Quick! Where did your twins sleep as newborns, and do/did you use a playpen?

I'd decided long ago that the twins would sleep in playpen with a full sized bassinet for the first little while and then move into a crib. We'd have to buy a new playpen as our current one only has the half bassinet. No biggie, except HB now thinks we should just buy a couple of bassinets and forego the 2nd playpen, as we rarely used it with DD.

The whole reason I thought a 2nd playpen would be useful is that we could have one on each level, one of which would be handy to the backyard in the summer. I expect we'll get more use out of them with an older child who may need our attention.

Ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks!

Oh, and the reason why I need a quick answer is because the 2nd playpen is a gift from my Aunt who'd like to pick it up this weekend.

 

I had the twin pack n play with double bassinet and that's where they slept. The playpen part is bigger than the singleton one and it worked great the few times we used it.

 

I've looked for that one, but I don't think we can get it in Canada! Boo!

 

I have a pnp w/the full bassinet. we only used the bassinet part full time for 5-6 wks for them to sleep at night in, in our bedroom, then they went to a crib in their room (their room in near ours).

then we used the pnp w/bassinet in the family room for naps etc for a couple of months then at some point they weigh to much to use the bassinet part w/both of them... can't remember but it might be a 15 pound limit... with twins you reach that pretty quick.

after that we just use the pnp at my inlaws when they watched them and they would take naps in it, or when we traveled. it didn't get much use.

now after 18 mo. I've decided its a great place to separate my twins... sometimes I need to get things done and they start to hit/bite etc, so one goes in the gated play area and one in the pnp... I also get to use the pnp now for time outs!

anyway, sometimes I think its a huge waste of money - the one we got was $160 or more... there might be more economical ones now? but we did use the features, but not the fancy features for as long to justify...

you might use it more if you have an older child... you may want a safe place to put the babies...

 

My twinfants slept with me for the first 3 mo. We had relfux issues and I was breastfeeding so this worked best for me at night. I did get the pnp with the full bassinet and like others, used it during the first 3 mo for napping in the family room or taking it with me to family's houses. After I transitioned them to their cribs for all sleep(around 4 mo), the pnp got folded up and has been in my office ever since....their 1.5 now. It was a gift and very nice, but seriously I don't use it. If I take them outside I bring a blanket or have others with me. I don't think mine would have sat in a pnp for an extended period of time.

-It was great for the first few months, so they could be out in the house. I would probably have looked at consignment shops or tried to borrow one.
-I would take it if I was going somewhere where they would need to nap. Thats usually only my moms and she has two spare cribs there so I don't need the pnp.

Like pp said I have thought of pulling it out for time outs now, but then it would be just one more thing taking up room.

I dont think you need two new ones. One would be nice, try and borrow another one down the road if you need it.

My best friends were two Boppy pillows, they still lounge in them and watch a video

 

I might be the only one, and maybe I had a "lemon," but I hated our p-n-p bassinet. My twins kept rolling towards the middle and knocking into each other. My two were small and they slept together in a regular bassinet for 2-3 weeks then a separate bassinet for another 4-6 weeks. We really havn't used our playpen much at all.

 

We have two PnPs...they have been lifesavers. One as a gift (retailed for about $90) and one from a second-hand store. Sometimes I switch up where they nap so I have one downstairs and one upstairs in case I need to split them from their cribs due to being disruptive. We used bassinet feature for a short time...we have used the full "playpen" since about 4 weeks old. I remember when they were younger pulling one into the kitchen and they would play toys and "talk" to me while I prepped dinner. They are also invaluable for traveling. Ours have never been able to sleep together much to my chagrin...too active and violent with their hands and legs...heh heh. We personally in hindsight would have barely used bassinets only although I think they are precious looking. A lot of people rave about the arm's reach co-sleepers...don't know if you have looked into those.

 

My girls slept in their PNP for the first 4 weeks then in swings until 4 months. Now they are each sleeping in their own cribs

 

Our girls slept in separate cribs from the time they came home from the hospital. They spent 28 days in the NICU in their own isolettes and were on a schedule and we kept that going from then on. They slept in inclined papasans for a few weeks after the first week home due to colds but you can buckle them in so they don't fall over...

Out babies never slept in our room. We have a 2 year old that was 16 months when the twins were born but even with her after two weeks, the noises were keeping all of us up, even our baby so we put her in her own room and we all slept wonderfully...

Hope that helps..

~t

 

They have slept in separate cribs ever since they came home. We have a pnp but rarely use it anymore. MIL has two so when we go there (which is often) they each sleep in their own. At home we have an actual playpen (not a pnp so it's bigger) that gets frequent use so that I can get things done with the older kids in the room not bothering them. But, we usually only put one baby in there and the other one goes in the exersaucer or high chair during those times.

If we went to other places more often that weren't equipped with two sleeping places already then I would invest in two but since we haven't had that happen very much at all I think having just one is sufficient.

 

For the first few months, my two slept together in the Original Arms Reach Cosleeper. I never used my pnp very much & sold it almost like new just a couple of months ago.

 

My babies slept together in an Arms Reach Co-sleeper until they were about 5 months old. (I was breastfeeding until 7 months and it helped to have them in our room) After that we converted the Cosleeper to a PNP and then they each got their own PNP to sleep in.

Important thing to remember is that PNP Bassinettes weight limit is 15 lbs I think, whereas the Co-sleeper is 30 lbs. So if your twins grow fast, you have to move them out of the bassinett sooner...

 

Mine slept in the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper until they were 5 months old. Then they moved to their cribs. We still use the Co-sleeper as a PNP, where DS takes his naps. We also have a second hand PNP which we use occasionally when we travel. We loved the Co-sleeper and will use it with Baby #3.

 

The same bassinette beside the bed until they didn't fit and now the same crib (it fits beside our bed too) they're close for night nursing!

I haven't even brought the pnp up from storage - but have used the one at my mom's

 

We used a PnP with bassinet up until about over a month ago. DD went to a crib so well then DS is still in our room in the PnP. We also have a PnP downstairs for whatever reason since they dont seem to nap in the one downstairs anymore. however it makes it so much easier when changing both or when they wake up in the mornings and I can play with them downstairs as I change each one. I will also be using one outside and such and for traveling some as well

 

for the first 2 nights my boys' slept in our room on that crappy twin bassinet. it took 2 days to get over the fear of them dying and once that did we went straight into the crib in their own room. the transition was immediate and they've slept their ever since so i've never had to "re train" my kids' or break the habbit of sleeping somewhere other than their beds.

 

We set up one crib in our bedroom for the first few months. We used the bassinet of a regular pnp for a few weeks downstairs but after that it became the blanket/burp cloth/big toy storage area. Personally, I wouldn't get a pnp at all. I think a Superyard would be better for outside. We had one since my third had turned one the week before the twins were born. I used it for him during feedings or if I needed to leave the room for more than a minute so I didn't leave him alone with the twins. It gave him room to still move around vs a pnp where he'd be sitting in one place.