Jackie G.* of Framingham, Mass., wanted to have a second child. Imagine her surprise when she learned she was pregnant with twins! Then, imagine her anxiety over where these two new babies – on top of her 3 1/2-year-old son – would go in her modest, three-bedroom house.

Jackie planned ahead for the creative use of her home’s space and for what extra items the growing family would need – and those it wouldn't – to accommodate her identical twins, whose gender she didn't know ahead of time.

Jackie did all the right things, according to Christine K. Walker of Winnetka, Ill., author of The Smart Mom's Guide to Staying at Home: 65 Simple Ways to Thrive, Not Deprive, on One Income (Trafford Publishing, 2004). "Hearing news of twins usually comes as a surprise," says Walker. "Take time to let it sink in and evaluate carefully your game plan. The first impulse might be to run out right away and buy two of everything – don't do it."

You May Not Need Two
Jackie had a head start on that advice. For example, she didn’t buy a second changing table; she used her son's old one upstairs. Luckily, the family had a "spare" changing table, and this she kept downstairs to avoid "schlepping both babies upstairs every time someone needs a diaper change during the day," Jackie says.

"Rather than getting, say, two Exersaucers, get one saucer and another activity set," Walker says. "So often parents of twins try to make everything the same for both babies at all times. That simply can't happen."

If you believe you must have duplicates of some items, borrow as much as you can. And don't overlook the second-hand market; shop resale and consignment shops, rummage and yard sales, Walker advises. "The resale market is the moms-of-twins' best friend," she says.

"We are trying to borrow a lot of things, which we didn't do at all last time [when our eldest was born]," Jackie says. "We actually didn't have a bouncy seat for our son and have borrowed two since they are a great place to put a baby. We borrowed a second infant carrier car seat and will need to get another, convertible one."

Certain items are key to have in duplicate, says veteran twins mom Janice D.* of Portland, Ore. "We did not need crib tents, wipe warmers, separate diaper bags or special 'twins' stuff," says Janice, mother of 4-1/2-year-old fraternal twin girls and a 7-year-old son. "I did have two Boppy feeding pillows so that someone else could feed and prop a baby to help me."

This at-home mom also found it invaluable to have two portable play yards. "We wanted the girls to nap and sleep in them so that they could be moved around the house on the first floor, rather than carrying them up to their rooms every time they napped," says Janice.

Plan for Your Growing Kids' Needs
Furniture can be expensive and transient. When planning for your twins, think not only of their present, but future, needs too, as did both Janice and Cari R.*, also the mother of 4-year-old fraternal twin girls.

"In hindsight, the rocker and footstool weren't necessary," says Cari of Portland, Ore. "I don't think I ever rocked or fed anyone in it, since I was always feeding two babies at once. And those chairs are not really built for three!"

In terms of other pieces of furniture, Cari says she chose cribs that converted to toddler beds, and because her girls were pretty petite, the beds lasted until they were 3 1/2 years old. "We also chose a dresser that didn't look 'babyish' and could be used when they were much older," she adds.

Janice made a different decision, knowing her daughters probably would be 6 feet tall, like their mom. "When the girls were ready to move out of the cribs, we bought high-quality extra long twin beds," she says. "We chose this route because the girls would outgrow a toddler bed and a regular-size mattress. It was expensive but worth it in the long run."

And for general storage space, get creative and "think vertical," Walker says. "Vertical storage [such as floor-to-ceiling shelving, trundle and bunk beds] is key, as is rotating out old clothing immediately. Keeping it around even though you know you'll never use it will only take up precious space."

"We chose cribs that had a drawer underneath because we were short on storage space," Cari says. "We also purchased an extra 'dresser-type' unit that fit into the closet." And the family only recently converted its extra guest bedroom into the girls' playroom; the twins have shared a bedroom from the get-go.

Creating a playroom allowed Cari to "reclaim" the living and dining rooms that had been her daughters' play area and store all the girls' toys in one, out-of-the way place. "Even though it felt like we were living in a romper room, it was a good space for them in which to play," Cari says.

Now that her daughters have a dedicated playroom, Cari says they have their own place to play, and it seemed a better use of space to make the room a playroom than a guest room, which was only used a few weeks out of the year.

Only College to Worry About
"Having twins really brings you to your wits' end, and we were all really wiped out," Janice says specifically of her twins' babyhood.

Probably all parents of twins echo Janice's sentiments. But with some advanced planning about how to best use the space you have and consideration for the items you must have and those you can do without, housing and providing for your double bundle of joy can be a less daunting task than it may seem.

"Ask retailers about twin discounts; many stores offer discounts to families of multiples," Walker says. Preserving every dollar and making sure it is well spent and invested is far better than spending it on items you might not need.

*Last names withheld to protect privacy.

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