Methodology
How we decide.
Every verdict on MyTwins is rule-based, not algorithmic. Here's exactly what goes into one, and exactly where the money flows.
The verdict shape
Every twin-parent question on MyTwins gets two verdicts and a context note:
Quantity verdict
Buy two, buy one, share, wait, or skip. The core call. We pick the most defensible answer for the average twin household, then flag where it shifts.
Used verdict
Buy new, used OK, used with caution, or avoid used. Safety, hygiene, and resale-quality lenses combined. Car seats are always “buy new” unless you can verify accident history. Mattresses too.
Context note
When to buy, what fits a small apartment, what a tight budget changes, when to splurge. The conditions that move the verdict.
The inputs we run against
Tools like the Registry Builder personalize the verdict against seven inputs. Each one is a real lever in the rule engine, not a field we collect for show.
Country
US, UK, EU. Affects safety standards.
Stage
Pregnant, newborn, 3-6m, 6-12m.
Home
Apartment, small house, large house.
Car
Three-across reachability.
Budget
Tight, moderate, premium.
Feeding
Breast, bottle, formula, mix.
Approach
Minimalist, balanced, prepared.
Where the money flows
MyTwins is funded by affiliate links. When you click a Buy button and end up purchasing, the retailer pays us a small percentage. Amazon Associates is the biggest one. The price you pay is the same.
Affiliate revenue does not influence our verdicts. We frequently tell readers to skip products entirely, to buy used, or to wait. Those calls cost us money on purpose. The trade-off is that you can trust a “buy two” from us more than a “buy two” from a site that earns only on conversion.
We don't take sponsored content, paid product placement, or free review samples in exchange for coverage. If a brand sends us something to test, we'll say so on the page.
What we don't do
- No AI verdicts. Recommendations come from a hand-written rule set in the codebase, not a language model. AI helps us spell-check.
- No medical advice. We cover gear, money, logistics. For health, safety, and feeding questions, we point you to your pediatrician and to current AAP / NHS guidance.
- No SEO bloat.If we don't have a confident verdict on a question, we don't publish a guide on it. Quality beats word count.
Found a mistake?
Gear changes. Prices shift. AAP guidance updates. If we got something wrong, tell us. Email hello@mytwins.com and we'll review and update.
Rule-based, not AI guessing
Every verdict is a hand-written rule, sanity-checked against real twin households.
Specific to your setup
Country, home, car, budget, feeding plan. Verdicts move when your inputs do.
Honest about money
We say skip plenty of things. Affiliate links earn us a small cut, not the verdict.