Erica Elizarraraz, @simplechicbrunnette
How do you stay organized with two little ones?
As a full-time working twin mom, this is probably one of the hardest things to do is keep organized. For me, the key is being prepared ahead of time. Making sure I have everything in order and packed the day before. The diaper bag must stay organized and stocked using our ToteSavvy. Making sure I’ve got their fav snacks, wipes, sippy cups, hand sanitizer and a change of clothes. It’s not easy to stay organized but I try my best to keep things in order or I’ll go crazy ️
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
All the compartments. I'm big on keeping everything separate b/c things are so much easier for me to find when the twins need something. I’ve also gotta add I love that I can use the ToteSavvy in any one of my tote bags I'm not stuck using the same bag.
What are your favorite products for twins?
Our double stroller hands down. We use the Baby Jogger City Select and City Mini. They’ve been great. Both strollers have decent size undercarriage to store our ToteSavvy which has been great. All other products we use are basically the same products used that any singleton mom would use we just have to have double of everything.
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
I would never tell a new twin mom “it gets easier” because every stage is different and unique and every child is different. I would say embrace every stage even if it’s hard because, in the end, they won’t ever be that small again. By no means am I saying that I am calm and that I don’t have breakdowns here and there but I do try my best to take steps back and take in each moment.
As a full-time working twin mom, this is probably one of the hardest things to do is keep organized. For me, the key is being prepared ahead of time. Making sure I have everything in order and packed the day before. The diaper bag must stay organized and stocked using our ToteSavvy. Making sure I’ve got their fav snacks, wipes, sippy cups, hand sanitizer and a change of clothes. It’s not easy to stay organized but I try my best to keep things in order or I’ll go crazy ️
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
All the compartments. I'm big on keeping everything separate b/c things are so much easier for me to find when the twins need something. I’ve also gotta add I love that I can use the ToteSavvy in any one of my tote bags I'm not stuck using the same bag.
What are your favorite products for twins?
Our double stroller hands down. We use the Baby Jogger City Select and City Mini. They’ve been great. Both strollers have decent size undercarriage to store our ToteSavvy which has been great. All other products we use are basically the same products used that any singleton mom would use we just have to have double of everything.
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
I would never tell a new twin mom “it gets easier” because every stage is different and unique and every child is different. I would say embrace every stage even if it’s hard because, in the end, they won’t ever be that small again. By no means am I saying that I am calm and that I don’t have breakdowns here and there but I do try my best to take steps back and take in each moment.
Laine Coopsie, @wildlittles
How do you stay organized with two little ones?
I take 15 mins at the end of each day and do a general clean up! That being said I have cheated a bit and hired a clearer to come once every 2 weeks. I also keep it simple. When we are out - I pack light + only bring the bare necessities. I am a minimalist by nature.
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
I am a big fan of slow fashion, thrift store finds + vegan handbags. There isn’t a vegan diaper bag on the market that would work for twins. With my Tote Savvy, I was able to modify my beloved Matt + Natt bags into the most stylish diaper bag! win-win!
What are your favorite products for twins?
TwinZ pillow is a must! Loads of receiving blankets, an excellent hospital grade pump + liters of really great coffee!
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
It takes a village so accept all the help you can get!
I take 15 mins at the end of each day and do a general clean up! That being said I have cheated a bit and hired a clearer to come once every 2 weeks. I also keep it simple. When we are out - I pack light + only bring the bare necessities. I am a minimalist by nature.
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
I am a big fan of slow fashion, thrift store finds + vegan handbags. There isn’t a vegan diaper bag on the market that would work for twins. With my Tote Savvy, I was able to modify my beloved Matt + Natt bags into the most stylish diaper bag! win-win!
What are your favorite products for twins?
TwinZ pillow is a must! Loads of receiving blankets, an excellent hospital grade pump + liters of really great coffee!
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
It takes a village so accept all the help you can get!
Noelle Bryant, @ohhappyplay
How do you stay organized with two little ones?
Organization is everything! Having the boys on a schedule helps me know exactly what we need when we are out and about so I can pack accordingly.
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
I love that I can use ToteSavvy in any of my bags and can come with me everywhere I go!
What are your favorite products for twins?
I love products that make my life easier like ToteSavvy, twin related products like double strollers are helpful but also items that help to manage them both like Fisher price sit me up seats, skip hop bouncers etc all help me so I can be present with boy boys at once!
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
My biggest piece of advice is to get your babies on a schedule as early as possible! The whole never wake a sleeping baby doesn’t apply when you have twins. When one wakes up at night you wake the other. You keep them on the exact same schedule until they both just naturally adapt to it. I owe all my sanity to our schedule!
Organization is everything! Having the boys on a schedule helps me know exactly what we need when we are out and about so I can pack accordingly.
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
I love that I can use ToteSavvy in any of my bags and can come with me everywhere I go!
What are your favorite products for twins?
I love products that make my life easier like ToteSavvy, twin related products like double strollers are helpful but also items that help to manage them both like Fisher price sit me up seats, skip hop bouncers etc all help me so I can be present with boy boys at once!
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
My biggest piece of advice is to get your babies on a schedule as early as possible! The whole never wake a sleeping baby doesn’t apply when you have twins. When one wakes up at night you wake the other. You keep them on the exact same schedule until they both just naturally adapt to it. I owe all my sanity to our schedule!
Michelle Joyner, @twinsidescoop
How do you stay organized with two little ones?
The million dollar question! I'll just say it upfront: it REALLY does take a village to raise twins. That said, when people offer help, I usually take it. Although I am a person that historically thrives off of chaos and is an I'll-Do-It-Myself kind of woman, this has been an entirely different level of pandemonium. You can't be afraid to ask for help! Whenever grandmas come over, it's those days that I am able to get my house back in order, run errands, and just breathe. In addition to recruiting extra hands to help as needed, I stick with a routine for the kids. Each day we keep to the same feeding times, same nap times, and same bedtime routines. Consistency goes a LONG way with babies! Also, I function best with checklists. When we recently took the twins on their first vacation, we had a 14 hour drive each way to Florida. During the packing process, I was ALL about making lists and checking boxes. I'm happy to report this helped me avoid forgetting to bring anything! Most importantly, though, I keep all of the babies' things in designated spaces. For example, each twin has their own side of the closet, they have individual drawers and containers for clothes, and their own cabinets in the kitchen with pink bottles for my daughter and blue for my son. It goes without saying that diaper bags and ToteSavvy organizers fall into this same category! Bottom line: any source of organization provides me sanity and regularity when I have twins wreaking havoc nearby.
The million dollar question! I'll just say it upfront: it REALLY does take a village to raise twins. That said, when people offer help, I usually take it. Although I am a person that historically thrives off of chaos and is an I'll-Do-It-Myself kind of woman, this has been an entirely different level of pandemonium. You can't be afraid to ask for help! Whenever grandmas come over, it's those days that I am able to get my house back in order, run errands, and just breathe. In addition to recruiting extra hands to help as needed, I stick with a routine for the kids. Each day we keep to the same feeding times, same nap times, and same bedtime routines. Consistency goes a LONG way with babies! Also, I function best with checklists. When we recently took the twins on their first vacation, we had a 14 hour drive each way to Florida. During the packing process, I was ALL about making lists and checking boxes. I'm happy to report this helped me avoid forgetting to bring anything! Most importantly, though, I keep all of the babies' things in designated spaces. For example, each twin has their own side of the closet, they have individual drawers and containers for clothes, and their own cabinets in the kitchen with pink bottles for my daughter and blue for my son. It goes without saying that diaper bags and ToteSavvy organizers fall into this same category! Bottom line: any source of organization provides me sanity and regularity when I have twins wreaking havoc nearby.
What is your favorite thing about ToteSavvy?
It's hard to pick just one thing! I think my favorite part about the Tote Savvy organizer would have to be that it allows me to neatly pack my chaotic twin life into an abundance of pockets without having to sacrifice fashion. Since becoming a mother, I have some nicer totes that often go unused these days because I’m busy lugging around diaper bags. Now, I have a solution that affords me the best of both worlds! :)
What are your favorite products for twins?
Two of the best purchases that we ever made for our twins were 1) Boppy Newborn Loungers (because comfortable babies are happy babies) and 2) Baby Einstein Jumpers (because tired babies result in happy parents ;)).
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
If I could offer only one piece of advice to a new twin mom it would be to simply to ask for help when you need it. You won't be able to do it all and that's OK. It doesn't make you any less of a Super Mom. Along those same lines, one of the best sources of help I ever got was that of a night nanny. We had one a few nights a week for the first few months and it was a complete lifesaver. If it's something you're considering, I say go for it! A well-rested mama is a happy mama!
Jennifer Hawkins, @jenkhawkins
How do you stay organized with two little ones?
It’s all about a system and a schedule! We have specific places where things go and systems that we stick to. It sounds silly, but knowing exactly how many bottles are clean at any given time or sorting the dirty laundry into different hampers makes the biggest difference. When we brought the babies home, we slowly put these systems in place and it’s helped my husband and me so much!
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
I love that ToteSavvy helps me keep my diaper bag organized, and most importantly I can easily see if I’m out of something (like diapers or wipes) before I leave the house! I have a special pocket for diapers, so I know if that pocket is empty I need to restock :)
What are your favorite products for twins?
We rave about our Snoo bassinets to anyone who asks, we love those things! We love our double stroller (we have the Bugaboo Donkey) and it’s so easy to click our car seats in and out of. I also love my Solly wrap for when I need to wear one baby and hold the other. We also love our portable white noise machines, the babies’ loveys from JellyCat, and the Sophia teething toy.
What advice would you give to twin mamas (especially new ones)?
Enjoy every single moment, because the days AND the years are short when you have twins ;). Try to have a schedule, but if one baby wakes up, enjoy that one-on-one time with that baby. Of course, take photos and videos of your babies together, but also take lots of them on their own because they are going to want those when they’re older!
What advice would you give to twin mamas (especially new ones)?
Enjoy every single moment, because the days AND the years are short when you have twins ;). Try to have a schedule, but if one baby wakes up, enjoy that one-on-one time with that baby. Of course, take photos and videos of your babies together, but also take lots of them on their own because they are going to want those when they’re older!
Lauren Kutting, Founder of ToteSavvy
How do you stay organized with two little ones?
I wouldn't be a good CEO if I didn't say ToteSavvy is a big help in staying organized! One of the reasons I developed ToteSavvy (prior to having twins) is I love being prepared and keeping everything I need together and within reach. After having my twins I realized just how much my need for organization was crucial to raising twins. Aside from my ToteSavvy and handbag, we keep our home organized by using cubbies, little caddies, and lots of dividers. Just about every item in our home has a place to be put away to keep the clutter to a minimum.
I wouldn't be a good CEO if I didn't say ToteSavvy is a big help in staying organized! One of the reasons I developed ToteSavvy (prior to having twins) is I love being prepared and keeping everything I need together and within reach. After having my twins I realized just how much my need for organization was crucial to raising twins. Aside from my ToteSavvy and handbag, we keep our home organized by using cubbies, little caddies, and lots of dividers. Just about every item in our home has a place to be put away to keep the clutter to a minimum.
Now that my twins are 3 and their older sister is 5, we insist they help in the weekly tidying process. This can be a struggle sometimes (the threenager stage in duplicate is no joke 🙄) but we've learned to be patient and keep instilling the value of a tidy home.
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
I've been carrying ToteSavvy in my handbag since the initial prototype I hand-sewed back in 2013. I love how it's grown with me and my family over the past 5 years. No matter what stage my kids are in or even when I'm using it solo for a business trip, it always has the pockets I need to organize every essential flawlessly.
What are your favorite products for twins?
Definitely an oversized tote! I have a black and white striped Kate Spade weekender tote that was my go-to tote when my twins were newborns. It held absolutely everything we needed on our outings, with room to spare! We also loved the Rock 'n Play sleeper by Fisher-Price. This is the only thing my son would nap in when he was a newborn. It saved our sanity! Another great twin product we used daily was the Twin Z Nursing pillow. While breastfeeding didn't last long for me, this pillow was great as a place for them to hang out and even learn to sit up. I love how it grew with us through the infant stages!
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
Take it day by day and don't be afraid to ask for help. I'm not the type of person who can easily admit when I need help, and I rarely accept it. When you have newborn twins you need help no matter how much you think you don't. When you get that time for yourself don't do chores. Be super "selfish" (in quotes because it's not selfish AT ALL!) and take a nap, shower, or anything else you've been longing to do. It's so important to take time for yourself and stay in tune with your mental health as a twin mama.
What is the one thing you love most about ToteSavvy?
I've been carrying ToteSavvy in my handbag since the initial prototype I hand-sewed back in 2013. I love how it's grown with me and my family over the past 5 years. No matter what stage my kids are in or even when I'm using it solo for a business trip, it always has the pockets I need to organize every essential flawlessly.
What are your favorite products for twins?
Definitely an oversized tote! I have a black and white striped Kate Spade weekender tote that was my go-to tote when my twins were newborns. It held absolutely everything we needed on our outings, with room to spare! We also loved the Rock 'n Play sleeper by Fisher-Price. This is the only thing my son would nap in when he was a newborn. It saved our sanity! Another great twin product we used daily was the Twin Z Nursing pillow. While breastfeeding didn't last long for me, this pillow was great as a place for them to hang out and even learn to sit up. I love how it grew with us through the infant stages!
What advice do you have for twin mamas (especially new ones)?
Take it day by day and don't be afraid to ask for help. I'm not the type of person who can easily admit when I need help, and I rarely accept it. When you have newborn twins you need help no matter how much you think you don't. When you get that time for yourself don't do chores. Be super "selfish" (in quotes because it's not selfish AT ALL!) and take a nap, shower, or anything else you've been longing to do. It's so important to take time for yourself and stay in tune with your mental health as a twin mama.