0-6 Months

Cribs-I really like the crib selection at Once Upon a Child in Fort Collins.  They have really nice new cribs and changing tables, dressers, etc. at very reasonable prices.  I went down to BabiesRUs, and saw sets that looked identical but about triple the cost!  Once Upon a Child also gives a multiples discount (10% on the same item), or if you wait for a moonlight madness sale, all furniture orders are usually 10% off.  The only catch is that it takes about a month or longer to get your furniture - so you have to get them ordered sooner than later. - J.A.

Ultimate Crib Sheet - a sheet and waterproof matress pad in one

Sheet Savers - I love these - you just put one where their heads go, and when they spit up, just change the sheet saver instead of changing the whole sheet!  They come in lots of different colors too. - J.A.

Get lots and lots of crib sheets!  I layered 4 or 5 and then you just have to take off the top one or two if there is an accident; instead of making the whole thing in the middle of the night. - K.O.

It's also a time saver to put two sets of sheets and waterproof matress pads on each mattress - this way you just take one set off and you have a new one all ready to go (this is great for middle of the night changes).

Receiving Blankets - get blankets big enough to swaddle in.  The ones from the hospital are the perfect size.  Most recieving blankets you buy are not big enough. - K.O.

I don't know how I survived without the Miracle Blanket - it keeps them swaddled so tight they can't break out, and really helps calm fussy babies.  Another mom of multiples told me they were a "must have" and they really were. - J.A.

Halo sleep sacks - C.O. 
These are especially great when they're older (and don't need or want to be swaddled anymore) and wiggle so much in their cribs that a blanket won't stay on them.

Equipment

Bouncy seats - 2 of these are a must!  Almost every mom of multiples I talk to says you have to have these, and definitely have one with vibrations (they calm down crying babies or at least give you 5 minutes to use the bathroom!).  I really like the kick 'n play or bobblin band bouncer because they have kicking activities for when they get older - mine just loved kicking and playing and would sit there for 30 minutes or longer just having a blast! - J.A.

Stroller - it's nice to have a double or triple stroller with a travel system (meaning that you can just take the car seats out of the car and put them directly into the stroller).  This way, when you're going shopping, you just pull the stroller to one side of the car, get the car seat out, put it in the stroller, and then roll around to the other side of the car and do the same thing.  And, if they fall asleep while you're out, you don't have to wake them up to put them back into the car.  A side-by-side umbrella stroller is nice for later (when they're about 6-7 months) and really interested in what's going on.  You'll also probably need new car seats by this time too, as most babies grow out of their infant seats when they reach about 26 inches in length. 

There are a couple of different twin travel systems out there - the Graco DuoGlider is one of the more popular (sells new for about $150 + cost of car seats), but Peg Perego makes one (sells new for about $600 + cost of car seats), and the Double Snap-N-Go will take lots of different brands of car seats (sells new for about $100 + cost of car seats).  You can usually find used DuoGliders at the multiple's garage sale for about $150 including car seats.

Swings - most moms I talk to say they loved having 2 swings the first 2-3 months.  Sometimes, it was the only way to calm our babies down!  We had a full-sized swing and a travel swing because of our small living room, and this worked really well.  I could also move the travel swing around to different rooms as I needed.  I really didn't use the swings after they were 3 months old (and a little happier!).  I really like the Aquarium cradle swing - it swings back to front and left to right, but my twins never really looked much at the mobile or lights.

Activity Gym - I remember the first time I brought this out - my twins were about 2 months old, and I sat them under all the toys and they were just mesmerized!  I used this for our play time for about 2 1/2 months, until they were old enough to move on to the exersaucers. - J.A.

Baby Carrier - I loved my NoJo sling - the fussier baby would always get quiet when I put her in there and walked around a little, she just loved being in her little coccoon, and I could get some stuff done too!  She lost interest in it when she was about 4 months old, but it was so nice up until then. - J.A.

Baby Bjorn - C.O.

Exersaucers - get 2!  Mine love to bounce simultaneously and laugh and laugh at the other one while they're playing.  Plus, when they get bored of one, you just put them in the other one.  There always seem to be lots of these for sell at the garage sale.

Infant Care

Nursing Pillow - If you plan on nursing your twins, a twin nursing pillow is a must!  The EZ-2 nurse pillow is so easy to use - you even have your hands free while they are eating.  The top of the pillow is sloped so that the babies are positioned just right.  A boppy just doesn't cut it!  For more information and instructions on using the pillow, please visit www.doubleblessings.com. 

When my babies were small preemies, I would nurse them individually so that they could get latched on correctly.  After they were both latching on good every time, I started nursing them both at the same time.  This saved so much time! - J.A.

Breastpump - A double electric pump such as the Medela Pump in Style or Ameda Purely Yours are essential.  If you have to pump a lot (i.e., if your babies are in the hospital and you are pumping every 3 hours), you should really rent a hospital grade pump that can handle the extra workload.  You can rent these from a variety of places, including Once Upon a Child and City Drug in Fort Collins, and they typically cost about $50-70 a month.  You can also rent a scale at City Drug so that you can weigh your babies before and after each breastfeeding to make sure they are getting enough food (this helps relieve a lot of worries that they aren't getting enough to eat).

Diaper bag - a backpack works really well because you can use it hands free.