Shopping for Twins: What to Buy Once and What to Double
BabyProduct Team · 16 Apr 2026
Always double
Car seats and cots are one-per-baby, without exception. Each child needs their own safe sleep surface and their own correctly fitted seat.
Bottles, if you are bottle feeding, also need doubling — and then some, because the washing cycle never quite keeps up.
One is usually enough
A changing table, a bath, a monitor covering the room, a play mat and a nappy bin all work perfectly well shared. Twins do not need parallel everything.
Toys can be shared too, though buying two of a genuine favourite prevents a certain amount of conflict later.
The pushchair decision
This is the big one. Side-by-side doubles are easier to load and to fold but may not clear narrow shop doorways or lift entrances. Tandems are narrower and longer, which suits crowded pavements but makes kerbs harder.
Measure your actual doorways and your car boot before you order. This is not a decision to make from photographs.
Clothes: fewer than you would think
Two babies do not need two complete wardrobes. A shared pool of clothes works fine, and it saves a lot of money.
Buy about one and a half times what you would for one baby rather than double. Laundry frequency, not baby count, drives what you need.
Feeding equipment worth the money
A twin feeding pillow is one of the few twin-specific items that genuinely earns its price if you are feeding two.
A bottle rack and a larger steriliser also save real time when everything happens twice.