Calling twin moms - twin bassinet or two single bassinets for twins in MBUD ?

[boymomCA]

I went with many recommendations I got from this board and got the MBUD for our twins.
Got it yesterday and it is gorgeous, I love the color! (the 2006 red dot)
Anyway, I was thinking of getting a bassinet for it. They have twin bassinets (one bassinet large enough for two babies) or single bassinets that fit the MBUD. Any advice? Will the twins wake up each other if they are in the same bassinet? is it dangerous for them to share a bassinet at all? It is more expensive to buy two separate bassinets, is it worth it?

Thanks!

[Susann]

I'm not a twin mom but I happened to see a MBUD with a twin bassinet the other day. I think it's cute that they sleep next to each other etc. etc. However the more I thought about it the more I started thinking that now I really know why they also have the option of two single bassinets. I used a bassinet for all my kids when they were little (and everybody does in Europe). The nice thing about a bassinet is that it's portable. You can take it off the frame to for example carry it upstairs. The double bassinet is so wide that it must be really hard to carry it around empty not to mention with two babies in it.

So I would vote for two separate bassinets. And I have to say that our bassinet has been worth every penny. I was able to transport the baby around the house and in and out the house without waking her up. I also used it as a bed during the very first months. I was able to rock her asleep, if needed. It's just sooo nice to have.

Susann

[SACS]

I am not a twin mom, and I honestly know nothing about this,but my thought is this:
Babies don't always sleep at the same time. What happens if one is wide awake and moving around or crying and the other is trying to nap. I think you may just end up having two cranky babies in that case. I was an infant teacher in a preschool which is what led me to that thought. I would probably go with 2 single bassinettes. JMO. Sorry for butting in.

[boymomCA]

Thanks for the advice! I would change the title if I knew how, this question is not only for twin moms :)

[Momof3Labs]

It would be easier to resell two single bassinets after you are done with them, versus a twin bassinet, fwiw!

[hardysmom]

I actully have twins so I have a different point of view. Personally, I would go with the twin carriage. They babies will probably like being together better, particularly while they are in one crib. The trade off (one of many in multiple-land) is that you can't carry it around the house, but trust me, that is the least of the conveniences that will inspire envy of our singleton-mom-sisters.

First- almost all twins will co-sleep for at least the first 3 mo. Mine stayed in the same crib until they moved to big-kid beds at 24 mo, but that isn't typical. Most are put in 2 cribs between 4-6 mo. By that time, you will (most likely) be using the regular seats more and more often as they will not always want to be fully reclined.

The only advantage I see to having 2 bassinets would be if one twin had some delays and needed/wanted to stay in the bassinet longer than the other. Still, I had a MBUD from the beginning (great twin stroller, btw) without the bassinet and never felt I needed one. If one wants more/less recline, they will be fine once transitioned to regular seats.

Anyway, in the early days, they won't wake each other up, nor is it dangerous as they don't roll or really take notice of much. They seem to take comfort from each other-- for example, they put preemie twins in one bassinet in the NICU to help regulate breathing and temprature. My girls came at 37 weeks (both weighed 5lbs, 14oz) in the "regular" nursery and were also kept in a single bed in the hospital.

With twins, one of your biggest early goals is to get them on the same schedule so having them close is a good thing. They will be more used to being together than apart. Again, either way isn't a big thing to stress over. My girls rode in independent seats, but slept together, and it wasn't an issue.

In the very early days, you could probably put them in a single (non-twin) bassinet. I have pictures of my girls sharing a single bouncy seat and they easily rode in a single pram for a bit. By 2-3 mo, you will probably need a bigger seat.

So far as re-sale goes, actually, there is a HUGE market for second-hand twin items and you probably would have better value since such items are harder to find.

From birth, I used a Snap N Go Double for errands and an '04 MB was (and still is) our primary stroller for longer outings. I've also cycled through a Aria Twin (yuck!), Marco Sky, and E3. I now have a single ABC buggy with toddlerseat I am loving with my toddlers.

Let me know if you have other questions. Stephanie

Hardy 4.5
Blythe and Charlotte 2.5

[jesseandgrace]

I don't have twins, but if you are not worried about resale I agree with Hardy (the mom with twins). I think they will really take comfort from eachother, they have probably become accustomed to eachother in the womb and it will just be much more pleasant for them. I think they might miss eachother in 2 separate ones. I was only able to use a bassinet for three months before my kids wanted nothing to do with being completly flat in the stroller, so by the time they can really move and wake eachother up, you will most likely have them in the seats. But, if you want to try to stretch the use of the bassinet for as long as possible I think you would have to be pretty attentive once they can roll over so they don't hurt eachother.