I thought I knew everything I needed to know about having a new baby… Peter and Maurice are my numbers 3 and 4. The best this or that… But it all goes out the window when you have preemie twins. Especially after spending so much time in the NICU. Their needs and wants are very different. I have found some amazing products with the help of friends that have been life savers for me and many other moms!
1. Bottle feeding. We tried every bottle.. and I mean every bottle. The como, the tommee tipe, life factory, joovy, advent , dr Browns .. Maurice would not take any of them. Amazon prime comes in very very handy! I resorted to ordering the same nipples he was using in the NICU. They are from similac and disposable and $1.00 each which can get very expensive.. ( and for some crazy reason only sold through amazon. ) Finally a friend told me about MAM. The nipple is flat.. shaped a little different. It is the only one he is able to use. If your baby is struggling with bottle feeding I strongly recommend trying these! They are also anti colic which is a big plus. My advice is to avoid buying bottles in bulk until you know what your baby will like. Buy a few and then once you know stock up. With prime they are delivered to you within 24 hours so there is no need to stock up until you are sure. In my experience many of the big brands are very similar.. advent .. dr Browns etc are not much different. MAM bottles have a very unique shape.
2. Hands free feeding. This is a big one. You have two hands and two babies. It is very challenging to feed them both at the same time. I have tried a few different products and this one is by far my favorite. You can use a different nipple than the one supplied ( we are using a preemie one from life factory). Maurice is not able to use this yet but Peter is a champ.
Buy hands free feeding system here
3. Twin Z pillow. Double boppy. We live in this! I feed the twins using this pillow and also use it for tummy time. The pillow case is super soft and comfy and it comes in very handy
4. Table for Two. This looks incredible but the boys right now are too small to sit up in it correctly. The weigh about 11 and 7 pounds. I think the boppy right now is better until they get a little bigger
5. Double pack and play. The famous pack and play .. but doubled. The boys would nap in here during the day when they first came home. They no longer will sleep laying flat due to reflux and are usually in the rock and play. I would try to find one with a little basket attached so you can store diapers etc for changes.
6. The Weego Twin Baby Carrier. Twin carrier that can be used for preemie babies starting at 4lbs. Easy to use. A favorite around twin moms
7. Double halo. I love my halo. Twins should never sleep in the same crib or bassinet together because it can increase the risk of SIDS. The twin halo has a separation in the middle making it safe for twins.
8. Owlette: This genius little sock monitors your babies oxygen level and heart rate. There is an app you can log into at any time and see the readings. The base station light s green when all is good and alarms if there is a problem. This has been one of the most important things I have for my boys. Please contact me if you need more information or if you are not able to afford the device as I may be able to help!
Buy owlet here Use code NICUMOM for discount
There are a few more and I will continue to update this post as I find things that help us 🙂
Peter & Maurice 