Twin Books & Baby Gear Research

I haven't had much to say, so I've been quiet. I'm busy continuing my research on the best baby gear for twins and reading books like Ready or Not ... Here We Come and The Multiples Manual. (thanks for the books S!) I'm learning a lot and feeling more and more anxious as I read deeper into these books. I am a realist and understand that having two babies at once won't be easy and I'm fully prepared for the challenge! BRING. IT. ON! However, I am not without worries. I worry that because I have two babies I won't be as good of a mommy. I know it seems silly, but it's like there won't be enough of me to go around. Almost like the each of the babies will be shorted because there's only one of me and two of them. I also worry about the general logistics of feeding two babies at once, whether or not I'll be able to produce any/enough milk (yep I'm going to induce lactation), the fact that I'll never sleep, etc... I'm sure like anything it will just take a little practice and I'll master some of it, but those are the kinds of things that make me anxious. J on the other hand as the financial planner in the family worries about the economics of twins ... costs of 2x the diapers, formula, day care, etc...

I'm still going strong with the baby gear research! I even took a trip to Tar.get with two of my good friends, L & J, the other day and they had me taking notes on their preferred baby products. It was quite helpful, but a bit overwhelming. After countless hours of reading reviews and examining the features of the car seats and strollers I think I've finally decided on the products for us ...

I decided that we're going to sell the Chic.co Cor.tina travel system. Although the Chic.co Key.fit is a highly rated car seat it's heavy and doesn't work with the Double Snap n Go. Plus, I read several reviews that the extra padding in this car seat (and the Graco Snug.ride 32) causes the babies to get really warm, which of course makes me worry about overheating and SIDS (seriously the worrying never ends!). I decided that the Graco Snug.ride infant car seat is the one. In addition to being a bestseller for years, it's also highly rated in terms of safety and gets great reviews from parents for a number of things. I've been comparing the Snug.ride to the Snug.ride 32 and decided that we'll go with the basic Snugride. The Snug.ride 32 is about 2lbs heavier and when you have to infant car seats to deal with that extra weight makes a difference. I decided that I'm fine with moving the babies into convertible car seats, which can stay rear-facing, sooner if need be, so having an extra 10lb limit and a couple of inches wasn't a huge selling point for me. Another bonus in choosing the Snug.ride over the Snug.ride 32 is the financial savings (this makes J happy). The Snug.ride 32 car seats all cost at least $150 and the bases are more expensive whereas I can get a basic Snug.ride for around $89-100. The thing that I found most interesting is that all of the Graco Snug.ride models have EPS foam and are equally safe (ask a pediatrician and they'll concur), so when you spend more you're spending the extra money on fabric and likely unnecessary "bells and whistles" (e.g., removable boot cover). So, here are the two infant car seats that I like:

If we have a boy(s):

If we have a girl(s):

Okay, now onto the stroller research. I purchased a gently used Baby Trend Double Snap n Go, which was mentioned by a number of twin moms as a "must have item", from a friend of a friend (thanks M). I know that probably shocks many of you that I already purchased something for the babies, but I didn't buy a thing for Myles until I was beyond 20wks for fear of jinxing it and look where that got us. Suffice it to say that I don't believe in jinxing anymore! This double stroller frame will work perfectly with the two Graco Snug.ride infant car seats and will get us through the first 6 months or so.

The other stroller I plan to get won't work with the infant car seats, but I didn't expect it to. I've read tons and tons of comments by twin parents and it's split on tandem vs. side-by-side. I tested the Graco Quat.tro Duo on Monday while I was out with my friends and their kids and have to admit it felt like I was driving a semi. I'm petite (5'1"), so I felt overwhelmed by this large stroller. Also, it's crazy heavy to get in and out of the car! Although I was leaning towards a side-by-side, I was enamored with all the "bells and whistles" of the Graco tandem strollers. But now that I've tried one out I know it is NOT for me.

I will buy a side-by-side twin stroller. I find some of the lightweight double side-by-side strollers (e.g., Combi) to be cheaply made and unstable. It's important to me to get a stroller that is safe, will fit through standard doorways, will hold up with use, can be used on multiple surfaces, folds up easily, is lightweight, and is highly rated by parents. One such stroller that meets these criteria is the Bumble.ride Indie Twin stroller. I love this stroller, but I don't love the cost. My second choice is Baby Jogger City Mini Double (see pic below). I read over 100 reviews of this stroller and have to say that almost all of them were raving. The only complaints were that it doesn't come with any of the extras (e.g., parent console, belly bar), but most of the higher end strollers don't.

Now that I've decided on those two big items I'm going to move onto other baby gear like baby monitors and bottles, so if you have any advice please do share! I've started an Ex.cel spreadsheet with baby gear must haves that includes costs, where to buy, reviews, notes, etc... I think this will be quite helpful when I go to register. :)