Twin Tips: What to Prepare for Your Twins' First Night Home

baby first night home

Walking into a baby store can get really overwhelming. You're presented with so many choices and so many things that you didn't even know existed and you're tempted to buy them all because you want to be fully prepared. But the truth is, you don't really need much for a newborn. Do I hear fellow twin parents everywhere breathing a sigh of relief? Below is the list of things you will really need for your twins on day one.

2 Car seats
Be sure to purchase your twins' newborn car seats ahead of time and include them in your hospital bag checklist to ensure that they will be transported home safely upon discharge.

2 cribs
Your twins will need a safe place to sleep. To avoid SIDS, the twins' pediatrician instructed us to keep them in separate cribs with just a firm mattress and a fitted sheet - no pillows, bumpers or toys. If space is an issue, smaller bassinets or co-sleepers can do the trick.

Side-tie tops or side snap onesies
All your twins need to wear during their first few weeks are side-tie tops or side snap onesies. They make dressing newborns really easy because you don't have to pull them over a baby's tiny wobbly head.

Swaddles
Swaddling is very comforting for newborns because it helps recreate the feeling of the womb. Once we got the hang of swaddling, it was able to help us calm the twins down. It also made it easier for first-time parents like Joey and me to carry our tiny twins because they seemed firmer and less fragile when wrapped like a burrito. Check out Dr. Harvey Karp's site for a simple swaddling technique.

Pajama pants
To layer with your twins' tops or onesies as needed.

Socks and Bonnets
These will help keep your twins warm especially in the early days when they are still unable to properly regulate their body temperature.

Mittens
These will stop your twins from scratching their precious little faces.

Bibs and burp cloths
To clean baby up after feeds.

Feeding Supplies
If you will be breastfeeding, have some nursing bras and a tube of nipple cream ready.  If you will be bottle feeding, have 4 oz. bottles and a sterilizer ready.

Diapers and cotton balls
As parents to newborn twins, you will be on diaper duty 24/7. Expect to change each baby's diaper around 8 to 10 times a day. I lend my personal endorsement to Pampers Baby Dry. They fit my preemie twins really well, are super absorbent and have a wetness indicator which can be really helpful to first-time parents. Stock up on plenty of cotton balls too. Running out of them can be pretty disastrous especially when the inevitable poop explosion happens.

If you're looking into buying baby gear for your twins, check this post for suggestions on what you should and shouldn't buy in two's.

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