apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a friend due with twins next month who lives in a one bedroom cottage. She and her husband are prepping a small home office to be a future nursery with a curtain wall across the opening. Before they use it, they will have the graco pack'n'play as a bassinet, but they are still looking for a better solution.

My suggestion was the arm's reach co-sleeper, used just as a bassinet. It is bigger than most bassinets. I had the mini version and it functioned well as a bassinet till my baby was 8 months old and a bit too squirmy.

I am a twin mom - boy/girl turning 1 yr old next week, and we used bassinets (they each had their own) for the first 4-5 mos. before going to cribs (depends on the size of the baby). Do not buy the Graco twin packnplay since the bassinet feature holds only 15 lbs - TOTAL. (the same as for a single). Although your twins are likely to be born a little early and be small, they will still hit this collective weight limit very quickly. You are also not supposed to have two babies in the actual packnplay later in life, although there are many families who use one as a crib (at least for traveling - we own two for this purpose). Initially you may be able to have the babies share a crib, but it won't last very long. I'd suggest starting with two bassinets - You can find well-priced, used bassinets on Craigslist (be sure to inspect them first since safety is a priority) if cost savings is an issue. You can easily move them around between the two rooms and accomodate potentially different sleeping styles, etc. Once you've got your feet on the ground taking care of them (and that is going to take a little time), you'll have a better idea as to what will work for you and your family and your babies sleeping styles. I'd start out by not spending too much money and knowing the bassinets are fine for a few months. Don't be afraid to be flexible and find what works for your family - there is no "one right way," and you'll have a better understanding of your life with babies once you're living it. FYI - our dining room table still holds a changing pad, diapers, etc...and the babies sleep from 6:30pm - 6:30am. Buy the Dr. Weissbluth book on sleeping and read it before the babies are born! Good luck.

We have twins coming, too, so I have been researching the same thing. A number of parents of twins have recommended the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper (the bigger one, not the mini). We plan to try them together in it to start. It holds up to 30 pounds and then the plan is to switch to two cribs. If you're not into the co-sleeping (we'll see how it works for us!) you can use it as a regular bassinet also (i.e., not attached to the bed).

http://armsreach.com/

If you're planning to buy cots for them eventually, you don't really need a basinette. You can put them both in the same cot until I outgrow it (or start annoying each other too much). Either dress them in one of those zipped up body blanket slash jumpsuit thingies, or place them side by side on the cot with their feet against the bars (to prevent them burrowing into the blankets). This is what our antenatal parenting midwife recommended. I would put them into a portable cot (pack 'n' play). Those things aren't meant for long-term sleeping as the mattresses are very thin and they're usually covered with plastic which isn't very comfortable.

Good luck and it would be great to know which alternative you go with. (I'm also expecting twins.) :-)

Thanks for all the feedback - I really appreciate it. And good luck to all who are expecting twins too. Man, is life going to change!!