A guide for parents
Clothes for twins: how many, what size, and what nobody tells you
Why you shouldn't buy much before they arrive, why they might need different sizes, and the thing that halves the whole problem.
What's in here
- Don't stock up yet
- They might be different sizes
- The thing that halves the whole problem
- How many you actually need
- If they arrive early
- Telling them apart
Everyone's first instinct with twins is to double everything. Two cots, two car seats, two of every sleepsuit.
Two of some of that is right. Clothes are the bit where it isn't, and there's a reason nobody explains.
Don't stock up yet
That's the advice for any baby, and it's much more true for twins. Twins are more often born early and are more often small, and the difference between what you expected and what turns up can be two whole size bands.
So the shopping trip before they come should be small. A handful of tiny baby, a handful of newborn, and the rest bought in the fortnight after, when you know what you're actually dressing.
They might be different sizes
This is the one that catches people, and it feels obvious only afterwards.
Twins are frequently born at different weights. Half a pound apart is common, a pound is not unusual, and more than that happens. Two babies the same age, from the same pregnancy, in different sizes.
What people do
Buy everything in pairs, in one size, before they arrive.
Then one baby swims in theirs and the other has already outgrown them.
What works
Buy a few things in two adjacent sizes, and buy properly once you've met them.
Matching outfits can wait. Nothing about the first fortnight requires them.
And they don't stay different, usually. Weights tend to converge over the first year, so this is a first-few-months problem rather than a permanent one.
The thing that halves the whole problem
Here's the bit that most twin advice skips entirely.
If they're the same size, they can share a wardrobe. Not two sets of clothes. One pool, twice as deep, that either of them wears.
Which sounds obvious and isn't, because the moment you dress one in blue and one in pink, or assign them their own drawers, you've created two wardrobes and doubled everything you own.
Roughly one and a half times, not double
A shared pool needs about half as many again as one baby would, because two babies in the same size don't both need a clean sleepsuit at the same instant. They take turns without anybody organising it.
You'll still get through more laundry, obviously. But you need fewer garments than two separate wardrobes would, and every one of them gets worn twice as often, which changes the maths on what's worth buying.
It only works if you're relaxed about them not being colour-coded. Plenty of people aren't, and that's fine, it just costs more.
How many you actually need
| What | Shared pool | Separate wardrobes |
|---|---|---|
| Sleepsuits, per size | 9 to 10 | 12 to 16 |
| Vests, per size | 9 to 10 | 12 to 16 |
| Cardigans | 3 | 4 |
| Hats | 3 | 4 |
| Muslins | All of them. Genuinely. | All of them |
The first year is the expensive one either way, because a baby goes through six sizes before their first birthday and you're doing that twice over at the same moment.
If they arrive early
It's more likely with twins, and Twins Trust are clear that there's a higher chance of some time on a neonatal unit.
If that happens, they may not need clothes at first. Many babies start in an incubator wearing only a nappy, which the unit provides. That's normal and it isn't something to feel short-changed by.
When they can be dressed, the things that matter are access rather than size: wrap fronts that open flat, nothing over the head, footless sleepsuits so probes can be reached. The full detail is here.
Supermarket newborn sizes are generally too big below about 5lb, so it's specialist premature ranges rather than the high street. And neonatal units often keep spare clothes you can use, which is worth asking about before ordering anything at midnight.
Telling them apart
Practical rather than sentimental, and everybody with identical twins has a system.
Different coloured socks
The most common one, and it survives a nappy change far better than anything on a wrist. One always in white, one always in something else.
A dot of nail varnish on one big toe
The other classic. Lasts a fortnight, invisible in photographs, and survives absolutely everything including the bath.
Or just pick a side
Same baby on the left in the cot, the pram, the changing mat. Plenty of parents do this and never mark anything at all.
It's mostly for everyone else
You'll be able to tell within a few weeks. Grandparents, health visitors, nursery staff and anyone weighing them will not, and they'll be quietly grateful for something to go on rather than having to ask every time.
A friend with twins said the clothes were the only bit that got easier rather than harder. One pile, two babies, and she stopped caring which sleepsuit belonged to whom in about week three.
🌱 While you're here
Twins outgrow twice as much, in the same size, on the same day. Which is a lot of barely-worn clothes arriving in a bag all at once.
Swapaboo is a clothes swap. What they've grown out of pays for their next size, so the clothes themselves cost you nothing. You just pay to have them moved.
Everything's checked and graded before it lists, and you can claim more than one bundle in the same size, which is the bit that matters here.
We're opening a few families at a time. Pop your email in and we'll let you know when there's a place.
Common questions
How many clothes do you need for twins?
Fewer than double, if the babies share a wardrobe. Around nine or ten sleepsuits and the same number of vests per size covers two babies drawing from one pool, against twelve to sixteen if each has their own set. Two babies in the same size rarely need a clean sleepsuit at exactly the same moment.
Do twins need the same size clothes?
Not necessarily. Twins are frequently born at different weights, and half a pound to a pound apart is common, which can mean different size bands in the early weeks. Weights usually converge during the first year, so it tends to be a short-term difference rather than a permanent one.
What size clothes should I buy before twins arrive?
Very little, and in two adjacent sizes. Twins Trust advise a small mix of tiny baby and newborn clothes, because you will not know their true size until they arrive. Twins are more often born early and smaller than expected, so buying in bulk beforehand frequently produces clothes that never fit.
Can twins share clothes?
Yes, provided they are a similar size. Treating their clothes as one shared pool rather than two separate wardrobes means owning fewer garments overall, and each one gets worn more. It only works if you are relaxed about them not being colour-coded or dressed distinctly.
What if twins are born prematurely?
There is a higher chance of some time on a neonatal unit with twins. Many babies begin in an incubator wearing only a nappy, which the unit provides, so clothes may not be needed straight away. When they can be dressed, wrap-front garments that open flat and footless sleepsuits are the practical choices, and standard newborn sizing is generally too large below about 5lb.
How do you tell identical twins apart?
Different coloured socks is the most common method and survives nappy changes better than wristbands. A dot of nail varnish on one big toe is the other frequent choice and lasts a couple of weeks. It matters most for other people, including family, health visitors and nursery staff, who cannot yet tell them apart reliably.