Gear We Love

Today is the last day of the Kid Tested Mommy Approved link up party and today we're talking about our favorite gear. Vanessa at Sunflower State of Mind is hosting today. We get out of the house a lot, so it's really important to have gear that makes it easy to get around with two babies. When you're buying two of everything or special gear to accommodate multiples, price is a concern too. 

Diono Radian RXT - When it came time to get convertible seats I researched and researched to find the right seats. The Radian is not cheap, but the investment is well worth it. This is the last car seat we will need to buy. It converts to a booster seat, so we won't need to purchase any other seats as the kids get older. They can rear face up to 45 pounds, more than any other seat we looked at. The height limits are also higher than other seats we looked at. It's one of the only seats that you can fit three across in the the same row. Most car seats are made of plastic, but the Radian has a steel frame and aluminum side walls. I can't speak highly enough about this car seat. We gout ours for just over $200 on Black Friday. Watch sales, and you can get a really good deal.

Beco Gemini - I am a big supported of baby wearing in general, but with twins it's almost necessary to be able to wear one baby sometimes. From 6-10 months the only way to get grocery shopping done was to wear one and have one sit in the cart. The Beco has great padding and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Even now that they're 25 lbs, I can still wear one of them for an hour without any issues. The Gemini allows for a front carry, back carry, hip carry and even forward facing out.

Graco Snugride 30 - Their infant seats were key during the first 6 months. Yes you can use an convertible seat from the beginning, but if you have twins I guarantee you don't want to. Even having a singleton, I think having an infant seat would be worth the extra expense. It's great to be able to strap them in before you walk out the door and then just pop them in and out of the car seat base everywhere you go. Plus, lugging around two of these means you don't need to worry about your arm workout at the gym. Graco makes a 32 and 35, the numbers refer to their weight limit, but there's really no reason to spend the extra money. H and B outgrew their infant seats before they were 20 pounds.

Britax B-Agile Double Stroller - Picking the right double stroller is a tough decision. Just browse any multiples forum and you'll see tons of questions about which double stroller to buy. While there are a lot of really fancy, really expensive, double strollers out there, I didn't want to spend $800+ for a stroller. Instead I was able to get two really great strollers for less than the price of one fancy one. The B-Agile is super easy to maneuver, has nice under seat storage, with access from the front and back, snack trays and a removable drink and storage caddy for mom. The seats are easily adjustable and most importantly the kids like riding in it. This is the perfect stroller for trips to the grocery store, park or zoo.

Baby Trend Double Snap and Go - Pretty much every twin mom will tell to get a double snap and go. Our snugrides snapped right into the snap and go for easily getting around wherever we went.  It steers terribly, but is so easy and light it's worth it. If you look on Craigslist you can more than likely find a used one. I got ours in like new condition for half price.

Contours Optima Tandem Stroller - This is the main stroller we decided on once we were done with the snap and go. I love that the seats can face each other, face out, both face forward or both face backward. This was the main selling point for us. The only other stroller I know of that has seats that adjust the way the Optima's do, costs around $700. The only downside is that it doesn't have snack trays. This stroller is great for walks, trips to the mall or anywhere you need a narrow stroller. It does have two infant car seat adapters, so you could use it instead of the Double Snap and Go.

I highly recommend getting a side by side and tandem stroller if it's in your budget. Being able to choose which stroller we us for particular outings is nice. Although there have been times where I don't remember to switch the strollers in the van first and I wind up with the side by side in Baby Gap. It works, but I definitely can't get the kids to the back aisles with me. If I had to choose only one stroller I'd pick the Optima. The Baby Jogger City Select is probably the most highly recommended stroller from twin moms, but it's expensive, and what I loved about it, the seats, the Optima does as well.

Some of or other favorite gear is listed in our monthly Things We Love, although a lot of it is toys. The breastfeeding twins post has a lot of good gear recommendations for moms nursing singletons too.

12 and 13 Months
10 and 11 Months
8 and 9 Months
Gear for Breastfeeding Twins

Doing this link up party has been so fun. I've gather lots of fun ideas for activities to do with the kids, fun things to buy for them and great foods to try. I hope everyone reading has enjoyed it as much as I have. Make sure to follow the link and see what all the other blogger moms have in store for us today.