Buying Stuff For Twins and Attachment Parenting

So it seems that buying two of everything is a little expensive. How did you save?

Here are the products we are considering, and how we want to bond with our kids.

We want to do co-sleeping, but two co-sleepers adds up to $325. We'll need cribs, and even the less expensive ones will run us $350 for two. Then there are changing tables and dressers. And play pens. And baby gyms and toys. (Kripes! That's a lot of consuming for minimalists.)

And what about wearing your twins? We want to be baby wearers, but how do you wear two when the husband is not around? Do you like a sling or a wrap? Or both?

What brands do you like? We have an IKEA here, and we love their prices, but is their stuff just horribly cheap in construction?

It's easy to get overwhelmed with this stuff.

 

Buy used if you can.

Check to see if there is a twins or multiples group in your area (your OB may know of one), and you can get awesome used stuff usually there.

Craigslist is another used option.

I had one of most stuff from my first 2 children so I bought a used snap-n-go stroller, am borrowing a second infant car seat from a family member, bought a used twin pack n play, used boppy pillow (looking for a second used one), used bottles (playtex drop ins), used crib divider and if we had the money we'd get a used crib right now too.

Stuff like baby swings, jumpers, bouncy seats...etc don't get used for very long, don't get used hard, and are great to buy used.

Don't get two of all the toys tho. I have one exersaucer, one jumper, 2 different bouncies (everyone really recommends 2 of these), one playmat and we plan to rotate the babies thru them as they loose interest in something.

You can combine the dresser/changing table by just buying a lower dresser and adding your own changing pad. Canvas baskets work great for holding diapers, wipes, and all baby "essentials".

If you get a whole matching nursery set you are going to pay more. Personally we didn't do that. We have one crib as I said (which is a convertible crib to toddler and then full size bed), but we bought the changing table from walmart, display unit that was on clearance. We bought the dresser at target on sale. All are in a honey colored wood and match very nicely, maybe not perfect but nice enough Look for clearance items on last years stock, especially right now with the big deal on lead testing going on, places are clearing out last years inventory because of the new testing laws going into effect feb 10th.

You can spend as much, or as little, as you want on stuff. Just remember they are babies, they don't need a ton, and they surely don't care if it cost you $100 or $1000.

 

If you buy the full sized co-sleeper, then both twins can use it. Also, I didn't use a cosleeper with my older two. They just slept in the bed with us. I am getting one this time because my 3 year still climbs into my bed around 5 am most days .

I bought a double snap and go off craigslist for $20.00. It's all metal so I wasn't worried about it being used. I wore my older kids a lot and plan to wear the twins, but for quick errands the snap and go is so easy. I used mainly pouches and then slings when they got older. With the twins, I want to get a moby for the first few months. You can carry both in one wrap. As they get bigger I plan to switch to mei tais and wear one on front and one on the back.

With almost all baby gear my best advice would be to only buy one. You just don't know what your child will or won't like until they are born. You may even want to borrow some stuff until you know how your twins like them. My oldest loved the swing, but my youngest hated it. Neither of my kids would tolerate being in a pack and play except when we traveled and used it as a bed.

I have heard good things about IKEA. I have a changing table from there that has held up well since 2004. It's not our primary one, but it gets a lot of use since we have a split level house. I didn't buy a changing table for my nurseries. We just attached a pad to the top of the dresser via snaps on the back.. Once my older daughter was out of diapers, we just took the pad off and it was a standard dresser. I did spend a bit more money on our furniture, but that was because I knew we wanted it to last through a few kids.

I would buy two bouncers. It gives you an easy place to put the babies when you need to put them down. I don't know how I would have showered w/out a bouncey seat. I would plop my kids on the floor so they could see me. I'm expecting to do the same with these guys.

 

ditto on all pp said. I am only doing one crib for right now, (bought it used) and will buy another one only if we need to. I am also going to cloth diaper after the first month or so, (after they get to be 9 lbs) and the savings on that alone are huge. Instead of a co sleeper, I bought a pack n play with the bassinet on top. This is the bare bones model, and I think it will fit two at first. It is a ton cheaper than a co sleeper, and I can use it for years as a play pin/ travel bed.

 

I bought alot from Craigslist.org.... Some people sell some good stuff. I got alot of nice things from there for the babies. Other than that... You could try a consignment shop. I personally never been to one but I did ALOT of craigslist. I got a brand new Chicco playpen still in the box for like $100 when in the store its like $180. I got 2 bumbos with the trays for $25, a babytrend double stroller (the one that holds the car seats) for $20 and in the stores its $100. Ive gotten some more good deals I cant quite remember everything I got but its worth a look. Hope that helps.

 

Again, as previous posters have said, CRAIGSLIST!!

We bought one crib and a dresser/changing table that is barely used (no teeth marks!) for $70. Our swings are the really nice fisher price aquarium cradle swings and we paid $55 for them both. We bought their crib set (plus all the extras that don't come with it in the store) off e-bay for less than half the price. We also got our snap n go from craigslist. The only new things the boys have are the pack n play, their bouncers (gifts), and their carseats . Don't buy the toys and things until you need them and then just buy one until you see if both babies enjoy it. Also, if you really want to save money, don't buy clothes yet. We got so many outfits that I never had to buy anything in NB size and my boys only wore most of them once or twice. Now they're in 0-3's and I just broke down and bought 4 or 5 onesie/pant combos to supplement what they have.

Save your receipts!! When you have your shower, you will get more outfits than two children can ever wear. Return them and buy the stuff you do need.

The thing we actually spend the most money on is formula. If you are going to breastfeed, you will save a TON of money. Our formula bill each week is around $120. I wish I wouldn't have got discouraged while they were in the NICU!!

good luck!

 

HI there!! :wavey:

For the first couple month & a half our girls slept in the bassinet part of the pack n play which worked out great :good: (we had 2 given to us as gifts, one in our room upstairs & one in our familyroom - but you would really only need one).
We bought mini-cribs due to the sizing of their room which I LOVE. They still have plenty of room in them at almost 13 months.
I had one changing table that was my cousins so that was free
Good luck, it will all work out!

 

I bought one new crib at walmart for cheap, and got one used from a friend. I am going to lower the railing and place it against my bed rather than buy a co-sleeper. I garage saled a lot of items including changing tables, an exersaucer, clothes( although we got a lot from the shower). I did not buy a dresser but seperated the clothes by size and put in boxes for later.

good luck!

 

QUOTE(MaKettle @ Jan 26 2009, 10:32 PM) [snapback]1163063[/snapback]
So it seems that buying two of everything is a little expensive. How did you save?

Here are the products we are considering, and how we want to bond with our kids.

We want to do co-sleeping, but two co-sleepers adds up to $325. We'll need cribs, and even the less expensive ones will run us $350 for two. Then there are changing tables and dressers. And play pens. And baby gyms and toys. (Kripes! That's a lot of consuming for minimalists.)

And what about wearing your twins? We want to be baby wearers, but how do you wear two when the husband is not around? Do you like a sling or a wrap? Or both?

What brands do you like? We have an IKEA here, and we love their prices, but is their stuff just horribly cheap in construction?

It's easy to get overwhelmed with this stuff.


I didn't read every reply, so if I repeat something, I do apologize!

We're in the UK, and I can tell ya, I LOVE LOVE LOVE IKEA! Not only are they a very gree company but their cribs are wonderful, and not so huge that they run you out of your house. Their bedding is soft, and wears well, as do their bibs, and washcloths. (Frankly, the large majority of the furniture in our house has either been bought at auction, or at IKEA.) Also, if you get their big fleece throws, and cut them into two (or even four for really newborns babies, or preemies), they make great swaddlers and if cut to the smaller sizes can then be taken in the diaper bag for a changing cloth when they get too big to be swaddled. (No sewing required as they're fleece!)
As for saving-
If you're doing attachment parenting, are you letting your babies attach for each other as well? I ask, because if that's the case, maybe you might want them in one crib til it's time for toddler beds? We don't do attachment, but it would stand to reason, to me, that if you are then you're making a rod for your own back if you then try and seperate them to sleep in two cribs. If they're held all the time, and co sleep with you at first, won't they do better for you if they're in one crib? I mean, I don't know, it just seems logical to me? That would save you on one crib. Rather than actual nursery furniture, we just bought one lovely big chest of drawers for the girls to share (from IKEA, funnily enough) and my DH used the safety brackets to bolt it to the wall. They can keep that sucker til they're 18! Diapers go into two hanging diaper stackers that cost us maybe £3.00 apiece. Lotions and things go into a £2.00 shoe bag that hangs on the back of the bedroom door, so that saves space and money on organizer products. Later it can be used for hair accessories, Barbie shoes, or cars and Lego if you're having boys!
I don't have a changing table (British houses are LITTLE!) My changing table is my lap-which also saves on the back strain of bending over a changing table. (it's a lovely talent to cultivate-changing on your lap-as public changing tables are often dirty, or unsafe-or non existant!-and being able to do it on your lap is great if you have to pull over the car and change while you're on a road trip.)
I do have one of those £8.00 changing pads you can just put on a table top that I use on my bed for after baths in case they pee while I'm lotioning them up, but that's it. We don't buy two matching of every toy or baby gym, obviously. If ti's something you have to buy two of, buy two different ones, so they can swap occasionally. We even made sure when we bought bouncers we bought two different ones so that they could be switched to avoid boredom. We have only one mobile hanging from the ceiling in their room between their cribs, as opposed to one for each crib. Also, alot of Moms may shudder at this, but we don't even buy loads of pacifiers, as they jsut get mixed up and they end up using each others anyways. We'll probably do the same with bowls and things when it's time to start solids.

Don't be married to Pink Is For Girls and Blue is For Boys. Especially if you're having one of each flavor! If you go more for primary colors, you can get alot unisex items. Packs of things like Onesies, and socks are also cheaper to buy one pack and split it between the two babies, rather than a pack for each since they outgrow everything so fast. Buy very minimal amount of clothes in newborn sizes. Even if they're preemies. They just dont' stay in them long enough to make them cost effective. (My girls were preemies, and have things that got washed and enver even worn as they outgrew them before I even got a chance to put them on!) In fact, I'd buy minimal clothes period. I'd rather wash the same things twice a week and buy bigger stuff as we go, than have to find room for 500 outfits they'll only wear once or twice and *still* have to buy bigger stuff every four weeks!

Best of luck from one minimalist to another!

 

Check out the used children's stores in your area. I bought a number of things for half price. It helped to do some research on line first. I read the reviews online at BRU for different products. When I got to the store, I had a pretty good idea which things were better quality, and would hold up better. It was easy to go to one place and have lots of choices.