The links to Amazon in this post are affiliate links. We own and use all these products ourselves and think that they’re great help for parents! Many of them can be found used and in good condition. For that I recommend Facebook marketplace.
The twins recently turned 5 months old. It feels like they just got here and have been here forever at the same time. We love their little noises, their smiles and giggles, and the way they’re starting to explore the world around them (even though they aren’t mobile…yet). These two boys are a lot of work though! We’ve run the gauntlet as new parents, and we’ve run it double as parents of twins. In this post, my wife and I are sharing some of the gadgets and gizmos that have made our lives possible over the last five months. These really are the best products for twins that we swear by.
1. The U Pillow/Brest Friend
First on the list of best products for twins is the Brest Friend. While we only used this for the first month or so of the boys’ lives, this was an everyday (and night) gadget. It enabled one of us to comfortably and securely hold both twins and allow the other parent to steal some sleep. It was also super helpful for tandem breastfeeding for my wife. The way the pillow works is pretty cool. It straps securely around you and has space for a baby on both sides of you. When you get up while wearing it, it feels like you’re wearing an inflatable pool ring. Like I said, they grew out of it pretty quickly (though we have large sons), but it made the early sleep shifts possible for us.
2. Bouncers
“Wow, two of everything” was one of the (many) phrases that people loved to say to us when they heard we were expecting twins. We learned pretty quickly that you don’t need two of everything. Bouncers are an exception. Our boys started to enjoy sitting in their bouncers at the two month mark or so. It was the first time they decided it was okay to sit and be awake without being held. At first it gave us a break from each having to hold a boy at every moment of the day. Now my wife has them sit in them while she showers and gets ready for the day. They’ll sit and play in them while we eat dinner and the bouncers give a great spot for them to sit while we play with them. Our current favorite use for the bouncers is to bring them outside. The boys will sit in them and be entertained by the birds and other sounds, and we can read or work on this blog. This is one of the best products for twins because of the flexibility that they give us to actually do things while the boys are awake.
3. The Baby Brezza
We slept on the Baby Brezza at first. My mother-in-law gave it to us and we laughed at this strange Keurig for babies. “How ridiculous,” we said, “it isn’t hard to make a bottle.” Oh how wrong we were. After two months or so we tried it out and it revolutionized feeding time. No longer did we have to stand through 3-5 minutes of screaming at 1 AM while we waited for the cold bottle to warm up in the microwaved water. Not only do the bottles get warmed to the perfect (and adjustable) temperature, the formula is well mixed without shaking it. Shaking the bottles means more bubbles, and our boys love to spit up. Using the Brezza greatly reduced how often our boys spit up everywhere. The Brezza does require a certain amount of upkeep. It needs to be deep cleaned once a month, and the little funnel needs to be cleaned every four bottles. But we’ll take that over 3-5 minutes of screaming baby in the wee hours of the morning. For that reason alone, it earns its spot on this list of the best products for twins.
4. The Double Stroller with Diaper Bag Stroller Straps
Our diaper bag came with a carabiner strap to secure it to a stroller or shopping cart. With twins, the diaper bag is often overloaded and extra heavy, making it more annoying than helpful when strapped to the stroller. We did find a great use for the strap though that makes grocery shopping possible. While pushing the stroller through the aisles of our local Market Basket, my wife uses the carabiner strap to hold her purse and reusable shopping bags. The freedom to go out to the grocery store was a huge morale boost for my wife, who’s been home with the boys full time while on maternity leave.
5. The Twin-Z
The Twin-Z is a double boppy pillow that you can hold both twins comfortably at the same time. We’ve used it many times for easy tandem feedings. It’s also a comfortable place to set a pair of little ones down, and they love playing with their parents while chilling. Since our boys often decide that they need to eat at EXACTLY the same moment, we use this product very often. We found that the boys liked doing tummy time on the Twin-Z more than they did on a regular blanket. It’s also very convenient to do mini photoshoots while they’re securely wedged into this cozy pillow.
There’s no shortage of gadgets and gizmos out there to help with parenting. This was a short list of the ones that we personally found most helpful. They all provided (and continue to provide) real utility and convenience. We really can’t thank our family and friends enough for their generosity through the pregnancy and the first six months with our boys. I don’t think we would have most of these items if they weren’t gifted to us through our registry. We went through Amazon for our registry. However, we’re always looking for more wisdom. We’d love to hear your suggestions for helpful twins/single child products too! Leave a comment below or reach out with an email.