baby must haves

Now that we're out of the first few months of babyhood, I feel like we're experts on newborn gear.  Some of this may be more geared toward twin-mom needs, but here are some of our favorites:

1) pacifier. Yes, yes, yes.  Especially for twins! Our kiddos must learn to wait their turn and since they haven't learned the virtue of patience, we've settled for me to keep my sanity and that means pacifiers! The NICU nurses popped them in before we even had a chance to say no, but now I couldn't live without them! And let me tell you, there's no nipple confusion.

Our hospital gave these. Avent Soothies. Lots of different kinds though.

2) pumping bra. Ridiculous? Yes.  Worth it? More than I can even imagine! This is the ultimate multitasking gift! In the early days I had to pump after every feeding so that meant I spent near 5-6 hours a day pumping away.  With this bra I could also check email, give bottles, change diapers, or relax (as much as you can while being pumped!) But seriously, every mom thinking of nursing, pumping or ever giving bottles this is a must since you may need to pump for supply, bottles, infections, etc.

She really looks like she just had a kid.  Not.

3) swaddle blankets. Life savers! These little things are great because they're breathable and stretch so you can get a nice tight swaddle...which is the key to calm little ones and puts them to sleep since it reminds them of the womb.  Now we often just swaddle the boys arms if we need to put them in the car seats during nap time.  Though we don't use them for full on swaddling now, they're great blankets and pack well.

Aden + Anais brand is what we've got.

4) swaddlers. Love those swaddle blankets, but once our boys started to grow, they quickly began to kick out of the blankets during sleep times.  But velcro comes to the rescue! These are still tight and make it harder for G and J to break loose!

The Halo Sleepsack Swaddle is great, especially the fleece ones in the winter.  And the zipper is great if your baby is in the NICU because of all the wires, etc.

Summer Infant SwaddleMes are great for the summer and are lighter weight. Love them too.

5) bouncy seats. These may be more of a luxury for one baby, but are totally essential for twins.  How do you entertain (while being contained), or feed 2 babies simultaneously?  Bouncy seats.  Plus since our boys were preemies and had terrible acid reflux + indigestion, they slept in these (while swaddled) for the first couple of months because the incline helped.  And we traveled with them...bed + feeding place + entertainment in one!

This is the model we have. We got both at a Moms of Multiples consignment sale.

6) baby carrier. With 2 kids I couldn't just plan to carry one if they got a little fussy so Dad had to be able to get in on the action too.  When car carriers aren't the most practical things these are awesome...think quick walks around the park, baseball games, even church!  Plus these are instant nap creators.  And our boys are starting to have flat heads and are facing the possibility of having to wear helmets (yes, hilarious and sad at the same time!) these help keep them off the backs of their heads.  Don't worry helmet heads are more associated with preemies...and therefore also more common among twins.

This is ours: FreeHand baby carrier. Bought one, borrowed one.

7) better bibs.  Gray and Jacks spit up a lot so we've started opting for these with cloth on one side to absorb and waterproof on the back to keep their clothes from getting soaked. You could also just get super thick ones.

These are the ones we got from Babies R Us. Also love that the velcro is on the side.

Other more basic necessities:
1) burp cloths. (just get what you think you might need...then a few more)
2) bibs.
3) hats. No matter the season you'll need somethings since they can't be in the sun and can't wear sunscreen until 6 mo.
4) onesies. Some people like gowns, but for us they were a pain to get on and the guys would scream. So we opted for onesies but we especially liked things that snapped or zipped and we didn't have to pull over their heads.
5) socks. You'll need them no matter the season

Basic needs for you:
1) sleep. ha.
2) patience. ha.
3) if nursing, LOTS of food and water. that I can do.
4) awesome husband. check!