Preparing for Twins

Baby Packs
There are baby packs that enable a parent to carry more than one baby at a time; however, many experts say that most mothers can only use them for a short while until the weight gets to be too much. Other parents use a combination of a single baby pack and an infant car seat to get around. "When twins are very small, it is possible to wear one baby in front and in back or use a double pack," Linda Albi and her colleagues write. "... However packs aren't for everyone."

Baby Seats
Some people opt to use the infants' car seats as baby seats in the house, mostly to save on the cost of having to buy two car seats and two infant/bouncy seats. "Some car seats can be used indoors as infant seats," Noble writes, "and it is easier to pick up two handles than two babies."

Cribs
You need to decide whether you want two separate cribs, a double crib (which can be quite costly), or dividers that carve out space for more than one child in a standard crib. Cost and the layout of the babies' room(s) both have an impact on this decision. Many parents of twins opt to have the babies share a crib when they are small—they shared a uterus, after all—and then when the twins get bigger and interrupt each other's sleep, many put them into separate cribs.

Diapers
While some diaper services offer discounts for families with twins, such services aren't available everywhere. If you live in a place where there are no diaper services or you simply prefer using disposable diapers, try buying diapers by the case and stock up during sales.

The Basic Layette
Once you've made all of the organizational decisions, you need to make sure you have the basics on hand for when your bambinos cross the threshold for the first time.

Recommended Shopping List

Below is a compilation of the shopping lists recommended by experts:

• 140-200 diapers per week
• 12 cotton snap undershirts
• 12 one-piece, leg-snap pajamas or nightgowns
• 12 receiving blankets
• 4 blanket sleepers (if your children are winter babies)
• 2 snowsuits (winter babies)
• 2-4 machine washable sweaters (winter babies)
• 2 sets of booties
• 4 hats
• 6-10 fitted crib sheets