What NOT To Buy When Having Twins
When you think about it, newborn babies really only need a few things in their first few months of life: a safe place to sleep, a car seat, milk, and a few outfits. Most other things are there just to make your life easier. If you feel overwhelmed by the quantity of baby items you “need”, this list of what not to buy when having twins is here to help.
I remember walking into a big box baby store when we were pregnant with our first daughter. My husband and I stared up at the aisles packed floor to ceiling with baby products. We were paralyzed on where to start. After a couple of minutes staring wide-eyed, I grabbed a scanner and started registering for a completely random mix of products. My friend later asked “Um…is this really the stuff you want?”.
We’ve come a long way since then, baby. After raising three under three, I now know the essentials versus the nice-to-haves, and the pieces I feel you can honestly get by with out. Here’s my list of what not to buy when having twins. If you also want the list of what TO buy for twins, check out my Minimalist Twin Registry Checklist:
Also be sure to get on the wait list for How to Thrive with Twins. The online class only launches a few times a year, and covers a huge twin gear section, plus twin sleep, twin feeding, twin activities, getting through the early days with twins, coping strategies, getting support, and so much more.
1. BLANKETS
While you won’t want any blankets in the cribs as they’re SIDS risks, they are helpful to lay on the floor your babies to play on.
In my experience, people love to give blankets as gifts (let’s face it, they’re adorable), so you may want to consider skipping this one.
2. BASSINETS
Yes, bassinets are helpful – but remember they’ll only be used for a few short months. Cribs can last for years, so consider if you really want to spend the extra money on a bassinet that will get minimal use. My vote is to only invest in pieces that can be used for years to come.
If you want to sleep next to your babies in the same room, another optionis to combine a spare bedroom and nursery together, so you can sleep next to the cribs. I ended up doing this with our twins for their first few months of life. After they got older and started sleeping longer stretches, I moved back into our master bedroom.
3. CRIB ACCESSORIES
Crib skirts, pillows, mobiles – they’re really not needed (and in some cases can be dangerous). There’s really only one goal of a crib: safe sleeping.
Blankets, pillows, toys, and other accessories (while cute in photos), are really not needed. To be safe, leave the decorations to the walls, and leave the cribs bare and safe.
Mobiles, as well, shouldn’t be used after babies can sit up, meaning they don’t pass the “can be used for more than a few months” test.
4. HAMPER
Next up on what not to buy when having twins is a hamper. Listen, I’m all about efficiency. Sure, you can purchase one if you really want to – but a laundry basket in your twins’ closet is a far more functional tool.
Is it really worth it to transfer clothes from a hamper to a laundry basket? Consider what will make your life easier, and choose accordingly.
5. BABY HANGERS
When it comes to baby clothes, I try to avoid hanging them on hangers as much as possible. Baby clothes, being so tiny, rarely wrinkle. When it comes down to speed, hangers are definitely the slowest:
- Slowest = hanging on hangers
- Medium = folding and putting in a dresser
- Fastest = using clothing bins (one bin for PJs, one for tops, etc.). Baby & toddler clothes are so tiny, I haven’t found them to wrinkle and this saves so much time.
Consider getting away without hangers. And if there are some pieces you really need to hang, see if you can use adult hangers. You may be surprised!
6. CAR SEAT ACCESSORIES
It was during our four practice installations at the baby store, trying to fit three car seats in our backseat, where we spoke with certified car seat technicians and learned that car seat accessories can increase the risk of injury in a crash. We were told that seat back mirrors, for example, are not recommended, nor are seat protectors, unless they’re from the same manufacturer that made the car seats.
Because of this, we sold our seat protector, and instead now put car seats directly on our vehicle’s seats. A few seat indentations were not worth the risk to us.
7. UMBRELLA STROLLER
You can likely get by with just one stroller. While an umbrella stroller (a smaller, more lightweight version) may be less bulky to carry around, ask yourself if you really need the second one. At the very least, avoid purchasing it until your twins get older and you can consider how much you’ll actually use it.
The main reason I would advocate towards using one is if you travel a lot. Some locations we visited would have been helpful to have an umbrella stroller (like London, for example). Our large stroller actually had a piece damaged by an airline when we gate checked it (they covered the replacement pieces). That said – I’m still probably not going to get a double umbrella stroller.
8. BABY SHOES
Are baby shoes adorable? Absolutely. Are baby shoes needed? No.
Babies really don’t need shoes, unless it’s boots for really cold places. Our hometown rarely goes below freezing, so we usually got by with footy pants and a pair of cute socks on top.
We did end up receiving some adorable baby shoes as gifts, and what did our twins do? Promptly yank them off and toss them onto the street. After many experiences of strangers returning a shoe they had seen tossed, I stopped with the cute (but pointless) shoes.
9. BABY LOTION OR BABY OIL
Before you coat anything over your baby’s largest organ (their skin), stop, turn the bottle around, and read the ingredients. Can you pronounce each one, and do you know with certainty that each is 100% safe?
I used the app Think Dirty, which scans products and gives you details about their ingredients. I was shocked to learn what was linked to some of the ingredients in both baby and adult lotions. It prompted me to throw out my store-bought adult lotions and start making my own.
Before you label me as either a hippie or a Type A mama (I’m neither), it really just involved hopping on Amazon and ordering organic cocoa butter, coconut oil, and tapioca starch, and melting it all together.
This won’t work for everyone, and by no means am I recommending that twin parents add yet another task to their never-ending list. In many cases, babies just don’t even need lotion in the first place. If they do? Consider a natural product like coconut oil, or an all-natural body lotion that can be used for both baby and mom.
10. BABY LAUNDRY DETERGENT
Instead of buying an overpriced laundry detergent made specifically for babies, look for a natural laundry detergent that can be used for the whole family. Adult versions are almost always priced lower than the baby versions, and your clothing is going to be touching your babies too. That’s why baby laundry detergent made my list of what not to buy when having twins.
11. BABY TOWELS AND FACE CLOTHS
Why pay for something that will be outgrown in a year, when you can use full sized towels that can be used for years to come?
Did you want towels with the cute hoods? Go ahead and buy them – in full sized versions. They come available for older children, and you’ll be able to use them for years to come.
12. BATH ACCESSORIES
Bath toys, toy holders, kneeling pads – you really can get by without them. Often times beach gear can end up being the best bath toys. Pails, shovels, shape makers – they all work. We’re all about double duty.
And what about spout covers? I’d hold off on purchasing them for now, and consider it for a first birthday gift if you realize you need it. We didn’t purchase, and so far we’ve had zero bath spout injuries.
13. BABY HAIRBRUSHES
Babies really don’t need their hair brushed. Unless one of your twins has long flowing locks, their hair is unlikely to get messy (or be able to be tamed by one of those soft bristle brushes).
14. HUMIDIFIER
Next up on what not to buy when having twins is a humidifier. They’re not only unnecessary, they can be dangerous.
Humidifiers, if not cleaned correctly, have the potential can be a breeding ground for germs and actually get you sick. Unless you’re diligent on cleaning and using the proper water, consider skipping this piece.
15. BABY NAIL CLIPPERS
Adult clippers can often work just as well, assuming you don’t cut them too close to the skin. If you find yourself struggling with adult ones, you can always buy a pair of baby ones – just consider trying out adult ones first.
Another option to consider, which seems both odd and perfectly natural at the same time? Bite your twins’ nails with your teeth. It’s the way parents did it for millennia before clippers were invented.
16. TOYS
Ahh, toys. They’re super helpful…and chances are your home will eventually become overrun with them. I felt blessed that our kids have gotten so many toys, yet at the same time, we weren’t exactly overflowing with space in our downtown condo.
If there’s an important toy to you, by all means add it to your registry. If, however, you’re buying some just because you feel you should have toys in your house, consider holding off.
Newborns don’t really play with toys until they’re a few months old. And even then, a half empty water bottle can be way more interesting to them than a puzzle.
17. SPARE NURSING PILLOW COVER
Another thing I learned what not to buy when having twins was a second nursing pillow cover.
Your nursing pillow is not likely something that will get dirty enough that you’ll need a spare cover (at least ours didn’t). Simply take off the one that came with the pillow to periodically wash it.
18. BABY PLATES & FORKS
I know some parents who were adamant about having unbreakable plates for their babies. However, these are usually made out of some form of plastic. I personally don’t love putting plastic in the dishwasher, so usually go with regular dishware to feed babies out of.
Once they start feeding themselves, many parents choose to put food directly on their high chair trays and give them a strong wipe down after every meal.
19. BOTTLE WARMERS
Bottle warmers rank easily into the “nice-to-have” category. Some parents swear by them. Others (like me) can easily skip. Many parents actually help train their kiddos to take lukewarm or cold milk, saving them the step of warming up the bottle, while the kids become hungrier and louder by the second.
We ended up being gifted a Baby Brezza machine, which makes a perfectly warm, prepared bottle in around eight seconds. I initially didn’t think it was worth the money – until I needed a warm bottle of perfectly mixed formula in second. A few bottles later, I was converted. Thank you, aunt Judy, for the gift!
You Need Less Than You Think
You may be surprised at what pieces you can get buy without. At the very least, if you think you may want these pieces, try adding them to your online shopping cart but not ordering until after your babies arrive.
Remember, the list of what not to buy when having twins is different for everyone. But a good rule of thumb is to wait and see if you really need it. That way, you save money, save the planet, and your house won’t be cluttered with items you’ve only used a handful of times. Trust me, there are other kid-related expenses to come that you can use those dollars for!
In the meantime, check out these other posts to help ready you for twins, such as the minimalist twin registry checklist, how to prepare for twins, and what my first month with twins was really like.
Read Next
Minimalist twin registry checklist
What my first month with twins was really like
Follow along on social @TwinWinning
