Finding out you’re having twins?

Shocked. Excited. Scared. Emotional. Overwhelmed. Those are just a few of the emotions that hit me when we found out we were expecting twins—identical, at that. It was completely unexpected, and honestly, it still catches me off guard sometimes, realizing I'm responsible for two little humans hitting every single milestone at the exact same time.

The first words out of my husband's mouth when we got the news?

"That's two of everything."

He wasn't wrong. But he wasn't entirely right, either.

This was my first-ever encounter with building a baby registry. I'd never even bought from one before, let alone built one myself. There are so many registry sites out there, but none of them ever felt like the right fit. What I really craved was the freedom to pull products from a wide range of different websites into one single place.

That's when I found Poppylist, and it was an instant relief—a registry where I could add whatever I needed from wherever I needed it, with the flexibility to decide when and how I'd actually receive each item. Once I found Poppylist, everything else fell into place. From there, it was simply a matter of figuring out what we actually needed.

With my husband's words—"That's two of everything"—echoing in my head, I felt the panic set in almost immediately. Two of everything? How were we going to afford that? Where would we even put it all? Did we really need two of everything?

Thankfully, the answer is no.

You don't need two of everything, but you do need a lot more than a singleton parent ever will. Two cribs, yes. Two high chairs, likely. More bottles, more storage space, and definitely more patience.

But "double" doesn't mean "duplicate everything on the list." It means being strategic about what actually needs two.

What I Thought I Needed for Twins

Before my twins arrived, I assumed having two babies meant buying two of absolutely everything. Thankfully, after talking to other twin parents and doing a lot of research, I realized pretty quickly that the "buy two of everything" rule is mostly a myth—and what a relief that was.

Of course, there are certain essentials you'll go through at double speed. Bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, burp cloths, towels... the list definitely grows. But many baby items can be shared or simply aren't needed in duplicate.

Learning the difference saved us money, space, and a lot of unnecessary stress.

Baby registries were completely new territory for me. As soon as I started looking into them, it felt like walking through a minefield of recommendations, must-have lists, and endless opinions.

There's often pressure to use the same registry platform your friends or family have used, but I'm so glad I took the time to research what actually worked best for us instead of just following the crowd. Every family is different, and every pregnancy is different—especially when you're expecting twins.

My biggest piece of advice is to choose a registry that fits your needs, not someone else's.

Social media is a blessing and a curse when you're expecting babies. Like most things, it's all about balance. It can be an incredible source of support and information when you're intentional about who you follow.

But if you find yourself convincing yourself that your baby desperately needs their fifth ear-cleaning gadget at 3 a.m., it might be time to put the phone down and get some sleep instead!

Twin Registry Items We Needed Two Of

Feeding Essentials for Twins

Bottles

One area where buying double absolutely paid off was bottles. We chose Dr. Brown's Anti-Colic bottles and bought far more than the typical recommendation for a singleton, which I'm glad we did.

In those early newborn weeks, we batch-prepared bottles each day using the Dr. Brown's Formula Mixing Pitcher, which saved us countless hours.

Constantly washing and sterilizing bottles is the last thing you'll want to be doing while caring for newborn twins.

Nursing and Feeding Pillow

If there's one twin product I recommend over almost anything else, it's the TwinZ feeding pillow.

It ended up being the only nursing and feeding pillow we used, and we're still using it today. We tried single nursing pillows, but they just didn't fit the reality of our days.

Our twins were on the same feeding schedule, so almost every feed happened at the same time. The TwinZ made tandem bottle feeds—and nursing—so much more comfortable and gave us a supportive place for both babies during those long feeding sessions.

High Chairs

Unlike some baby gear that can be shared, high chairs are definitely one item you'll need two of. Once our twins started solids, having a dedicated seat for each of them made mealtimes much easier.

Before our twins graduated to high chairs, we also used two Boppy Posture Floor and Booster Seats. They gave the babies extra support while they were learning to sit independently and helped them get comfortable with the routine of sitting for meals.

They're one of those products I'd happily recommend to both singleton and twin parents because we got so much use out of them during that in-between stage.

Sleep Essentials for Twins

Cribs and Bassinets

From day one, our twins slept in separate sleep spaces. They had individual cribs in the NICU, so we continued that routine once we got home by using separate bedside bassinets while they were still tiny.

We loved these bedside bassinets we added to our registry because they folded down easily and were compact enough to travel with—something we didn't fully appreciate until we needed it.

Once our twins outgrew their bassinets, we transitioned them into individual Carter's by DaVinci Colby 4-in-1 Convertible Cribs, and I couldn't recommend them more.

They're roomy without taking over the nursery, and the fact that they convert into toddler beds means we'll get years of use out of them. When you're buying two of so many things, investing in pieces that grow with your children feels like a much smarter purchase.

Crib Mattresses

When it comes to sleep, I never want to compromise on quality. We paired our Carter's cribs with Newton Original Crib Mattresses, and they've been one of those purchases I've never second-guessed.

Yes, they're an investment, but for something your babies will spend so much of their time on during those early years, I felt the quality and comfort were worth it.

It's one of those registry items I'd happily buy again.

Swaddles and Sleep Sacks

Our twins were swaddled from their time in the NICU, so continuing that routine at home felt familiar for them. We quickly switched to the HALO Velcro swaddles, which made those middle-of-the-night diaper changes so much easier than trying to master the perfect blanket swaddle while running on no sleep.

By around six months, we transitioned to sleep sacks and never looked back. We kept it simple with soft options like the Carter's 2-Way Zip Wearable Blanket—a light one for summer and a slightly heavier one for winter.

My advice is to have more than you think you'll need. Between overnight diaper leaks and spit-ups, having a few clean sleep sacks ready to go will save you from doing emergency laundry at 2 a.m.

Transportation Gear for Twins

Car Seats

We chose two individual UPPAbaby car seats for their seamless stroller compatibility: click out of the car, click onto the stroller.

This turned out to be a lifesaver for us getting in and out of the car and while traveling, too. Both babies could stay snug in their car seats, clipped onto the stroller, from check-in to the plane door and then be picked up again on the other side.

Brands vary, but I can't recommend enough doing your research on stroller-compatible car seats before you buy.

Twin Stroller

I used to think the pricier the stroller, the better it had to be.

I know better now.

I was initially against a side-by-side stroller and went with the UPPAbaby Vista V2, which comes with a bassinet and rumble seat. I loved how narrow and sturdy it was, and it's been an absolute lifesaver through harsh winters.

Since our twins were so small at first, they actually fit together in one stroller bassinet for outings for almost two months, so we skipped buying a second. Every baby—and every stroller setup—is different, though, so I'd recommend waiting until yours arrive before deciding what additional stroller pieces you'll need.

Eventually, we purchased a second seat once the twins were bigger. With infant inserts, it gave us another option for reclined stroller naps until they were about six months old, and I loved that the seats could face multiple directions as they grew.

More recently, we picked up a Baby Trend side-by-side jogging stroller, and despite my earlier skepticism, I'm obsessed.

It's light, compact, actually fits through most doorways, and the boys love sitting side by side facing out together.

Moral of the story? Expensive doesn't always mean better. Do your research and find what fits your actual lifestyle.

These days, our UPPAbaby barely gets used, and the budget-friendly jogging stroller is our ride-or-die.

Baby Carriers

Double carriers always intimidated me. The idea of wrangling two babies in and out of one felt like a disaster waiting to happen.

So instead, we went with two separate carriers suited to our individual styles. My husband uses a soft, easy Ergobaby baby carrier, while I opted for an Artipoppe leopard-print carrier that's much more "me."

We still use both to this day, so my advice is to invest in a carrier you'll actually want to wear. Comfort and style both matter when it's basically becoming part of your wardrobe.

Twin Registry Items We Only Needed One Of

It wasn't until after we'd built our registry and were actually living the twin-parent life that we realized some "must-haves" were really only single-item needs.

For example, I was convinced we'd need two baby baths. Honestly, I'm not sure why, but the one Boon baby bathtub we registered for turned out to be great.

The same went for our sound machine. We picked the HoMedics My Baby Lullaby Sound Spa Sound Machine after our NICU stay, once we saw firsthand how well it worked, and it's still part of our boys' nap and bedtime routine every single day.

I had originally registered for two Hatch portable sound machines, but one has always done the job, and its portability makes it perfect for travel, too.

Baby monitors were trickier to figure out. At first, I assumed we'd need a separate camera and monitor for each baby. We tried a few brands, but there was always some glitch with one camera or the other.

What I really wanted was the ability to check in on both babies from an app, wherever I was.

We eventually landed on a single Nanit Pro floor stand baby monitor, positioned between both cribs, and it's worked reliably for our setup. Nanit does sell multi-camera options, but the single monitor has worked perfectly for us.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to what your specific space and needs call for.

We also have one changing table in the twins' room, but since we spend most of our time in the living room, we keep a fully stocked caddy there, too: diapers, wipes, cream, changing mat, all of it.

Honestly, it gets more use than the one upstairs.

I recommend stocking up wherever you actually spend your time, not just where you think a nursery "should" go. We even keep a mini diaper caddy in the car because you truly never know when you'll need backup—especially with two babies in tow.

The "one is enough" rule applied to bigger toys, too. We only ever bought one Baby Activity Play Gym, one Baby Activity Center, and one Baby Balance Bike.

Smaller items like teething toys, stuffed animals, and rattles, we doubled up on, but for anything bigger, one has always been plenty.

In my experience, twins are still two completely individual people, and they rarely want to play with the exact same toy at the exact same moment.

Although, watch out: the second one sees the other having fun with something, jealousy can creep in fast!

Twin Registry Products We Barely Used

Individual Lounge Pillows

We assumed we'd need separate lounge pillows scattered around the house so the twins would always have a spot to hang out.

In reality, unless you have an unusually large home, your twins end up spending time in the same one or two spots most of the time anyway, so multiple lounge pillows just became clutter we didn't need.

Bottle Prop Pillows

This is something I was influenced by social media to add.

We received two as registry gifts and never used either. As I've mentioned, the TwinZ pillow handled the vast majority of our feeding, and we preferred sticking with hands-on feeds.

My advice is to think critically about what actually makes sense for your family rather than adding every trending product you see online.

Multiple Play Mats and Tummy Time Sets

We only ever needed one mat out at a time, and even then, it was common for one baby to be into it while the other couldn't care less.

I wouldn't recommend doubling up on play mats, books, or activity sets from the start. If something turns out to be a hit, you can always grab a second one later.

Excess Newborn Clothing

Our twins stayed in preemie sizes for months, and by the time they were ready for newborn clothing, a lot of what we had was already out of season.

That meant two sets of newborn sweatshirts, sweatsuits, and pants sat unworn.

I recommend holding off on stocking up on clothes until the babies actually arrive. Or, if others want to gift them, steer them toward gift cards or stores with easy returns and exchanges.

What I Wish I’d Registered for Instead

Meal Delivery

Looking back, as a first-time mom and first-time registry builder, I was pretty naive in assuming help would just show up—someone to cook, someone to manage the chaos, someone to keep us fed.

That wasn't exactly reality.

If I could do it again, I'd register for far more practical, thoughtful items, like meal delivery gift cards or prepped meal packages.

It would have taken so much pressure off during those first exhausting months, when just figuring out dinner felt like one task too many while trying to keep two tiny humans alive.

Postpartum Recovery Items for Yourself

It's easy to build a registry entirely around the babies and forget yourself in the process.

Don't skip nursing-friendly products, postpartum loungewear, or even a massage. You'd be surprised how many people are just as happy to support your recovery as they are to buy something for the babies.

Registry Cash Funds

I also wish I'd leaned harder into cash funds as gifts.

One thing I genuinely love about Poppylist is the flexibility it gives you to decide when—or if—you actually want to receive a gift you registered for.

A few items on our registry ended up being things we'd already been gifted elsewhere or simply didn't need anymore, so being able to convert those into cash instead was incredibly helpful.

The Twin Baby Registry Formula I’d Follow Today

If I were building my twin registry from scratch today, I'd start with the big items first: bassinets, a reliable baby monitor, car seats, and a stroller setup that works for your family.

These are the things you genuinely need sorted before the babies arrive, so get them locked in early.

Next, I'd add the items I know for certain need doubling up—cribs, high chairs, and car seats—along with a solid stock of diapers in a range of sizes and plenty of wipes.

Trust me, there's no such thing as too many of either.

For bigger toys, activity gear, baths, and similar items, I'd start with one. If both babies love something and you realize you truly need another, you can always buy a second later.

Clothing, swaddles, and anything seasonal, I'd leave until after the babies actually arrive. Sizes and needs shift fast in those early weeks, and more often than not, friends and family love showering you with these items once the babies are here anyway.

Plus, let's be honest: the first few months are really just one long cycle of wear, wash, rewear, repeat.

Final Thoughts on Building a Registry for Twins

If there's one thing I want every new twin parent to take from this, it's that there's no such thing as a perfect registry—only one that actually fits your life.

Give yourself grace. Lean on advice from people you trust, and choose what genuinely makes sense for your family, not just whatever's trending online.

And when in doubt, remember: products can always be returned. Your babies can't!

So trust yourself, try not to stress, and remember that you can always add what you need later.

You've got this.