Takes a LOT of Stuff to Welcome a New Human Home
11:09 AM
When I first started to consider what I needed to bring home my twins, I didn't realize what a huge undertaking it would be. It takes a LOT of stuff to bring home a new human being! It's nothing like registering for china or linens.
When you register for your wedding, all you have to think about is what YOU and your significant other like. It's all based on your taste in home goods. When considering what you need for a baby, you have to do the research. I mean, pretty much everything you are going to buy in preparation for your little one's homecoming is going to have 9,382 warnings about choking hazards and ways that your baby can die once you purchase this product and begin to build it.
What I also did not realize is that what you want to register for to bring home ONE baby is DIFFERENT from from you would register for to bring home TWO OR MORE. And the store clerks don't know. Their sage advice is "Just register for two of everything." Sure, and just buy a second house for all of the sh*t that you're now going to be bringing home while you're at it.
So here is my list of ABSOLUTELY must haves for your baby registry. I tried to include accommodations for multiples where applicable.
1. Onesies, onesies, onesies. Your newborn will LIVE in these for the first few months, and you will be happy to have just 2-3 snaps to undo for those frequent diaper changes. If you're having multiples, multiply what the registry guide says is normal for one by however many higher order multiples you are expecting.
2. Footie pajamas. If you are expecting multiples, get at least 5 pairs of footie pajamas per baby. If you deliver prematurely, chances are good that babies are not going to be able to regulate their own body temperature, so the NICU will be asking you for footies to help keep them warm once they take them out of the incubator and introduce them to a crib. And if you're having a singleton, get yourself 2-3 pairs. They're great for nighttime sleeping. Zippers are better, unless you have a baby on a monitor. Then get jammies with snaps to let the cords out.
3. Dr. Brown's bottles. Great for reducing gas. WARNING. There are SIX parts per bottle for washing. SIX. The biggest pain in the a$$ ever, but so worth every moment you spend assembling and disassembling them. Which leads me to my next must have.
4. Dishwasher Basket. Get a couple of these. Dr. Brown's bottles are fully dishwasher safe, and you will be thankful for these little baskets after you have washed 457 parts in 2 days.
5. A swing. ANY swing. We went with the ones that matched our nursery bedding, but you can choose whichever one you think is prettiest, or most handsome, or matches your living room. Just get one. If you're having multiples, get two.
6. Fisher Price Rock N' Play. If you have a baby with reflux, this will take the place of the beautiful bassinet that has been passed down through generations of you or your hubby's family. Our babies both have bad reflux, and they sleep in these perfectly. We had to prop up the bassinets, and the babies would slowly make their ways into the bottoms of the bassinets after a while, and I would find them in a ball in a puddle of puke after 2 hours. The Rock N' Play keeps them at a 45 degree angle. It's not a fix, but it certainly helps them to sleep better!
7. Medela nursing bras. They were so comfy, and even though my milk dried up weeks ago, I am still wearing these nursing bras at night.
8. Diapers. You are probably looking at me thinking, "Seriously?" YES! After my shower, where I got a LOT of wonderful gifts, I realized that I had NO diapers. And when I went into labor 8 weeks early, one of the first calls I made was to my best friend to beg her for newborn diapers. She ordered some off of Amazon Mom (by the way, sign up for an Amazon Mom account!) and brought me a case to the hospital.
9. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets. These beautiful blankies are made of muslin (a very light and breathable material) and are HUGE. If you fold them over a few times, they keep babies very warm, and if it's a hot day and you're just looking for a light layer, they are great. They also double as car seat covers for when you're out in the sun.
10. Baby Jogger City Select Stroller. We haven't gotten MUCH use out of ours yet (since we've been in a heat wave), but when we have used it, it has been super easy and lightweight. It folds down to be easily stored, and you can buy different adapters for all types of seats and seat configurations. Great for singletons OR twins. We plopped our Graco car seats right on there, and it was like pushing a feather. Well worth every penny.
A word about car seats. All car seats are the same safety-wise. They all have to pass federal standards for safety in order to be sold, so it's really all about your preference. When you install your car seat(s), call your local police department to find out who their car seat safety officer is, and if he can inspect your car seat installation. I learned so much from my safety inspector. He fastened my seats in beyond anything that my husband or I had done. My kids are going NO WHERE if we are in an accident. I also learned that if you purchase those handy back seat mirrors, if you get into an accident and they fly off and hit your baby, it's the equivalent of 60 lbs of pressure hitting your baby in the face. I returned mine, but it's up to you. Also, you don't want to buy any snugglers or anything to go in the car seat with the baby, because it could cause your baby to fly out of the seat if you are in an accident, and most hospitals will not let you leave with your baby if you have one of those in the seat with him/her. So put that extra money towards a nicer bathtub, or for a knee-saver for bath time, or for a nice bottle drying rack!
Hope that this helps! If anyone is interested, I can break this list down further into top 10 for each category. Just leave me a comment and I'll be happy to create another post. Thanks for stopping by!
Happy twinning!
4 comments
Thanks Jessica!! I've got 12 weeks to go and I have NO idea of what I need! This is very helpful :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job! I couldnt agree more!
ReplyDeleteJess, I love your blog - even though I'm out of that market!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind words!
ReplyDeleteA word about bottles. Register for enough that you only have to wash bottles once/day. For example, Jane and Emma eat 8x a day. So we have 16 bottles. We run them through the dishwasher once/day and fill them all and put them in the fridge so that we can easily grab one at feeding time.
Also, for the blankies, register for enough that you have one on the baby, one or two in the wash, and one or two on standby for when they puke all over their nice, clean one.
I'll go ahead and post a more detailed registry list next week. Hope this helps! :)