20 Things Twin Parents Regret Buying

What do twin parents regret buying? We keep a list, and it's built from the verdicts on this site: the items our decision pages mark skip or wait, and the doubles our pages say to buy one of. Twenty items below. Each one names the purchase, why it disappoints once there are two babies in the house, and what we'd do instead. Some of these are expensive mistakes. A few are ten-dollar ones that just take up a drawer for three years.

Strollers: where the biggest money goes wrong#

• Two single strollers. The logic is that two adults can each push one. The reality is that one adult is usually alone with both babies, and one adult cannot push two strollers. Our stroller verdict is buy one double. Instead: a Mockingbird Single-to-Double or a Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 Double, bought used if the budget is tight.
• A premium single stroller for solo outings. The UPPAbaby Cruz V2, the Bugaboo Fox 5, the UPPAbaby Minu V2, the Babyzen YOYO: all marked skip in our catalog for twin parents. You'll take one twin out alone far less than you think, and the double already goes everywhere. Instead: a soft carrier for the one-baby errand.
• A triple-mode stroller with no third child planned. The convertibility tax is real, and unused convertibles are expensive luggage. Instead: a true double sized for the doorway you actually have.
• A double adapter kit for the single stroller you already own. Adapters turn a good single into a mediocre, front-heavy double. Instead: sell the single while it still holds value and buy the double once.

Feeding and sleep#

• A Boppy for tandem feeding. It's a single-baby pillow; our catalog marks it skip for twin use. It sags in the middle exactly where the second baby needs to be. Instead: one Twin Z Pillow or a My Brest Friend Twins Plus.
• Two twin nursing pillows. One parent feeds two babies on one pillow. The second pillow becomes a very large dog bed. Instead: one twin pillow, plus a regular throw pillow for the parent doing bottles.
• Two Snoos at full price. Our Snoo verdict is only if budget allows, and most twin parents who own two tell us one would have done. Instead: one Snoo (rented) plus a Halo BassiNest Flex, or two plain bassinets and a white noise machine.
• A crib bedding set. Bumpers, quilt, pillow, skirt, times two. Safe-sleep guidance is nothing in the crib but a fitted sheet, so the set goes straight into a closet. Instead: four fitted sheets and two Halo SleepSacks per size.
• A wipe warmer. Cold wipes don't cause problems; the warmer dries out the top wipe and takes an outlet at the changing station. Our decision page on wipe warmers says skip, and two of them is a double skip. Instead: nothing. Warm the wipe in your hand for two seconds.

The doubles you don't need#

• Two baby monitors. Two apps, two screens, two chargers at 3am. Our verdict is one system with two cameras. Instead: a VTech VM819-2 or an Infant Optics DXR-8 Pro with the add-on camera, one screen split in two.
• Two diaper pails. One pail in the main changing spot fills every two days at twin volume; the second one sits mostly empty and smells anyway. Instead: one Ubbi Steel Diaper Pail, and a lidded bin upstairs if you have stairs.
• Two changing tables. Two babies, one parent, one changing spot. You change one, then the other. Instead: one Keekaroo Peanut Changer or a Munchkin Secure Grip pad on a dresser, and a Skip Hop Pronto folding pad for the other floor.
• Two play gyms. Newborn twins do tummy time side by side on one mat, and they actually like being able to see each other. Instead: one Skip Hop Double-Up mat, which is sized for two.
• Two baby bathtubs. You should be bathing one twin at a time anyway (one adult per baby in water), so the second tub never gets wet. Instead: one First Years Sure Comfort tub. Bath one, bath the other.
• Two thermometers. One good one covers both babies; you're not taking two temperatures at the same second. Instead: one Braun ThermoScan 7, and a $15 backup if you want one in the diaper bag.

The wait-and-skip list#

• High chairs delivered before the birth. You won't use them until six months, and the two boxes take a wall of the nursery until then. Instead: wait, then buy two Ikea Antilops for $40 total.
• Jumpers and walkers, before either baby can sit. They arrive early, get set up, and become a toddler-height obstacle course. Instead: wait until they sit unsupported, buy one, and see which twin actually likes it.
• A twin-branded diaper bag. Three times the price of a regular large bag, with a word on the label. Instead: a Skip Hop Forma backpack or any plain 30-liter bag.
• Matching outfit pairs and twin merch. Our dressing-alike verdict is skip on the buying side: twins need quantity, not pairs. The matching sets are the ones where one stain ruins both. Instead: multipack onesies and footies in whatever's on sale.
• A bigger car, bought during pregnancy. Most sedans fit two infant seats; our verdict is skip unless you have a third child coming or the stroller won't fit the trunk. Instead: a tape measure, two narrow seats like the Graco SlimFit or Diono Radian 3RXT, and a stroller you've measured against the trunk.

The pattern#

Read the list again and the pattern is obvious. Almost every regret is a double bought on autopilot, a single bought for a fantasy of solo outings, or a thing bought months before the babies could use it. The fix is the same each time: buy one, buy it when the stage arrives, and buy the plain version. Toy-heavy registries fit the same pattern, which is why we'd leave toys off entirely; the hand-me-downs arrive by month three whether you ask or not.

What we'd do#

Before adding anything to the registry, ask two questions. Does one parent alone use this with two babies at once, and does the second one change the day or just the invoice. If you're already holding one of the twenty above, sell it now: strollers and monitors hold value, and the rest can go to the next twin parents in your local group. The money you get back funds the high chairs at six months.

Related reading#

• Building a twin registry outside the US
• Twin gear that is marketing, not necessity
• Twin baby registry checklist: what to buy two of, what to skip
• Fair used prices for the 30 most-resold twin items
• Do I need a twin stroller, or two singles?