Putting twins to sleep!?

Israeli_C

Wed, Jul 03 2019, 1:53 pm

So they're in their own room, cribs set up and... I'm wondering how does one person get twins to sleep simultaneously?? Any tips?! Until now they've fallen asleep with a bottle in a bouncy chair (yes yes I'm terrible) and they're now 6 months old

amother

Scarlet

Wed, Jul 03 2019, 1:58 pm

I sit on my bed, hold one baby in my lap and the other right near me in a boppy pillow. They fall asleep with the bottle, and when they're both sleeping I get up and put them down in their cribs. I put the one I'm holding first, obviously, then go back for the other one. They are 9 months old.

ETA: They don't always fall asleep with the bottle. If they don't fall asleep, I just put them down in their cribs when they are done eating (they don't want anymore). One takes a pacifier, one doesn't. I just put them down on their stomach cover them with the blanket and say "good night" and I leave the room. Sometimes they'll cry for a few seconds while I'm leaving the room, but they know it's bedtime and usually just go to sleep.

amother

Coral

Wed, Jul 03 2019, 2:48 pm

Don't learn from me, it was something like "nurse baby A and verbally reassure baby B that she is fine until you can't handle the screaming, switch and nurse baby B until baby A's screaming is too much for you", repeat, repeat until both are finally asleep and your nerves are totally shot.

Sometimes I nursed both at the same time and then woke one or both up when trying to put them down. Or put them to sleep in the double stroller and only transferred them into bed after they woke up.

I think that once I accepted that there was no right way and the best solution was to wait a few years, it was less stressful. The worst feeling is feeling that you're failing your babies.

But as long as they're fed and you TRIED to get them to sleep you're good.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Jul 03 2019, 2:52 pm

Babies should not fall asleep with bottles! Google pictures of "bottle mouth". Surprised

I'm told that twins sleep best if they are in the same crib together. They'll tell you when they are ready for separate cribs, but right now, they want the reassurance that each other is right by their side.

Israeli_C

Wed, Jul 03 2019, 2:56 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Babies should not fall asleep with bottles! Google pictures of "bottle mouth". Surprised

I think sleeping in the same crib is fine until a certain age, but now they're rolling over (sometimes rolling on top of one another), eating each other's hands/feet (yay, teething!) so I put them in separate ones.

Oy, the 2 year old just joined the party :S

crl

Wed, Jul 03 2019, 7:30 pm

We stick to our schedule religiously, but I pumped/supplemented. Feed them same time, sleep them same time. We put them to bed with bottles once they were old enough to hold them, maybe around 8-9 months but until then, fed right before bed and they started sleeping longer stretches.

Israeli_C

Wed, Jul 03 2019, 11:03 pm

Phew, managed to get them to sleep by feeding them, taking them out individually and holding them til they were sleeping, putting them in their crib (and repeat if they started crying again).

Took a long, looooong time....

2 year old took an even longer time.

BUT the twins slept through the night for the first time ever!! Very Happy

TwinsMommy

Thu, Jul 04 2019, 12:43 am

It was over a decade ago but we cluster fed. Fed both twins a full bottle at 6 or so and then another full bottle at 8 or so. They cried very little if at all then when placed in their cribs. Full bellies.

Israeli_C

Thu, Jul 04 2019, 12:47 am

TwinsMommy wrote:

Full bellies is definitely the way to go. Only every now and then one of them (the older one) rolls over on her belly and spits up everything all over her bed. The joys...