More than just a cloth diaper.

When you find yourself with one baby, convenient baby products are a must. But when you have multiples - or multiples and older children along with them - convenient baby products are sometimes a lifesaver and a key to retaining your sanity.

I figured it might be helpful if I shared some hints and the baby products that go along with them.

All of the products I'm listing below have one thing in common: they're great for transition. Babies go through so many transitions so quickly, so when you're dealing with more than one, anything that can make those transitions easier is worth every penny.

Surprisingly, though, most of this stuff does NOT cost a fortune.

So here are my top five fave transitional tips/products from the last 14 and a half months of twin mommyood.

5. Little gPants

Little gPants: The wonder pant! Find them at www.gpant.com or Babies R Us.

• These cloth diaper-like products are not helpful when used as intended. I'm not a cloth diaperer. I understand that it's probably good for the environment and cheaper when done traditionally, but let's be real here, people. I work and have three kids and a house to maintain. There's not time for this stuff. 
• So here's how I use them: They are excellent leak guards and a great way to move to the next size diaper before your babies are big enough for that size. 
• Leak guards: Some babies pee so much in the night that they leak every night. This is just a fact. I was AGONIZING over how to keep them from leaking outside their diapers because they would do it so quickly, and the liquid would cool on their clothes and the cold would wake them in the middle of the night. So I thought about the vinyl covers, but my husband didn't like that idea because he said he thought the wet vinyl would cause rashes. So off to Babies R Us I went looking for a cloth alternative. These were expensive. Like, almost 30 bucks for a two pack. The good part about it, though, is you only need one for each baby if you're using them to protect against leaks instead of as cloth diapers. They have vinyl inserts that you can pop out and rinse, but the majority of the pant is cloth that can quickly be popped into the washer and then dryer and ready again for nighttime. 
• Transitional sizing: Many parents of multiples receive a ton of diapers before the babies are born. They were almost ready for size two - but not quite - when we ran out of the generously given size ones. We were broke, as many parents of multiples are, and needed to use what we had, but the diapers were still so large on them that they wouldn't stay on all the time. Enter Little gPants. They have Velcro adjusters just like diapers, and we already had them to guard against leaks. So we popped on a size two diaper and popped on their Little gPants on top of the diaper and just used it day and night until they got big enough to wear the size twos without the gPants holding them on. 
• I think everyone should own one pair of Little gPants for every baby on hand. They're great! 

5. Nûby Standard Non-Drip Bottle 

I cannot say enough about this product. It is a basic that every mommy should have, but especially mommies of multiples.

• Because of the handles on this product, my babies were able to hold their bottles so much sooner. I know handles have been around forever, but these are the perfect size and are removable, so if your baby doesn't dig handles or you're ready to teach him to hold on without them, they just pop right off.
• These come in two sizes, so stock up. You will need the bigger size later on if you use them with my special instructions, so keep that in mind.
• The Meredith way: These are great for really hungry babies. Again, as with cloth diapering, I know all about how breastfeeding is best, but with multiples, it's just not so easy. So for those of us who prefer a little bit more organized, streamlined and, let's just face it, easier, life, we bottle feed with formula. Now, all three of my babies had to switch to some kind of solid at six weeks old. My 8-year-old was breast fed for six weeks and almost starved to death. At six weeks, we put him on formula, rice cereal and stage 1 baby food. Struggling to feed him all of this when he was that young was difficult. Eight years later, skipping the breastfeeding stage altogether, I was faced with the same problem with two of them at once! So I put a lot of thought into this, and I decided to improvise.
• I used the Nûby bottles because they could hold more. The thing about the nipples with these is that they're not standard, so with a thick mixture like I wanted to create, I couldn't use the nipples that came with them. So I substituted regular nipples as the first step. In the bottle, I put six ounces of formula (the twins were already downing 10+ ounces every three to four hours), I jar of Gerber stage 1 fruit or vegetable and enough rice cereal to create the consistency that seemed right for their appetite at the time. 
• This worked great as long as I cut a small X in the nipple hole. It was a fantastic transition for the boys between bottle feeding and spoon feeding while making sure they got enough food. It also stretched their feedings out at night so that we were able to get more sleep. 
• So, as a product alone, it's fantastic, but after I modified it and used it my own way, it was a terrific transitional feeding tool.

3. OP Baby Boy Two-Piece Flotation Swimsuit

• I love, love, love, love this. Taking a baby swimming is hard, but, damn, the cold water feels good because you are alway so sweaty from lugging around a baby. Or two, in my case. So, we tried out those floaty things with the canopies. Those are great when you have one baby. But try keeping two babies in those things while you're floating around in a public pool. Or three. Or four. Catch my drift (ha!)?
• These are like a take on the arm floatie and life jacket all in one. The bottoms are like regular swim trunks. The top is like a life jacket with sleeves and a zipper up the front, but it has a padded strap that hooks under the crotch area. So the baby doesn't fall down into the life jacket. If you've ever worn a life jacket, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
• Now, you can't let the baby go and float in this, of course, but you can hold the baby next to you with virtually no muscle power needed, which is nice when you're toting those suckers around all the time OUT of the water. This way, you can give your weary muscles a break. And since it's more of a life jacket, you can get the babies closer to you and hold two at once mostly effortlessly. 
• In keeping with the transition theme, of course, the pads can come out of the shirt and the straps can come off if you'd like a regular two piece for your child. And, lastly, taking away the top, the shorts can be worn just as swimming trunks, making this suit last as long as it will fit.

2. Nûby No-Spill Sippy Cup 

• Nûby is a great product. Hands-down it's probably my No. 1 baby feeding product. I'd take a Nûby product over any other one without even looking. 
• The reason I love these particular cups is because they're shaped like the traditional sippy cup but they have a silicone top. So if your baby is teething, this gives them something to chew on. 
• The other great thing about the silicone top is that the baby can suck on it like he/she can suck on a nipple from a bottle. It has the same feeling, so it allows them to transition to a sippy cup more easily, so there doesn't have to be as much attention focused on it from the parent. I remember with my older son, I spent a lot of time coaxing him into drinking out of a hard-topped sippy cup. With these, all I had to do is hand them to the babies, and they took to them immediately. I could turn right back around and keep cleaning/cooking/doing laundry instead of having to teach the babies how to drink out of these. They're worth their weight in gold.

1. 

• This tops any list. For any reason. Ever. If things are going bad, this will go a long way toward fixing it. Every mother should remember this. If out of this particular product, the product below will also work.