Surviving The First Year: Newborn Products We Love

Products We Can't Live Without by jmjohnson4 on Polyvore

A lot of people ask me what my day looks like—how exactly we handle having two babies at once. And to be honest, I have no idea how we handle it. I'm not sure I've got it all figured out; in fact I know I don't have it all figured out. Some days it's like nothing has changed and we are a seamless unit. Other days, we're firmly on the struggle bus. Like last Wednesday for example.

The biggest thing I tell people that ask questions about this whole shebang called having newborn twins is that I don't know any different. Yes, it's hard for other mothers of singletons to relate, because you only know what it's like to feed one child in the middle of the night or maneuver one infant carrier through a doorframe. I've never done just one. Don't bless my heart when you see me rolling through a door with my double snap'n'go (lifesaver by the way). I don't need it. This is my normal.

But my normal is GREATLY aided by some key products. In fact, there are a few things that I believe 10000% are worth the larger price tag they carry. We are fortunate that I have a large family and two moms that threw me baby showers, so we got a large number of the things I registered for.

One notable thing we didn't get, and had to purchase ourselves was the Baby Brezza Bottle Maker. Y'all. This thing is a gamechanger. Think of it as a formula Keurig: place bottle in slot, push button, have prepared bottle in minutes. I used a coupon and purchased it when Target had a rebate available so that helped shave off some of the sting, but honestly, even if you can't get it on discount, purchase this item. Especially if you have twins. I make at least 12 bottles a day. 12. Mind you, that's with both sleeping through the night. Using the Baby Brezza, I can make all my bottles when I need them, no reheating, mixing or keeping track of anything.

Besides the Baby Keurig, the two other biggest keys to my sanity have been 4moms products: the infant tub and the MamaRoo. 4moms infant tub is more expensive than others, but it has a thermostat build in as well as two drains in the main basin, allowing water to flow out of the tub during the bath. No more sitting in dirty bath water. When you are bathing two babies back to back, that kind of feature is awesome. So worth the $50 price tag, in my opinion.

The MamaRoo is the top product in our home right now. Because, I could make it without the baby Keurig, not that I would want to but I could, and I could just use the sink. I could not survive without the MamaRoo. This spaceship looking contraption is a swing on steroids. It's got like five different patterns it moves in with adjustable speeds as well. Putting my kids in their MamaRoos is like giving me a glass bottle of wine and a box of fluffy puppies after a tough day. It's just incredibly soothing. Two babies means two MamaRoos, and at $250 a piece that's not exactly budget friendly. Luckily, we got ours as a gift from Grandpop Ditz and MarMar, but I have seen MamaRoos at consignment sales and listed on Craigslist, so there are other options. I can't stop gushing about this thing and have steered multiple well meaning grandparents at a metro Atlanta Babies R Us towards this as a gift for their daughter/daughter in law.

Even though my kids are strong and I am lazy, I fully believe in the healing power of a snug swaddle. Enter Summer Infant Velcro SwaddleMe Sack Thing. The three pack is what you need to buy every preggo you know that you are going to her shower and don't want to spend more than $30. The tabs are easy to use and the swaddle stays snug all night long, helping that angel babe of yours stay asleep longer.

We use Dr. Brown's bottles, and have no complaints. Pretty much everyone, including our pediatrician, recommended them to us and I have to say, I like them. They are a total pain in the ass to wash by hand SO.MANY.PIECES. But, we have, knock on wood, not battled colic and the gas seems to be under control.

Same goes for my bib of choice, Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature—recommended to us but more personal choice than anything. I think the rolled neck cuts down on a lot of the would be neck cheese, but otherwise, it's just a drool and spat up milk catcher.

I like the Carter's three-piece sets because boy clothes are surprisingly cuter than I thought they would be. Same goes for jammies, the zippers are so easy! I HATE buying the ones with snaps now.

So that's what I've found works for us nearly four months in. What do you think I missed? What do I need for the next three months?