Twins for Daddies, Part Two

Okay, here are the things we found we couldn't live without

1. DoubleBlessings EZ-2-Nurse Twins Nursing Pillow. http://www.doubleblessings.com/Detail.bok?no=280

2. Britax Companion Carseat. It's expensive, but it's the best rated one we found, and we loved it. http://www.britaxusa.net/products/browse.aspx It's also the only carseat rated for babies under 5 lbs, and since ours were around 4lb 8 oz when we brought them home, the hospital was okay with it. They won't let you leave if the babies don't fit properly in the seat.

3. Baby Trend Double Snap and Go Stroller. This thing is a god-send. It's light, compact and easy to use. However, the instructions we got directly from the company for using it with the Britax Car Seats are completely wrong. I played with it for a while before I came up with a setup I thought safer, and that worked much better. We used this stroller until the babies could sit up and look around for themselves. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265435&cp=2255983.2256189.2256200&parentPage=family

4. Once the babies could sit up on their own, we bought a Combi Twin LX, which we love. It fits through doors very easily, and is very light. Some strollers weigh in at 45-55 lbs. This one is 21 lbs, and folds up really small to fit in the back of our Camry and leaves plenty of room for other stuff. http://www.combistrollers.com/ProductDetails.aspx?CategoryID=1&selection=11&Children=0&productID=609

5. Bright Starts Rrroaring Fun Play Gym. The one in this ad isn't quite the same as the one we bought, but it is really close. The kids still play with it every day, and the song the lion plays is kind of addictive, and not annoying like most toys. The kids played with it so much that the batteries on the lion died after about 5.5 months, and we actually shed tears and considered buying the set again just to replace the lion. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_7/602-0735333-4490236?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000FTPNH6

6. Arm's Reach co-sleeper. We bought a crib, but the babies spent very little time in there until they were about 5 months old. They slept on the side of the bed in this sleeper, and Lorelai still sleeps in it now since Reece is a crib hog and we haven't bought a second crib yet, since this still works. It was so easy just to reach over and pick up the fussing baby and pull them into bed to feed instead of getting up and having to go to the crib. Totally worth the money. http://armsreach.com/original_cosleeper.php

7. Baby Bjorns x2. We absolutely loved our Bjorns, and were very sad that we couldn't use them once the babies hit about 15 lbs, because we're weenies, and the babies just got too heavy to lug around. But it was great to carry the babies up front, and we always got compliments on how cute our kids were, and the that's the whole point of having kids, right? http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267522&cp=2255983.2256186.2256191&parentPage=family

8. Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair. We didn't buy these until the kids were eating solid food, but we have a small dining area in our kitchen, and it was nice to not have it all taken up by more chairs. They're a lot cheaper than free standing chairs as well, and very easy to clean up. http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2002&e=product&pid=35541

9. Diaper Champ diaper pail (x2). So much cheaper than buying a Diaper Genie. It uses regular kitchen trash bags, and the piston in the mechanism pretty much keeps the odor inside the can. We have one upstairs and one downstairs. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2373422&cp

10. Baby swing. This one is optional, because some babies won't have anything to do with it. But luckily ours took to it after a months or so, and it's a really big help when you are home by yourself and have two grumpy and tired babies. We only have one, and have occasionally thought we could have used a second one, but they are rather large and take up a lot of floor space. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265268&cp=2255975.2256080.2256086&parentPage=family

11. Baby Bouncers. Buy two of the ones listed below. Our kids don't sit much in them any more, but they do love to stand in front of them and dance and watch the lights. It's a good way to calm a grumpy baby http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265154&cp=2255975.2256080.2256084&parentPage=family

12. Baby Jumper. Reece absolutely loves his jumper. Lorelai enjoys it too. This one is free standing and doesn't take up a doorway, but it does take up a lot of floor space, and because it's for a baby, it looks absolutely garish. http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2002&e=product&pid=38839

13. We highly recommend breast feeding, but there will be times where your wife will need to pump. Get a really good electric dual pump, http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_1/602-0735333-4490236?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B00065H55W

14. You'll need 2 rockers, or one rocker for your bedroom and one at least one in the room you send the most time.

15. Crib. You'll need one of these, though the only thing you'll use it for in the first 4 months will be for collecting the piles of clean laundry. We haven't decided whether or not we are getting a second one yet, or if there is a way to go straight to a toddler bed. We'll see once they hit that toddler stage I guess.



That's about it for the big products, but here are some other products to get

1. Diaper rash Ointment: Boutreax's is the stuff we put on the really tough rashes. It usually works overnight

2. Quilted Multiuse Pads http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267020&cp=2255976.2256089.2256097&parentPage=family So much easier that washing the whole changing pad. Get about 10

3. Contoured Changing Pad, one for each changing area. Stops the little ones from rolling around with a poopy diaper. We changed the babies on the floor with this under them so we never had to worry about them rolling off a dresser, but still, the pad helps contain the mess. Get about 6 soft covers as well, as you will have have them in the laundry, especially if you have a boy. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2574731&cp=2255976.2256089.2256097&pg=2&parentPage=family

4. Dad Gear Sport Diaper bag. So far, it's worked great. It's not huge, and is only good for day trips, but pack a duffel bag if you're going for longer than that. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2674920&cp=2255976.2256089.2255980.2256158&pg=4&parentPage=family

5. White Cloth Diapers. About 40 of them. Not to use as diapers. Use them as burp rags. They're soft, durable and washable. When the babies sleep in bed with us, we always put a burp rag down under their heads, just in case. With twins, we go through about 6-10 a day

6. Electric bottle warmer. We tried to do the warm bottle via tap water for a while, and couldn't believe how much easier life was once we bought a couple of warmers. One for upstairs next to our bed, and one for downstairs. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_3/602-0735333-4490236?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B00005BXKM

7. Bottle sterilizer. This is great for that added peace of mind, and it's fast and easy too. You'll stop using this once you see your kids start chewing on the carpet. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=/qid=/ref=br_1_1/602-0735333-4490236?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000056OUH

8. 65cm exercise ball. aka, the Ball of Shame. If you make the baby cry, you get to hold him/her and bounce on the ball of shame, sometimes for hours. Great workout too.