Bottle Props for Twins: An Essential For Tandem Bottle Feeding

Bottle props and hands-free bottle holders for twins are quite the controversial subject. Enter any twin mom group on Facebook and you’ll be sure to see a post or two about baby bottle props.

Half of the comments are from moms who have indeed used bottle props for their twins and swear that it’s a lifesaver. The other half of the comments are from moms who insist that bottle propping is dangerous and how can you possibly be so lazy as to not hold your babies while you’re feeding them.

Insert eye roll. In case you can’t tell, I am team prop the freaking bottles. Having twins is challenging enough and I fully support anything that makes it easier. Now, I am not saying to prop the bottles and leave the room. That’s not safe. But it can be done safely and effectively FOR SURE.

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Why Bottle Props for Twins Are a Good Idea

This is for all of the people who judge bottle propping AND for the moms who are feeling guilty about it. Sure, it can be dangerous. If you prop the bottles and leave the room, that is definitely not safe. Here is a response to every comment I have heard about bottle propping for twins.

Why don’t you just breastfeed your twins?

I planned on breastfeeding my twins and I’m still sad that it wasn’t an experience I was able to have. My twins were born at 31 weeks and 6 days, just over 8 weeks prematurely (you can read my twin birth story <– here).

They spent some time in the NICU and when they came home they were still too weak to breastfeed.

Sidenote: If you’re planning on breastfeeding twins, this is a fantastic resource for everything you need to know about double nursing.

Why not just hold your twins while they drink their bottles?

Well, it is literally not possible to hold two babies and feed them bottles simultaneously. I would venture to say it’s safer to have the babies placed someplace secure than both balanced precariously on your lap.

Plus, since BOTH of your hands are holding a bottle, you can’t grab them quickly if one begins to roll off.

Why don’t you alternate holding them during feeding sessions?

I did this occasionally. It’s more difficult than it sounds though because the propped bottles would sometimes fall or the baby would move away from the bottle and I’d need to readjust it. It’s hard to fix the bottle while you’re feeding another baby.

Also, I frequently pumped while they were drinking their bottles, so I couldn’t pump and hold a baby. There were other times that I had to run after my two-year-old who had learned how to dispense ice from the refrigerator or the time he was hiding in the corner eating a block of parmesan cheese.

Can’t you lie them down and at least hold the bottles?

Yes, if I wasn’t pumping at the same time, but it is terrible for your back and neck to lean over like that.

Also…. they’re MY babies and I get to choose how I want to feed them. Breast, bottle… or bottle prop!

What About Bonding With Your Babies While They Eat?

I tried to hold the babies for at least one feeding a day, usually their evening feeding when my husband was home and our toddler had gone to bed.

And with twins, time is so limited that you have to decide what’s important to you. For me, since I was exclusively pumping, I preferred to pump while they were eating so that I could spend time cuddling and playing with them after they finished their bottles.

How to Safely Prop Bottles for Twins

Basically, the only thing you need to do to ensure that it’s safe is to watch them. Don’t leave the room or do anything crazy like take a shower! If you are in the same room, watching your twins, there is nothing unsafe about bottle propping.

The Best Hands-Free Baby Bottle Holders for Twins

You guys. I didn’t use any fancy bottle holders. I used a rolled up burp cloth and it worked AMAZING. Sometimes if I didn’t have a burp cloth handy, I’d use a small plush toy.

I’d place the babies on an angle on the TwinZ Pillow (but two regular boppies would work as well) and roll up my super fancy baby bottle prop (burp cloth) and place the bottle on it. GENIUS.

Other Hands-Free Bottle Props For Twins

Beebo

The Beebo runs about $30 and you need two of them. The nice thing about the idea of the Beebo is that you can hold both babies and feed them their bottles at the same time! It looked perfect to me, so I forked over $60 and tried them.

My girls were still fairly young when I tried them, and they did not work AT ALL. The girls just weren’t able to keep their heads up in a position to reach the bottle. I returned them with no problem, so it’s worth a try if your babies need less attention while taking a bottle.

Car Seat Bottle Holder

I never tried this option but I think looks like it would work really well. The downside is that you have to keep your car seats in the house. This is probably a great option for reflux babies as it keeps them inclined in their car seats.

Bottle Support Cushion

This looks like another good option. You will probably have to adjust the bottles frequently if your babies move around a lot, but I had to do that with my burp cloth props as well.

Hands-Free Bottle

This isn’t a bottle prop, but an actual hands-free bottle. I considered purchasing one but asked around first. A few other twin moms told me they had tried this but that it was too much work for their babies to suck the milk out. I knew there was no way my girls would be able to. If your babies are older and stronger, this might be a good option for you!

The consensus from twin moms is that using burp cloths and a TwinZ pillow is the way to go, but there are several other options for you to try if that doesn’t work for your twins. Let me know what works and what doesn’t work for you so I can keep this post updated!

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