserved to be swung to sleep like royalty. Honestly though, it was not worth it. The girls did not take to the rhythm at all! I also thought they could share it; however one was just not enough. We ended up sending it back, and decided to buy two baby automatic bouncers and they absolutely love it! It's a baby product that i would definitely recommend and the two bouncers together were half the price of the first rocker!

5. Car Seats

Car seats are essential if you're travelling by car with your baby, so in my case i needed two car seats. The reason however why this is in my top 5 is that the car seats i purchased are compatible with my pram. I take them everywhere! I can't explain how convenient it is to transfer the babies in the car seat from the car straight onto the pram for short journeys. I hardly used the carrycots that came with the pram.

Top 5 items to double down on

1. Baby Vests

As mentioned above, I purchased several vests x 2 as I thought my babies would go through them really quickly. I was wrong. My twins had too many vests, and have grown out of them so quickly that many went unworn.

2. Socks

Had I used my brain, It would have dawned on me that baby sleepsuits have closed feet. So why did I buy so many socks I ask myself? No idea. Even now that my girls have started wearing outfits, they still do not wear a quarter of the amount of socks they have.

3. Scratch Mittens

OMG, Sleepsuits also have in-built mittens! So why did I buy mittens? Are they cats? Let’s just say, my girls have not worn a single mitten I bought, and they were born in the winter. On occasion, the mitts on the sleepsuits have been useful; however babies need their hands to explore, therefore instead, I ensure I keep their nails tidy.

4. Blankets

Babies need blankets, therefore I bought blankets... small ones, pink ones, spotted ones, furry ones, swaddle ones. I was also gifted blankets from lovely friends and family. Gosh, I have so many blankets lol. My advice especially is not to buy into those special swaddling blankets with enticing straps and velcro. Normal blankets will do. You’ll find that your baby grows out of being swaddled very quickly!

5. Baby Toys

I bought a few small toys, one for each baby in the hopes of stimulating my children so they become geniuses. For the first two months, they had no interest whatsoever lol. They were still good buys however, as they will soon learn how to interact with the toys. Nonetheless, in future i will be buying different toys for each of them rather than two of 1 particular toy, and they can share these.

Ultimately, the best advice i could offer is to make a list of essential items you want/need, and then go back through it and scribble off half of it. Whether you are having one baby, twins or triplets, it's also useful to really think logically and practically. If you can, perhaps buy your items closer to when the baby is due; in essence, you could still return or exchange items you realise you will no longer need.

What items have you bought for your baby that you could not live without?

H x