- Preparing for the arrival of two babies at once is nothing short of a challenge.
- Making the right purchases and building support systems are just two aspects of preparation.
Danielle Gilbert, mother to 11-year-old twin daughters Mariah and Makenzie, remembers anticipating the challenge of raising twins.
"It was a bit overwhelming," she told Insider, "but I was determined to do everything I could to prepare for their arrival." And she was glad she did. "Caring for two newborns was no easy feat," she said.
Gilbert, along with three other mothers of twins, spoke to Insider about how other parents can be as prepared as possible.
Stock up on essentials, including twin-specific products
"I made sure to have plenty of diapers, wipes, formula — just in case — clothes, blankets, and burp cloths on hand," said Gilbert.
In addition to the supplies any parent-to-be might need, there are countless highly rated twin-specific baby products on the market.
"I invested in a lightweight, compact twin stroller that would make our outings easier," Gilbert said.
Some of the mothers recommended that other products, while not necessarily twin-specific, should be purchased in multiples of two to make life easier, such as placing two changing tables in different parts of your home.
Tara Furiani, who also has twin girls, suggested having two comfortable places to sit in your nursery so that the babies can be held, rocked, or fed simultaneously. "One chair isn't enough," she said.
Furiani also recommended thinking about items that can help when you need to put one of the babies down.
"Have multiple options of places to set the babies down," she said, such as a bassinet, swing, or the Twin Z Pillow. "You only have one set of arms, so it's essential to have lots of safe spots to set one down if the other one needs you," she said.
Anticipate that your babies might be smaller
According to Baby Center, the average single baby weighs 7 lbs at birth, whereas the average twin baby weighs 5.5 lbs at birth. Kelsey Nelson, the mother of 3-year-old fraternal twins, noted that, in her experience, clothes for newborns are generally adjusted for the size of single babies.
"Have preemie clothes on hand," she said. "I carried the twins to 38 weeks so I thought newborn clothes would work, but my daughter was only 5 lbs 5 oz and needed preemies for about a month."
Be aware of your feeding options
"Really figure out all of your feeding options before you give birth," said Nelson. "I foolishly thought I could catch on to breastfeeding, but the fact is it's really complicated with two and I wish I would have known about the details of all of my options before getting thrown into it."
There are multiple ways parents can breastfeed twins together or separately, and there are also multiple options for bottle-feeding two babies, whether formula or expressed milk.
Although there are many benefits to breastfeeding, a parent struggling to do so successfully should know there are perfectly reliable alternatives out there.
"If breastfeeding is a source of anxiety and depression for [a parent], that risk is not worth the benefit of breastfeeding," Evelyn Mitchell, an OB-GYN, told Insider in 2020.
Accept help
"Twins are an all-hands-on-deck situation, especially for the first few months," said Kelly Reed, another mother of twin girls.
"Take people up on their offers to help, whether it's bringing by meals or just stopping by to help hold a baby while you or your partner take a break."
She added that she wishes she'd hired a night nurse to help. Night nurses provide care to infants throughout the night to allow the babies' parents to get a full night's sleep.
"If you can afford it, or your insurance covers it, I would strongly recommend a night nurse for at least a few days at the very beginning," she said. "The sleep deprivation when you have to feed them every two hours around the clock is so hard."
In addition to receiving help from friends and family, Danielle Gilbert found support beyond her inner circles.
"I found a local twin-parent group and an online forum where I could connect with other parents of twins and get support and advice," she said.
Utilize online resources
For some parents, technology can help.
"One of the things that made a big difference for me was using technology to stay organized," Furiani said. "I found a pregnancy app that helped me keep track of my progress, and a baby-registry app that made it easy to keep track of all the items I needed. Having all the information I needed in one place was a huge relief and made me feel more in control."
In addition to apps, there are online forums that can provide support to people expecting twins.
"The Multiples of America organization has groups all over the US you can join on Facebook to find support from other parents of multiples," Reed said.
"My local group has been a godsend for giving and receiving gear and clothes too. Twins are expensive and they grow so fast so it's great to have a network to share hand-me-downs," she added.