Baby Essentials

Having twins means having a lot of baby things!  A friend that is pregnant asked me what my favorite must haves are for entertaining the twins.  Since I have to constantly rotate the "activities" throughout the day I have more than a couple favorites so I'll share our experiences with you and give a review of each item.

Pack and Play:
We have it set up in the living room, because let's admit it, life goes on around you in spite of baby and sometimes it is just convenient to lay baby down to nap in the pack and play so you can catch up on last night's shows or get a little bit of housework done.  It also makes for a great place to change diapers and keep a "changing station" set up in the area of the house in which you will spend most of your time.  I know, you spend all of that time/energy/money getting the nursery just right and you most likely only go in there at night...unless it is equipped with a television and mini-fridge.  That would be cool. 

Lay and Play floor mat:
Olivia LOVES her lay and play time on our jungle themed mat.  She cooes and talks to her hanging toys for extended amounts of time each day.  She is very content to lay and stare at her toys and as of late, grab them, jingle them, and occasionally chew on them.  William will only tolerate it for so long, as he prefers to sit up in the "jump-jump" or bumbo seat.  He has acid reflux so upright positions suit him better.

Swing:
Great for rocking a baby to sleep when you don't have the energy to walk around the house anymore.  It has several settings and sound options to soothe baby and is great for moving around the house so baby can still see you as you get things done.  Great place to put baby so you can take a quick shower (you know, the one you might only get every three days in the beginning!).

Bouncer:
I'm laughing out loud as I type this, as we call ours the "poop chair," as we get poop diapers and a lot of times, blow outs every time we put one of the twins in our bouncer.  I assume it is because it allows them to chill in the reclined position it puts them in.  Ours sits in front of our television and serves as a great place to put one baby while mommy nurses the other...Big brother sits next to them and provides entertainment too. 

Jumper/Saucer:
William LOVES to "jump-jump" in the jumper at our house and the saucer at Grammy's house when we visit.  I know that Olivia will too once she gains strength and starts enjoying sitting up more.  This is a must have at or around the four/five month mark.  It allows baby to sit up and play and "jump" which will strengthen their legs for crawling and eventually walking.  Make sure you use something underneath it if they aren't "tall" enough to reach the floor on its lowest setting.  You don't want their legs to dangle, as it could reduce circulation in their legs causing discomfort. 

Rockin' Play Sleeper:
Awesome!  We love that it collapses and is light so we can take it anywhere! When our son, Cameron was a baby, it went everywhere with us (friends/family houses, great for hotels, and even the beach (because who want their infant sleeping on the ground or in the sand?).  We often use this in the kitchen to allow one of the twins to lay in it by our table so we can use our foot to rock baby while we eat dinner...using two hands!  This rarely happens without this life-saving product!

The Mother of all baby products I've seen so far is the 4Moms MamaRoo:
We borrowed this electronic mega chair from a friend who swears by it for comforting a fussy/colicky baby.  It mimics the movements of mama with a rocking motion, offers a car motion, wave motion, and more.  It also provides sounds to help sooth baby.  It comes with a higher price point, but if it provides mama with a little bit of sanity, it just might be worth investing in!