What do I really need?

I am expecting mono/di twins in June. My Dh and i had not planned on getting pregnant but nevertheless we are thrilled to be starting a family. These will be our first children. What i wanted to know as we are financially a bit strapped for cash with the doctors bills etc is what are the basics i will need to get for the boys with regards to cots, prams clothing etc?

 

For me the essentials were:
a swing, two carseats, double stroller, and you only need one crib to start. warm blankets, clothes and some formula and a bottle. (I always had some even though I breastfed - just in case)

Oh - I really loved the two cheap bouncy seats. They were wonderful.

As for how many clothes you need - I really kept them in onesies or simple clothes all summer, but it was important to me to have 1-2 outfits for pictures. But they spit up on everything!

I recommend borrowing as much as possible! You need these items for such a short time!

 

GREAT question!!

I want to add another one regarding clothes, blankets, etc....

My thinking is that you always need a few more than what you think for those days you don't get laundry done or something else unexpected happens. Does this sound right??

We have started buying things and I am having a shower in a few weeks but I go back and forth feeling like we don't have enough and that we are going to have too much!

If anyone has an example of a typical day with newborn twins regarding changes of clothes, blankets, burp cloths, bottles, diapers, etc. that would be GReat!! We could have something to refer to!

THANKS!

 

Yes Please!

As these are my first children i have no idea what to expect!

 

There really isn't a typical day ladies!

My son had reflux, so we would go thru several outfits (his and ours), several blankets, and several burp cloths a day, he was always spitting up.

My daughter didn't have reflux and I could use the same blanket and burp cloth for a couple of days, and just change her outfit from jammies to something else once a day.

So it really depends on the baby, and on how much laundry you want.

In my opinion, I like lots of receiving blankets, they are so versatile. Not only for swaddling, but for burp cloths, for changing pads, to help prop baby up....etc. I think now that this is baby #3 and #4 for us, I must have 30 receiving blankets and I'm not complaining!

Clothing, figure an average of 2-3 outfits a day to be safe, each. I prefer sleepers (I like snaps up both legs, some prefer zippers), and onesies. Since you are due in the summer onesies will be good during the day, and sleepers at night. I hate laundry, and again I have lots from my first 2 kids so I have a ton of sleepers and oneises already.

Check out craigslist.com for your area, to get used baby items like bottles (you can resterilize them and just buy new nipples), boppy pillows, bumbo seats (if you want them), bouncers, swings, strollers...etc. I personally wouldn't buy a used car seat, if it's been in an accident and you don't realize it can compromise the seat. But otherwise pretty much everything can be used.

2 car seats (I prefer infant carriers when they are young and then convertible's when they are older), a stroller to get them around (the babytrend snap n go is lightweight and cheap, but can only be used with infant carriers), a crib are all necessities. Bouncers, boppy's, exersaucer's, jumpers...etc are all nice additions!

 

Okay here is what we used right away...

-Car seats for sure, and I would get the ones that snapped into the car, it is just easier to carry them this way.
-A stroller
-One crib and two bassinets (but you could get by with one of each, this is just what we had the 1st time around, this time we have two cribs and no bassinets.)
-Two swings, wouldnt live without them!
-Two bouncies, could have gotten by withouth them.
-LOTS of burp rags
-A breast pump (if you are nursing, but you can rent a good one from the hospital and your insurance will cover it)
-Lots of receiving blankets and about four thicker fuzzy blankies for extra heat.
-Hats, because preemies have trouble keeping their body temp up.
-One baby bath
-Lots of wash clothes
-Four hooded towels
-Lots of one peice sleeper jammies, in new born size. You could get some preemie too but they grow out of them quickly. (mine were 5lbers)
-Lotion, rubbing alcohol, diaper cream, wipes, diapers (all things you will need during a diaper change, except maybe lotion)
- A LARGE diaper bag.

And really that is all I can think of right now.

 

:welcome: :welcome: To TS!
We have a few other forum members from South Africa as well. They would be good people to give you specific advice. So much of what you "need" depends on your lifestyle. I live in Mexico, and all I needed was two car seats, a double stroller, and later (after 6 months) two high chairs. I got the kind of high chair that you pull up to the table, not the kind with it's own tray, these adust high wise and my girls used them until they were 4, so it was a good investment. My girls coslept with me and Dh in their first year, and after that we had a carpenter build a special twin (individual) matress size crib that they could sleep in together. In the US it would be expensive to have something custom made like that, but hear it was cheap and easy. Of course you will need clothes, blankets, etc to suit your climate, and double the diapers and feeding equipment. If you will be alone with them you will need someplace safe to put them while you run to the bathroom, cook, shower, what ever. Some sort of infant seats or a cot/play pen that they can't get out of. If you will have full time help then that is not as big of an issue.

 

There is a sticky at the top of the Expecting Forum Here, with great suggestions. I used that list and found it to be very helpful. One thing that is not on there, that I absolutely could not live without were Boppy Newborn Loungers, they were a life saver!

 

Thanks for the info, I needed that as well!