In the early weeks and months of motherhood, you’re going to be up a lot at night feeding your baby, then getting her back down to sleep. You can do this in your own bed, but eventually you’ll want a comfy seat for nursing/bottle feeding, snuggling, and rocking your little one, especially if he has his own room. A comfy upholstered club chair will do the trick, but most babies are more easily calmed by staying in motion. Wooden rockers have been around for ages, but gliders have recently taken their place as the favorite because of the more subtle, backward and forward movement. Plus, your butt will prefer sitting on a cushy, upholstered chair rather than sitting on wood or cane for long stretches of time. Thankfully, many gliders nowadays look like regular living room chairs and can be used as such after your nesting days are over. The one must-have feature, in my opinion: arm rests. Arm rests will support your elbows and thus, the weight of the baby. Trust me, your arms will get tired VERY quickly unless you have something bolstering them up.
I mention this because many of the fancy-pants, modern-ey chairs for nurseries don’t have arm rests. As with any new piece of furniture, gliders and rockers can be pretty expensive, so be prepared for sticker shock. Remember, if you can’t afford a new one, many of these are readily available for sale second-hand on Craigslist and such (seriously, that’s how I got mine). Many of these gliders come with optional ottomans that glide along synchronously with the chair. If you have the space, I highly recommend getting the ottoman as well, especially if you’re breastfeeding. At the very least, get a nursing stool that will help position your body ergonomically. We asked 84,000 of our closest friends what their favorite nursery rocker/glider is. Here are the results: This sleek-looking rocking chair from IKEA is the favorite in the budget category. Tried and true, this rocker has a nice, high back for you to comfortably rest your head (and doze off, you will). The cover is also easy to clean, which is great for spit-up.
Best yet, it’s great for everyday use once your baby (or babies) graduate/s from nursing. There is a foot stool available as well. Also in the economy category is the Shermag rocker/glider. A step down from Dutailier (#3), this seat has nice, padded arms (which I love) and a matching, gliding ottoman. I personally own this seat. My only complaint is that the ottoman is a bit top-heavy and will easily fall over on your older children (if you have any), who can’t seem to resist jumping and playing on it. This seat glides along on ball bearings, although a few readers had problems with the gliding or claimed it was too noisy (mine was not, FWIW). This chair glides or locks in a stationary position; the locked position helps you get in and out of it without falling on your ass. You can buy a Shermag almost anywhere: Target, Amazon, Babies R Us and Sears. *A cheaper knock-off of this chair is the Stork Craft glider ($146).The Dutailier is the Cadillac of “regular” nursery gliders (Shermag, Stork Craft, etc.).
Parents who own this chair love it and there are very few complaints. By all accounts, it is a higher quality chair than the Shermag, with an ultra-smooth gliding system and a six-position adjustment. Some models recline (others do not). This chair is generously apportioned, so there will be room for you, your babe, and your favorite nursing pillow. Widely available: Amazon, Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby, Costco, Target, and local specialty stores. Moving on up the cost ladder is the beloved “Little Castle” Glider. Little Castle is a family-owned company that specializes in club-chair-looking nursery gliders and offers a VERY wide selection of styles and fabrics. Each glider is handmade in the USA (they also make really cute kids’ chairs). Their complete gallery can be found here. Many models are only available at exclusive retailers. Amazon carries select models as well. Otherwise, contact your local children’s furniture store. Best Home Furnishings makes gliders that moms are wild about;
the runaway favorite being the Storytime Series “Tryp” Recliner. The Tryp is a swivel glider/recliner, which can extend to a complete layout position (yeah yeah!) with the pull of a lever. The chair is customizable out the wazoo, with 700 fabrics and colors to choose from. Available only at local furniture dealers. Tips from owners of this chair: 1. Buy the microfiber (instead of cotton), it’s easier to clean. 2. Be careful when trying to unearth yourself and baby from the reclined position; the footrest comes slamming down with a bang – not great if you want a sleeping baby to stay that way! The Land of Nod, a Crate & Barrel company, makes a few favorites that are well-liked in the modern department. These include the Paramount, Luca, Mod Nod, Marley, Milo, and the Attractive American Rocker (pictured below). These chairs fall into the $700+ price range, but will last forever. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a sucker for PBK. Their expert color coordination and overuse of monogramming tugs fiercely at my Southern heartstrings.
The Comfort Swivel Rocker is a reader favorite in the “pricey” department. High-quality club chairs tend to cost this much on a normal day. Just visit any department store or furniture store and you’ll see what I mean. This beautiful, traditional upholstered chair is custom made to get just the look you want. For an extra $400-$550(ish), you can purchase the matching ottoman as well (might as well, yeah?). These chairs swivel 360 degrees, so your older children will have a blast spinning each other around until they throw up (speaking from experience). Tip: If you register at PBK, you can get a 10% completion discount for anything you add on your registry (even if no one uses it…). Happy rocking, gliding, and swiveling!by: Annette Parrent, Twins Correspondent When you are preparing for twins, you realize everything is different. Here are some products made for twins (usually by twin moms) that will help make your life a little easier. We can take all the help we can get, amiright?
A frame stroller is a must-have for the first year because it’s so lightweight and easy to use. Once you figure out which car seat you want for your twins (our list of recommended car seats for multiples is here), you will either need the Baby Trend Snap N Go or the Joovy Twin Roo Plus (plus adapters). Read more about each one here. Assuming your car seats are compatible with both of these strollers, there are a few differences to note. First, the Snap & Go is a little bit less expensive than the Joovy and the car seats are stadium style, facing rear; with the Joovy, they face out to the side. For me, it was MUUUUCHH easier getting two babies out and about with a frame stroller, especially in the cold Chicago winters we have. I am not looking forward to the day I have to take them out of the car seats, but for when that day comes, we have amassed a list of our favorite [regular] twin strollers. There will be a time when you will need more than your foot to get things done (you’ll totally understand once you have your babies, lol).
Multitasking takes on a new meaning when you are a MOM. Check out our full twin carrier review here. During the first few months you’ll want to invest in a wrap-style carrier. Our favorite is the Boba Wrap, super s t r e t c h y, great for tandem wrapping. Check out YouTube for how-to videos. If you aren’t into wrapping, go with the Baby K’tan or Nesting Days. The K’tan has a double loop design making it perfect for twins. The Nesting Days carrier is worn around your tummy, giving support after giving birth, especially for c-section moms (the majority of multiple births). For newborns only, there is the Weego carrier. This is a soft structured carrier made for wearing preemie and newborn twins both in front. Once you are past the newborn stage, there are several options. Double ring slings are great for low key activities while the kiddos are awake. The Twingaroo is perfect for tandem wearing the twins by yourself. Simple to get on and off, this carrier feels very secure and my girls are very comfortable in it.
With this carrier, you can also just wear one baby at a time if you so desire. Unfortunately, the Twingaroo doesn’t separate into two carriers. For a 1:1 adult to baby ratio, the Twin Trexx is your best bet because you can separate it into two carriers or have the option to wear both babies yourself. We love that this carrier has five wearing options. The straps are pretty complex, you will need a few practice runs first. It isn’t the sturdiest for tandem wearing. For the heavy-duty user, get the TwinGo. It is sturdy when tandem or single wearing your babies. There is some complexity to this carrier, but the instruction booklet is very easy to follow. Secure and sturdy this carrier can be used for long stretches of time. *Recall on batch numbers: 23014024003, 01515026003, and 21615019001. Please check out their website for information on a replacement kit. (updated May 11, 2016) Again, read about all of the carriers in depth here. Even if you don’t plan on nursing, this pillow will still get tons of use;
it’s the perfect spot for your twinnies to chill. With it, you can easily (well, as easy as feeding two babies at once can be) bottle feed or breastfeed both babies at the same time. Bonus: it’s the perfect little prop for getting good pictures of your new bundles of joy! Once the babies get bigger, you can use it for [double] tummy time and then as a prop to help them sit up. It also makes a great cushion for when the babies start to stand but aren’t very steady. There are other breastfeeding pillows out there – you can read all about that in our breastfeeding twins section(coming soon), but this one is the best multi-purpose pillow around. It’s super soft (the floor can get uncomfortable and this pillow makes a nice seat!) and the cover comes off for easy cleaning. You dreamed of a rocker/glider where you can snuggle your baby and soothe him/her to sleep (in real life: you are half asleep trying to get them back to bed, but whatevs). For twins, you’ll need a double wide.
Rocker, that is 😉 so you can sit with both babies, read to them, nurse them, or rock them. Ie use it everyday for story time, then for feeding. So you want to use a shopping cart. Sith twins, not so much. Luckily, there are a few options so you can shop like a normal (ish) person and stop accidentally shoplifting because stuff gets tucked into all the stroller crevices….(whoops!!). The Binxy Baby Hammock is perfect to use with your twins until they can sit upright (up until 6 months or so). Once I started getting out more with them, I found the Buggy Bench. It works great for shopping when you need to push a cart and not a stroller [it’s REALLY hard to do both at once]. Note that it does take some time to set up; it also takes up space in your cart, but for the ability to shop without the stroller it is great! Note that many of the larger grocery and big box stores offer two-child grocery carts. Many of them have two seats side by side — and many stores (Target, Safeway, etc.) offer FUN two-kid grocery carts (for older twins) with a race car motif, etc. T