We have found our top three recommendations for the best pack n play for twins and included the product details, the pros and cons of each and all other information we feel you will need to choose the best pack n play for your twins.

1. The Baby Trend Twin Nursery Center is our #1 recommended pack n play.

It has extra features the other pack n plays we found for twins just don’t have.

When your twins are first born, a pack n play can be a great first place to have your twins sleep at night.

We placed this pack n play next to our bed and had each twin sleeping in one of the two removable bassinets. That made it easy for me, as the breastfeeding mother, to lean over and pick up each twin when they needed to breastfeed.

This will be the place you lay your twins down to nap throughout much of the day. During the day, many parents have this crib in the main sitting room. At night, many parents bring this crib into their bedroom.

Product Details:

Colors: Comes in Color Shown

Price: $249.99

Lowest Price: Amazon.com

Amazon Rating:

Below we have included the main pros and cons of each pack n play.

Pros:

★ Advantage Over Our Other Recommended Pack n Plays–The Deluxe Parent Organizer is an awesome feature that allows you to keep diapers, wipes, clothing and outfits right next to the pack n play.

★ Two removable rock-a-bye bassinet each convert to standalone rockers

★ Removable rock-a-bye bassinet comes with canopy and carry handle, plush fabric and mesh sides for proper ventilation

★ Flip away changing table and deluxe parent organizer. Use only household mild soap and warm water. Do Not Use Bleach. Do Not Machine Wash

★ One-hand locking mechanism and large wheels with brakes

★ Electronic music center with volume control, nightlight, and vibration

Cons:

• Only available in 1 color

• Twins will quickly outgrow the bassinets

2. The Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard with Twins Bassinet is the second pack n play we recommend.

Product Details:

Colors: Comes in Color Shown

Price: $179.99

Lowest Price: Amazon.com

Amazon Rating:

Below we have included the main pros and cons of each pack n play.

Pros:

★ Advantage Over Our Other Recommended Pack n Plays– It is less expensive.

★ The Pack ‘n Play Playard with Twin Bassinet is roomy with 2 cozy quilted bassinets for twins

★ Removable bassinet is perfect for napping, making it easy to transition to a portable playpen

★ Quilted mattress pad creates a comfortable nap space

★ Convenient carrying bag for no-fuss travel and storage

Cons:

• Only available in 1 color

• It does not have a changing pad or organizer for diapers, wipes and other baby items

3. The JOOVY Room2 Twin Nursery Center and the Joovy New Room2 Portable Playard is our third recommendation.

Note: The Nursery Center and the Playard Must Both Be Purchased

The JOOVY Room2 Twin Nursery Center and Joovy New Room2 Portable Playard are sold separately.

Price: $75.33- Nursery Center; $119.99- Playard = Total is $195.32

Lowest Price: Nursery Center and Playard

Amazon Rating:

Product Features:

★ Advantage Over Our Other Recommended Pack n Plays– Much larger than other two pack n plays

★ Includes bassinet and changing table (playard sold separately)

★ Bassinet holds twins up to 15 lbs each or 30 lbs total, removable center divider

★ Great for use with one baby, twins or multiples

★ Changing table holds up to 25 lbs, water resistant surface is easy to clean

★ Changing table is removable and flips over when not in use

Cons:

• Must be purchased as two individual items

• Does not include a parent organizer bin for accessories

• It does not have a changing pad or organizer for diapers, wipes and other baby items

In summary, a pack n play for twins is an excellent, useful place to have for your twins. It can be used for naps, to change diapers and as a safe play area for your twins.

Comment below and let us know if you have purchased any of these three pack n plays for twins and what you think about them.

The post The Best Pack n Play for Twins appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

As a friend or family member, you can greatly help parents of twins by purchasing these much-needed items.

Instead of buying them adorable outfits or the latest and greatest new pacifier, what they really need are these essential items.

As parents of twins ourselves, we have created this list of gifts for twins that will help you stand out from their other friends.

1. A Lightweight Double Stroller Frame

The most useful gift for twin babies anyone can buy is a Lightweight Double Frame Stroller!

A double frame stroller is designed to allow you to snap your twins’ car seats directly into a lightweight stroller frame. This is important because your twins will spend much of their first six months sleeping and growing.

The Baby Trend Snap N Go is by far our favorite. It works with all the major car seat brands without any additional attachments.

Product details:

Recommended weight: 5lbs to 40lbs

Lowest price: Amazon.com

Price: $75.34

By simply unsnapping your car seats from their bases in your car and snapping them into the stroller frame, you will be able to take your twins on outings without having to wake them up.

2. Two Infant Car Seats

The first type of car seat you can buy as gifts for twin babies is designed specifically for infants.

The carrier portion of the car seat can be removed from the base, which will remain in your car. By removing the car seat from the base, you will be able to let your twins continue to sleep and will not need to wake them up by removing them from the car seats.

All the car seats we recommend are compatible with the Baby Trend Snap N Go double stroller frame.

The Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX Featuring TrueShield Technology is our number one recommendation for newborn infant car seats. It is Graco’s safest car seat yet. It has received 4.7 out of 5 stars from customers on Amazon.

3. A Bassinett Designed for Newborn Twins

Sometimes called a “portable Playard,” pack-n-play, or bassinet, a foldable crib will be an important staple of your new life as a parent of twins.

This Playard can be placed next to your bed during the early days when your twins are feeding frequently.

You can also bring it into the living room and use it during the day for naps and as a safe place to lay your twins down.

This will be the place you lay your twins down to nap throughout much of the day. During the day, many parents have this crib in the main sitting room. At night, many parents bring this crib into their bedroom.

In the early days, your twins will feed a lot. Most new babies feed every 1-2 hours for weeks. Having this crib right next to the bed makes these frequent feedings much easier.

The Baby Trend Twin Nursery Center is more than just a portable crib. It comes with an organizational basket and removable bassinets.

When your twins are older, it is a great place for them to safely play and practice tummy time.

4. Two Bouncer Seats

One of the absolute must-have gifts for twin babies is a bouncer seat for each twin.

The Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker is our favorite choice for bouncer seats. These seats are comfortable, well-made, lightweight, and adorable.

Product details:

Colors: 8 colors and patterns to choose from

Price: $29.00-$69.99

Lowest price: Amazon

These seats can be used for many purposes. They are the perfect place to bottle-feed your twins. Simply sit your babies in the seats, strap them in, and feed.

Babies love to be held. Holding one baby for hours a day can be tough enough, but holding twins can often be impossible. We often placed our twins into these bouncers, strapped them in, and gently rocked them with our feet. Often the gently rocking put them right to sleep and allowed us to get a much-needed break.

These bouncers are also a great, safe place to put your twins if you need to go to the bathroom or get something to eat.

Unlike a large bassinet or portable Playard, these bouncers can easily be taken into the kitchen, bathroom, porch, yard, or anywhere else you want to go.

5. An Awesome Diaper Bag Created for Newborn Twins

Initially, parents of newborn twins will need a diaper bag that has a lot of smaller compartments to help them organize all of their twins’ items. It should also come with an insulated compartment for bottles, a changing pad, and a baby wipes container.

The Bag Nation Diaper Bag Backpack is an awesome backpack for parents of newborn twins.

It has tons of pockets designed to hold diapers, bottles, wipes, clothing, toys, and more. It comes with a large changing pad and can be worn as a backpack so you can get it completely out of the way.

Product details:

Price: $65.95

Lowest price: Amazon

6. A Comfortable, Versatile Baby Carrier

Many parents of newborn twins have so many items to buy for their twins, that they try to save money by buying a cheap baby carrier or not buying one at all.

Helping them buy these much-needed gifts for twin babies is a great way to show your support.

This is one of the nicest, most helpful gifts you can buy a parent of newborn twins.

There are some carriers made specifically for carrying twins, but we do not recommend them. They are hard to use and we did not find many times when carrying both twins at once was needed or practical.

When the twins are firstborn, parents of twins will want to use a baby wrap. Baby wraps allow the parent to attach the baby to them in a variety of ways. They keep the newborn’s neck protected and the baby close to their parent.

Our favorite wrap for carrying newborn babies is the Ergo Baby Wrap by CuddleBug. It allows you to essentially swaddle your baby against your body. It is versatile, comfortable, and effective.

Product details:

Size: For Newborns and babies from 2 to 35lbs

Colors: Comes in grey and pink

Price: $37.95

Lowest price: Amazon

The Ergobaby 360 All Carry Positions Award-Winning Ergonomic Baby Carrier is our favorite versatile baby carrier by far.

Product details:

Size: NOT for Newborns. Use this carrier with twins weighing 12-33lbs.

Colors: Comes in 16 colors and patterns

Price: $104.95- $160.00

Lowest price: Amazon

In summary, the best gifts for newborn twins are those the parent will need. Be the friend who buys them a great gift for their twins and helps ease the financial burden of preparing for twins.

Comment below and let us know if we left any cool gifts for newborn twins off our list.

The post The Best Gifts for Twin Babies appeared first on TWINS Magazine.

As soon as you find out you are having twins, you may feel overwhelmed by all the preparation ahead of you.

Often parents expecting twins buy way more than they will actually ever use.

Before you create your registry for your twins, read this.

We have compiled a complete list of the essential must-have items you will need during your twins’ first year. These items should be included in any registry.

1. A lightweight double frame stroller

A double frame stroller is the first item for twins you will want to purchase.

It is designed to allow you to snap your twins’ car seats directly into a lightweight stroller frame. This is important because your twins will spend much of their first six months sleeping and growing.

By simply unsnapping your car seats from their bases in your car and snapping them into the stroller frame, you will be able to take your twins on outings without having to wake them up.

We recommend using the lightweight double stroller frame, instead of a complete stroller system because the frame is much lighter. You will not need the seats in a traditional stroller, so don’t bother carrying around the extra weight.

Once you figure out which car seat you want for your twins (our list of recommended car seats for twins is here), you will either need the Baby Trend Snap N Go or the Joovy Twin Roo Plus (plus adapters). Read more about each one here.

Product details:

Recommended weight: 5lbs to 40lbs

Lowest price: Amazon

Price: $75.34

While not all car seats will fit, all the car seats we recommend will fit into the Baby Trend Snap N Go without any attachments needed.

Eventually, your twins will no longer fit comfortably and you will need either a larger everyday stroller or an umbrella stroller. We reviewed hundreds of strollers and created a list of our recommendations in this article.

Below we discuss the next item you will need to have before your twins are born.

While you certainly won’t need to purchase two of everything, you will obviously need to buy two car seats.

2. Two safe newborn infant car seats

The first type of car seat you will want for your twins is designed specifically for infants.

The carrier portion of the car seat can be removed from the base, which will remain in your car. By removing the car seat from the base, you will be able to let your twins continue to sleep and will not need to wake them up by removing them from the car seats.

All the car seats we recommend are compatible with the Baby Trend Snap N Go double stroller frame.

The Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX Featuring Trueshield Technology is our number one recommendation for newborn infant car seats. It is Graco’s safest car seat yet. It has received 4.7 out of 5 stars from customers on Amazon.

Product features:

★ Adjust handle with one hand, leaving your other hand free.

★ Silent Shade canopy easily and quietly adjusts without disturbing baby.

★ InRight LATCH system for a one-second LATCH attachment.

★ 4-position adjustable base lets you customize fit to your vehicle.

★ Easy-to-read level indicator helps eliminate installation guesswork.

3. Two convertible cribs

The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents of twins to have them each sleep in their own crib. That practice has been shown to reduce the incidents of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The Delta Children Emery 4-in-1 Convertible Baby Crib is an awesome choice. As a 4-in-1 crib, it is the only bed your twin will need for years to come.

Product details:

Colors: Comes in dark chocolate (shown), grey, and white

*It is also available as a mini crib. If you have a smaller room for your twins, you may want to purchase two mini cribs.

Price: $189.99

Lowest price: Amazon

4. One portable Playard or pack-n-play

Sometimes called a portable Playard, pack-n-play, or bassinet, a foldable crib will be an important item for twins to have before your twins arrive home.

This will be the place you lay your twins down to nap throughout much of the day. During the day, many parents have this crib in the main sitting room. At night, many parents bring this crib into their bedroom.

In the early days, your twins will feed a lot. Most new babies feed every 1-2 hours for weeks. Having this crib right next to the bed makes these frequent feedings much easier.

The Baby Trend Twin Nursery Center is more than just a portable crib. It comes with an organizational basket and removable bassinets. 

5. A comfortable double breastfeeding pillow

Breastfeeding twins is one of the most intimidating aspects for expecting and new moms of twins. While it can seem scary and you may even doubt whether you will be able to breastfeed your twins, we have found most who want to, can.

We have written a helpful article on how to breastfeed your twins successfully.

The most important item you should have is a comfortable double breastfeeding pillow. It will make the learning process and the daily feeding of your twins so much easier.

The My Brest Friend Supportive Nursing Pillow For Twins 0-12 Months, Plus-Size is our #1 recommendation. Unlike other double breastfeeding pillows, it has a velcro strap that secures the pillow around your waist. It is also firmer than the other pillows, which will be extremely helpful when you are helping your twins first learn how to breastfeed.

Product features:

★ Easy to wash, zip off cover – Your twins will spit up. The cover comes off easily and can be washed and dried in your washer and dryer.

★ Adjustable back support – Encourages better posture during breastfeeding, alleviating strain in your back, neck, and arms.

★ Adjustable fit for most sizes – Large design is big enough to comfortably support both twins during breastfeeding.

★ Large multipurpose pocket – Handy pouch keeps your maternity supplies within easy reach

★ Secure wrap around design – Adjusts to fit most sizes, My Brest Friend surrounds your body securely, for the ideal position, providing the best support for mom and babies

★ Lactation experts approve – My Brest Friend is proud to be the top choice of lactation consultants and birthing hospitals

*Note: For bottle-feeding and general “hanging out” purposes, we recommend you use infant bouncer seats. We have included our favorites below.

6. Two safe bouncer seats

One of the absolute must-haves as a parent of twins is a bouncer seat for each twin.

The Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker is our favorite choice for bouncer seats. These seats are comfortable, well-made, lightweight, and adorable.

Product details:

Colors: 8 Colors and patterns to choose From

Price: $29.00-$69.99

Lowest price: Amazon

These seats can be used for many purposes. They are the perfect place to bottle-feed your twins. Simply sit your babies in the seats, strap them in, and feed.

Babies love to be held. Holding one baby for hours a day can be tough enough, but holding twins can often be impossible. We often placed our twins into these bouncers, strapped them in, and gently rocked them with our feet. Often the gently rocking put them right to sleep and allowed us to get a much-needed break.

These bouncers are also a great, safe place to put your twins if you need to go to the bathroom or get something to eat.

Unlike a large bassinet or portable Playard, these bouncers can easily be taken into the kitchen, bathroom, porch, yard, or anywhere else you want to go.

7. An organized diaper bag

Initially, you will want a diaper bag that has a lot of smaller compartments to help you organize your twins’ items. It should also come with an insulated compartment for bottles, a changing pad and a baby wipes container.

The Bag Nation Diaper Bag Backpack is an awesome backpack for parents of newborn twins. It has tons of pockets designed to hold diapers, bottles, wipes, clothing, toys, and more. It comes with a large changing pad and can be worn as a backpack so you can get it completely out of your way.

Product features:

★ High quality – Water-resistant twill polyester (stronger than cloth), non-fraying stitching, and strong zippers mean you’ll have a diaper bag backpack that lasts for years.

★ Lifetime warranty – Buy with confidence, we stick by our products and customers no matter what. Our outstanding support team is only a message away.

★ Connects to most strollers – While it is an extremely comfortable bag, it can also easily and conveniently connect onto almost any stroller.

★ Organized functional compartments will save you hassle – LOTS of awesome pockets! As parents, we have a lot of baby items we must carry and find at a moment’s notice! From diapers, clothing, bottles, and more! The 14 organized pockets, including 4 insulated bottle pockets, and pockets for wallets and keys.

★ Hands-free and comfortable to wear – This backpack allows you to carry all of your essentials while having both hands free. The padding on the back and shoulder straps make sure this is super comfortable to wear for any length of outing. Built-in stroller straps can hook onto any stroller, as well.

★ Gender-neutral, unisex design – We love the fact that this bag will not cause anyone to feel uncomfortable. Men and women alike can feel comfortable trading this bag back and forth from one caregiver to another.

★ Baby wipes case, changing pad, and other accessories included – Two packing cubes are also included to help organize clothing for each twin. There is also a wet/dry bag which is awesome for soiled clothing. There is a waterproof changing pad, so you can change diapers anywhere and a baby wipes case with its own easy access side pocket.

8. A reliable baby monitor

Baby monitors allow you to check in on your babies without entering the room and possibly waking them up. Today’s baby monitors do much more than that.

Baby monitors can monitor the babies, room temperature, breathing of your twins, and even be used to soothe them using lullabies or your own voice.

Some parents choose to buy a baby monitor with two cameras, while others get one monitor that can view both cribs at once. In our review of the best baby monitors for twins, we have included both one and two camera options.

Our #1 recommendation for a baby monitor for twins who share a bedroom is the Infant Optics DXR-8 Video Baby Monitor with Interchangeable Optical Lens.

84% of the customers who reviewed this baby monitor gave it either 4 or 5 stars, it is a very safe choice.

9. Baby wraps and carriers

Having a comfortable carrier is essential as the parent of twins.

There will often be a time when at least one of your twins wants to be held.

While there are a few carriers designed for twins available, we rarely found a time when both twins had to be held at once.

The two types of carriers we suggest you invest in are the wrap and the carrier.

Our favorite wrap for carrying newborn babies is the Ergo Baby Wrap by CuddleBug. It allows you to essential swaddle your baby against your body. It is versatile, comfortable, and effective.

Once you are past the newborn stage, you will need a carrier with a lot of back support and cushioning on your shoulders. Trust us, babies are heavy.

The Ergobaby 360 All Carry Positions Award-Winning Ergonomic Baby Carrier is our favorite versatile baby carrier.

Product details:

Colors: Comes in 16 colors and patterns

Price: $104.95- $160.00

Lowest price: Amazon

Product features:

★ Comfortable and ergonomic as baby grows: Easy to adjust bucket seat supports your baby in an ergonomic natural “M” position in all carry positions from baby to toddler.

★ Comfortable for you: Exceptional lower back support with a wide wraparound waistband that maximizes comfort especially post C-section. Extra padded shoulder straps help evenly distribute your baby’s weight.

★ All carry positions included: Face baby in or out. Wear on the hip or back as baby grows (~4-36 months/12-33lbs or start with newborn infant insert ~0-4Months/7-12lbs, sold separately).

★ Custom fit: Easily adjusts to fit multiple wearers from petite to larger body types (waistband adjusts 26-52″, shoulder straps 28” to 48”).

★ Thoughtful design: Easy breastfeeding & UPF 50+, tuck away baby hood for sun and wind protection; machine washable.

In summary, these are the 9 most important items you will need to purchase before your twins are born. While there are many other smaller items, you will find useful, these are the essential items any new parent of twins will need.

Comment below and let us know what you think of this list.

The post 9 Must-have Items for Twins appeared first on TWINS Magazine.