What Size Clothing Should I buy For My Twins? Moms-To-Be Want To Know! Plus, All About Clothes X’s 2!

 

 What Size Clothing Should I buy For My Twins? Moms-To-Be Want To Know!

 All About Clothes X’s 2!

4-12-2012 

 

(This is a new series on my blog where I will answer a specific question in depth, that has been asked to me.)

 

 

So you found out you’ll be having twins? GREAT! 2 babies to name, 2 bottoms to diaper, and 2 babies to dress. It seems like if you know the sexes you are pretty much good to go shopping, but are you really?

 

Here are some facts when shopping for twin clothes, and a few pearls to pass along to my lovely readers:

 

 

1) Over-buying twin clothing can be a crucial mistake.

Yes, you can buy some, but don’t over do it. They may end up larger than expected, one twin a larger size than the other possibly, or you can have some really fast growers. Save some of that money and invest in what you really, really need….DIAPERS! 

 

I had so much left over, new with tags on, to still go and sell off in eBay, never getting the full amounts back. I learned my lesson. It’s hard to contain yourself with twins. Please do do it though.

 

 

2. The vast majority of twins will weigh less than a singleton child.

While you will hear the occasional story of a woman birthing two 7+ pound babies, it is not the norm. The average weight for twins is 5.5 lbs. Some can come a little bit smaller, some a little bit larger, but even the best of ultrasound equipment used in your OB’s office can not very accurately predict the weights of your babies come delivery day. The numbers are usually quite off.

 

Mentally expect your twins will likely be in the 4-6 maybe 6.5 lb. tops range, if you are making it past the 37 week mark, as many twins come prematurely but certainly not all, as I am evidence of. Even at term because they are sharing a womb they will be smaller then a singleton child whose average weight is 7 lbs. Don’t buy too much too early as you don’t know how far you might go.

 

 

3. What size(s) do I buy, and how much of each?

My daughter was 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was swimming in 0-3 month clothing. She even was small in the newborn clothing to, but only for a few weeks’ time. I didn’t buy too much of that size as I heard it would be a waste. My 7+ pounder was also swimming in 0-3 months. I just folded everything up on him because I didn’t even know about smaller sizes way back then.

 

A) DO NOT expect the size 0-3 month clothing to fit your newborn twins. It will not happen. Mine were 5 lbs 2.3 oz. and 5 lbs. 13.4 oz. and fit in preemie clothing, though I only bought maybe 3 outfits of that size, which is the max you should do in all honesty.

 

And if by chance you happen to have twins that are very small and need preemie clothing for some months, you can always go out and buy more of them when that time comes, IF that time comes. You can’t predict the future, so don’t try to please.

 

**Note- Preemie clothing is more expensive for whatever reason. Less material should be cheaper in my eyes, but it is not. DO NOT over do this unless your twins have been born early and you see a great need after the birth.**

 

B) DO buy more newborn clothing than preemie clothing. I never recommend buying too much newborn clothes because kids can grow fast, and again one twin can be a pound or two larger which may screw up your ‘perfect plans.’

 

WOW! Look at this size discordance. Don’t plan on this, but don’t plan on them being the exact same weight either.

 

With most twins you can be quite sure that newborn clothing will fit during that first month, very possibly even months (plural) of their lives. It happened here and mine were good sizes for twins.

 

My girls grew at an average, ‘spot on’ rate, and still fit into newborn clothing up until almost 3 months of age. I didn’t over buy, maybe 6 outfits each in all, but they did get worn a lot. Don’t go too crazy with it. Some babies grow faster than others. Twins are not an exact science .

 

C) Do buy a newborn size for your take home outfit. I always bought 0-3 prior and it never made for a very good picture opp. Way too baggy on even my biggest of babies. You can also pack a preemie one in case, as did I.

 

They definitely will be best suited for a preemie or newborn outfit as the take home outfit. My twins newborn outfit was still a bit big on them, but we made it work. I know many people who opted for 0-3 months with very poor fitting results.

 

** NOTE: Do make sure your take home outfits are weather appropriate.**

 

D) I bought the majority of the outfits in 0-3 months, which is what I always recommend you get most of. They were in that size till 5 and 1/2 months, maybe closer to 6. You can attempt to buy some 3-6 mo, and 6-9 mo if the deals are awesome, but it doesn’t always turn out as planned unless there are no season changes. Be careful with that.

 

I say unless the clearance prices are rock bottom and you have nieces and/or nephews, or an eBay store in case it doesn’t work out, shop with absolute caution and restraint. Buy only what you need, and you can always shop later on to make sure the seasons don’t screw up your wardrobe plans.

 

 I got fairly lucky this time around, but it’s really hard to predict when and who will fit into what at what point in time. I did end up with many extras though. Again, hard to resist buying for twins. (Try to resist .)

 

E) Don’t go buying any specialty stuff early. 4th of July outfits, Christmas dresses or suits, Easter ensembles, or other important clothing like that before your twins are here and even in that moment. You may lose your money and need to re-buy.

 

 

4. Save all of your receipts.

This was something I did with most of the clothing I bought, but never got around to going back to the stores. Don’t make that same mistake or you’ll be stuck with tons of stuff if you do happen to over buy and over buying..it takes up space.

 

Unless you are planning for a second set of twins (ha ha) keep EVERY receipt you obtain. This goes for non-clothing items to just in case something is defective or turns out to not be needed.

 

This way you are ensured that you will have no trouble getting your money back, or at least equal store credit if the sizes don’t fit, your babies come out smaller or larger then planned, or they just aren’t going to get a chance to wear them due to season changes, etc. Most stores are good like that. Check store return policies before shopping.

 

 

5. If you are having a baby shower ask people to NOT buy clothing.

This is something moms enjoy doing themselves, and again mistakes can be made, especially by people who know nothing about twins and their sizing vs. singletons, or even what style of clothing you’d like for them to wear. I got some ‘oddities.’

 

Onesies, burp cloths, wash cloths, hooded towels, snap side shirts, bibs, socks, and caps. Those are ok, and you will need those from day one, and will be using them a lot. Footed sleepers are needed as well. If people must buy clothing, tell them to buy these most practical items.

 

When it comes to buying the real ‘going out’ type of clothing however, try and tell them in a nice way to leave that to mom. Or like I did..”I bought enough clothes already. Thank you. Diapers are fine though.” Believe me, you’ll never get enough of those.

 

 

6. Make sure you are certain of the sexes or buy gender neutral clothing.

If you have had a CVS test or amniocentesis like I did, you are 100% sure of the sexes. If you had 2 or more ultrasounds completely backing up the genders of your twins then you are most likely good to go shopping. Be smart, have fun, but don’t go nuts. The stores won’t be closed when you come back in the months and years after your twins are here.

 

It’s tempting, but hold back, and make sure to go gender neutral if you are unsure, or did not want to find out the sexes of your babies. (Unless it’s very obvious and they are 100% sure, never fully rely on one ultrasound. They can be wrong, especially the earlier you are in the pregnancy. Trust 16 weeks at the earliest. (I personally like a second at the 20 week scan to fully confirm.)

 

 

7. Don’t buy too early for twins.

 This is not something I want to talk about, but must. I remember I was at JC Penney when a woman told me to not buy until 6 months at least ‘just in case something goes wrong.’ She told me it was bad luck to buy earlier, which I don’t personally believe, but shopping too early is not a very good thing.

 

There is such a thing as Vanishing Twin Syndrome (VTS) that happens in up to 1/3 of all twin pregnancies before 12 weeks gestation. And also miscarriage rates are increased with twins. This risk goes down greatly after the 1st trimester, though with twins there are always more potential problems then in a singleton pregnancy. This increases with each baby. (E.g.: triplets, quads, etc.)

 

That being said, I say to wait until the anatomy scan (19-20 weeks) to buy clothing if you can. If you find out the sexes and all is looking well, and you are going CRAZY, I say 16+ weeks is an ‘ok’ time to start shopping. After finding out I had two healthy babies well past my 1st trimester, I was ready to shop.

 

 

8.  Lastly, don’t over-buy on the cutesy, pricey, formal, frilly stuff.

With twins..be practical. While it’s definitely fun to dress them up really nice for special occasions, there will be spit-ups, and exhaustion on your part, and just days where a onesie or one piece footed sleeper which you can’t have enough of, are what they will be wearing most. Don’t fool yourself into believing otherwise, especially from the get go.

 

Unless you are going out on the town and showing off the babies, these formal and frilly ensembles will likely stay in the closet for some time, and perhaps never even get worn. That my friend, is a tragedy!

 

Think practical. Buy what you need.

 

Buy smart. Try to never pay retail. Shop the sales.

 

Don’t expect that every day you’ll be dolling them up, because you WON’T BE! (Despite what you may be thinking right now.)

A few of such outfits are ok, but again over-buying can lead to a loss of money, and tagged clothing endlessly hanging in the closet. Online stores and retail stores will still be there if you need that something special.

 

 It’s hard to resist this urge, but do it for your wallet’s sake. There are many other things you will be needing for your twins straight away, so put your money to good use as it certainly doesn’t grow on trees. Not where I live anyways.

 

 

 I hope this helps. Thanks for shopping stopping on by!