Bassinet for twins question

DefyGravity ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 2:14 pm

I'm trying to figure out what to put the babies in for the first couple of months or so while they're sleeping in our room. I know there's a Pack n' Play that has a double bassinet insert, but the reviews on it seem a little iffy. I've heard that some twin parents will use a co sleeper b/c it can be big enough for two babies.

What did you people use?

Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 2:24 pm

No experience here, but you can also put 2 babies in the single bassinet insert. I've seen it done for the first few months while the babies are tiny and hardly take up any space. Similar concept to them sharing a co-sleeper or crib.

↑ DefyGravity ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 2:27 pm

I'm definitely going to have them share a crib for as long as I can get away with it, but the crib is in the future baby bedroom, not in our room and it's too annoying to break it down and put it back together again just to move it from one room to another.

Can two babies fit into a regular bassinet? A friend told me I can borrow her bassinet - would a standard size bassinet be large enough for two infants?

↑ Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 2:30 pm

I didn't mean to put them in a crib, but that the pac n play bassinet insert is a similar concept...

2 infants, yes...as they get bigger, probably not. Some pac n plays only have a "half bassinet" and infants fit in that -- having a full one would definitely fit 2 in for the first couple of months.

(OK, I'll be honest and say my 7 month old daughter is still in the bassinet part, and she's probably more than double what each of your babies will weigh.)

Mirabelle ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 2:46 pm

My twins were 5.1 and 6.4 and I bought two bassinets for them. I would put them in one to take pictures but they would NOT have fit well to sleep there all the time (think babies all swaddled up with blankets). We did however, keep them in the bassinets until they were about 4 months, which is when we moved them to cribs. The cribs that we bought for them were on the smaller size, so we fit two in the room nicely.

Motheroftwins ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 3:23 pm

We put our twins in the pack n play together. Im not sure if its what u are referring to as the "bassinet" part...its just a regular pack n play that has the option of having the baby at the bottom or kinda hanging on top - thats what we did...we just put the mattress on the high up option of the pack n play and both babies slept there together.

↑ DefyGravity ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 3:27 pm

Oh, the mattress can be raised in the pack n play? Or are you just talking about the regular bassinet insert that goes across the top of the pack n play?

I'm talking about this:

Strudel ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 4:43 pm

We put dd in the bassinet part of a Greco Pack n Play until she was too heavy.
It's quiet flimsy and started to sag ever so slightly towards the end of her time in it. I'm not sure if I'd be happy using it for twins and I'd prefer separate bassinets like the one in your pic.

↑ DefyGravity ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 4:56 pm

That's what I'm worried about. It seems like the weight limit for the bassinet insert on most pack n plays is around 15 lbs, which doesn't seem to be very much for two babies.

My issue with the pack n play in the picture is (according to reviews) it also seems to sag in the middle.

That's why I'm trying to find an alternative to the pack n play and would like to know if co sleepers can be a good alternative for me.

↑ DefyGravity ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 5:51 pm

Yes, the Arms Reach bassinet (or co sleeper) is what I want to find out about. As written in my opening post!!!

I finally see on the Arms Reach site that the co sleeper can comfortably fit two babies. I've gone to the site so many times and somehow managed to overlook it!

4c ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 6:58 pm

I put my twins in either a pack n play or a mini crib for the first few months (3 level home, so had something on each floor), all were positioned at the lower level, so weight never became an issue although they were quite small for a while, but it's quite easy to get to 16 pounds of combined weight. (What I liked about the mini crib was that once they were big enough to start getting in each others way, I was able to put two mini cribs right up against each other like one large, square crib and they were able to stay close, and still touch and play with each other while having their own space.)

SivanMom ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 7:30 pm

I'm planning to use a mini crib (port a crib) in our room for the first few weeks and a pack n play with the bassinet attachment downstairs during the day. Once they leave my room they will both be in mini cribs as I do not have enough room for 2 full size cribs. DD slept in a mini crib for close to a year before I felt she was outgrowing it and switched her to DS's full sized crib. I always preferred the mini crib to the PNP because it is much sturdier, with a real matress. It just seems so much more comfortable than the PNP.

dalia1 ↓

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 8:31 pm

I used the full size arms reach co-sleeper. It goes up to 30 pounds I believe...the pack and play only goes up to 15 pounds so it wont be worth it for you. Although in the end we all ended up lined up together on my bed. The baby who was next to my heart in utero wanted to hear it and the other baby had to always be touching the other baby. But when they started moving, it was the arms reach co sleeper all the way.

JollyMommy

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 8:49 pm

I second a mini crib, we have one at my mom's house and it's excellent and takes up 1/2 room of regular crib.

Basimcha

Thu, Oct 07 2010, 11:30 pm

I would suggest the portable crib until 3 months. They fit there very comfortably together.

mommyX2

Fri, Oct 08 2010, 12:20 am

I used a reg basinet pack in play for my infant. it didnt' have any inserts like in the pic you posted. the basinet part was that it was able to be in the higher up position and my baby slept the short width not the long way so two babys could def fit side by side this way. the weight thing would be the only issue, but twins are usually somewhat smaller esp bec they can be early so for the first couple months this could work out well.

you should research now bec u won't have the time and energy after the babies arrive, but it might be worthwhile to borrow your friends pac n play with a backup in mind to order in case it isn't working out as planned.

↑ DefyGravity ↓

Fri, Oct 08 2010, 9:31 am

I'm not going to get a pack n play. It seems too flimsy for two babies and most likely, they'd exceed the weight limit very quickly - as most pack n plays that I looked at have a 15 lb limit on the bassinet.

I'm going to look into mini cribs and co sleepers.

Obviously, I'm researching now. Hence the questions. At the very least, I want to have car seats and a bassinet before they're born.