Here it is: the last of the baby gear for multiples blog. I hope I have helped you think through your purchases or registry items. As we’ve been discussing, there are lots of things to keep in mind when shopping for multiples aside from the fact that there are two of them!
Bathing
Anything that the babies will both use like towels, or wash clothes you’ll want to make sure that you have extras. Don’t buy two baby bathtubs. I thought this would go without saying until one day I heard one mom say that she was buying two bathtubs because it would be easier to bathe her babies together. So I asked where she found her help. She looked at my quizzically and said, “Help? I don’t have help–I’ll be by myself!”
Just in case you are in good company with her I will inform you: you cannot bathe two babies at the same time by yourself unless you grow extra arms during your pregnancy. You need two hands to hold onto one slippery baby. By the time they are old enough to be bathed together, you can put them in a regular bathtub. Whether or not you want one tub is probably dependent on the space you have.
Changing
You also most likely don’t want two changing tables to conserve space. However, you may want to have several changing “stations” in areas of the house if your house is large. This way you don’t have to leave one baby to change the other, but rather, everything is right there where you are. You will want to buy diapers on sale as well as wipes.
Clothing
Every one has an opinion about how you should dress your twins! I have been told to dress them alike so they know they’re twins. Later in the same day someone else told me I should dress them differently so they have their own identities. I think it is unlikely that I will ruin my children’s identities by how they’re dressed as infants. If you don’t have time to consult the most recent psychology on the issue. . .consider buying essentials like onesies, socks, and hats in bulk. It is fun to shop for twins, but resist the urge to pre-buy all of their clothing for the first twelve months. It is hard enough to figure what one baby may be like in six months. Two babies is impossible to figure out, especially if they’re on different growth schedules.
For everything that you buy, keep a receipt. It is hard to tell what you really need before you get to know your little bundles of joy. I kept my receipts in a pocket in one of the babies’ photo album. I know it’s very unsentimental, but it is practical and I’ve been able to return some things that I was never really able to use in exchange for things that I actually needed. While you can do most of your shopping at a regular baby store, you may want to browse a store specifically for multiples just to see what products may be offered