The first year after your twins are born is the hardest and most challenging period for getting them to sleep. Some twins will sleep better and others and some twins will sleep better than their own brother or sister. Our own twins sleep OK but do wake up any time and really suddenly at times too but they did start to sleep through the night after 7 months. So just how do you get your twins to sleep easy for you. Lets go through it month by month though the best way for a new mother and father to go through it is day by day and they will find different things that work for them.
MONTH 1
Very challenging time. Remember your babies are new and very scared when you are not there. Smetimes they are scared too when you are or so it appears but they adore you. Babies will wake up throughout the night at this time and you may find yourself jumping for joy when they even sleep for 3 hours in a row. We found with our twins that one of them woke and if he didnt wake then she woke. It was very tiring. The best way we found to combat this was to take a similar strategy ourselves with one of us going to bed at nightime early and the other getting up at 6am. However new challenges emerge here too when yourself or your partner goes back to work. There may be Parental Leave available in your workplace so it is worth looking in to this.
MONTH 2
You have noticed that your babies like to go to bed around a certain time between 7 and 10pm most nights and then you hope they will sleep through the night. They dont. Baby wants to wake up to be fed because he doesnt know what day or night is. It is your job to show him and gradually you will. Mostly your baby will wake 2 or 3 times during the night. Our own would wake at midnight and then 3 or 4 seperately and then 5-30 and then 7 so very brain draining. We decided to look into ways to get them to be able to take less bottles at night. They were drinknig even more bottle at night than during the day. Something had to give.
MONTH 3
Your twins are now beginning to realise that there is a time in their cot called night-time when they are put down for baby dream time. This is all new to them so be sure to praise them for all the good work they are doing. If your baby normally sleeps 4 hours before waking and then sleeps 5 hours say to her "Good Girl" that was as much sleep as Mummy had. Cuddle and hold your baby and put them back in the cots. This is a problem time as you read about a lot of couples who are getting their babies to sleep through the night and yours are not. Its not to do with you. Its your baby who will decide when its best to sleep longer. When he feels more relaxed at bed.
MONTH 4
This is the month that you must start being a bit more strict with yourself and getting a routine going. Perhaps something like bath at 6 then bottle and then bed. We never could manage the bath so it was just playtime at 6 then bottle and then bed. It was not really the ideal situation but the most important thing for baby is to have a routine. By knowing that at 7 its bedtime and he is changed into his Pyjamas he will go goo goo and think of sleepytime. They may be cranky going to bed and for a few weeks you will think this is the wrong way but believe you me, by sticking to a predictable method it really helps to settle the babies down. Now only the difficult night time wakes to solve.
MONTH 5
Still waking for you during the night? Of course they are. The only thing predictable about twins is poo and milk. I read that when you hold your baby to sooth him at night that you should put him straight to the cot as soon as he is quite. Now this is very true but other things that do help is to talk to your baby quitely when you hold him. When his brother or sister starts to cry too get your husband to help or if there is no one I would suggest that you bring them into another room next door and let them wake it out of them and dim the lights and watch as one goes to sleep constantly talking gently and humming lulabies to them. They are your angels and this time will soon be over and they will want to go out to play with their priends and not be in until all hours.
MONTH 6
Now all of your hard work from the previous few months is finally beginning to bear fruit. Bringing the twins for a weekend away is another challenge and the best thing to do here is to bring your travel cots from home with your own smells rather than use a friends. Our twins were scared the first time we went away but they soon learned what going away was and now accept it no matter where they are. They are currently 8 months old and only wake an occasional night so I cant go too much further with this blog yet as I do not have the experience. Perhaps some of you who do could leave some comments.
MONTH 4
This is the month that you must start being a bit more strict with yourself and getting a routine going. Perhaps something like bath at 6 then bottle and then bed. We never could manage the bath so it was just playtime at 6 then bottle and then bed. It was not really the ideal situation but the most important thing for baby is to have a routine. By knowing that at 7 its bedtime and he is changed into his Pyjamas he will go goo goo and think of sleepytime. They may be cranky going to bed and for a few weeks you will think this is the wrong way but believe you me, by sticking to a predictable method it really helps to settle the babies down. Now only the difficult night time wakes to solve.
MONTH 5
Still waking for you during the night? Of course they are. The only thing predictable about twins is poo and milk. I read that when you hold your baby to sooth him at night that you should put him straight to the cot as soon as he is quite. Now this is very true but other things that do help is to talk to your baby quitely when you hold him. When his brother or sister starts to cry too get your husband to help or if there is no one I would suggest that you bring them into another room next door and let them wake it out of them and dim the lights and watch as one goes to sleep constantly talking gently and humming lulabies to them. They are your angels and this time will soon be over and they will want to go out to play with their priends and not be in until all hours.
MONTH 6
Now all of your hard work from the previous few months is finally beginning to bear fruit. Bringing the twins for a weekend away is another challenge and the best thing to do here is to bring your travel cots from home with your own smells rather than use a friends. Our twins were scared the first time we went away but they soon learned what going away was and now accept it no matter where they are. They are currently 8 months old and only wake an occasional night so I cant go too much further with this blog yet as I do not have the experience. Perhaps some of you who do could leave some comments.
