Wondering what your twin babies will need for clothing? Here are my top 10 twin baby clothing essentials and checklist!
Twin baby clothes can be confusing, knowing how much you need for each kid and which sizes. Twin babies are often born premature so it’s great to have preemie clothes on hand as well as newborn-sized clothing. Here are my top 10 twin baby clothing essentials and checklist that will help you prepare for your little bundles of joy!
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First, Create an Amazon Baby Registry!
Before you go further, if you haven’t yet, create a baby registry on Amazon first. That way, as you’re going through this post and others, you can easily just add things to your registry that you’d like with the click of a button!
Clothing Sizes
Preemie Clothing under 5 pounds
Most twins are born premature, whether that means at 30 weeks or 36 weeks, they’ll likely need some preemie sized clothing to start them off. Even though my twins were both over 5 pounds, they were in preemie clothing for a little while.
We were lucky enough to be part of a local Mothers of Multiples club who had a ‘preemie closet’ so we could borrow some preemie clothing for our 36 weekers. Check around for Moms of Multiples clubs near you that you can join before you deliver and see if they have a preemie closet of their own.
We had also purchased some preemie clothing, especially going home outfits. I was in survival mode for the first year so I don’t remember how long they were in preemie clothing but before long they were in newborn sized clothing and then 0-3 month clothing.
All that to say, I wouldn’t go overboard with preemie clothing though it’s good to have enough for each twin to have at least 4 outfits so you’re not constantly doing laundry.
I do have a printable checklist at the end of this post that you can download with suggestions for each item and each size.
We realized pretty quickly that though all the preemie and newborn onesie and pants outfits were cute, they also took more work to get on and off, and were more to keep track of. Our twins wore zip-up sleepers A LOT. This was also partially because it was winter and we wanted to keep them cozy.
Newborn Size Clothing 5-8 pounds
Newborn size clothing comes after preemie sized clothing. It’s still very small and I wouldn’t overbuy on this either. Remember though that you’re buying for two babies and they tend to spit up and have blow outs so you don’t want to have too little or you’ll have to be doing laundry constantly.
0-3 Month Clothing 8-12 pounds
Between preemie, newborn, and 0-3 month sizes, babies tend to stay in the 0-3 month size the longest. Feel free to stock up on these somewhat as you’ll likely be using them for a while, depending on how quickly your twins grow.
Keep in mind what season of the year your twins are expected to be born and the few months following their birth. Our twins were born in September and we live in Minnesota so we had them in long sleeves the first several months of their lives.
Specific Clothing Suggestions
Zip Up Sleepers
Let me just put this out there, I don’t recommend snap-up sleepers. They’re cute and we’ve always appreciated when we get them for gifts, and we did use them, but they are a pain to deal with overnight diaper changes.
Our twins were born in mid-September, and we live in Minnesota, so the weather quickly turned chilly. If we weren’t going out for appointments, we’d have the twins in zip-up sleepers to keep them warm and for easy diaper changes.
Babies tend to not want to keep socks on once they’re able to pull their socks off so having zip-up sleepers helps with that even during the day. We’d often have one zip-up sleeper for the daytime and then switch them to another one for overnight.
The soft cotton ones we, and we’re guessing our twins, liked the most. Even though we live in Minnesota we didn’t dress them in fleece ones often as they seemed to get too sweaty in them. We love this brand, Simple Joys by Carter’s, they are so soft and of great quality.
The sets below come in various sizes including preemies, newborns, and up to 9 months.
- Ankle-to-chin zipper with snap-over tab
- Full-zip closures promise easier outfit changes in these footless sleep-and-play suits featuring whimsical designs
- 2-Way zipper for easy access
- Safety tab to protect little chins
Swaddles
Swaddles help babies sleep overnight because it keeps them all cozy like they were in the womb and they also look like little burritos which is adorable.
I suggest having at least two swaddles per baby for overnight. This way if baby has a blowout overnight you don’t have to do laundry before putting them back in a swaddle and back to bed.
At first we had Velcro swaddles which worked well but as you could imagine were very loud overnight. If we had just one baby in the room that’d be one thing but whenever either of them needed a change overnight because they had a blow out, or more likely before their tongue and lip ties were corrected, throwing up overnight, there was a loud noise from the Velcro being undone that would startle the baby with the mess and the one still trying to sleep.
I do still think they are good overall though so I will recommend the Velcro ones with the caveat that they are loud.
Snap Swaddles
After the velcro closure swaddles seemed to disturb the babies overnight, we switched to these swaddles by Aden & Anais that close with a couple snaps. These are so soft and flexible somewhat to help make it easier to really wrap baby snugly.
Onesies
For all of our boys, our first child and twins, we had them living in zip up sleepers for the first few months unless we had company or were going somewhere. It’s just easier that way and more cozy for the babies, at least we think so. However, it is nice to have some onesies and full outfits for pictures, outings, company, etc.
We really love the Simple Joys by Carter’s onesies and clothes overall. Click the button below to see a lot of different options and variations of onesies and other clothing by that brand.
Of course, especially if your baby is born in the cooler months, I’d suggest long sleeve onesies, which are also included on the page linked below.
- Long sleeves
- 4-pack so there's always an extra!
- Nickel-free snaps on reinforced panels
- No tags. No fuss. Just the Carter's quality you know + love, exclusively at Amazon.
Pants
Little pants for little onesies are essential for an outfit. Another vote for the brand mentioned above, Simple Joys by Carters. I’m showing gender neutral options but they have adorable options if you want them to be gender specific.
- Covered elasticized waistbands
Adorable Outfits
There are of course so many adorable outfits out there for kids. This one even has a little lamb on one onesie and a lamb butt on a pair of pants. Seriously, having something on the bottom of a baby’s pants is sooooooo cute!! At least I think so!
- 6-piece outfit set featuring two long-sleeve bodysuits, two short-sleeve bodysuits, and two pairs of pants
- Bodysuits feature expandable shoulders and nickel-free snaps on reinforced panels
- Pants feature elasticized waists and ribbed cuffs. One pair has applique at seat
- Trusted Carter’s quality, everyday low prices, and hassle-free packaging
Rompers
Oh my gosh, rompers. I had never heard of these before but LOVED them especially for our first child. They are so great in the summer as they’re easy for diaper changes, are just one piece so if there is a blowout you just need to worry about one item of clothing instead of two.
Baby Socks
Especially if you’re in a colder climate, it’s a good idea to have socks for your little one, even if you won’t be outside a lot. Do know that once babies are able to take their socks off, they’ll take them off constantly!!
To be totally honest, your baby can’t walk so they really don’t need shoes until about a year old. That’s what we found with our boys at least. I mean if you’re going to be outside with your baby a lot and it’s cold, then shoes might be worth it, but generally being outside a long time with babies when it’s cold doesn’t happen, for us at least.
- Designed to stay on babies feet with soft elastic
- 6 pack assortment in solid white
- Machine wash and dry
- Set includes coordinating baby socks
- Made with cotton, polyester and spandex
- Soft, gentle and comfortable on baby's skin
- Optimal for everyday use
- Affordable, high quality value pack
- Weave type: Knit
Burp Cloths
Burping babies can get messy, especially when they have reflux or tongue and lip ties, like ours did. These are amazing. Just throw them over your shoulder and you’re good to burp, or even just hold, that baby!
They are very absorbent and soft. They come in a two-pack which is perfect if you have someone who can help you burp the second twin! These Multi-Use Burp Cloth and Bibs can also snap behind baby’s neck to create a bib.
Burp Cloth Bandanas
Our twins spit up a lot when they were babies, turns out they had tongue and lip ties, but even once they stopped spitting up, even bottle feeding led to a decent amount of wetness around their mouths and sometimes on their clothing. These cute little bandanas are so absorbent and easily come on and off with a snap. Yes, I said a snap. In this case, one snap is a good thing. Haha!
Our twins wore these whenever they weren’t sleeping to catch the drool once they started teething or the dribble from bottle feeding. I highly, highly recommend these. I gave most of our baby stuff away but actually kept a couple of these. I’m not sure why but they’re just that awesome.
As a mom of identical twins and a son two years older, I have gained invaluable experience in the realm, and chaos, of parenting. With a Master's Degree and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology, I spent years as a school psychologist, helping children navigate through their educational and emotional challenges. Now as a stay at home mom and professional blogger, I combine my areas of expertise to help you in your parenting journey.
Oh yes! I remember the sock-pulling off days! I used to have little old ladies follow me around the store handing them back to me!
Haha! I love that, I can totally picture it!